Aheleas Kotsopoulos celebrated his 400th match for the club, but the White Eagles gatecrashed the Berries party to hold out their opponents at Lidcombe Oval on Sunday.
With both clubs? semi-final hopes dead and buried for season 2009, there was very little up for grabs in the round 22 fixture.
In a physical opening to the match, it was Andre Gumprecht who stood out in the early passages, showing his class with several deft touches and attacking raids on the Berries goal.
West Sydney?s Chris Gaitatzis tried his luck from the edge of the box, but his effort strayed high and wide of the intended target.
Gaitatzis was given a second chance moments later when he drilled a powerful low shot into the direction of Bonnyrigg goalkeeper Nenad Vekic.
But a diving Vekic deflected the ball towards Dimitri Zakilas who made no mistake guiding the ball into an empty goal, only to be called back for an offside infringement.
Bonnyrigg?s best chance of the afternoon came after 30? minutes when Steven Bozinovski made a run down field, but his shot from close range was brought to a halt by a brilliant diving effort from Hamish McClean.
Kotsopoulos was desperate to gain the ascendancy heading into the half-time break, dashing down the left flank before sending a ball across goal in the direction of Zakilas, but Vekic again denied the homeside by intercepting the cross.
The Berries snared the first few opportunities of the second-half, but Ryan Jones and Gaitatzis failed to direct their shots on target.
Zakilas tried to show his team-mates how it was done, beating Graeme Forbes in the last line of defence, but Vekic put his body on the line to again deny the home side in the 65? minute.
The Berries dominated the first part of the second period, but it was the final pass which brought about their downfall, struggling to crack Bonnyrigg?s final line of defence.
Aleksander Draca went on the counter attack for the White Eagles after a West Sydney free-kick, but unfortunately for the visitors he was unable to capitalise on a three on one situation, squandering a golden opportunity to take the lead.
There was very little desperation showed in the final stages, with both sides more than happy to round out the year with a hard fought draw.
Berries assistant coach Matthew Ribarovski said the players and officials were looking forward to the off-season:
?It?s been a very long year for us this season,? he said.
?We will keep the core of the squad and bolster a couple of positions and look to make the top five next year.
?Both sides tried hard but it was just one of those games where all both teams were playing for was sixth and eighth position.?
Bonnyrigg coach Brian Brown was disappointed to miss out on the finals but is looking forward to a hard earned rest:
?I feel as tired as the players,? Brown said.
?It?s hard to be critical of the players playing on a pitch like that but I was pleased with their effort.
?I?m very happy with the young boys who have stepped, David Gullo played his first game today and didn?t look out of place.?
Brown believes 2010 could be a big year for the club.
?The club has the potential to be one of the strong teams in the Premier League if not the strongest,? he said.
?It?s our job to get the right players who have the fire in the belly, the enthusiasm and desire to do that for Bonnyrigg.?
When asked who had been the best for the White Eagles this year, Brown had no hesitation in saying Paul Cotte.
?He has been the best player in the competition in my mind,? he said.
?I could not speak higher of him because he is as good as anyone I have seen.?
Match Stats
West Sydney Berries 0
Bonnyrigg White Eagles 0
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Lidcombe Oval, Lidcombe.
Referee: Adam Weir
Assistant Referees: Scott Edelirs and Gareth Askham
Fourth Official: Stephen Luca
Crowd: 350 Approx.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles: 1.Nenad Vekic; 2.Paul Cotte, 3.Graeme Forbes, 4.David Gullo, 9.Vlado Kurtuma (11.Almir Dizdaric 45?), 12.Andre Gumprecht, 15.Steven Bozinovski, 17.Milorad Simonovic, 14.Domenic Cutri, 6.Ilkay Gurbuz (7.Aleksander Draca 68?), 20.Milan Zoric, (19.Marko Miljkovic 86?)
Substitutes Not Used: 5.Mark D?Alessandro, 8.Daniel Willougby
Yellow Cards: Milan Zoric 84?
