Figon breaks APIA hearts

10984626_806187449436581_4182407034525859346_n

Jordan Figon was the hero of the evening as his 91st equaliser all but broke APIA Leichhardt Tigers’ hearts as the Sutherland Sharks came away with a point in a 2-2 draw on a bitterly cold Saturday evening at Seymour Shaw Park.  

The action kicked off as early as the first minute when former Sharks star Blake Powell got on the scoresheet continuing his rich goal scoring form.

Powell fired in a shot-come-cross that clipped the underside of the crossbar and then the glove of Sharks’ goalkeeper Nathan Denham with the ball finding the back of the net – it was his first game back after his trial with Hyundai A-League side Wellington Phoenix.

It was far from the start the home side wanted against the high-flying Tigers, but it was just the first action of another cracking game of PS4 NPL New South Wales Men’s 1 football.

It was a somewhat fortuitous opening for APIA, yet the setback didn’t rattle the Sharks and they were soon into their rhythm from the restart.

However, this opponent was a well-drilled outfit and countered the home sides’ attacking options, limiting them to a couple of efforts from distance that easily swept past the woodwork without calling goalkeeper Ryan Norval into action.

A madcap scramble in the APIA box, which saw the ball pinging around, eventually fell to Jordan Figon who, falling backward, couldn’t connect cleanly.

The same player produced a terrific save from Norval seconds later when forcing the ‘keeper into a full-length save to his left at the quarter hour mark.

The heavens opened briefly as the thunder began to roll through but it didn’t dampen the attacking flair being shown by two good ball-playing sides.

Another former Shark, Nathan Elasi kept the ball in down the right and centred behind Franco Parisi with Nick Olsen following in, not expecting the ball to reach him and firing wide of the target after 20 minutes, when in reality the move should have produced the visitors second goal of the evening.

Lightning lit up the skies and Olsen, back on his old stomping ground, lit up the park cutting in from the right-hand side and powering into the box before attempting to curl a shot around Denham, who did well to hold the ball in the now slippery conditions.

It was Powell again in the 28th minute who, with the defence standing off, ran through and unleashed a pile driver from the edge of the area that crashed back into play off the crossbar. APIA were creating, but squandering, chances and only time would tell if they would rue the missed opportunities.

Lucas Stergiou replied with a screamer from 25-yards out that whistled sharply past the upright in the 33rd minute that had Norval rooted to the spot and well beaten.

Figon headed over from a Jacob Tratt cross concluding the action from the first-half in the 38th minute when the rain became torrential.

It was unclear whether the game would be called off until the downfall eased and play resumed a few minutes later with the lightening still darting around the sky.

It was the right call by the official who wasn’t to know the storm would ease as quickly as it had started.

Denham atoned for the earlier horror start when saving from Powell once more, this time with his legs, immediately followed by Adrian Ucchino picking up the first caution of the match for APIA.

Marc Warren also found himself in the book on the stroke of half time for a mistimed tackle but with no further addition to the scoring it was certainly all to play for in the second half.

The rain teemed down during the interval so heavily it began producing a few smallish puddles on the Seymour Shaw pitch that would make conditions more dangerous for the players in the second stanza with the lightning flashing stronger than a paparazzi convention as a backdrop.

The players returned for the second half with Bai Antoniou replacing Seongjin Park for the home side.

The pitch was so sodden the ball was holding up and when Tratt stole the ball in the middle of the park he set off on a run before slipping a pass to Stevie Hayes who in turn found Alex Jovovic on the left.

His cross was partially cleared by the APIA defence allowing Tratt to again latch onto the ball but blasting high over the bar. It was a sweet move under the conditions that probably deserved better.

The score was doubled on the break when Parisi stepped over the ball allowing Elasi to slip a marker and coolly pick his spot to curl the ball home in the 52’ minute.

Sutherland thought they had reduced the deficit in the 56’ minute when both Figon and Hayes appeared to have bundled the ball over the line however the strike was rubbed out for a foul on Norval in the process.

