Round 7 of the National Premier Leagues NSW 2018 season will be remembered as a weekend of shock results.
League Leaders APIA Leichhardt Tigers met their match in Sutherland Sharks on Saturday night as they were forced to settle for a 3-3 draw.
Sydney Olympic had a chance to take top spot but they too couldn’t get the job done as Rockdale City Suns fought back to snatch a 2-2 draw.
Sydney United 58 and Blacktown City both were on the wrong side of losing scorelines, while Bonnyrigg White Eagles tasted success for the first time this season.
Sutherland Sharks 3 – APIA Leichhardt Tigers 3 at Seymour Shaw
An Adrian Vranic penalty ten minutes from full time has helped Sutherland Sharks snatch a 3-3 draw with APIA Leichhardt Tigers at Seymour Shaw on Saturday night.
It was a topsy Turvy clash with both sides trading goals and the lead in a high scoring battle.
Themba Muata Marlow helped APIA to a perfect start when he found the back of the net less than 60 seconds into the contest, before Sutherland fired back only moments later through Vranic. Sutherland struck again midway through the opening stanza and were set to take the lead into the break before Sean Symons levelled the scores in the dying stages of the half.
A 62nd minute Jordan Murray goal had the visitors on track to collect the win before the Sharks were awarded a penalty in the 78th minute which Vranic calmly dispatched to deny their opponents victory.
Hakoah Sydney City East 2 – Sydney United 58 FC 0 at Hensley Athletic Field
Hakoah Sydney City East have won a scrappy affair against Sydney United 58 FC 2-0 at Hensley Athletic Field
The result was three vital points for the home side who in recent weeks have been somewhat unlucky, while for losing side Sydney United 58 FC it was definitely one that got away.
A penalty from Mitchell Stamatellis 12 minutes into the contest and an Andre De Jong finnish in the second half was the difference as Hakoah claimed a shock upset.
The home side were rewarded for their dogged defence and rapid counters as United 58 struggled to find a breakthrough.
Blacktown City FC 0 – Marconi Stallions FC 1 at Lily Homes Stadium
Former Blacktown City fan favourite James Andrew has stung his former side after guiding a 10-man Marconi Stallions to a shock 1-0 upset at Lily Homes Stadium on Saturday.
The former Blacktown attacker arrived as a half time substitute for Mateo Poljak and put the visitors ahead with a lovely finish ten minutes after the interval to help snap a five-match winless run for the Stallions.
Andrew netted 11 league goals for Blacktown last campaign but proved to the bane for Crittenden’s men on the occasion, who slumped to their second defeat in as many weeks.
While it might not set alarm bells ringing in Seven Hills, the manner of defeat will particularly sting for the hosts who were unable to score in consecutive matches and were dealt a lesson in pragmatism by Peter Tsekenis’ visitors.
Sydney FC 1 – Manly United FC 2 at Lambert Park
Manly United have earned a hard-fought three points after edging Sydney FC 2-1 at Lambert Park on Saturday night.
Goals to Manly’s Sasa Macura and Travis Oughtred cancelled out an equaliser from Sydney FC’s Sam Mcillhatton to secure a victory for the visitors.
Manly United found their groove in the second stanza after a slow start to the match but it wasn’t all easy going with the Young Sky Blues creating chances on the counter attack.
The experience of Manly proved the difference in the end taking full advantage of Sydney FC’s lapses in concentration to secure the win.
Sydney Olympic FC 2 – Rockdale City Suns FC 2 at Belmore Sports Ground
An incredible second half fightback has helped Rockdale City Suns snatch a 2-2 draw with Sydney Olympic at Belmore Sports Ground on Sunday.
Olympic had the chance to move three points clear at the top of the ladder at the end of Round 7 after APIA Leichhardt’s draw on Saturday.
The Blues looked to be making the most of the opportunity as they went into the halftime break up 2-0 thanks to Max Burgess and Alejandro Sanchez.
Yet a spirited fightback from the visitors saw Olympic clinging on for a point at the final whistle, as Jordan Figon and Alec Urosevski drew Rockdale level before pushing for a win.
Wollongong Wolves FC 0 – Bonnyrigg White Eagles 1 at WIN Stadium
Bonnyrigg White Eagles picked up their long awaited first victory of the season with a narrow 1-0 win over Wollongong Wolves on Sunday afternoon at WIN Stadium.
The crucial goal came in the second half courtesy of a delightful curled finish from outside the box by Aaron Peterson; a top quality strike that Bonnyrigg hope will kick start their 2018 National Premier Leagues NSW campaign.
Both sides had their share of chances on the afternoon as the White Eagles twice struck the crossbar while Wolves had two goals ruled out for offside and were repeatedly denied by a top notch performance from David Bradasevic between the sticks.
Jacob Timpano’s men were left to rue what may have been while Brian Brown and co will look to build upon their result as they look to get their season back on track.
Leave a Reply