Sharks secure stay as Rangers remain at risk of relegation
Sutherland Sharks have officially confirmed their stay in the top-flight of NSW football after scoring a crucial 2-0 win over Mt Druitt Town Rangers in their final game of the season at Seymour Shaw on Saturday afternoon.
The Sharks mustered a great effort in the contest, wherein they played over a third of the contest with only ten players, with the result putting them on 26 points and out of reach of the relegation zone.
The loss is a major blow to the Rangers’ survival hopes as they remain well in range of the other sides threatened with relegation.
Mt Druitt created the first threatening moment of the contest in the 14th minute when a ball from the left by Yuta Komura took a slight glance off the head of Theph Theph towards the right side of the goal, forcing Nizic to commit strongly to his right and tip it away.
The Sharks took the lead soon after in the 17th minute after Richard Shoueiki released Maki Petratos with a beautiful pass that saw the forward take the ball into the box and unleash a strike that took a deflection off a defender to divert path just enough to settle into the net.
The two reversed roles when Sutherland created another chance in the 20th minute with Petratos finding Shoueiki in the box, who took a shot that went just wide of the left post.
Komura tried his luck from distance in the 36th minute in the hope of levelling the game, though it did not trouble Nizic greatly as he met it at the bottom right and knocked it away from danger.
The hosts thought they had found their second in the 40th minute when Tye McGowan spectacularly put the ball in the goal direct from a corner on the left side, but the referee ruled it out for a foul on goalkeeper Dylan Niski.
Sutherland eventually doubled their lead in the 52nd minute through a phenomenal long-range strike on the half-volley from Tariq Maia, who drilled his effort with venom into the bottom left corner.
The game took a surprise turn in the 55th minute when Shoueiki was given a straight red following an off-the-ball incident between himself and Komura.
Despite the disadvantage, it was the Sharks that created the next chance of the game as Maia went for the spectacular in the 70th minute, testing Niski with a long shot from near the halfway line that forced the Rangers keeper into a scrambling save.
The hosts remained largely untroubled as they hold on to send the packed-out crowd into a frenzy at full time.
Sutherland coach Steven Zoric noted the strength of the opposition, admitting they started the game better before the Sharks settled in and produced a strong performance to secure the points.
“We knew what we had to do. We worked on our defence this week and it worked because I knew we could catch them on the counter at times and that’s what had happened,” Zoric told Football NSW.
He heaped praise on his players for their collective display as well as the Sharks fans for their huge support this season, who he affectionately labelled as their “12th man.
“The boys pulled through for the community, for themselves, the club and all the teams that represent the club.
“(The fans) have been massive for us all year and stuck by us, which represents how strong and how loyal the people of this community are and I’m proud we brought them some good victories here in the last two home games.”
Addressing their season as a whole, Zoric stated:
“We have just got to learn from our mistakes this season. We’re better than what we showed this year even with all the injuries that we had.”
Match Stats
Sutherland Sharks FC 2 (Maki Petratos 17’, Tariq Maia 52’)
Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC 0
Saturday 23 August
Seymour Shaw
Referee: Thomas Dale
Assistant Referees: Jasper White and Owen Medcalf
Fourth Official: Jackson Tippett
Sutherland Sharks FC: 1. Danijel Nizic, 2. Lachlan Macdonald, 4. Lachlan Fields (23. Mason Fernandez 46’), 6. Mohamed Ahmed, 10. Maki Petratos (15. Matthew Moric 80’), 17. Richard Shoueiki, 19. Tariq Maia, 27. Matthew Jackson, 33. Yianni Nicolaou, 44. Tye McGowan (3. Jordan Roberts 90+2), 88. Brendan Gan
Substitutes Not Used: 7. Peter Grozos, 12. Ikko Ehode Arimoto, 30. Sebastian Arranz
Yellow Cards: Tye McGowan 36’, Mason Fernandez 68’
Red Cards: Nil
Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC: 1. Dylan Niski, 3. Danilo Doce Monteiro (14. Abraham Majok 65’), 5. Theph Theph, 6. Jared Macerola, 10. Yuto Morita (18. Lachlan Vasiliou 79’), 12. Rocco Pelle, 15. Caleb Jackson-Brown, 17. Stevan Stanic-Floody (21. William Rankin 76’), 20. Thomas Lopez, 29. Yuta Komura, 99. Bilal Belkadi
Substitutes Not Used: 2. Alexander Trajanoski, 4. Teng Athian, 16. Stefan Giglio
Yellow Cards: Bilal Belkadi 68’, Jared Macerola 83’
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings:
3: Tariq Maia (SS)
2: Mohamed Ahmed (SS)
1: Maki Petratos (SS)
-By Dimitri Kallos
