Ilinden in cruise control against Rangers
Update 17/06/2025: The Football NSW Competitions Department has confirmed the final result will stand.
Mother nature played its role in Rockdale Ilinden’s match against the Mt Druitt Town Rangers following the match being called off in the 76th minute at the Ilinden Sports Centre due to lightning on Sunday.
The hosts were cruising with a 4-0 cushion but referee Eric Saba put a stop to the match with less than twenty minutes to go following some severe lightning strikes around the Rockdale area.
There was however a number of key moments in what was an entertaining match especially for Ilinden prior to the match being called off.
Theph Theph cleared off the line from an Ali Auglah shot less than four minutes into the match as Rockdale looked to make a statement applying pressure from the kick-off.
Dylan Niski twice thwarted Ilinden skipper Alec Urosevski moments later with Auglah poised at the back stick to pick up on any errors.
Moudi Najjar slipped the ball to Urosevski whose first time lob beat Niski but unfortunately lacked power and direction and was then cleared by Shayden Sampow but the home side were not to be denied when Auglah set-up Matthew Keremelevski to power Rockdale into the lead in the 20th minute.
Mt Druitt produced a decent passage of play via John Azar on the left that resulted in a quick spin in the box by Pedrinho who sent his shot narrowly wide of the woodwork. Apart from a Theph Theph header over the bar earlier, it was the only opportunities the visitors produced in the opening 45’minutes, such was the dominance of Rockdale.
With the game looking to be heading to the break with Ilinden one goal to the good, up stepped Chris McStay to thump home from 25-yards out, the ball taking the slightest deviation on the way. A super strike that doubled the lead and a comfortable break before Najjar finished off another clinical move on the stroke of half-time to put the home side three up.
It was another in a long list of dominant Rockdale displays but a tough half of football for Mt Druitt. The wing play of Auglah and Najjar caused innumerable problems for their guests and with McStay and Keremelevski, with the assistance of Brendan Cholakian and Lachie Constable in midfield, Mt Druitt were being overrun and needed to find answers quickly.
Urosevski came close after the restart with a shot that trickled past the upright with Mt Druitt finding it difficult to get out of their own half.
Mt Druitt are a hard working side and restricted Rockdale although when they did break through, desperate defending, was called upon to keep the scoreline respectable.
A number of chances fell their way latterly but not being the easiest they couldn’t reduce the deficit.
Cholakian then hit the bar as substitute Michael Marcevski was quickest to react and it was 4-0 and it should have been 5 when Auglah was played in one-on-one but fired straight as Niski with Urosevski in support.
With Rockdale in the ascendency and looking to increase their goal tally, lightning flashed around the ground and Referee Eric Saba called a 30-minute break in play as per the rules. A decision on whether play could resume would be made after that time.
The official ruling was passed down that as 70%, or more, of the match had been played, the game could and would be abandoned.
It wasn’t the way anyone wanted the fixture to be concluded but player safety was paramount and the difficult decision was rightly undertaken and upheld.
Match Stats
Rockdale Ilinden 4 (Matthew Keremelevski 20’, Chris McStay 41’, Moudi Najjar 45’, Michael Marcevski 74’)
Mt Druitt Town Rangers 0
Ilinden Sports Centre, Rockdale
Sunday 15th June, 2025
Referee: Eric Saba
Assistants: Blake Sanchez-Cruz and Arinath Gobinath Fourth Official: Thomas Dale
Rockdale Ilinden: 1. Nick Sorras, 5. Giorgio Speranza, 6. Isaac Danzo, 7. Alec Urosevski, 9. Moudi Najjar, 10. Brendan Cholakian, 11. Lochlan Constable, 22. Blake Ricciuto (16. Michael Marcevski 56’), 24. Ali Auglah, 88. Chris McStay, 99. Matthew Keremelevski
Subs not used: 19. Jason Cakovski, 20. Ronan Mulgrew, 23. Oliver Puflett, 45. Jasper Swadling
Yellow Cards: Lochlan Constable 16’, 99. Matthew Keremelevski 36’, Brendan Cholakian 39’
Red Cards: Nil
Mt Druitt Town Rangers: 1. Dylan Niski, 5. Theph Theph, 6. Jared Macerola, 7. Garang Awac, 10. Joao-Pedro Oliviera Santos, 11. John Azar (4. Zac Sfiligoi 63’), 15. Caleb Jackson-Brown, 20. Thomas Lopez, 21. William Rankin, 27. Shayden Sampow, 39. Lachlan Vasiliou
Subs not used: 2. Alex Trajanovski, 16. Stefan Giglio, 19. Jackson Goggings-Barrett, 32. Jordi Fulete, 38. Abdullah Alayed
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings
3 – Ali Auglah (RI)
2 – Moudi Najjar (RI)
1 – Chris McStay (RI)
By NPL NSW Men’s Reporter Micky Brock
