Marconi Stallions FC power past Rockdale Ilinden FC in blockbuster clash
Marconi Stallions FC defeated Rockdale Ilinden FC 4-1 in a blockbuster Round Two showdown in front of a strong crowd at Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday afternoon to throw their hat in the ring as a contender for the Premiership.
Both sides entered the contest buoyed by opening-round victories, but it was Marconi who proved far more clinical on the day, much to the disappointment of the home supporters.
The first chance arrived in the eighth minute and fell to the visitors, as Franco Maya curled a dangerous effort from the left that sailed narrowly over the crossbar.
Rockdale responded in the 19th minute when Harry McCarthy produced a dazzling run to split the Marconi defence, only to miscue at the decisive moment as Joel Wade gathered comfortably.
Marconi made their pressure count in the 22nd minute. An in-swinging corner from Matej Busek found Damian Tsekenis unmarked inside the box, and the striker made no mistake with a well-directed header to open the scoring.
The Stallions doubled their advantage six minutes later. Defender Matthew Keremelevski drove forward from the back but was dispossessed, and the loose ball fell kindly to Jack Armson, who drilled his finish beyond Levi Kaye.
Marconi added a third in the 35th minute in fortuitous circumstances. Tsekenis attempted a hopeful long-range diagonal strike that Kaye failed to hold, the ball slipping under the goalkeeper and into the net.
The visitors nearly extended their lead again before the break when Busek delivered a superb cross to captain Marko Jesic, but his powerful effort cleared the bar.
Rockdale pulled one back early in the second half. In the 51st minute, Ollie Wiggins’ cross deflected off Teng Kuol and fell invitingly for substitute Moudi Najjar, who volleyed home smartly on the turn from close range.
However, Marconi quickly restored their three-goal cushion. Rockdale lost possession attempting to play out from the back, allowing Luca Pecora to surge into the area and square for Jesic, who finished confidently in the 56th minute.
Najjar had a further opportunity just after the hour mark, but his angled effort drifted agonisingly wide as the game opened up.
Post-match, Marconi coach Peter Tsekenis praised his side’s performance but remained measured.
“It was a good performance today and I think our players deserve a lot of credit,” he said.
“Our football was good because we outplayed a very good football team and won 4-1. I am really proud of the boys because I wanted to see where we are at after two weeks.
“We have a number of away matches coming up but we have a job to do, whether we are at home or not.”
Rockdale coach Paul Dee lamented his side’s costly mistakes.
“It’s our uncharacteristic errors today that led us to conceding goals,” he said.
“It’s not our usual standard and we need to get that out of our game. We know there are new players in our team and things will take time to gel, but against a team like Marconi, mistakes lead to goals.”
Match Stats
ROCKDALE ILINDEN: 1 (Najjar 51’)
MARCONI STALLIONS: 4 (Tsekenis 22’, 35’, Armson 28’, Jesic 56’)
Sunday 15th February
Ilinden Sports Centre, Rockdale
Referee: Stephen Lucas
Assistant referees: Amirhossein Hosnani, Thomas Aalders
Fourth Official: Charlie Hollings
ROCKDALE ILINDEN: 1. Levi Kaye, 2. Hunter Elliott, 5. Giorgio Speranza, 6. Isaac Danzo, 7. Ollie Wiggins (19. Dean Jovcevski 84’), 8. Jerry Skotadis (9. Moudi Najjar 46’), 10. Brendan Cholakian, 11. Lochlan Constable (37. Jordi Fulete 84’), 22. Harry McCarthy (66. Matthieu Cordier 70’), 26. Harry Van Der Saag, 99. Matthew Keremelevski (4. Reo Kunimoto 77’)
Substitutes not used: 14. Paul Kalamvokis, 21. Ronan Mulgrew, 22. Angelo Kalamvokis
Yellow Cards: Skotadis 17’, Keremelevski 33’, Cholakian 40’
Red Cards: Nil
MARCONI STALLIONS: 1. Joel Wade, 4. Anton Mlinaric, 5. George Daniel, 6. Teng Kuol, 7. Franco Maya (21. Noah Anderson 89’), 9. Damian Tsekenis, 10. Marko Jesic (8. Adam Bugarija 81’), 11. Matej Busek (17. Sunday Yona 89’), 14. Jack Armson (12. Julian Monge 81’), 16. Luca Pecora (2. Tyren Burnie 76’), 23. Quinten Blair
Substitutes not used: 3. Cameron Windust, 20. Oliver Yates
Yellow Cards: Tsekenis 40’, Maya 40’, Pecora 60’, Kuol 72’, Daniel 73’, Monge 82’, Burnie 88’
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings
3. Matej Busek (Marconi)
2. Damian Tsekenis (Marconi)
1. Jack Armson (Marconi)
By National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Joe Russo
