St George FC Hold Sydney FC As Both Sides Settle For A Point
St George FC and Sydney FC were forced to settle for a share of the points after playing out a hard-fought 0-0 draw at Barton Park on Saturday night.
Both sides had opportunities to claim all three points but were unable to find a breakthrough, with the result seeing St George move one point clear of last-placed Sydney Olympic while the Sky Blues maintained their position in sixth place on the NPL Men’s NSW ladder.
The hosts created the first genuine opportunity of the contest in the 24th minute when Evangelo Souris delivered a long ball forward to Jaden Casella on the left flank.
Casella cut the ball back to Nikola Skataric, who unleashed a strike that narrowly missed the right post.
Sydney FC responded with their first major chance in the 33rd minute. Taye Headley tested St George goalkeeper Jamie Husoy from distance, forcing the shot-stopper into an impressive diving save.
Casella continued to be a dangerous outlet for the Saints and created another opportunity in the 37th minute. Receiving the ball on the right before cutting inside, the winger forced Sydney goalkeeper Alexander Zaverdinos into action as he denied the effort.
St George started the second half strongly and came close to breaking the deadlock almost immediately. Skataric looked destined to score in the 47th minute, but Samuel Lancaster produced a crucial defensive block to keep the scores level.
Sydney continued to threaten, with Headley testing Husoy again in the 51st minute. The St George goalkeeper reacted well to tip the effort over the crossbar.
As the match entered the final stages, both teams continued to search for the decisive goal.
St George came closest in the 80th minute when Casella delivered a dangerous free-kick from deep, finding Patrick O’Shea inside the penalty area. However, Zaverdinos confidently collected the header to keep Sydney level.
The Saints had one final opportunity to snatch victory deep into stoppage time, with Edmun Haddad finding space in the 90+3rd minute, but Zaverdinos again produced an important intervention low to his left.
Neither side could find the breakthrough, with the final whistle confirming a 0-0 draw in a tight contest where both defences and goalkeepers stood firm.
Match Stats
St George FC 0
Sydney FC 0
Saturday 25 July
Barton Park
Referee: Reece Edwards
Assistant Referees: Arinath Gobinath and Glen Stubbings
Fourth Official: Oscar Stewart
St George FC: 2. Rocco Smith, 4. Jayden Seeto, 6. Patrick O’Shea, 8. Evangelo Souris, 9. Nikola Skataric (7. Justin Poon 66’), 10. Jaden Casella, 14. Isaac Cunningham (12. Toshiki Makimoto 46’), 15. Mark Rodic (21. Harry Keys 84’), 16. Kaidyn Wright, 18. James Husoy, 88. Christopher McStay (24. Edmun Haddad 66’)
Substitutes Not Used: 11. Lachlan Sepping, 13. Sebastian La Luz, 43. Taylor Harrod.
Yellow Cards: Kaidyn Wright 88’
Red Cards: Nil
Sydney FC: 5. William Pezzutti (4. Caelan Marshall-Witte 71’), 8. Samuel Lancaster, 10. Taye Hedley, 15. Zinadein Ardiansyah (11. Junior Conde 71’), 16. Miles Milliner (47. Corey Cronin 46’), 19. Mitchell Glasson, 24. Dionn Nigro (42. Ryan Buttigieg 83’), 27. Lachlan Midddleton, 30. Alexander Zaverdinos, 33. Marin France (9. Zac Fowler 60’), 34. Tyler Williams
Substitutes Not Used: 12. Jared Williams
Yellow Cards: Miles Milliner 20’
Red Cards: Nil
*Player Ratings have now been hidden until the remainder of the NPL Men’s NSW season.
-By Dimitri Kallos