Red Cards: Nil
West Sydney Berries: 1.Hamish McClean; 2.Marjan Novotni, 3.Omar Saadi, 5.Daniel Clifford, 6.Jack Sobczyk, 11.Aheleas Kotsopoulos, 16.Kosta Lagoudakis (31.Shayne Morissey 83?), 17.Chris Gaitatzis (23.Stefan De Jesus 75?), 10.John Tsironis (14.Liam Austin 84?), 19.Dimitri Zakilas, 15.Ryan Jones
Substitutes Not Used: 22.T.Allen, 12.Stefan Donevski
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
-By Michael Chammas
Marconi scrape past Bonnyrigg to hold on to fourth spot
The Bonnyrigg White Eagles made the trip across Elizabeth Drive on Sunday, with coach Brian Brown throwing several under 18 and 20 players into the mix.
Both sides had their chances in the opening 10? minutes and despite missing Almir Dizdaric and Mark D?Alessandro through suspension, the White Eagles matched it with their higher ranked rivals in the early passages.
A long ball that found Alex Canak in space down the left-flank presented Marconi with the first opportunity, but his right-footed effort caught a deflection and slammed into the side of the net for a corner.
A free-kick from Daniel Willoughby from the right touchline found Vlado Kurtuma inside the box, but his header failed to trouble James Chronopoulos who stood strong between the sticks.
Erick Anabalon tried to link up with Tim McGowan but Bonnyrigg goalkeeper Nenad Vekic was quick off his feet to bring an end to the attacking raid.
Ali Abbas Al-Hilfi tried to ignite the home-side but despite tapping over Vekic, was unable to regain his footing to hit his shot into an empty goal.
The White Eagles defence held strong for most of the first half but 10? minutes out from halftime the Stallions finally cracked their opponents.
Al-Hilfi was again in some pace down the right side, cutting the ball back into Anabalon who chipped the defenders to find Al-Hilfi on the run into the goal mouth.
The number 10?s shot from an acute angle caught the boot of Paul Cotte, sending the Stallions into the lead courtesy of an own goal.
Both teams came out of the sheds with a point to prove and it showed in the physicality of the challenges.
Canak was the man who looked most threatening for the Stallions up front, sprinting down field only to be brought to a halt by some desperate defence on the edge of the six-yard box.
Canak was again in the thick of the action moments later with a deft touch through the line in the direction of Tim McGowan, who slotted his shot past the advancing Vekic but slightly wide of the post.
Ilkay Gurbuz almost showed the Stallions how it was done, but his shot from the edge of the box went slamming into the crossbar, by far the White Eagles? best chance of the afternoon.
Umut Tokdogan tried his luck from long-range, but Nenad Vekic was more than up to the task.
Andrea Merenda crept his way up forward, weaving his way around two players before forcing his shot wide of the left post.
Ilkay Gurbuz stood up for the White Eagles when it counted supplying Aleksandar Draca with the ball that the substitute guided past Chronopoulos to equalise in the 82? minute.
But it didn?t take long for the Stallions to regain the lead, with Andrea Merenda?s free-kick finding Wade Oostendorp who made no mistake sending his header past Vekic for a 2-1 lead.
Despite the late match winner, Sterrey was far from impressed with his troops? performance, describing it as ?the worst of the season?:
?It was a very poor performance and the only good thing out of it was three points,? he said.
?Right across the park we were very poor all day and the execution was terrible.
?It was a game we should have put the foot down and built some momentum on but it wasn?t the case.?
?But I still have a lot of confidence in this team and I do believe we can win this competition.?
In the opposition shed, with the semi-finals out of the equation, Brian Brown tried his luck with youth.
?I thought they were outstanding and did very well,? Brown said.
Not many players that took the field in round one for the White Eagles walked out on to Marconi Stadium on Sunday, but the reason was simple.
?I think some of the guys that aren?t there now shouldn?t have been there from the start of the season.?
?As a team and a unit we just haven?t worked hard enough but today we did.?
?Maybe on another day we would have got a point, maybe more than that.?
When asked about the grand final, Brown was quick to say that he would like to see a Sutherland-Marconi clash, but found it hard to go past both Sydney United and Bankstown to fight it out in the decider.
Match Stats
Marconi Stallions 2 (Own goal 37?, Wade Oostendorp 85?)
Bonnyrigg White Eagles 1 (Aleksandar Draca 82?)
Sunday, August 3, 2009
Marconi Stadium, Bossley Park.
