Pedersen volley the difference as St George City grind out 1-0 win
St George City FA edged out NWS Spirit FC 1-0 at Penshurst Park in Round 20 of the NPL Men’s NSW competition, with a superb second-half strike from Yohn Pedersen proving the difference between the two sides.
The home side entered the clash in strong recent form, losing just once in their past eight matches to underline their resilience, while NWS Spirit arrived looking to build consistency after a win over Sydney Olympic but will be left disappointed after a narrow defeat on the road.
The first clear chance came in the 6th minute when a cross from the left by Kosta Petratos flashed across the face of goal before reaching Riku Kobayashi at the back post, but he was unable to keep his effort on target.
The match then went almost half an hour without another real chance, until the 34th minute when Bradie Smith tested from distance, sending a speculative effort just over the crossbar.
A minute later, Sam Armson produced a fine solo run, weaving through the St George City defence before firing just over the bar in what was arguably the best opportunity of the match to that point.
NWS Spirit continued to probe in the 44th minute, with Petratos again going close against his former club, lifting his effort just over from a promising position.
St George City responded a minute later right before the break, with Paolo Mitry striking a powerful low shot that was well saved by goalkeeper Jay Coates, leaving the game goalless at half-time.
The first chance of the second half nearly produced a breakthrough in bizarre fashion, as a 50th-minute cross from Callum Kealy was almost turned into his own net by Theph Theph, who scrambled the ball over the crossbar.
St George City then struck the decisive blow in the 54th minute through Pedersen. A Louis Khoury free-kick was only partially cleared by the Spirit defence, falling to Pedersen who struck a stunning volley past the goalkeeper to open the scoring.
In the 63rd minute, NWS Spirit went agonisingly close to an equaliser when Petratos unleashed a long-range strike that was brilliantly tipped onto the post by goalkeeper Jack Kenny.
St George City could have added a second in the 83rd minute when another Khoury free-kick found Benjamin Berry at the back post, but he was unable to convert the chance.
Right at the death in the 90th minute, substitute Andre Takami came within inches of rescuing a point for the visitors, firing just over from outside the box.
However, St George City held firm to secure a hard-fought and determined 1-0 victory and claim all three points.
After the match, St George City coach Mirko Jurilj praised his side’s resilience and recent form.
“I am pleased with the three points. In the first half, while we dominated possession, Spirit caught us in transition a few times,” he said. “In the second half we were more proactive and defended reasonably well, but we can still be better.
“We need more forward running and to be scoring more than one goal so we’re not hanging on like tonight when Spirit put us under pressure late. But we’ve lost only one of our last eight games, so that’s not a bad turnaround.”
NWS Spirit FC coach Sergio Malfara was left disappointed but praised his side’s effort despite the result.
“My message has been clear all year that our performances have been good. The boys have been working very hard and I can’t fault their effort or intensity, both in training and games,” he said. “They always try, but sometimes in football things don’t go your way and we’re going through a bit of a moment.
“Credit to St George because they make it hard here and they scored from a set-piece. We didn’t find a clear-cut chance and unfortunately we leave with nothing. We weren’t clinical enough tonight in front of goal and that’s been us in some ways this season.”
Match Stats
St GEORGE CITY FA: 1 (Pedersen 54’)
NWS SPIRIT: 0
Saturday 20th June
Penshurst Park
Referee: Adrian Arndt
Assistant referees: Hayden Kaye, Thomas Aalders
Fourth Official: Callum Gamper
St GEORGE CITY FA: 1. Jack Kenny, 3. Benjamin Berry, 4. Solomon Monahan-Vaiika, 5. Lewis Miccio, 10. Paolo Mitry (27. Matthew Jackson 72’), 16. Yohn Pedersen (7. Oscar Gultekin 87’), 17. Mason Tatafu, 20. Theph Theph (2. Matthew Wahby 60’), 23. Hiroto Dohmoto (8. Stefano Rossello 72’), 25. Brodie Clarkson, 33. Louis Khoury.
Substitutes not used: 13. Franklin Jan, 19. Roman Culina, 35. Spencer Webster.
Yellow Cards: Theph Theph 5’
Red Cards: Nil
NWS SPIRIT FC: 12. Jay Coates, 2. Aiden Mostofi, 3. Kyah Williams (22. Stavros Tserpes 84’), 4. Bradie Smith, 6. Corey Kavanagh, 10. Kosta Petratos, 11. Kaan Nizam (7. Shoki Yoshida 46’), 13. Simon Nicholas, 14. Benjamin Duroux (9. Callum Kealy 46’), 15. Sam Armson (18. Andre Takami 79’), 17. Riku Kobayashi.
Substitutes not used: 1. Christopher Marques, 5. Owen Henderson, 8. Grant Cornwell.
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings
3 – Yohn Pedersen (St George City)
2 – Corey Kavanagh (Spirit)
1 – Lewis Miccio (St George City)
By National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Joe Russo
