Pool 1
Marconi Stallions v Rockdale City Suns – Cancelled @ Marconi Stadium
The wet weather, along with the blistering wind, saw officials cancel this encounter on Saturday. The reigning League champions would have been eager to bounce back following the loss against Bonnyrigg White Eagles last weekend, as the Suns looked to further improve on its current standing on the Pool 1 ladder if not for the bad weather.
Blacktown Spartans 2 Blacktown City FC 4 @ Blacktown Football Park
A double to Jacob Ott was not enough for an understrength Spartans outfit who were second best against Blacktown City.
Ott’s early strike under a heavy downpour had the home side in good stead for the match however it was Mark Crittenden’s men who took charge from that point. Sean Rooney, Travis Major, Ray Miller and Matt Lewis each found the back of the net to ensure a dominant spell for the side before Ott doubled his personal tally for his side via a set-piece.
The Spartans showed fine fitness in the encounter, though coach Ben DeHaan has still to have the luxury of fielding his strongest possible team in this pre-season campaign, instead throwing a number of youngsters into the fold.
Major played a massive role for Blacktown City on the night, prompting also that the pre-season has been great for his side as 2013 promises to be a big season for the 2010 NSW Premier League champions.
Manly United FC 0 Bonnyrigg White Eagles 0 @ Cromer Park
Manly United and Bonnyrigg White Eagles played out a scoreless draw at Cromer Park in extremely wet conditions.
The new synthetic surface looked a treat for those who braved the downpour, however the conditions did make attractive football difficult. Both sides pressed for a winning goal in this clash though it was not to be following a high scoring game in the Grade 20s encounter between the two clubs.
The draw sees Bonnyrigg hold onto top-spot on the Pool 1 ladder, meanwhile Manly United FC sit in sixth-spot, still looking for its first win of the pre-season campaign.
Pool 2
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers – Central Coast Mariners Academy – Abandoned after 30’ minutes due to rain @ Seymour Shaw
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers and the Central Coast Mariners Academy only got through 30’ minutes of the early encounter at Seymour Shaw on Saturday before the referee decided to abandon the match due to the wet conditions. Torrential rain caused puddles of water on the surface which made it difficult for all the players on the field.
Prior to the referee sending the players back into the sheds, the Tigers did find the back of the net with a strong finish, however the goal was correctly disallowed for a clear offside.
Sutherland Sharks 2 Sydney United 58 FC 3 @ Seymour Shaw
Reds striker Luka Glavas seems to have already put behind him the horrid run he and his club endured in 2012 with another match-winning display at Sutherland on Saturday night. Following the heavy rain that caused the abandonment of the APIA-Leichhardt Tigers v Central Coast Mariners Academy match, Sydney United twice came from behind before striking in the dying moments of the encounter for the win.
New Sharks signing Nick Littler had the hosts ahead on 10’ minutes before Glavas netted his first in the 15’ minute.
Sutherland restored its advantage courtesy of Nik Tsattalios though that man Glavas again drew the sides level with a neat finish from the edge of the penalty-area.
Both sides, at least on paper, look to be serious title contenders this season and despite some lethargic football in the second-half, both squads appear to have a big season to come, even at this early pre-season stage.
Glavas netted his winner in the 3’ minute of second-half injury-time, much to the delight of the Reds and their supporters with the team holding onto the top-spot in Pool 2 with four wins to show from four matches to-date.
South Coast Wolves 0 Sydney Olympic 1 @ Seymour ShawSydney Olympic continued its fabulous run in the Pre-Season Cup with a well-earned, much deserved, 1-0 win over the Wolves at Seymour Shaw.
A Phil Makrys inspired showing led to the Blues winner, netted shortly after half-time by new signing Elsid Barkhousir. Makrys showed his tenacity in the middle of the park winning a ball before releasing Barkhousir through on goal.
Makrys however didn’t have everything his own way after he saw a first-half penalty parried by the Wolves goalkeeper.
The Wolves, perhaps without the experience of the Blues across the park, had a difficult afternoon and remain winless in the Pre-Season competition.
Sydney Olympic sit in equal first spot with Sydney United 58 FC as the two sides prepare to go head-to-head next weekend to determine the group winner in what should be a mouthwatering Pre-season Cup match not to be missed.
-By Joseph Carlucci
Archives for February 2013
NSW Premier League Pre-Season Cup Round 3 Review
Pool 1
Bonnyrigg White Eagles 4-1 Marconi Stallions @ Bonnyrigg Sports Club
All eyes were on Bonnyrigg Sports Club on Saturday evening as Bonnyrigg White Eagles exacted revenge against Marconi Stallions in a replay of the 2012 NSW Premier League Final.