Crowd: 500 Approx.
Referee: Kurt Ams
Assistant Referees: Daniel Dewhurst & Steve Nguyen
Fourth Official: Thomas Klein
Marconi Stallions: 22.James Chronopoulos; 4.Umut Tokdogan, 6.Vuko Tomasevic, 8.Alex Canak (13.Ben Vidaic 69?), 9.Erick Anabalon (14.Daniel Ott 85?), 10.Ali Abbas Al-Hilfi, 11.Matthew Gordon, 15.Tim McGowan (2.Wade Oostendorp 73?), 23.Christopher Nunes, 26.Nahuel Arrarte, 30. Andrea Merenda.
Substitutes Not Used: 18.Graziano Trimboli, 20.Cem Akili.
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Bonnyrigg White Eagles: 1.Nenad Vekic; 2.Paul Cotte, 3.Graeme Forbes, 6.Ilkay Gurbuz, 8.Daniel Willoughby (11.Aleksandar Draca 52?), 12.Andre Gumprecht, 14.Domenic Cutri (7.Marko Miljkovic 69?), 15.Steven Bozinovski, 17.Milorad Simonovic, 20.Milan Zoric, 9.Vlado Kurtuma (18.David Gullo 84′)
Substitutes Not Used: 1.Ali Akbal, 5.Emanuel El Ali
Yellow Cards: Daniel Willoughby 45?
Red Cards: Nil
-By Michael Chammas
Marconi Stallions v Bonnyrigg White Eagles fixture alteration
First Grade: 3:00pm
Grade 20: 12.30pm
Shark attack ends Bonnyrigg’s semi final dream
The Sharks travelled to Sydney?s south west on Saturday night, knowing very well that a victory would move them one step closer to a semi finals appearance and in the process, end Bonnyrigg?s dream of a top five finish.
It was the visitors who grabbed the first opportunity of the match courtesy of a runaway Michael Katz on the counter attack.
There was no faulting Katz?s cross, but a high bounce prevented Brad Boardman from latching on to the ball.
But the Sharks didn?t waste any time coming back up field and on this occasion it was Neil Jablonski making his way down the right flank
Jablonski floated a ball across the face of goal, but unfortunately for Sutherland, Panagiotis Nikas? efforts strayed narrowly wide of the post.
It was all one-way traffic in the opening 20? minutes, with Sutherland dominating possession and territory despite failing to trouble the scorers.
The TigerTurf Cup finalists deserved to be in front, but the White Eagles almost snatched a one-goal advantage when Milan Zoric found some space down the right sideline.
Zoric?s cross found a leaping Almir Dizdaric in the six-yard box, but the striker?s header smashed into the cross bar and away from danger.
Sutherland had their chances but desperate scrambling defence by the White Eagles restricted the visitors from a first half lead.
Nikas enjoyed a couple of shots at goal, but new Sydney FC National Youth League keeper Nenad Vekic was up to the task on each occasion.
Just 5? minutes out from the half time whistle, the match erupted with players from both clubs engaging in some push and shove leading up to a Bonnyrigg corner.
The score was locked up at 0-0 at half time and Bonnyrigg knew a draw wouldn?t be enough to save their season.
The home side were quick out of the blocks in the second period and so too was Milorad Simonovic.
The pocket rocket was heavily involved in the opening exchanges, drilling an unsuccessful long-range shot before having his free kick deflected moments later.
Any ascendancy the White Eagles gained at the break was short-lived as Nikas etched his name on to the scoresheet with a goal in the 50? minute.
Bonnyrigg barely had time to re-settle before their season flashed before them, as Nikas supplied Brad Boardman with the ball that ensured the Sharks a 2-0 advantage after 53? minutes.
But the White Eagles showed their fighting spirit and were soon back to within one.
D?Alessandro snatched the ball from the feet of Jim Bakis and regained his composure to curl a beautiful shot past Nathan Denham between the sticks.
The glimmer of hope seemed to spark the White Eagles and their vocal supporters into action, as the home side went in search of quick goals.
Simonovic looked the most threatening to do so, and in the 69? minute was almost rewarded but unfortunately for Bonnyrigg his 25 metre shot powered into the woodwork yet again.
