St George City Complete Stunning Comeback in 4–3 Penshurst Park Classic

St George City produced a stunning second-half comeback to defeat SD Raiders 4–3 in a pulsating encounter at Penshurst Park on Saturday night.

Despite trailing by two goals at the break following a Charlie Ragg brace, the hosts roared back after halftime through a double from Oscar Gultekin and strikes from Hugo McAteer and Paolo Mitry to secure a vital three points.

The NPL NSW Men’s competition once again delivered high drama in Round 6. St George entered the clash eager to ignite their season, while the Raiders arrived with their trademark unpredictability, capable of creating golden opportunities despite sitting near the bottom of the ladder.

The home side began with intent, dominating possession and spending long periods camped in the Raiders’ half. Their pressure nearly paid off in the 24th minute when Yohn Pedersen slipped behind a disorganised defence, only for a desperate Southern Districts block to deny him.

Moments later, Hiroto Dohmoto — who was finding plenty of joy down the left flank — threaded a pass to Stefano Rossello, whose stinging low drive was brilliantly tipped away by Raiders goalkeeper Michael Figueira.

The visitors responded emphatically. In the 33rd minute they punished the hosts’ missed chances when a Luka Knezevic delivery found Ethan Beaven at the back post, who headed the ball across goal for Charlie Ragg to nod into an empty net.

Just three minutes later the Raiders doubled their lead on the counterattack. Captain Cooper Hanagan surged down the right before delivering a low cross that Ragg clinically turned home for his second of the night.

St George City emerged from halftime a completely different side. Within four minutes of the restart, substitute Hugo McAteer made an instant impact, mirroring the run of the player he replaced by racing onto a ball behind the Raiders’ high defensive line before calmly rounding Figueira and finishing to pull one back.

The momentum had firmly shifted.

In the 61st minute, fellow substitute Oscar Gultekin brought the Dragons level with a superb acrobatic finish following a surging run and chipped cross from Solomon-Johnn Monahan-Vaiika.

The comeback was complete in the 69th minute when Paolo Mitry pounced on a loose ball following a corner and smashed his effort home through a crowded penalty area.

But the Raiders once again showed their ability to strike out of nowhere. Less than a minute later, Beaven released the lively Ragg, who turned provider for Hanagan to power a finish into the side netting and level the contest at 3–3.

The decisive moment arrived in the 81st minute. Referee Luke Chapman pointed to the spot after Jett McCue-Shore committed a late challenge inside the box. Gultekin stepped up and calmly slotted his penalty into the bottom right corner to seal a breathless victory.

Ultimately, St George City’s relentless second-half surge proved just enough to overcome a spirited Raiders performance that had threatened to cause a major upset for much of the night.

The dramatic 4–3 win sees Micky Jurilj’s men gain crucial momentum in their campaign, while the Raiders once again demonstrated that they remain a dangerous side capable of producing moments of brilliance but sit at the tail end of the ladder.

Match Stats

St George City 4 (Hugo Mcateer 49’, Oscar Gultekin 61’, 82’ pen, Paolo Mitry 69’)

SD Raiders FC 3 (Charlie Ragg 33’, 36’, Cooper Hanagan 70’)

Saturday 14 March, 2026

Penshurst Park

Referee: Luke Chapman

Assistant Referees: Patrick Teleki and Hayden Burns

Fourth Official: Benjamin Hutchison

St George City: 1. Jack Kenny (GK), 2. Matthew Wahby, 3. Benjamin Berry, 4. Solomon-Johnn Monahan-Vaiika, 5. Lewis Miccio (6. Tarik Ercan 11’), 8. Stefano Rossello (11. Jesse Photi 72’), 10. Paolo Mitry, 16. Yohn Pedersen (44. Hugo Mcateer 45’), 17. Mason Tatafu, 23. Hiroto Dohmoto (7. Oscar Gultekin 45’), 27. Matthew Jackson.

Substitutes Not Used: 13. Franklin Jan (GK), 19. Roman Culina, 21. John Stamos.

Yellow Cards: Matthew Wahby 38’, Mirko Jurilj 90’.

SD Raiders FC: 1. Michael Figueira (GK), 4. Cooper Hanagan (C), 5. Jett Mccue-Shore, 6. Lachlan Everett, 9. Jakov Malbasa (37. Robert Eremugo 69’), 10. Luka Knezevic, 17. Martin Fernandez (19. Riley Cox-Barlow 69’), 18. Charlie Ragg, 21. Ethan Beaven (11. Thomas Santarossa 85’), 22. Yonatan Sebhatu, 23. Thomas Makko (7. Mihael Marcic 69’).

Substitutes Not Used: 8. James Letta, 15. Matthew Lee, 40. William Loucas (GK).

Yellow Cards: Martin Fernandez 80’, Ethan Beaven 81’, Mihael Marcic 92’.

Player Ratings:

3 – Oscar Gultekin (SGC)

2 – Charlie Ragg (SD)

1 – Paolo Mitry (SGC)

By Ikko Ehode Arimoto