Sydney Olympic have been crowned 2018 National Premier Leagues NSW Premiers after a nail biting final round which featured plenty of twists and turns.
Olympic took out the Premiership with victory against Sydney United 58, but it was only made possible because of Hakoah Sydney City East’s shock upset of APIA Leichhardt Tigers.
It was a result not expected by many NPL NSW fans but will now set up a blockbuster finals series.
Rockdale City Suns were forced to share the spoils with Sydney FC as they were held to a 2-2 draw but it was enough to secure their spot in the playoffs as Marconi Stallions was thumped by Wollongong Wolves.
Blacktown City limped into the finals in fourth spot as they succumbed to their second straight defeat to a bottom three side as Sutherland Sharks this time had the better of them.
Finally Dylan Macallister gave himself the perfect send-off as he scored a hat trick for Manly United in his final game before retirement in their comprehensive win against Bonnyrigg White Eagles.
Sydney Olympic 1 – Sydney United 58 0 at Belmore Sports Ground
It was a dream finish for Sydney Olympic on Sunday afternoon with a 1-0 victory against Sydney United 58 securing them the 2018 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Premiership.
Luck was on the side of the Abbas Saad coached outfit, as APIA Leichhardt TIger’s shock 2-1 loss to Hakoah Sydney City East ensured the historic club their first league premiership since 2011.
A goal to Alejandro Sanchez after only ten minutes gave the Blues the perfect start and they held on against tenacious opposition.
United 58 were reduced to 10 men on the cusp of the half time interval after Petar Markovic was sent off and had a goal disallowed for offside in the 74th.
As word travelled around the ground of APIA’s defeat, Olympic’s fans were building up for wild scenes at the final whistle. And what a party it was at Belmore Sports Ground.
APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC 1 – Hakoah Sydney City East 2 at Lambert Park
Hakoah Sydney City East has stunned the National Premier League NSW competition with a final day 2-1 victory against APIA Leichhardt Tigers denying the Lambert Park side a second consecutive Premiership title.
The visitors took the lead in the first half before APIA pegged their opponents back with a goal from Tasuku Sekiya ten minutes after the break.
Adrian Ucchino might’ve won the game – and the title – for his side with a penalty but could only blast his spot kick over the crossbar.
With two minutes left on the clock, Robert Ezekiel popped up to seal a stunning win for Hakoah and deliver heartbreak for APIA and their fans.
It was an incredible result to finish the season and one which is sure to cut deep for a long time to come for the Tigers.
Rockdale City Suns 2 – Sydney FC 2 at Ilinden Sports Centre
Rockdale City Suns has scraped into the 2018 National Premier Leagues NSW finals series after a 2-2 draw with Sydney FC at Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday.
A brace from Rockdale’s Jonathan Grozdanovski helped the side to a 2-1 lead at the half-time break, before a 91st minute equaliser from Sydney’s Jeremy Cox levelled the scores.
Despite coming away from the match with only a point, it was enough for Paul Reid’s side to secure a top five finish thanks to Wollongong’s 3-0 thrashing of Marconi Stallions.
Sydney FC finish the season on the bottom of the ladder but have secured their safety in the NSW top flight for another season by their overall performance on the Club Championship ladder.
Rockdale will next week take on fourth placed Blacktown City in the first elimination final.
Marconi Stallions 0 – Wollongong Wolves 3 at Marconi Stallions
Wollongong Wolves have ended Marconi Stallions’ finals hopes with a comprehensive 3-0 win at Marconi Stadium on Sunday.
It was a game to remember for Wollongong’s Peter Simonoski who netted a hat trick in the victory as he denied Marconi the chance of finals football in their first season back in the NSW top flight.
The Wolves striker slotted one in the first half before he added a pair of delightful chipped efforts in the second stanza to finish the season with a tally of 12 goals.
It was a bittersweet end to the season for Wollongong who displayed the high quality football they are capable of but were unable to consistently deliver this campaign as they once again missed out on the post season.
Blacktown City 0 – Sutherland Sharks 2 at Lily Homes Stadium
Blacktown City have limped into the finals series after going down 2-0 to Sutherland Sharks at Lily Homes Stadium on Sunday.
The loss was Blacktown’s second defeat in as many weeks with both losses coming against teams in the bottom three.
In an at times uninspiring contest, Sutherland stung Blacktown with two second half goals courtesy of Nick Littler and Adrian Vranic.
The result was a winning send off for Sharks coach Grant Lee who announced his decision to leave the club at the conclusion of the regular season.
For Blacktown they will need to rediscover the form which had them at the top of the table during the opening rounds of the competition when they host Rockdale City Suns in next week’s elimination final.
Manly United 5 – Bonnyrigg White Eagles 1 at Cromer Park
Dylan Macallister has signed off his illustrious career with a hat-trick as Manly United cruised to a 5-1 demolition of Bonnyrigg White Eagles in front of a jubilant Cromer Park crowd on Sunday afternoon.
It was the visitors who took the lead early on courtesy of a JeWook Woo header, however Macallister equalised five minutes later and it was all one way traffic from there.
The veteran was gifted an opportunity from the spot by an Aaron Avery handball in first half stoppage time, which saw the visitors reduced to ten men for the remainder of the contest.
A 50th minute Nikola Taneski strike granted the hosts some additional comfort, before Sam Wilson nodded home confidently to ensure the three points inside the final five minutes.
However there was still time for a fairytale conclusion, as one last goal from Macallister raised the Cromer Park faithful onto their feet, as he snuck his home his third to acquire the match ball one last time.
It was a deserved high to cap off a disappointing season for Manly, who were unable to defend their Championship title, while the result added insult to injury for their opponents Bonnyrigg, whose relegation was confirmed.
