Some daring attacking football was the course of the day in Sydney Olympic’s showdown with Sutherland, with Olympic stalwart Will Angel producing one of the season’s finest goals.
The classy winger, who first signed with the club as an 11 year old, controlled the ball brilliantly from a booming goal kick to unleash a deadly shot that curved its way into the goal to give Olympic a 1-0 lead. Angel then set up Olympics’ second goal with a lovely cross to give his side their first victory of the season.
Bonnyrigg held on to record a 2-1 win after a Manly surge threatened to undo their stellar first-half, which saw Robbie Younis again showcase his dynamic scoring ability. He was called upon twice in the first half to negotiate a free kick within striking range of the goal, and he delivered with two superb goals. Former Melbourne Heart defender David Vrankovic had a strong game as well, working tirelessly at the back as the Manly attack pushed relentlessly to attempt a comeback.
Blacktown City continued their unbeaten run with a dominant 3-0 win over Parramatta.
Defender Giorgio Speranza was a rock in defence and proved just as clinical up front when he fired a low shot to give City a 2-0 lead midway through the second half. It was his second nomination in successive weeks earmarking him as one of the form players of the league. Talented midfielder Danny Choi picked up man-of-the-match honours for his outstanding work across the match, his 59th minute goal a well-earned prize.
APIA enjoyed their first win of the season after a brace from Tasuku Sekiya in the opening 20 minutes set a tone for the match. Sekiya was a menace for the Hakoah defence in the second half, as he delivered a delightful cross that found the goal. Man-of-the-match honours went to former Sydney FC defender Themba Muata-Marlow, his solid defensive game shutting down the Hakoah attack to ensure his side recorded a 3-0 victory.
An entertaining encounter at llinden Sports Centre resulted in Sydney United 58 taking the spoils over Rockdale. A brilliant goal-keeping display from Tom Manos starved off any chance of a Rockdale comeback. Despite a few hiccups, Manos stepped up when it mattered to produce some great saves and keep a clean sheet.
Elsewhere, United 58 defender Yianni Fragogiannis was everywhere in defence, blocking some powerful Rockdale shot as he put his body on the line. Former Sydney FC player Chris Payne snared a first half brace and was unlucky not to have a hat-trick, such was his attacking prowess in his side’s 2-0 win.
The final match of the round saw Wollongong host Blacktown Spartan in a tight affair at WIN Stadium. After a hard-fought first half saw scores locked at 1-1, flamboyant striker Shu Sasaki stepped up when the game was on the line, pouncing on a loose ball to give Spartans a 2-1 win.
GK Tom Manos – Sydney United 58 FC
LB – David Vrankovic – Bonnyrigg White Eagles
CB – Themba Muata Marlow – APIA Leichhardt Tigers
CB – Yianni Fragogiannis – Sydney United 58 FC
RB – Giorgio Speranza – Blacktown City
LM – Danny Choi – Blacktown City
CM – Tasuku Sekiya – APIA Leichhardt Tigers
RM – Will Angel – Sydney Olympic
ST – Chris Payne – Sydney United 58 FC
ST – Shu Sasaki – Blacktown Spartans
ST – Robbie Younis – Bonnyrigg White Eagles
Sasaki sinks Wolves as Spartans victorious
The Blacktown Spartans found their way back into the winners circle with a 2-1 victory against Wollongong Wolves in their PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Round 4 clash at WIN Stadium on Sunday.
Goals either side of half-time from Anthony Proia and Shu Sasaki cancelled out a Peter Simonoski goal to give the Spartans a win after their heavy loss last week.
The first real chance of the game fell to Wolves striker Peter Simonoski who beat his defender but had his shot blocked from inside the box.
In the 8th minute a corner was awarded to Blacktown Spartans and a weak clearance from the home side led to the ball falling to Benjamin Tosi.
Unfortunately for the visitors, Tosi’s shot from outside the area went straight at the goalkeeper.
The first goal of the game almost came in the 18th minute when David Stojic made his way into the box but his shot narrowly sailed over the crossbar.
Five minutes later Brendan Griffin found himself with some space out on the right but he too blasted over shot over the crossbar
From the resulting goal kick the ball found its way to the wing and a cross from Tosi was expertly finished off on the volley by Anthony Proia to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Back to back corners from the Wolves in the 31st minute almost led to an equaliser from Simonoski but the ball went behind for a goal kick.