Almir Dizdaric looked like setting up Ilkay Gurbuz with his header through the Sharks defence, but the ball beat Gurbuz as Denham rushed off his line to save the day.
Just when it looked as though the White Eagles would clinch a late equaliser, they suffered the unthinkable.
Both Dizdaric and D?Alessandro received red cards in the space of two minutes, angering the Bonnyrigg faithful.
Forced to play the last 8? minutes with just nine men, Bonnyrigg?s dreams of a semi final berth in their return season to the Premier League was officially over.
Boardman rubbed salt into the wound in injury time, drilling a shot into Vekic, who on the second effort fumbled the ball to allow Boardman to score his second goal and secure a 3-1 victory.
Sutherland coach Robbie Stanton was delighted to move one step closer to a finals berth.
?It was just another very efficient and professional performance by us,? Stanton said.
?We knew they would come out here and want to fight and I said to the blokes get ready for a fight because that is what they want to do, they don?t want us to play.
Despite the Bonnyrigg fans erupting after several refereeing decisions, Stanton didn?t see anything dubious about the calls.
?They [Bonnyrigg] were desperate and they were looking to use any means to get an advantage,? Stanton said.
?You can?t be critical of the referee because there was some silly things going on out there and he decided to clamp down,? he concluded.
But in the opposing dressing room, Bonnyrigg mentor Brian Brown wasn?t so impressed.
?We didn?t seem to get any decisions going our way tonight, it seemed like every decision went against us,? he said.
Despite the heartache of missing out on the finals, Brown was still pleased that his side achieved what they set out to do when he joined the club during the year.
?Our first aim was to avoid relegation, but Cliff [Pointer]? and I set pretty high standards so we expected to be in the playoffs but that?s not going to happen so it?s disappointing.?
Brown looks certain to be at the helm next year and hasn?t hidden the fact that there will be changes to the squad that takes the field in 2010.
?We will look to build a team for next year and put our team on the park instead of somebody else?s.?
Match Stats
Bonnyrigg White Eagles (Mark D?Alessandro 58?)
Sutherland Sharks 3 (Panagiotis Nikas 50?, Brad Boardman 53?, 90?+3?)
Venue: Bonnyrigg Sports Club, Bonnyrigg.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Crowd: Approx 700
Referee: Kris Griffith-Jones
Assistant Referees: Christian Mehl, Matt Colquhoun
Fourth Official: Andrew Brown
Bonnyrigg White Eagles: 1.Nenad Vekic; 2. Paul Cotte, 3.Graeme Forbes (8.Daniel Willoughby 70?), 5.Mark D?Alessandro, 15.Steven Bozinovski, 11.Almir Dizdaric, 12.Andre Gumprecht, 17.Milorad Simonovic, 18.Tayfun Devrimol (6.Ilkay Gurbuz 67?), 14.Domenic Cutri, 20.Milan Zoric
Substitutes Not Used: 23.Ali Akbal, 7.Aleks Tomic, 9.Emmanuel El Ali
Yellow Cards: Mark D?Alessandro 16?, 83?, Almir Dizdaric 45?+1?, 82?, Ilkay Gurbuz 75?
Red Cards: Almir Dizdairc 82?, Mark D?Alessandro 83
Sutherland Sharks: 1.Nathan Denham; 2.George Souris, 6.Chris Price, 11.Ben Spruce, 4.Michael Robinson, 15.Michael Katz, 14.Nick Stavroulakis, 23.Panagiotis Nikas, 7.Jim Bakis, 9.Brad Boardman, 18.Neil Jablonski
Substitutes Not Used: 10.Matthew Hall, 8.Nathan Ralph, 17.Jordon Nikolovski, 22.Manni Fragogiannis, 13. Andrew Smith
Yellow Cards: George Souris 83?
Red Cards: Nil
-By Michael Chammas
Bonnyrigg succumb to Manly United pressure
The home-side came under the pump almost immediately from the kick-off with Keith Shevlin attempting an audacious bicycle-kick that went narrowly wide of the mark, leaving Nenad Vekic a very relieved goalkeeper for the White Eagles.
It wasn?t long before Manly United did take the lead though, when Graeme Forbes unwittingly headed past his own goalkeeper who didn?t call for the ball.
