First-half flurry helps 10-man Blacktown past Sutherland
Three first-half goals helped Blacktown City past Sutherland Sharks in a thrilling 3-2 win at Landen Stadium on Saturday night but were made to work for it after being reduced to ten men in the second stanza, held on despite a late visitors fight back.
Joey Gibbs opened the scoring 21 minutes in before Jak O’Brien and Travis Major added to the halftime score.
Mario Shabow’s red card for City just after the hour mark gave Sutherland a chance of a comeback.
The Sharks could not get there though, as goals to Liam Rippon and James Cakovski proved mere consolations for the visitors.
The match had a frantic start as Blacktown thumped the ball forward from the kick off.
Sutherland quickly recycled it, and Cakovski set off down the right getting into the box and rolling an effort past the left post.
The side came forward eight minutes later; a right-sided corner being worked to Levi Sciuriaga in the box, whose prodded shot was deflected wide.
Blacktown had a shot of their own 15 minutes in when Adam Berry lined up from range, but the ball was held by comfortably by Nenad Vekic in the Sharks’ goal.
City took the lead six minutes later as Tyren Burnie latched onto a ball into the right channel and dribbled to the by-line before finding Gibbs at the near post who steered home.
Sutherland nearly responded straight away as a determined Cakovski won the ball and fired goalwards, rolling past the left post again.
The hosts doubled their lead just after the half-hour mark.
O’Brien played a one-two with Shabow, which saw the forward be slipped into the left of the box, allowing him to place an accurate finish into the bottom right corner.
City were presented with a golden chance for a third seven minutes later, being awarded a penalty.
Major took responsibility and slotted the ball down the middle as Vekic dived to his left.
Major’s 40th-minute penalty proved to be the final action of a flying first half for the home side as they headed into the sheds with a three-goal advantage.
The second half got off to a timider start, with neither side creating anything of substance until after the hour.
In the 62nd minute, Sutherland substitute Jay McGowan curled a strike from the left corner of the box that City goalkeeper Tristan Prendergast was forced to parry behind.
Blacktown were dealt a blow less than a minute later when captain Mario Shabow was given his marching orders for a second cautionable offence.
The Sharks pulled a goal back in the 69th minute with McGowan’s effort from the edge of the box hitting Rippon, causing a looping deflection onto the crossbar and in.
The Sharks, buoyed by Rippon’s goal, pushed forward in pursuit of a comeback, which saw Prendergast forced into a couple of saves over the next five minutes.
Blacktown took the ball down the other end in the 75th minute as a right-sided cross found Gibbs in the box, but he headed straight at Vekic.
Gibbs had another chance with seven minutes to play when Mitchell Mallia found the striker in the area from the left, but he clipped it wide of the right post.
Sutherland set up a grand-stand finish as they cut the deficit to one in the 88th minute.
Cakovski mazed into the left of the box and lashed a left-footed effort into the right side of the goal.
However, it was not enough as Blacktown saw out what remained to secure the three points.
Match Stats
Blacktown City FC 3 (Joey Gibbs 21’, Jak O’Brien 33’, Travis Major 40’ penalty)
Sutherland Sharks FC 2 (Liam Rippon 69’, James Cakovski 88’)
Saturday 2 March 2024
Landen Stadium, Seven Hills
Referee: Mujtaba Ebrahimi
Assistant Referees: Alessandro Llana and Alexis Johnson
Fourth Official: Luke Chapman
Blacktown City FC: 1. Tristan Prendergast, 4. Lachlan Campbell, 6. Adam Berry, 7. Travis Major, (14. Mitchell Mallia 80’) 8. Jak O’Brien, 10. Mario Shabow, 12. Tyren Burnie, 16. Ben Berry, 18. Nicholas O’Brien, 22. Jacob Maniti, 23. Joey Gibbs
Substitutes Not Used: 9. Reuben Awaritefe, 20. Cayden Henderson, 26. Charles Saul, 29. Zachary Butler, 36. Sebastian Hayward
Yellow Cards: Mario Shabow 12’ 63’, Nicholas O’Brien 53’
Red Cards: Mario Shabow 63’
Sutherland Sharks FC: 1. Nenad Vekic, 2. Kotaro Katsuta, 4. Mitchell Stamatellis, 6. Samuel Gulisano (3. Jordan Roberts 78’), 7. James Cakovski, 10. Mason Fernandez, 14. Chris Lindsay, 15. Matthew Moric (21. Luke Sauer 73’), 26. Jacob Garner, 27. Matthew Jackson (32. Liam Rippon 61’), 77. Levi Sciuriaga (11. Jay McGowan 61’)
Substitutes Not Used: 8. Mohamed Ahmed, 99. Jacob Cremen-Cowan
Yellow Cards: Mason Fernandez 55’
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings:
3 – Jak O’Brien (BC)
2 – Joey Gibbs (BC)
1 – James Cakovski (SS)
Report by Tim Gibson, on Twitter@Timg123_