A yellow card on the edge of the box for Will Mutch in the 34th minute gave the Wolves a chance but Griffins shot was deflected away for a corner.
From the resulting corner the visitors were able to counter but Wolves keeper Justin Pasfield was able to stop the danger.
The first chance of the second half came the home side’s way when a Wolves corner kick fell to Simonoski once again he could only aim his shot straight to the goalkeeper.
A minute later the Spartans pushed forward with Jacob Ott finding himself with some space after using some good footwork.
But as had been the case for most of the players, Ott’s final touch let him down as his shot went straight at Pasfield.
A thunderbolt in the 71st minute from a free kick from Ricky Zucco tested the Spartans goalkeeper but he was equal to the task and pushed it away for a corner.
Only seconds later an error at the back led to a gift for Peter Simonoski who took it and side-footed the ball past the goalkeeper for the equaliser.
But there would be further drama four minutes later when a free kick against the Wolves led to the ball being fed into the box where Shu Sasaki made no mistake to give the Spartans the lead once again.
Both sides played some enterprising football in the last 15 minutes with Wollongong looking to find an equaliser but it would not come as the Spartans held on for the win.
Spartan’s head coach Ben De Haan was happy with the win but stressed his side needs to improve after two wins on the road and two losses at home.
“I was happy with the performance in patches but at times we were a little bit scrappy and made a few little mistakes which was why we gave away the goal,” he said,
“If you have a look at our results this season, the wins are away and the losses are at home.
“We have to work on that as we have two home games coming up. We have to make sure they’re two wins.”
For Wolves head coach Jacob Timpano, it was a similar story to how the season started.
“If you look at the stats, Spartans had two shots on goal and got two goals. We had eight or nine and obviously got the one for it. But again it’s the case of us not putting away our chances,” he said.
“The effort is there but I think today and the last couple of weeks highlighted that we do have a lack of depth and an injury or two really affects us. Unfortunately that’s the cards we’ve been dealt.”
After the loss this week, the Wolves head on the road where they face APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC while the Spartans are at home to Rockdale City Suns FC.
Match Stats
Wollongong Wolves: 1 (Simonoski 72’)
Blacktown Spartans: 2 (Proia 24’, Sasaki 76’)
Sunday, April 3 2016
WIN Stadium, Wollongong.
Wollongong Wolves: Pasfield, Kawase, Baldacchino, Griffin, Lazarevski (Lombo 83’), MacKenzie, Matthews, Price, Simonoski (B. Zucco 86’), Stojic (R. Zucco 64’) , Wilson
Substitutions not used: McGinn, Collison
Yellow Cards: Simonoski 36’, MacKenzie 45’, R. Zucco 68’, Baldacchino 88’
Red Card: Nil
Blacktown Spartans: Dukic, Mutch, Nakamura, Ott, Perkatis, Proia (Dullak 85’), Carlos Saliadarre, Sasaki, Tosi (Gauthier 61’), Vazquez, Whiteside
Substitutions Not Used: Kamara, Nascimben, Morton
Yellow Cards: Mutch 34’, Perkatis 38’
Red Card: Nil
Player Ratings:
3 – Sasaki (Spartans)
2 – Simonoki (Wolves)
1 – Griffin (Wolves)
-By Jake Bull, PS4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s 1 Reporter, at WIN Stadium, Wollongong.
Payne brace leads United 58 to tight win over Suns
Sydney United 58 jumped to second on the PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s ladder after grinding out a 2-0 victory against Rockdale City Suns at llinden Sports Centre on Sunday evening.
A first half brace to striker Chris Payne was the difference in a fiery and entertaining encounter, which saw 10 yellow cards and one red card shown
In a game of two halves, United 58 dominated in the attacking third during the first stanza before Rockdale returned serve in the second with a flurry of missed opportunities.
Sydney United 58 came out of the blocks early with captain Nick Stavroulakis finding the feet of Panni Nikas in the 3rd minute. The enigmatic midfielder took on the defence before his dangerous cross sailed over Rockdale goalkeeper David Bradasevic, just missing Payne at the back post.
The visitors continued their onslaught two minutes later with a slick counter attack ending in Yutaro Shin’s effort hitting the side of the net.