Brian Brown was very happy with his side’s performance as they prevailed by a 4-1 scoreline against the side that were crowned 2012 Champions on the same ground in October.
The hosts took the lead through a Robbie Younis freekick before a 35-yard Adrian Ucchino wonder goal gave them a 2-0 lead at the break.
Micky Simonovic pulled a goal back from the visitors soon after the restart before Younis restored the two goal buffer from the penalty spot.
Marconi missed a penalty of their own before new signing Howard Fondyke wrapped up the scoring for Bonnyrigg; the former Perth Glory youth player finding the net after his trial period proved successful in the preseason cup’s earlier rounds.
Blacktown Spartans 1-2 Rockdale City Suns @ Blacktown Football Park
Rockdale City Suns preseason continued to improve on Saturday as they notched up their first win of the campaign at Blacktown Spartans.
All goals came in the first half; the visitors coming out on top 2-1 in a tightly contested match.
The hosts looked to be in the driver’s seat when Tyson Rhodes opened the scoring for the hosts only for Richie Cardozo to draw Rockdale level from the penalty spot with his third goal in three appearances.
David Talevski put his side into the lead soon after and his side went on to hold their 2-1 lead at both half and full time.
Blacktown City FC 2-2 Manly United @ Lily Homes Stadium
A spirited Manly United performance saw the visitors twice fight back from behind to secure a 2-2 draw against Blacktown City at Lily Homes Stadium.
Craig Midgely can be proud of his squad’s resilience after twice being pegged back by a side who have recruited smartly throughout the off season.
Goals to Matthew Mayora and Ray Miller were cancelled out by Jamie Gosling and Scott Balderson equalisers; the latter coming in the final ten minutes of what was an encouraging match for the visitors.
Pool 2
Central Coast Mariners Academy 1-2 Sydney Olympic @ Mariners Centre of Excellence
A late flurry of goals saw Sydney Olympic past Central Coast Mariners Academy by a 2-1 scoreline at the Mariners Centre of Excellence in a physically testing encounter.
Both sides created chances yet neither could open the scoring in the first half as both sides went at each other in the humid conditions.
Troy Danaskos broke the deadlock after the interval before James Monie appeared to have rescued a point when he came off the bench to equalise with seven minutes remaining.
With the match appearing destined for a draw the visitors grabbed a late winner as Elsid Barkhousir headed his side back into the lead in the closing moments much to the despair of Central Coast keeper Jordan Nikolovski who had a sound game for the home side. Nikolovski, who travels from Sydney, has been one of the Central Coast standout players in recent weeks as he hopes to assure the number one spot at the club.
The match will be an encouraging for both sides as the newcomers in Mariners Academy are showing they can be competitive against experienced opposition while Olympic look to have found their winning formula with their blend of experience and young blood making it three wins from three.
Sutherland Sharks 2-1 South Coast Wolves @ Seymour Shaw
Sutherland Sharks returned to winning ways on Saturday as they held off a South Coast Wolves comeback to prevail 2-1 in slippery conditions at Seymour Shaw.
The morning’s downpour ensured the sides contested the match on a slick pitch which made things difficult for both sides.
Panni Nikas netted his fifth preseason goal to open the scoring for the hosts with a flicked header from a Nick Tsattalios free kick.
Peter Simonovski kept his cool in a one-on-one situation to equalise for Wolves before Brad Boardman produced a well-placed finish from the edge of the box to claim all three points.
A.P.I.A. Leichhardt Tigers 0-5 Sydney United 58 FC @ Ian McLennan Park
A clinical Sydney United 58 FC routed their opposition on Sunday afternoon’s fixture, hammering APIA Leichardt Tigers 5-0 in what proved to be a comprehensive victory for the travelling team.
Chances fell to both sides throughout a seemingly even first half before United netted three times in quick succession in the lead up to the interval.
Luka Glavas was the hero of the day with a superbly taken hat-trick; the first goal of which came from the spot after Glavas was felled by the keeper before dusting himself off to sink the ensuing penalty.
Japanese import and former Blacktown City FC striker Yuchi Yamauchi doubled United’s advantage with a sublime finish into the top corner before Glavas grabbed his second and United’s third after weaving his way past the Tigers defence and calmly slotting his finish into the back of the net.
Soon after the restart the enigmatic striker bagged his third, connecting with a well weighted throughball and tucking the ball home before Yamauchi grabbed a brace of his own after collecting an unconvincing clearance and beating the keeper to complete a crushing win for the visitors.
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-By Michael Shoolman