St George FC Rise From The Foot Of The Table With Wanderers Victory
St George FC have moved off the bottom of the NPL Men’s NSW ladder with an impressive 2-1 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers at Wanderers Football Park on Saturday afternoon.
It was the away side who made the brighter start to the fixture, with striker Nikola Skataric looking particularly threatening with his first few involvements.
As the clock hit the 20-minute mark, neither side had managed to fashion a significant goalscoring opportunity, but St George continued to look strong, remaining assured without the ball and confident and assertive in possession.
The Wanderers were struggling to work their way into the match, often unable to play through St George’s aggressive press and consequently creating few opportunities or shots on goal.
St George continued to impress but were mostly restricted to efforts from range, none of which brought major trouble for Wanderers goalkeeper Samuel Goldberg.
The away side’s best chance of the half came from their 11th shot of the game during a transition.
After winning the ball back deep, St George quickly found Jaden Casella in a pocket of space.
Casella drove centrally before playing in Christopher McStay, who set himself with his first touch before striking towards goal.
On his left foot, the attacking midfielder could not find the angle he was looking for, with his effort going straight at Goldberg.
The chance proved to be a precursor of things to come, with St George taking a crucial and well-deserved lead in the 42nd minute through McStay.
The move began with Jaden Seeto showing commendable strength to win the ball before finding Skataric on the wing.
St George’s striker promptly found Isaac Cunningham in behind, with Cunningham allowing the ball to roll past him before settling himself and finding the unmarked McStay with a pinpoint pass.
From inside the box, McStay made no mistake, firing a first-time finish into the roof of the net to give his side a priceless lead at Wanderers Football Park.
The visitors continued to capitalise on their momentum after the opener and had another chance to double their advantage just before half-time.
Receiving the ball centrally following a Wanderers turnover, Cunningham found Skataric on the left, giving the striker space to set himself for a shot.
Skataric did just that, sending an effort across goal which forced Goldberg into a save.
St George began the second half the way they ended the first — threatening and dominant.
Just three minutes after the restart, a beautiful piece of skill from McStay created space for a cross, which narrowly avoided two of his teammates inside the box.
The pressure eventually told again in the 65th minute, with Cunningham earning a vital second goal for St George.
Casella swung in a superb corner from the right, finding the far post with pinpoint accuracy.
Under heavy pressure, Cunningham rose impressively to meet the delivery and powered a header home to deservedly put the visitors two goals in front.
St George continued to control proceedings, but the Wanderers attempted to mount a late comeback and found a goal in the 90th minute.
A corner to the near post found the head of Awan Lual, who flicked the ball across goal.
Bradley Marszal found himself free at the far side of the goal and made no mistake, finishing calmly to halve the deficit.
However, it proved too little too late for the home side, with St George holding on to secure a massive three points and climb off the foot of the ladder.
The victory provides a significant boost to the Saints’ survival hopes, while the Wanderers will be left frustrated after struggling to break down a disciplined St George side for much of the contest.
Match Stats
Western Sydney Wanderers FC 1 (Marszal 90’)
St George FC 2 (McStay 42’, Cunningham 65’)
Saturday 15 August 2026
Wanderers Football Park
Referee: Oscar Waterson
Assistant Referees: Rory McFarlane and Blake Sanchez-Cruz
Fourth Official: Lara Hogan
Western Sydney Wanderers FC: 1. Samuel Goldberg, 2. Joshua Cetinic, 5. Jesse Cameron, 6. Oscar Morrison (C), 8. Corey Da Cruz (23. Oscar Moore 73’), 10. Johnny Pavlovic, 16. Tristan Arrarte (32. Mustafa Abdellatif 62’), 21. Rocco Macnamara, 28. Georgio Hassarati (9. Awan Lual 62’), 30. Anderson Back (25. Marko Radovancevic 45’), 31. Emile Katrib (26. Bradley Marszal 69’)
Substitutes Not Used: 24. Nate Robson, 40. Ashton Crawford
Yellow Cards: Da Cruz 69’
Red Cards: None
St George FC: 18. James Husoy, 2. Rocco Smith, 4. Jayden Seeto, 6. Patrick O’Shea (38. Rafael Costa 58’), 8. Evangelo Souris, 9. Nikola Skataric (7. Justin Poon 58’), 10. Jaden Casella, 14. Isaac Cunningham (12. Toshiki Makimoto 82’), 15. Mark Rodic, 16. Kaidyn Wright, 88. Christopher McStay (11. Lachlan Sepping 75’)
Substitutes Not Used: 20. Kota Toyooka, 24. Edmun Haddad, 47. Vedran Janjetovic
Yellow Cards: Souris 28’
Red Cards: None
-By Jack George