Nikas again found himself in the action in the 10th minute, picking the ball up on the edge of the box before his shot was well saved by Bradasevic.
Rockdale finally found their feet with a long ball wrong footing the United 58 defence in the 13th minute. Toufic Alameddine brought the ball down before his impending attempt was thwarted by a sliding United 58 defender.
United 58’s early dominance turned into the opening goal in the 19th minute. After great lead up play, Panni Nikas dribbled the ball into the box beating a defender on his way before his pin point low cross beat a diving Bradasevic to allow a free Payne to slot home.
Rockdale had a great chance to strike right back just three minutes as Alex Canak headed the ball through to a flying Alec Urosevski from a goal kick. The striker beat Theo Kofinas before his shot across the goal was well saved by a diving Thomas Manos.
The missed chance almost came back to haunt the Suns in the 27th minute when Nikola Taneski closed down a Nicholas Petrillo clearance seeing the ball fall to his feet with the goal at his beckoning. Petrillo had Bradasevic and the post to thank with a fine save from Taneski’s shot before Payne’s follow up effort bounced back off the right hand upright.
Alameddine started to take more control of the ball for the home side and in the 35th minute when he set up fellow midfielder Peter Makrillos outside the box but the former Stoke City youth player quality shot was too high.
Three minutes later Rockdale were at it again with a fantastic counter attack. Makrillos and Blake Ricciutto combined well with the latter putting Urosevski through on the left. The attacker took the ball to the byline before his attempted cut back was easily saved out for a corner by Manos.
It would be United 58 however who would take a 2-0 lead in the 39th minute when Matthew Bilic’s deep corner was headed back to Payne by Yutaro Shin, with the former taking a touch and striking the ball under Bradasevic.
The home side had a fantastic chance to get one back on the stroke of half time when Urosevski got on the end of a through ball again, this time rounding Manos but pushing the ball across the face of goal.
Bradasevic was called into action almost immediately after the break with the keeper pulling off a diving save to his right off a clever strike by Nikas.
The save spurred Rockdale into action as their control of possession created a host of chances while United 58 sat back and countered.
In the 50th minute a poor Manos clearance fell to the feet of Alameddine but the right winger took a touch before rushing his shot wide.
United 58 almost extended their lead a minute later when Payne found space in the box off a long ball. The striker brought the ball down well but his shot just creeped under Bradesevic. As the ball trickled to the goal, former A-League defender Trent McClenehan slid to clear the ball off the line and keep his side in the match.
Manos gave the Suns another chance in the 59th minute when he failed to take hold of an aerial ball, leading to Ricciutto chipping the ball goal bound only for Makrillos to miss a header at the back post.
Rockdale player/coach Paul Reid turned to his bench in the 63rd minute, bringing on Dylan Macallister for left back Isaac Savor.
The move almost paid immediate dividends as Alameddine threaded a lovely through ball on the right to Canak who took the ball towards the goal before cutting back to an advancing Urosevski whose shot was well saved by Manos.
United 58 were not resting on their laurels with both Payne and Nikas seeing shots go just over the bar within minutes of each other.
With minutes remaining United’s defence continued to stand strong with both Yianni Fragogiannis and Theo Kofinas blocking a number of shots to secure the win for their side.
The final nail in Rockdale’s coffin came in injury time as captain Daniel Petkovski received two yellow cards within as many minutes to be sent from the field.
Following the match Sydney United 58 head coach Mark Rudan said he was extremely proud of his side’s winning effort.
“I thought the 2-0 lead at the break flattered them, it could have been more we hit the post and had a few more chances,” Rudan said.
“We came in at half time and discussed what Rockdale had to go which was to come out at us. The second half was completely different, they through everything but the kitchen sink at us and credit to them for doing that.
“But the mentality of the players, the strength in character they showed to not allow Rockdale to get through was just terrific.
“You’ve got to be solid and we certainly showed for long periods in that second half that we were up to the task and that pleased me probably more than the first half.”
In the home dressing room Rockdale City Suns coach Paul Reid was very frustrated to not take anything out of the game.
“To be honest they were they better team in the first half, in the first half hour they came out firing and deserved their 2-0 lead,” Reid said.
“Early on we were good but after that they were winning every first ball and if they weren’t winning that they would win the second ball.
