Olympic make light work of struggling Rangers
National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Round 10 saw Sydney Olympic convincingly dispose of Mt Druitt Town Rangers by 4-0 on a cold night at Belmore Sportsground, which had the side singing at full voice in the dressing rooms after the encounter.
It was almost all over by half time as the home side took a three-goal lead into the break thanks to a brace from the evergreen Roy O’Donovan and a goal to Sam McIllhatton, before Oliver Puflett sealed the deal in the second stanza of play by scoring his side’s fourth.
Sydney Olympic took the lead in the 7th minute when a cross by Adam Parkhouse was met at the back post by O’Donovan who simply headed in unmarked. It was an easy goal that frustrated the bench of the visitors.
In the 12th minute McIllhatton should really have scored from close range, but fired just over the crossbar after receiving the ball from the right.
The hosts came back for more in the 20th minute as a shot from outside the box by Darcy Burgess just shaved the post.
Shortly afterwards Olympic were at it again as a long ball reached Puflett on the far side but he drilled his shot straight at goalkeeper Jerome Narayan who was deputising for the suspended Robert Fanella who will be back next week.
Sydney Olympic doubled their lead in the 38th minute when McIllhatton connected sweetly with the ball and steered it in from the right. It was nice finish from the former Sydney FC player.
Right on the stroke of half time Sydney Olympic made it three when Rhett De Silva conceded a free kick on the edge of the box and received a yellow card for his troubles from referee Michael Weiner.
O’Donovan stepped up to take the free kick and drilled it straight through the wall and into the back of the net to score his second of the night.
It was a killer blow for the visitors who went into the break three goals down.
The coaching staff then reacted and made three substitutions during the interval to reinvigorate the Norwich City-lookalikes and it seemed to be the magic potion that the side needed as they came out with renewed vigour that was lacking in the first stanza of play.
In the 55th minute a cross by Jack Stewart found Desilva at the far post who volleyed just wide in what was Mt Druitt Town’s first real chance of the game.
Shortly afterwards Olayinka Sunmola hit the post from an acute angle as the visitors tried to get back into the contest.
Despite Mt Druitt Town’s great start to the second half, it was Sydney Olympic that made it four and sent a dagger through the hearts of the visitors in the 64th minute.
A magnificent cross from the by-line reached Puflett who headed home from close range with the goal wide open.
The home side then made three substitutions of their own in the 76th minute, but it was more of a reward for their bench and a rest for their playmakers who had given the side a four-goal lead.
The last real chance of the game on a cold night at Belmore belonged to Fabio Ferreira who fired a diagonal shot over the crossbar in the 85th minute.
After a 4-0 loss last week to APIA Leichhardt, a 4-0 win against Mt Druitt Town Rangers, at least mathematically, indicates an eight-goal turnaround by Sydney Olympic, which must be a great confidence booster for any side.
After the game Sydney Olympic coach Ante Juric as pleased with his team and their overall performance.
“The intensity was there today and I am very happy with tonight and proud of the boys,” he said.
“The performance was excellent and the quality was there. We were tight at the back which was excellent, considering that we had copped ten goals in three games.
“We are not lacking confidence but this result gives us extra belief and consolidates where I think we should be. It’s a great win to get us back on track.”
His counterpart at Mt Druitt Town Rangers Stewart Montgomery was obviously disappointed with the defeat but still managed to see some of the positives in his young side.
“We started pretty well in the first half but then we made an error and gave them a goal,” he said.
“We came back into the game but made another error.
“It’s hard therefore to keep the positive football moments when those goals are conceded.
“We need to figure a few things out as their goals really came from our mistakes, but in the second half we changed our shape and it felt a bit better, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Match Stats
Sydney Olympic 4 (O’Donovan 7’ and 44’ Puflett 64’, McIllhatton 37’)
Mt Druitt Town Rangers 0
Saturday, 7th May, 2022
Belmore Sports Ground
Referee: Michael Weiner
Assistant Referees: Matthew Staples and Logan Jones
Fourth Official: Alessandro Llana
Sydney Olympic: 1. Nicholas Sorras, 2. Thomas Whiteside ( 36. Peter Politis 83’), 3. Nikola Ujdur, 5. Michael Glassock, 6. Mathieu Cordier, 8. Sam McIllhatton, 9. Oliver Puflett (10. Brendan Cholakian 76’), 11. Adam Parkhouse (22. Fabio Ferreira 76’), 19. Darcy Burgess (17. Marley Peterson 76’), 23. Daniel Dias (24. Hagi Gligor 83’), 99. Roy O’Donovan
Substitutes not used: 20. Chris Parsons
Yellow Cards: Dias 28’
Red Card: Nil
Mt Druitt Town Rangers: 30. Jerome Narayan, 4. Travis Oughtred (2. Soloman Monahan-Vaiika 46’), 6. Louis Khoury (23. Leonard Abdo 69’), 7. Jack Stewart, 8. Jason Perez (26. Rocco Fragale 69’), 11. Fumoto Kamada, 17. Cooper Coskerie (9. John Roberts 46’), 19. Bul Juach (18. Olayinka Sunmola 46’), 21. Tarek Elrich, 22. Rhett Desilva, 41. Ivan Sunjic
Substitutes not used: 36. Justin Mercieca
Yellow Cards: Desilva 22’
Red Card: Nil
Player Ratings
3 – Sam McIllhatton (SO)
2 – Roy O’Donovan (SO)
1 – Nikola Udjur (SO)
By National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Joe Russo