The work rate was still there from both despite the pitch taking a pummeling from the weather as it became increasingly slippery for the players, resembling something more akin to a kids slippery slide at times, but it did not stop Denham having to save a rocket from Parisi in the 58th minute through a sea of players.

Both sets of combatants deserved plenty of credit for the show they managed to put on despite the horrible conditions.

Hayes picked up a yellow for the home side in the 62nd minute when trying to spot the ball for a free-kick and the game continued.

Both Sharks’ Stergiou and APIA’s Symonds picked up cautions soon after, with Tigers’ skipper Michael West following shortly after.

Charles Lokolingoy replaced Stergiou and almost made an instant impact when sprinting down the Sharks’ right flank and firing in a cross that had Norval at full stretch to thwart.

Denham needed to be quick to stop an Olsen effort in the 80th minute, although the ball fell to the Tigers’ man again and his effort this time was cleared off the line. How it stayed out is a mystery.

The Sharks found the net in the 84th minute when Sean O’Connell powered in a right foot shot beyond Norval, finally beating the Tigers’ goalkeeper despite another impressive performance.

APIA had been about to bring on Stephen Kayes for West, but after the goal that was changed to Tyson Rhodes.

Sutherland completed the improbable fight-back in the first minute of stoppage time when Figon leveled, slipping the ball under Norval in the greasy conditions.

It was a bizarre game with a bizarre finish that had Sutherland coach Steve O’Conner admitting his side was lucky to take a point.

“We didn’t deserve to get a draw to be honest as they dominated us for most the match,” O’Conner said.

“We had a spell toward the back end of the first-half but other than that we rode our luck and Nathan (Denham) produced a string of saves to keep us in it, especially after going a goal down in the first minute and you begin to think here we go again.

“We gave away two dumb goals before we sorted ourselves out, but being honest we could’ve taken all three points at the end and we didn’t deserve it.

“We’ve played better this season and lost so we’ll take the point from this one against a very, very good side and move on from here.”

Tigers’ skipper West expressed his disappointed with what he saw as two points dropped.

“It didn’t look as though they could come back and get anything from the game but that’s what happens when you don’t take your chances,” West said.

“We had three or four really good chances in both halves, hit the bar a couple of times and dominated the match.

“The break in the first period disrupted the concentration but we could’ve lost it at the end which considering our possession and chances would not have been fair.

“I can’t put my finger on what happened in the final 10-minutes of the match but when you lose half your backline it’s a matter of readjustment and players not exactly up to speed on where to fill the gaps and Sutherland took advantage of that, especially when throwing bodies forward at the end.

“The dressing room feels like its two points dropped but that’s football.”

Match Stats

Sutherland Sharks 2 (O’Connell 84’, Figon 90+1’)
APIA Leichardt Tigers 2 (Powell 1’ Elasi 52’)
Saturday 11 July, 2015

Seymour Shaw Park, Miranda
Referee: Khodr Yaghi

Assistant Referees: Sebastien Brennan & Raymond Osborne
Fourth Official: Daniel Stack
Sutherland Sharks: Denham ©, Tratt, McKenzie, Gordon, O’Connell, Park (Antoniou 46), Jovovic, Stergiou (Lockolingoy 74’), Moustakas, Figon, Hayes

Substitutes Not Used: Littler, Mitwali, Depta
Yellow Cards: Hayes 62’, Stergiou 66’, Antoniou 76’
Red Cards: 

APIA Leichardt Tigers: Norval, Millgate, Warren, West © (Rhodes 85’), Biczo, Powell, Parisi (Kayes 89), Elasi, Symons (Bartels 82’), Ucchino, Olsen

Substitutes Not Used: Bazi, Scott
Yellow Cards: Ucchino 39’, Warren 45’, Symons 67’, West 68’
Red Cards: 
-By Micky Brock, PS4 NPL NSW Men’s 1 reporter at Seymour Shaw Park