“In the second half there was only one team in it. I said to the boys after the game the difference is if we took our chances we would have been back in the game.
Match Stats
Rockdale City Suns 0
Sydney United 58 2 (Payne 19’, 39’)
Venue: Ilinden Sports Centre
Referee: Adrian Arndt
Assistant referees: Janush Adabjou, Val Bertuccioli
Fourth official: Matt Reidy
Rockdale City Suns: 1. David Bradasevic, 2. Daniel Petkovski ©, 4. Trent McClenehan, 5. Paul Raid, 6. Blake Ricciuto (11.Hristijan Tanoski 79’), 7. Alec Urosevski, 8. Alex Canak, 10. Peter Makrillos (12. Idriss El Hafiane 71’), 15. Nicholas Petrillo, 16. Isaac Savor (9. Dylan Macallister 63’) , 17. Toufic Alameddine,
Substitutes not used: 22. Andrew Bazi, 3. Steven Hesketh
Yellow Cards: Makrillos 44’, Petrillo 78’, Petkovski 91’, 93’
Red Cards: Petkovski 93’
Sydney United 58: 21. Thomas Manos, 2. Kristopher Vlismas, 3. Christopher Payne (10. Robert Mileski 87’), 7. Yutaro Shin, 8. Peter Triantis, 11. Nikola Taneski, 14. Nick Stavroulakis ©, 17. Theo Kofinas, 19. Matthew Bilic, 22. Yianni Fragogiannis, 23. Panni Nikas
Substitutes not used: 1. Andrew Depta, 3. Alex Vlismas, 12. Anthony Vrkic, 13. Matthew Donatiello
Yellow Cards: Payne 39’, Nikas 43’, Taneski 60’, Stavroulakis 69’, Manos 70’, Mileski 91’
Player Ratings
3- Thomas Manos (SU)
2- Chris Payne (SU)
1- Yianni Fragogiannis (SU)
-By Chris Georges
Round 4 Review – PS4 NPL NSW Men’s U20
There were upsets aplenty in Round 4 of the PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s U20 competition with Blacktown Spartans and Manly United’s unbeaten start to the campaign ended by Wollongong Wolves and Bonnyrigg White Eagles, who claimed their first win of the season alongside Sydney Olympic.
The match of the round was at a sunny Melita Stadium on Saturday afternoon where Parramatta hosted Blacktown City searching for their first win of the season.
Match of the Round
Parramatta v Blacktown City, Saturday 5.00pm at Melita Stadium
Blacktown City have strung back to back wins together for the first time this season after seeing off a spirited Parramatta FC 2-0 at Melita Stadium.
There wasn’t much to separate the two outfits who both struggled for cohesion on the day and laboured for large periods of the encounter on a sapping late afternoon encounter in Granville.
But it was a canny performance from Blacktown who broke the deadlock through Jarrod Dodds on the cusp of halftime and sealed the deal late in the second half courtesy of Jake Borromeo.
Mark Zecchin’s Parramatta created a wealth of promising moments in a dominant and energetic second half display but had goalkeeper Jayden Diacono to thank whose collection of excellent saves kept the home side in the contest.
It was the visitors who enjoyed the more clear-cut chances on the day and they should’ve been ahead within the opening minutes when George Panayi failed to connect with Dodds’ cutback with the goal at his mercy.
The winger would make amends shortly before half-time after playing a pivotal role in Blacktown’s opener, shimmying past a pair of Parramatta defenders on the by-line before sending his cross to the back post where George Firth confidently buried home his first goal of the season on the half volley.
The home side grew into the game after half-time and enjoyed plenty of success down the right flank where towering fullback Frank Martey continually found space to penetrate the Blacktown rearguard.
The fullback would provide Parramatta’s game’s best chance of the match when he powered up the field from hallway and released Matias Da Silva Santos on goal, who spooned his effort over the bar with his weaker left foot.
It would prove to be the affair’s key moment and although Parramatta continued to stream forward in numbers in the second half with the introduction of striker Nicholas Chymiak off the bench, they were wayward in their finishing.
The action became stretched with Parramatta desperately pushing numbers forward but only Diacono’s heroics prevented Blacktown from netting a killer second goal on the counter attack.
Ben Wright’s side rode out a flurry of late pressure with Chymiak going close from a free-kick before Borromeo made the points safe minutes before full-time, latching onto a long ball from Lewis Fraser before sweeping past Diacono.
