Glasson galore in Spirit drubbing

Sydney FC bounced back from their derby defeat in emphatic fashion, producing a commanding 4–0 victory over reigning Premiers NWS Spirit FC in Round Three of the National Premier Leagues Men’s NSW competition at Christie Park on Saturday. 

Mitchell Glasson led the charge with a brace — including a sublime long-range strike — as Sydney recorded their first clean sheet since July last year.

Tempers flared early. In just the fourth minute, Aiden Mostofi appeared to pull down Taye Hedley inside the area, but play was waved on. With pressure mounting on the hosts, Simon Nicholas was forced into two critical clearances in the fifth and sixth minutes to deny Sydney FC early breakthroughs.

The visitors’ persistence paid dividends in the 23rd minute. Glasson collected the ball outside the box, steadied himself and unleashed a thunderous strike that flew beyond the outstretched Christopher Marques to give Sydney a deserved lead.

The contest took another dramatic turn in the 31st minute when Mostofi pushed Glasson inside the penalty area as he attempted to head home. The referee showed a straight red card, and Glasson calmly converted the resulting penalty down the middle to double the advantage.

Sydney FC nearly added a third in the 38th minute when Akol Akon weaved past several defenders before rattling the crossbar with a powerful effort.

The heated nature of the encounter continued. In the 41st minute, Kyah Williams tumbled over the sideline gate and onto the concrete following a tussle with Sam Armson. Fortunately, Williams was able to return to the field unscathed.

Sydney FC thought they had struck again just seconds into the second half through Jared Middleton, but the goal was ruled out for offside — an early warning sign for the Spirit.

The third goal arrived in the 54th minute. Glasson embarked on a brilliant run before firing a shot that struck the arm of a desperate Marques. Joe Lacey reacted quickest, gathering the loose ball and finishing clinically to extend the lead.

The Sky Blues continued their dominance in the 66th minute when Lachlan Middleton drove the ball into the net from a tight angle, beating Marques at his near post to make it four.

To their credit, the Spirit continued searching for a breakthrough. In the 76th minute, Shoki Yoshida produced a powerful run out of nothing before Andre Takami’s shot struck Reef Farias and ricocheted away, extinguishing the hosts’ best opportunity of the evening.

Captain Mitchell Glasson praised his side’s response following their derby disappointment.

“I think it was much needed to bounce back from the derby in the way that we did, and it was outstanding from the boys,” he said.

“For us, this is a great group to be around. We’ve been with each other for a while now and, no matter what happens, we’ll stick by each other.”

“As for my goal from outside the box, I didn’t think it would eventuate, but the space opened up, I thought ‘why not?’ and thankfully it went in.”

Match Stats

NWS Spirit 0

Sydney FC 4 (Mitchell Glasson 23’, 32’, Joe Lacey 54’, Lachlan Middleton 66’)

Saturday 21 February, 2026

Christie Park

Referee: Ayad Naji

Assistant Referees: Benjamin Eisikovich and Jack Nelson

Fourth Official: Benjamin Hutchison

NWS Spirit: 1. Christopher Marques, 2. Aiden Mostofi, 3. Kyah Williams (5. Owen Henderson 72’), 7. Shoki Yoshida, 8. Grant Cornwell, 11. Kaan Nizam, 13. Simon Nicholas (14. Benjamin Duroux 63’), 15. Sam Armson, 17. Riku Kobayashi, 18. Andre Takami (20. Tristan Hammond 72’), 21. Finn Ballard-McBride (22. Stavros Tserpes 33’), (32. Thomas Mason 72’)

Substitutes Not Used: 12. Jay Coates, 19. Zayne Ahluwalia

Yellow Cards: Finn Ballard-McBride 44’, Kyah Williams 50’, Simon Nicholas 66’, Tristan Hammond 81’

Red Cards: Aiden Mostofi 31’

Sydney FC: 3. Reef Farias (6. Nicolas Calder 72’), (7. Jordan Graoroski 56’), 8. Wataru Kamijo, 10. Taye Hedley, 12. Jared Williams, 14. Jared Middleton (17. Samuel Lancaster 63’), 19. Mitchell Glasson, 21. Zachary De Jesus (26. Nickolas Alfaro 63’), 27. Lachlan Middleton, 29. Joe Lacey (45’), 34. Tyler Williams, 44. Akol Akon, 47. Corey Cronin

Substitutes Not Used: 40. Ben Mooney

Yellow Cards: None

Red Cards: None

Player Ratings

3 – Mitchell Glasson (SFC)

2 – Simon Nicholas (NWS)

1 – Akol Akon (SFC)