Wolves hold Blacktown City to secure point
Wollongong Wolves and Blacktown City shared the spoils in a thrilling 2-2 draw at WIN Stadium on Saturday night.
Jake Trew scored his fourth goal in his last three games for Wollongong early on but Nicholas O’Brien quickly equalised for Blacktown.
Tyren Burnie put City in front soon after halftime, before Lachlan Scott restored parity later on for the Wolves to ensure the points were shared.
Wollongong should have been ahead within six minutes. Takumi Ofuka’s cross from the left looked set to be tapped home by Trew, but the striker missed. The ball was recycled by Sebastian Hernandez, cutting it back from the right to Christopher McStay in the box, who lashed it over.
The hosts were not deterred by this early pair of misses and took the lead in the 13th minute. McStay guided a ball around the corner into the right of the box for Trew, who, one-on-one with Blacktown goalkeeper Tristan Prendergast, slotted it into the right of the goal.
Wollongong’s goal could have been a momentum-setter in the match with the team already carrying great confidence into the match following their three-game winning run. However, the title-chasing Blacktown pegged them back less than two minutes later.
A right-sided corner was taken short to Mario Shabow who curled it towards the near post for Nicholas O’Brien to nod the ball past Vedran Janjetovic in the Wolves’ goal.
Trew’s goal against his former side had woken up the visitors as they manufactured two more raids forwards before the first half’s midway point. Janjetovic being forced saved efforts from Jayden Trenkoski and Jak O’Brien.
Some persistent pressing from Blacktown saw Hernandez cough up the ball in his own half. City moved it quickly and Grant Lynch side-footed a strike from the edge of the box that was saved.
Blacktown continued to get shots away, but the Wolves held firm through to the half-hour mark.
In the 32nd minute, City’s Mitchell Mallia found space in the left of the box but was denied from a tight angle by Janjetovic’s right arm.
Three minutes later, Hernandez pounced on a Blacktown mistake on the right edge of the box, hitting an early shot that Prendergast had to tip around the left post.
The first half endured a scrappy finish with a series of giveaways seeing neither team create any chances of real substance before heading into the sheds.
The Wolves’ bright start had been quickly cancelled, at which point Blacktown stepped up their intensity and could have grabbed a halftime lead.
Just four minutes into the second half, Blacktown caught Wollongong out to hit the front.
Ben Berry drilled a ball into the right channel that was not dealt with by the Wolves’ defence. The ball skipped into the box, allowing Burnie to run through on goal, and the full-back passed an accurate effort into the far-left corner to score.
Wollongong picked themselves up and regained some possession after going behind, and they went close to scoring in the 56th minute.
Dylan Ryan fizzed the ball into Scott’s feet from the left for the striker to roll his defender and lay it out to the right of the box, where Hernandez rolled a shot narrowly past the left post.
Wollongong went even closer to scoring four minutes later. Yagoub Mustafa whipped in a right-sided delivery that met McStay’s head, with the midfielder hitting the base of the right post with his effort.
While the Wolves had been more potent in attack, Blacktown had been getting opportunities in the wide areas, with crosses finding attackers but not being finished off.
The home side survived another scare 71 minutes in when Buesnel’s control of a long ball allowed Danny Choi to snatch it and dribble in behind. The winger picked out O’Brien to his right in the box, but his strike was blocked by Janjetovic’s legs.
City were left to rue these missed opportunities as Wollongong restored parity 10 minutes later. A ball headed forward by Ryan was flicked on by Scott to Ofuka in the right of the box. The Japanese touched it back for Scott, who half-volleyed past Prendergast.
Blacktown went straight back on the offensive and, in the 85th minute, almost retook the lead. Joey Gibbs mazed his way through the middle of the pitch before playing to the right for Major. The forward’s first-time shot required Janjetovic to produce a superb reflex stop with his right hand to parry it away.
Neither side could find a winner in what remained, having to settle for a point each.
Blacktown Mark Crittenden said he was left disappointed with the draw, considering how his team played during the game.
“Their first goal was a good goal. We know the ability that the big boys [Trew and Scott] have got up front but I thought after that we were pretty good. I thought we created a lot of decent goal-scoring chances that we didn’t take,” Crittenden said.
“And then we make a poor decision at the end of the game not to lump the ball forward from the goalkeeper and they score.
“The boys ran their legs off on a big pitch, a tough place to come and you make another error and it leads to dropping two points.
“We came down with the plan. It’s a big place [WIN Stadium] and they’re [Wollongong] a very good squad.
“We had a plan to try and get them on the counter and I think we had enough chances to put the game to bed.”
Wollongong coach David Carney said despite the team’s lacklustre first-half display, we was pleased with the fightback.
“I thought first half we weren’t good enough. We didn’t really have a good crack,” Carney said.
“I thought the fatigue over the last couple of games – they [Blacktown] played two games as well in the midweek week – but we had games where it was hard for us through the weeks and I thought that played a part.
“Quality wise, we were giving the ball away too cheaply against a very good side. I think they’re one of the best we’ve played this season.
“Overall, I don’t think we deserved much more than a point but we worked hard in the second half to get back into it so the boys deserve credit.
“I think the boys know where we can get better but I still believe we can achieve something great this season. As long as we’ve got that belief, we can win games.”
Match Stats
Wollongong Wolves FC 2 (Jake Trew 13’, Lachlan Scott 81’)
Blacktown City FC 2 (Nicholas O’Brien 15’, Tyren Burnie 49’)
Saturday 15 June 2024
WIN Stadium, Wollongong
Referee: Adrian Arndt
Assistant Referees: Matthew Harris and Charlotte Flynn
Fourth Official: Luke Chapman
Wollongong Wolves FC: 1. Vedran Janjetovic, 4. Dylan Ryan, 5. Banri Kanaizumi, 6. Samuel Riak (8. Andre Takami 69’), 7. Takumi Ofuka, 9. Jake Trew (27. Damon Gray 88’), 10. Yagoub Mustafa, 11. Sebastian Hernandez (25. Alex Masciovecchio 60’), 24. Lachlan Scott, 88. Christopher McStay
Substitutes Not Used: 3. Darcy Madden, 13. Oliver Yates
Yellow Cards: Harrison Buesnel 45’
Red Cards: Nil
Blacktown City FC: 1. Tristan Prendergast, 3. Jayden Trenkoski (22. Jacob Maniti 66’), 5. Grant Lynch, 7. Travis Major, 8. Jak O’Brien (17. Martin Fernandez 84’), 10. Mario Shabow, 12. Tyren Burnie, 14. Mitchell Mallia (11. Danny Choi 66’), 16. Ben Berry, 18. Nicholas O’Brien, 23. Joey Gibbs
Substitutes Not Used: 20. Cayden Henderson, 42. Lachlan Henderson
Yellow Cards: Mario Shabow 65’
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings:
3 – Grant Lynch (BC)
2 – Vedran Janjetovic (WW)
1 – Mario Shabow (BC)
Report by Tim Gibson, on Twitter @Timg123_