Parramatta manager Mark Zecchin was upbeat about his side’s performance despite his youthful ranks failing to gain their first points of the season.
“We probably weren’t good enough to win the game because we took a few too many wrong options in the final third but I think we were good enough for a point.
“But I’m not worried, we’re dominating games and creating chances. Teams may look at us with zero points after three games and say they’re nothing special but I’m happy with that.”
Match Stats
Parramatta 0
Blacktown City 2 (Firth 44’, Borromeo 87’)
Saturday 2nd April, 2016
Melita Stadium, Granville
Parramatta FC: 21 M. Da Silva Santos, 22 F. Martey, 24 P. Katsetis, 25 D. Di Ruocco, 27 T. Borovickic, 32 J. Mobbs, 33 J. Diacono, 35 J. Taunton, 37 A. Gioiosa, 38 C. Carboni, 39 M. Davidson, 16 C. Finch, 28 N. Chymiak, 30 J. Jung, 31 A. Boyadjian, 34 A. Awaz
Yellow Cards: A. Awaz
Red Cards: Nil
Blacktown City FC: 1 N. Vekic, 23 J. Borromeo, 24 J. Mamone, 25 Z. Speth, 26 M. Ireland, 27 N. Andricopoulos, 28 G. Panayi, 29 L. Fraser, 31 J. Dodds, 32 P. Antelmi, 34 D. Askew, 35 F. Maya, 36 I. Dandan, 37 G. Firth, 40 L. Gallo
Yellow Cards: Z. Speth, P. Antelmi
Red Cards: Nil
Sutherland Sharks 2-3 Sydney Olympic, Saturday 4.30pm at Seymour Shaw
Sydney Olympic produced one of the upsets of the round littered with surprising results by claiming a fantastic 3-2 come from behind victory over Sutherland Sharks at Seymour Shaw.
Adrian Vranic’s brace and Michael Gaitatzis’ first goal of the season inspired Harry Paras’ men to their first points of the campaign and it was a deserved victory for the visitors who produced a stunning second half comeback.
Sutherland looked set to make it three wins from their last three matches and had raced to a 2-1 lead at half-time through Jack Press’ double but Sydney’s struck after half-time through Gaitatzis and the comeback was secured with a late penalty that saw Vranic claim his fifth goal in three matches to move Olympic off the foot of the table.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles 2-0 Manly United, Saturday 5.00pm at Bonnyrigg Sports Club
Bonnyrigg shocked competition leaders Manly United with a 2-0 victory at Bonnyrigg Sports Club with Harrison Bagot and Asmir Kadric consigning the visitors to their first defeat of the season.
It was a performance of huge promise from Stephen Sigmund’s men who claimed their critical first victory and clean sheet of the season at the fourth attempt to breathe much-needed oxygen into their campaign.
The result brings Manly United’s three-match winning streak to an end and sees Andrew Christiansen’s side drop to second place on the ladder, whilst Bonnyrigg now have a platform to build the rest of the campaign on.
Hakoah Sydney City East 2-2 APIA Leichhardt Tigers, Saturday 5.00pm at Hensley Athletic Field
Hakoah Sydney City East and APIA Leichhardt Tigers shared the points at Hensley Athletic Field with neither side able to break the deadlock in an even and entertaining affair.
It was Danial Cummins’ side’s first match of the season having had their opening trio of fixtures postponed due to their involvement in the Viareggio tournament in Italy, and they were good value for a point with Duncan Stewart netting a brace.
Brad Paikin and Emilio Manos netted for Hakoah in a result that sees Dino D’Agrosa and Pat Darvill men maintain their strong start to the season and place in the top four of the competition.
Wollongong Wolves 2-0 Blacktown Spartans, 3.00pm at WIN Stadium
Goals from Wollongong’s Blake Mcginn and Luke Foster have given a weakened Blacktown Spartans outfit their first defeat of the season succumbing 2-0 to Alfredo Esteves’ Wolves on the south coast.
Wollongong are unbeaten in their last three after opening the new campaign with defeat at home to Hakoah Sydney City East and are now within touching distance of the competition lead with Manly United also suffering their first setback of the season.