With the Bonnyrigg side shaken by the run of events, they almost conceded a second less than 60?? seconds later, but this time Shevlin hit a powerful left foot shot narrowly wide of the target.
The northern beaches side did double their lead in fabulous fashion as Robbie Cattanach put over a cross to the back stick that Shevlin nodded back across goal for Ashley Ryan to tap home. The White Eagles defenders, and goalkeeper alike, were left stranded as the visitors took a commanding lead.
Bonnyrigg attempted a fight-back though on 28? minutes Vekic produced a moment of brilliance when forced to save bravely at the feet of Jamie Garside; the Manly United player was forced from the field – replaced by Michael Lloyd-Green – after an earlier heavy knock.
Steven Bozinovski could have pulled one back almost immediately for the home-side but dallied too long on the ball and the effort was blocked, before Andre Gumprecht pulled the ball back across the face with no White Eagles player following in as the side just didn?t seem to click on the night.
Kojiro Kaimoto added another spectacular moment that would have seen the goal of the game when attempting a left-foot shot just inside the penalty-area. The Japanese import?s effort whisked past the angle of the up-right and crossbar – the chance leaving no doubt to the home supporters present that this was not to be Bonnyrigg?s night.
Cattanach added the third after a goalmouth scramble, and Manly United might have had a fourth 3? minutes later from Shevlin when first Vekic palmed away a shot and the striker followed up the rebound to see it cleared off the goal-line and away for a corner.
Shevlin did get his name on the scorer?s sheet on 65? minutes before Forbes made atones for his earlier indiscretion by netting at the right end from a Ryan Baldacchino corner; the defender ghosting through unmarked in the centre of the Manly United defence to head home whilst the visitors had Andrew Mailer off the pitch receiving treatment.
Bonnyrigg coach Brian Brown commented afterwards:
?It?s not often I am stuck for words but we simply were not good enough tonight.
?It?s as though we left our energy at Edensor Park last weekend and I?m disappointed with the goals we?ve conceded as we gifted them some tonight.
?Our guys didn?t track back through the middle of the park and we got what we deserved tonight from a very good Manly side.?
Phil Moss stated: ?That?s a great result for the boys as they?ve taken a lot of flak over the last month and I thought it was a very dominant performance tonight.
?We won all of our individual contests and as a unit we?ve grasped the game and come away with the three-points.
?I?m proud of the way we?ve played, the execution and determination were there and we?ve got a few players back of course so very good all around.?
The Grade-20 match finished all square at one-apiece.
Math Stats
Bonnyrigg White Eagles 1 (Graeme Forbes 83?)
Manly United FC 4 (Graeme Forbes (og) 16?, Ashley Ryan 28?, Robbie Cattanach 54?, Keith Shevlin 65?)
Wednesday, 15th of July, 2009
Bonnyrigg Sports Club, Bonnyrigg
Referee: Strebre Delovski
Assistant Referees: Steven Nguyen and Tushar Dhar
Fourth Official: Miles Allen-Scott
Attendance: 250
Bonnyrigg White Eagles: 1.Nenad Vekic; 2.Paul Cotte, 3.Graeme Forbes, 4.Kojiro Kaimoto, 9.Jay Lucas (6.Ilkay Gurbuz 63?), 11.Almir Dizdaric, 12.Andre Gumprecht, 13.Ryan Baldacchino, 14.Domenic Cutri, 15.Steven Bozinovski, 17.Milorad Simonovic
Substitutes Not Used: 23.Ali Akbal, 5.Mark D?Alessandro, 18.Tayfun Devrimol, 20.Milan Zoric
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Manly United FC: 1.Brad Swancott; 2.Sean Bowden, 3.Andrew Mailer, 4.Spencer Prior, 6.Scott Thomas, 7.Ashley Ryan (24.Luke Reading 66?), 9.Robbie Cattanach (10.Giosue Sama 60?), 12.Jamie Garside (8.Michael Lloyd-Green 39?), 15.Keith Shevlin, 16.Joey Schirripa, 20.Matthew Bingley
Substitutes Not Used: 40.Dylan Mitchell, 24.Bradley Groves
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
-By Micky Brock