Hapless Wanderers taught a lesson by Blacktown City
Blacktown City have secured their fifth win in a row with a 4-0 victory over the Western Sydney Wanderers at Wanderers Football Park.
It was the home side who made the stronger start to proceedings at Wanderers Football Park, impressing with their aggressiveness without the ball and their composure on it.
They were building out of the back with purpose, stifling Blacktown, but were just lacking an incisive final pass to capitalise on their strong start.
After being caught offside on numerous occasions, in the 19th minute, the Wanderers had their first major chance of the match.
After a contesting a long ball, Alaat Abdul-Rahman received the ball in behind off a clever through ball from Edmun Haddad, and looked to bear down on goal.
In a one on one with Cayden Henderson, the Wanderers striker opted for power, and looked to have beaten his opponent, but Blacktown’s goalkeeper made a stunning save, tipping the ball onto the crossbar and keeping the scores level early in this clash.
As the minutes ticked on, Blacktown began to look increasingly threatening, and despite the Wanderers’ possession, were restricting the hosts from creating consistently strong chances.
And in the 26th minute, the away side found the lead, crushing the Wanderers with a clinical move.
After playing around Western Sydney’s press, a switch from Jarred McKinley eventually found Jakob Cresnar down the left, who slipped a ball through to Mitch Mallia.
After Mallia’s cutback couldn’t find a teammate, Cresnar found Nicholas O’Brien on the edge of the box, who struck a low effort that was heading well wide of goal.
However, with the ball passing through the box, Travis Major pounced, re-directing the strike around Tristan Vidackovic and into the back of the net, as Blacktown stole the lead at Wanderers Football Park.
And in the 33rd minute, Blacktown doubled their lead with a sensational goal, courtesy of Danny Choi.
Receiving a long ball from Mitch Mallia off a quick counter-attack, Choi brought the ball down classily, before glancing towards goal.
From 30 metres or so, Choi noticed Vidackovic off his line, and made him pay in the most clinical of manners, blasting the ball over the young goalkeeper and into the back of the net with a scintilating strike.
Five minutes later, the Wanderers looked for a reply but were denied by Henderson, with Haddad skipping inside after beating his man and thrashing a shot towards goal, which was saved comfortably by Blacktown’s goalkeeper.
Blacktown started the second half strongly, and created a good early chance to make it three, with Jak O’Brien latching onto a cross from Choi.
From a perfect position inside the box, O’Brien had just Vidackovic to beat, but under pressure, Blacktown’s marksman couldn’t find a meaningful strike, as Wanderers’ goalkeeper made an important save to keep his side in it.
In the 50th minute, the Wanderers had a brilliant early opportunity to halve the deficit, but after receiving the ball with a plethora of time and space to find the target, Kaan Nizam failed to do so, and the lead remained at 2-0.
And in the 52nd minute, the Wanderers’ chances went from difficult to almost impossible, as Ricky Fransen received a red-card after pulling Jak O’Brien down as last man following a slip-up in possession.
The Wanderers reacted strongly to the red-card, threatening with some positive forays forwards, but in the 60th minute, their cause weakened even further, as the home side received a second red card, with substitute Kaan Nizam sent off for a high boot.
Moments later, Blacktown pounced on the two-man deficit, increasing their lead to three after a successful press.
Forcing the ball back to Vidakovic, the goalkeeper looked to play a straight ball down the centre of the field, which was intercepted calmly by Nicholas O’Brien.
The midfielder took a touch forwards and calmly converted around Wanderers’ shot-stopper, adding a third for Blacktown.
In the 73rd minute, Martin Fernandez added a fourth for Blacktown, winning a penalty with a sublime run into the box, before converting from 12 yards.
Blacktown continued to – as expected – dominate following the fourth goal, and were creating consistent chances as they aimed to add a fifth.
The away side forced a plethora of good saves from Vidakovic, peppering shots at the Wanderers’ goal.
With an isolated chance down the other end of the field, a flick on from Noah Peacock found the run of Aidan Simmons in behind, who rattled the post in a one-on-one against Henderson.
It was Blacktown who continued to create, however, and somehow couldn’t add a fifth goal before the final whistle, as they made it five victories in a row.
Match Stats
Western Sydney Wanderers FC 0
Blacktown City FC 4 (Major 26’, Choi 33’, N. O’Brien 61’, Fernandez 73’)
Sunday 4 May, 2025
Wanderers Football Park
Referee: Matt Staples
Assistant Referees: Lachlan Brownscombe and Aaron Bloch
Fourth Official: Benjamin Hutchinson
Western Sydney Wanderers FC: 1. Tristan Vidackovic, 2. Nathan Barrie, 4. Ricky Fransen, 6. Ryley Hollingdale (8. Nicholas Badolato 61’), 9. Alaat Abdul-Rahman (38. Noah Peacock 75’), 10. Luka Knezevic (22. Jesse Cameron 61’), 27. Julian Cop (11. Kaan Nizam 43’), 29. Edmun Haddad (25. Lachlan Henderson 61’), 31. Aidan Simmons (C), 32, Saxon Hillyer, 34. Meliwethu Nkomo
Substitutes Not Used: 20. Lucas Sinnott
Yellow Cards: None
Red Cards: Fransen 52’, Nizam 60’
Blacktown City FC: 1. Cayden Henderson, 3. Jarred McKinley, 4. Lachlan Campbell, 7. Travis Major (C) (17. Martin Fernandez 59’), 9. Keanu Moore (34. Jake Briggs 61’), 11. Danny Choi (10. Maksim Jez 61’), 14. Mitchell Mallia (8. Jak O’Brien 45’), 16. Benjamin Berry, 18. Nicholas O’Brien, 23. Jakob Cresnar (25. Dimo Dimo 75’), 24. Jackson Bandiera
Substitutes Not Used: 20. Zac Bowling
Yellow Cards: O’Brien 81’, Dimo 90+1’
Red Cards: None
Player ratings:
3 – Danny Choi (BC)
2 – Nicholas O’Brien (BC)
1 – Jarred McKinley (BC)
By Jack George (@JackGeorge0004)