Rockdale City Suns 2-0 Sydney United 58, Sunday 3.00pm at Illinden Sports Centre
Sydney United 58’s poor start to the season continued with defeat away at Rockdale City Suns who cruised to a 2-0 victory at Illinden Sports Centre thanks to strikes from Tolgay Ozbey and Yerasimakis Petratos.
Coming off a consecutive losses at home to Wollongong and Hakoah Sydney City East, the win moves Rockdale level on points with sixth-placed Sutherland ensures Sydney United remain at the foot of the table with a solitary point from their opening four matches.
–By Jacob Windon
Round 4 Review – PS4 NPL NSW Men’s
There were goals galore in Round 4 of the PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition as Blacktown City cemented its place at the top of the pile with its fourth straight win.
Hakoah Sydney City East were given a reality check as APIA claimed its first win of the season while a late fight back helped Sydney Olympic FC and Blacktown Spartans to victories.
A tense matchup between Rockdale City Suns and Sydney United 58 wrapped up the round in style as Mark Rudan’s side ended the winning run of Rockdale.
Sutherland Sharks 1 – Sydney Olympic 2 at Seymour Shaw
Fortune favoured the brave at Seymour Shaw in Round 4 of the PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s as Sydney Olympic snatched a 2-1 victory against Sutherland Sharks on Saturday.
Goals to Olympic’s Chris Triantis and Will Angel were enough to cancel out a goal to the Shark’s Tomihiro Kajiyama and claim victory in a match of end to end action.
Sutherland were unlucky to not take more away from the match but sloppy finishing cost the home side in the end.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles 2 – Manly United FC 1 at Bonnyrigg Sports Centre
Bonnyrigg White Eagles has survived a second half fightback from Manly United to secure a narrow 2-1 win in its PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Round 4 clash at Bonnyrigg Sports Centre on Saturday.
A first half brace to Robbie Younis was enough for the Brian Brown coached side to claim all three points but home fans were forced onto the edge of their seats as a determined Manly United went close to snatching an upset.
A goal to Dejan Pandurevic gave the visitors a sense of hope in the final stages of the match but it proved to little too late as Bonnyrigg clung on to secure all three points.
Hakoah Sydney City East 0 – APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC 3 at Hensley Athletic Field
IT has taken four weeks but APIA Leichhardt Tigers has finally found its groove.
The John Carnevale coached side has cruised to a 3-0 win in its PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s clash with Hakoah Sydney City East at Hensley Athletic Field on Saturday.
A first half brace to Tasuku Sekiya and a second half goal to Nick Olsen provided the goals for APIA against a competitive but at time sloppy Hakoah Sydney City East outfit.
Parramatta FC 0 – Blacktown City FC 3 at Melita Stadium
PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition front runners Blacktown City FC has given Parramatta FC a lesson in clinical finishing after they claimed a 3-0 win at Melita Stadium on Saturday.
Mitchell Mallia opened the scoring for Blacktown after 30 minutes while two goals in quick succession from Danny Choi and Giorgio Speranza wrapped up the result for the Mark Crittenden coached side.
Parramatta pushed Blacktown throughout the match but lacked the clinical touch in front of goal they required.
Wollongong Wolves 1 – Blacktown Spartans 2 at WIN Stadium
Blacktown Spartans returned to the winners circle with Shu Sasaki snatching a late winner against Wollongong Wolves on Sunday.
A goal to Anthony Proia in the 24th minute proved Spartans with a 1-0 lead which they held onto for most of the match.
However Wollongong’s Peter Simonoski’s 22nd minute strike was seemingly enough for Jacob Timpano’s Wolves outfit to take home a point.
Blacktown’s Shu Sasaki had other ideas and put his winner in the back of the net in the 76th minute to secure the Spartan’s second win of the season
Rockdale City Suns – Sydney United 58 at Ilinden Sports Centre
Sydney United 58 jumped to second on the PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s ladder after grinding out a 2-0 victory against Rockdale City Suns at Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday evening.
A Chris Payne double in the first half helped the Mark Rudan coached side claim all three points in a fiery clash which featured ten yellow cards and a send off.
Rockdale looked ominous in the second stanza but failed to hit the back of the net as poor form in front of goal held Paul Reid’s side back from challenging United 58 on the scoresheet.
A red card to Daniel Petkovski in the final minute was the final straw for Rockdale as Sydney United held on for the win.