Rangers defeated as Ilinden record morale boosting victory
Rockdale Ilinden heaped more misery on Mt Druitt Town Rangers with a 1-0 victory thanks to a debut goal from Ian Ramsay on a sunny wintery afternoon at the Ilinden Sports Centre.
The victory pushed Paul Dee’s side to second on the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s ladder while the loss added more pressure to Mt Druitt’s fight to stay in the top tier competition, remaining two points clear of 15th placed Western Sydney Wanderers.
After terrific build-up work from several of the Ilinden players and a scrambled half-clearance, Ramsay was able to majestically sweep home the opening, and only, goal of the game in a match full of spurned chances.
The action started with the visitors on the front foot.
Rangers Japanese import Kotaro Katsuta brought the ball down in the box for Jackson Bandiera to lash goalward that snuck past the angle of bar and post in the opening five minutes before ‘keeper Ricardo Rizzo, off to trial in Portugal this week, was brought into action to keep out a header moments later as the Rangers looked to pounce early.
But it was Ramsay, one of two players making their starting debuts for the club alongside Ben Wass, who opened the scoring after great build up work from Wass, Alec Urosevski and Bai Antoniou to slot the ball home in the 12th minute.
Rangers’ response was robust with chances falling to Olayinka Sunmola (twice) and Katsuta in quick succession that weren’t put away but the signs were promising.
Antoniou squandered a good opportunity to double the lead when exquisitely set-up by Urosevski, relishing his central attacking role, when sending his effort wide of the upright.
Sunmola, seeing a lot of the ball, again squeezed an effort agonisingly wide of the sticks from a central free-kick with ten minutes remaining as the visitors were certainly not short in creating opportunities. The visitors could have restored parity through Solomon-Johnn Monahan-Vaiika who fired a chance straight at Rizzo with a first time strike.
Mt Druitt were making a decent fist of the game but had nothing to show for their endeavours as the half drew to a close but they were not out of the match by any means.
Monahan-Vaiika strode purposefully toward the Ilinden area on the restart and set up Katsuta who attempted to place his shot into the far corner but Rizzo did well to get down and smother the effort.
Brendan Cholakian, blessed with the birth of his first child earlier in the week, replied with a curling shot from the edge of the area on the counter that once more did not trouble the scoreboard but it was a positive sign that both sides were looking for more goals.
But it should have been two when Cholakian won the ball and sent through Antoniou, but the striker only managed to plant his left-footed strike wide once more, a tale of squandered opportunities by both teams in a tight and absorbing tussle.
Bandiera then saw his effort deflect onto the post in the 66th minute before Urosevski had a header cleared off the line moment after in reply as the match started to open up.
Rangers ‘Keeper Dylan Niski did well in stopping a Cholakian free-kick, that saw Jarred Macerola cautioned, from a central position on the edge of the box before Monahan-Vaiika again struck the outside of the post for the visitors – the Ilinden framework living a charmed life and had Rizzo to thank when Jacob Esposito hammered goalward from the right, the gloveman somehow managed to palm around the post.
Niski was called into action when Urosevski was sent away in transitional play to tip the talisman Ilinden striker’s effort away for a corner in stoppage time but with no addition to the goals scored, it was the home side who secured the narrowest of victories and one that lifted them to second place on the competition ladder.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers’ Andrew Montgomery was a frustrated coaching official following his side’s tough 1-0 loss.
“We’re obviously frustrated at the result, but it’s been the story of our season this year,” he said.
“We shaded games, even against those at the top, but we just haven’t been able to take our chances and whether that’s because we’re trying too hard is debateable.
“At the other end we conceded a cheap goal in the first-half and we were always chasing the game from there.
“Our final third cohesion hasn’t been there for us this season but we’re playing pretty well, as well as any other side, and when it clicks for us, we’ll be ok.
“It’s a disappointing result but the boys worked their socks off to try and work their way back into the match and I cannot fault their commitment today and all season.”
While Ilinden coach Paul Dee was delighted but relieved after the whistle.
“We took a good chance by (Iain) Ramsay with a great opening goal,” he said.
“But we had numerous chances to put the game to bed before we did.
“The longer you keep teams like Mt Druitt in the game, who fight to the very end, the tougher it will be.
“I’m really happy that we got three points, that’s the most important thing at this stage of the season, and to keep a clean sheet, especially for Ricardo (Rizzo) in his last game for us was a great result.”
Match Stats
Rockdale Ilinden 1 (Iain Ramsay 12’)
Mt Druitt Town Rangers 0
Ilinden Sports Centre, Rockdale
Sunday 9th July, 2023
Referee: Hassan Jomma
Assistants: Thomas Bury and John Garcia
Fourth: Nicholas Kour
Rockdale Ilinden: 20. Ricardo Rizzo, 2. Daniel Collins, 4. Nikola Ujder, 7. Alec Urosevski, 8. Isaac Danzo, 9. Bai Antoniou (23. Jaden Casella 64’), 10. Brendan Cholakian (15. Jamie Percevski 90+1’), 14. Brayden Sorge, 17. Iain Ramsay (6. Nikola Kuleski 64’), 42. Ben Wass (16. Brae Owens 64’, 66. Mathieu Cordier
Subs not used: 1. David Bradasevic, 38. Fenn Hodgson-Yu
Yellow Cards:
Red Cards:
Mt Druitt Town Rangers: 20. Dylan Niski, 2. Solomon-Johnn Monahan-Vaiika, 5. Jacob Esposito, 6. Jarred Macerola, 8. Henry Davies, 10. Kotaro Katsuta, 11. Jackson Bandiera, 12. William Harvey (4. Cooper Coskerie 60’), 21. Tarik Elrich, 27. Olayinka Sunmola, 40. Shunta Nakamura (22. Rhett DeSilva 60’)
Subs not used: 15. Anthony Gallo, 25. Vasos Kartambis, 42. Bailey Jacobs, 43. Abdul Faizal
Yellow Cards: Dylan Niski 40’, Jackson Bandeira 61’, Jarred Macerola 77’
Red Cards:
Player Ratings
3 – Brendan Cholakian (RI)
2 – Iain Ramsay (RI)
1 – Solomon-Johnn Monohan-Vaiika (MDTR)
By NPL NSW Men’s Reporter Micky Brock
