Aswin Adinanto inspired Hakoah Sydney City East to a stirring late comeback to claim the PlayStation 4 NPL NSW Men’s U18 Grand Final with a 3-1 win over Wollongong Wolves at Leichhardt Oval.
Mark Gannon’s side were staring down the barrel of a 1-0 defeat after the South Coast side made an early breakthrough on five minutes through Joel Starr but the introduction of Adinanto reaped maximum rewards for the Premiers who ran in three goals in the final twenty minutes.
The half-time substitute first restored parity with a sensational acrobatic effort before securing his brace ten minutes later after bundling home on the spot following Andrew Bivano’s cross.
Hakoah sealed the premiership and championship double with five minutes remaining when Asha Phillips looped a gorgeous header over Wollongong custodian Daniel Arcaba.
Although Hakoah struggled to break down a resolute Wollongong outfit for large periods of the encounter it was a deserved first win over the Wolves this campaign for the Premiers who were rewarded for a persistent second half display.
James O’Rourke’s Wolves made the perfect start to what was a tetchy and uninspiring half highlighted by some dogged pieces of defending from Wollongong.
The third-placed finishers capitalized on a nervous start from the Premiers to take an early lead when Joel Starr nudged the ball past Hakoah goalkeeper Cameron Kemp before slotting home into an empty net.
It was a lead the Wolves defended comfortably with Hakoah unable to build any attacking momentum, while the Premiers also struggled to cope with the physicality of Jake Trew who was a constant first-half menace for the South Coast side.
But Mark Gannon’s side pushed harder for an equalizer in the second half and it wasn’t long before they crafted one of the matches best sightings on goal when Andrew Bivano raced clear of the Wollongong rearguard but saw his effort well parried by Wolves stopper Daniel Arcaba.
It looked as though the Premiers would need something special to find an equalizer – and they were granted exactly that when Adinanto met Satchel Kolt’s cross with a splendid bicycle kick to bring the scores level with twenty minutes remaining.
After holding Hakoah at bay with a degree of comfort for much of the contest, the Wollongong resolve began to crumble following Adinanto’s superb equzlier.
And the substitute clinched a match-winning brace ten minutes later after pouncing on a loose ball in the area following a wicked cross from Bivano.
With Wollongong throwing numbers forward in reply, Hakoah sealed the premiership and championship double in style when substitute Asha Phillips looped an emphatic header into the top corner with five minutes remaining.
Match Stats
Wollongong Wolves 1 (Starr 5’)
Hakoah Sydney City East 3 (Adinanto 73’, 83’, Phillips 86’)
Sunday 11th of September, 2016
Leichhardt Oval, Lilyfield
Referee: A. Brett
Assistant Referee: S. Andrews & J. Casey
Fourth Official: M. Howarth
Wollongong Wolves: 21. Daniel Arcaba, 2. Daniel Chicharo (5. Riley Hinds 75’), 3. Andrew Dias, 13. Nikola Djordjevic, 6. Mitchell Ferraro, 16. Jack Hooper, 10. Tony Musumeci, 14. Benjamin Riach, 15. Joel Starr (7. Jeremy Lopez 65’), 9. Harrison Taranto, 11. Jake Trew
Substitutes Not Used: 8. Dion Avouris, 12. Daniel Carella, 4. Jordan Warren
Yellow Cards: N/A
Red Cards: N/A
Hakoah Sydney City East: 15. Scott Beattie, 2. Nathan Hancock, 6. Finley Hayhurst, 30. Cameron Kemp, 11. Osman Khaled (10. Andrew Bivano 65’), 5. Mitchell Knight, 7. Satchel Kolt, 3. Connor Shaddock, 8. Nathaniel Sharpley (17. Aswin Adinanto 45’), 13. Jordan Swibel (12. Asha Phillips 65’), 36. Liam Thomas
Substitutes Not Used: 14. Orlando Norman, 1. Jacob Sayle,
Yellow Cards: 3. Connor Shaddock 27’
Red Cards: N/A
-By Jacob Windon
Leave a Reply