Manly magic seals opening round win
Manly United have opened their 2026 National Premier Leagues Men’s NSW campaign in style, claiming a polished 1-0 victory over St George City at Cromer Park.
A first-half strike from Max Martinello proved decisive, as new head coach Vladimir Knezevic marked his competitive debut with a deserved three points.
Prior to kick-off, a minute’s silence was observed in memory of Colin May, a life member of Manly United. It was a moment fittingly followed by a performance that would have made him proud, as the hosts set the tempo early and applied sustained pressure.
Manly’s first chance arrived in the 7th minute when Will Faulder’s glancing header drifted narrowly wide of the far post. Four minutes later, Darcy Burgess split the defence with a clever through ball to William McCreery, but the forward scuffed his effort with only goalkeeper Jack Kenny to beat.
The home side continued to probe, and in the 13th minute Ayumu Kimura unleashed a fierce strike that cannoned into Theph Theph and behind for a corner as Manly attacked from every angle.
St George City had moments of their own, with Mackenzie Syron forced into action in the 23rd minute, punching away a looping effort from Hiroto Dohmoto as the Japanese playmaker briefly unsettled the Manly defence.
The breakthrough arrived in the 32nd minute and it was no more than Manly deserved. A deflected ball fell kindly to Martinello, who reacted quickest to fire home with an improvised half-overhead kick to put the hosts ahead.
Manly resumed the second half with intent, Kimura blazing over from a tight angle early on to signal further danger. In the 51st minute, McCreery again tested Kenny, whose gloves only just held firm as the shot threatened to squirm through.
St George struggled to create clear-cut chances, with Manly’s defensive resolve standing strong. Luka Krizan produced a crucial sliding tackle on the hour-mark to deny Hugo McAteer from close range.
The 74th minute nearly brought a spectacular second, as substitute Kakeru Ono unleashed a long-range effort that forced Kenny into a full-stretch save, tipping the ball over the bar.
City pushed late in search of an equaliser, but Manly held their shape. McAteer’s final attempt in the 81st minute drifted wide, allowing the hosts to see out a hard-fought opening-round victory.
Post-match Vladimir Knezevic praised his side’s commitment and youth.
“St George were very difficult today and I have the utmost respect for them,” he said.
“They have a lot of experience and it showed, but I’m proud our young boys got the win.
“My number one rule is that you have to fight on the pitch, and the boys did exactly that. We’re proud to promote players from our academy — they earned their opportunity today and took it.”
Match Stats
Manly United 1 (Max Martinello 32’)
St George City 0
Friday 6 February 2026
Cromer Park
Referee: Blake Sanchez-Cruz
Assistant Referees: Alessandro Llana, Oscar Waterson
Fourth Official: Mia Velarde
Manly United: 2. Luka Krizan, 4. Jesse Piriz, 5. Aaron O’Driscoll, 10. Darcy Burgess, 11. Ayumu Kimura, 15. Max Martinello, 16. Will Faulder, 18. Luke Nieuwenhof, 27. William McCreery, 33. Jasper Chipman, 99. Mackenzie Syron
Substitutes: 6. Saxon Hillyer (82’), 8. Kakeru Ono (64’), 9. Benjamin Koop (64’), 19. Cai Evans (56’)
Unused substitutes: 12. Mitchell Seaman, 14. Max Walker, 21. Harry Turner
Yellow Cards: Nieuwenhof 14’, McCreery 39’, O’Driscoll 67’, Syron 90+1’
Red Cards: Nil
St George City: 1. Jack Kenny, 3. Benjamin Berry, 4. Solomon-John Monahan-Vaiika, 5. Lewis Miccio, 6. Tarik Ercan, 10. Paolo Mitry, 11. Jesse Photi, 17. Yohn Pedersen, 19. Mason Tatafu, 20. Theph Theph, 23. Hiroto Dohmoto
Substitutes: 27. Matthew Jackson (45’), 44. Hugo McAteer (45’), 8. Stefano Rossello (73’), 30. Ahmad Taleb (73’), 7. Oscar Gultekin (78’)
Unused substitutes: 2. Matthew Wahby, 13. Franklin Jan
Yellow Cards: Ercan 49’
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings
3 – Ayumu Kimura (Manly United)
2 – Jack Kenny (St George City)
1 – Luka Krizan (Manly United)
