Manly United end season on a high with win over Saints
The final round of the regular season in the NPL Men’s NSW arrived for the two sides battling it out at Barton Park where Manly United overcame St George FC 2-1 thanks to a brace from Farah Koko, while Aedan O’Shea got on the scoreboard for the home side.
It was an entertaining and tight contest between two sides that next year will definitely want to go one step better and play finals football. In the end this match had little more than pride on the line but that didn’t stop both sides giving it their all and for new Manly United coach James Snedden it was a nice way to end the season after four consecutive matches without a win.
However, for the Saints under coach Fabian Miceli, it was a disappointing end to season 2025 with five consecutive games without a win after showing so much promise in the earlier parts of the season.
The opening chance of the game arrived in the 13th minute when Will Faulder tried to chip the ‘keeper Daniel Axford from close range but the ball finished just wide.
A few minutes later Stefano Rossello charged down the right flank before crossing into the path of Darcy Burgess perfectly positioned, but Axford made a solid close range save to once again save the Saints.
Manly United did take the lead after their sustained pressure in the 25th minute with a wonderful goal. It was a delightful long cross from the left from Matthew O’Donoghue that found Farah Koko in the middle and he simply directed the ball into the back of the net with ease.
A few minutes later St George Saints should really have equalised when Nikola Skataric sent in a long ball from the right flank to an unmarked Justin Poon, but somehow he fluffed his lines at the crucial moment and the ever reliable goalkeeper Levi Kaye was able to pull off a great save with his feet for the visitors.
Manly United in the 34th minute came close to doubling their lead. Faulder provided a nice assist to Rossello who unleashed a great strike from just outside the box, but Axford was able to turn it around the posts for a corner.
In the 40th minute St George Saints received a penalty when the referee adjudged there to be a handball after a Skataric shot was blocked by a defender. From the spot Skaratic took one of those modern-style penalties with a jump in the run up, but he didn’t give it enough angle and goalkeeper Kaye in the end made a rather comfortable save.
In the stoppage time at the end of the first half a long ball forward reached Faulder who tried to chip the out-rushing goalkeeper, but his attempt finished just over the crossbar and spared the blushes of the Saints. The exciting first stanza of play thus finished with Manly United leading narrowly.
The second half’s opening goal-scoring opportunity arrived in the 50th minute through a speculative shot from distance by captain Troy Danaskos which finished just wide of the mark.
The Saints though did equalise in the 56th minute. A short corner reached Skataric who sent in a precise cross for Aedan O’Shea and he met it first time with a diagonal header to beat all and sundry, and even the ledger as the faithful home fans in the Frank Arok Grandstand applauded.
Manly United however didn’t wait too long to regain their lead as Koko in the 59th minute grabbed his second. It was Rossello on the right who played the ball to Koko and then the mercurial striker beat his opponents in defence before sending the sphere straight into the top corner of the net with a great finish.
With 20 minutes left on the clock, the Saints then made a double substitution as coach Fabian Miceli replaced both his strikers with like-for-like to freshen things up a bit in the front third as they chased that elusive equaliser. And in the 74th minute they came close when a diagonal shot from Bai Antoniou required Kaye to make a low down save at the near post and concede a corner.
In the 79th minute Manly United replied with a great diagonal shot from the left by Rossello who danced his way into the box but his finish went agonisingly across the face of goal and just wide.
Late in the contest St George FC did manage to get the ball in the net but it didn’t count as the offside flag was raised by the assistant referee and Manly United breathed a sigh of relief.
Match Stats
St GEORGE SAINTS: 1 (O’Shea 56’)
MANLY UNITED FC: 2 (Koko 25’, 59’)
Sunday 31st August
Barton Park, Kyeemagh
St GEORGE SAINTS: 20. Daniel Axford, 3. Troy Danaskos, 5. Nicholas Kalogerou, 7. Aedan O’Shea (25. Connor Phillips 80’), 8. Evangelo Souris (34. Kota Toyooka 80’), 9. Chan Yelchan (23. Javier Rodriguez 70’), 14. Justin Poon (28. Jesper Webber 70’), 15. Bai Antoniou, 18. Gianni Di Pizio, 19. Nikola Skataric (13. Sunday Yona 66’), 35. George Kotronakis.
Substitutes not used: 99. Mackenzie Syron.
Yellow Cards: O’Shea 45’, Di Pizio 52’
Red Cards: Nil
MANLY UNITED FC: 1. Levi Kaye, 2. Aaron O’Driscoll, 3. Matthew O’Donoghue, 4. Jesse Piriz (36. Lewis Morsella 87’), 8. Stefano Rossello, 14. Maxwell Pengelly, 17. Farah Koko (25. Cai Evans 64’), 23. Darcy Burgess, 24. Toby Bakewell (34. Alston Hulme 76’), 28. Jasper Chipman, 29. Will Faulder (33. Max Walker 76’).
Substitutes not used: 21. Anthony Carreras, 10. Harry McCarthy.
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings
3 – Stefano Rossello (MU)
2 – Farah Koko (MU)
1 – Troy Danaskos (StG)
By National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Joe Russo
