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Max Burgess returns to Sydney Olympic

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Sydney Olympic Football Club have announced the signing of Max Burgess for the 2018 National Premier Leagues NSW Competition.

An exceptional talent, Max made a great impact both on and off the field in the first half of last season and returns to Olympic after a stint overseas with Portuguese LigaPro side União.

Burgess expressed his excitement at re-joining Olympic.

“I’m excited to be back at Sydney Olympic FC.

“It’s a talented squad and a great group of boys lead by an experienced coach in Gorka, there is a special feel around the club.

“I’m looking forward to being part of a team which will make the many Sydney Olympic fans proud in 2018” he explained.

Sydney Olympic Football Club 1st grade Coach Gorka Etxeberria was impressed with what Burgess would bring to the squad.

“I’m very happy with having Max back in the team.

“He is exactly the player profile that we were looking for to finalise the squad. In all the chats that we had I could notice that he is really focused on playing for the team and after his European experience is going to be an important player for the team to play the way that we want to play”.

“With Max, we complete our squad and everything is ready to start building a team who can make Sydney Olympic FC supporters proud in the 2018 season” said Etxeberria.

Max will join the squad when they return to training after the Christmas break on Monday 15 January 2018. The club’s first trial match for the New Year will be on Sunday 28 January at Cromer Park against last season’s NPL NSW Champions Manly United FC, with kick off at 6pm.

-Sydney Olympic Press Release

Blacktown City eager for Mariners scalp

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Death, taxes and Blacktown City playing in the national rounds of the Westfield FFA Cup.

Since the first iteration of the tournament in 2014, Blacktown City has qualified for the Round of 32 each and every time.

And while their spot in the latter stages of the tournament have so often been powered by the seemingly individual brilliance of names like Travis Major, Patrick Antelmi and, most recently, Danny Choi, there is an unnerving consistency about Blacktown City that have made them arguably the best PlayStation® 4 National Premier Leagues New South Wales Men’s club over the last half-decade.

Few players have contributed to that success more than Matt Lewis and after his side drew none other than his former club and A-League outfit Central Coast Mariners in the FFA Cup, he is keen to prove Blacktown and their players are worthy of an opportunity to mix it with the professionals.

“I was very excited when I saw the Mariners come out of the pot,” Lewis said.

“It will be a nice occasion for me personally to get to take on my old club, and especially at home.”

But Lewis is not one to dwell for too long on the personal.

“It’s always about the team. That’s why we’re at this stage for the fourth year in a row,” he said.

“Even when Choi scored that goal last year [from halfway against Sydney United 58 FC] and Antelmi was banging in all those goals, there was something bigger happening. It takes a lot of players to set up those goals and it takes a strong defence to make sure you can win those games.

“Every year we have a good bunch of players.”

Blacktown City has always managed to ensure their squad has had minimal changeover compared to other PlayStation4 National Premier Leagues clubs which has gone a long way to helping their consistency as a unit, but this year has seen a larger changing of the guard than most.

Antelmi now plays for the Wollongong Wolves, Choi left for Adelaide United, before returning and suffering a season ending injury while star midfielder Sasa Macura and goalkeeper Nenad Vekic have also departed the club.

But still, the Blacktown City machine keeps ticking. City sit top of the league having won 14 out of 19 games, losing twice and are currently three points ahead of the APIA Leichhardt Tigers.

Players such as the birth of a new star in James Andrew who he along with Joey Gibbs have banged 11 goals each while the likes of Mitchell Mallia, Connor Evans and tough tackling defender Zach Cairncross continue to fly the flag for the club.

It is little wonder that, despite being drawn against A-League opposition, Lewis is supremely confident in his team’s chances.

“It’s probably the best time to draw an A-League team because they are just starting their pre-season and we’re right into the swing of things,” Lewis said.

“If there’s a good time to get an A-League team, it’s now, so we’re confident and it would not have mattered who we drew.”

The Mariners are the only team to have been knocked out of the cup by a lower-league opposition, when they fell to Victorian side Green Gully last

season and Lewis is confident his Blacktown can make it happen again.

“We’ve got the winning habit, so we’re just naturally confident anyway,” Lewis said.

“A lot of their players have come from the NPL, so we know a fair few of them and have played them before.

“It’s a different Mariners to the one I played for. I think Josh Rose is the only player left I played with.

“Honestly, I don’t think there’s a big gap between a lot of the players in our competition and those that go on to play A-League.

“I look at Blake Powell and he’s done very well for himself since he had to come back down to the NPL level to earn another A-League shot. He had one massive season with APIA where he was scoring goals for fun, and that’s set him up.

“I think a lot of our players will look at that as motivation, because the talent is there, there just aren’t a lot of opportunities, we don’t get seen as much as we should.

“Obviously our game against the Mariners has been chosen as the live game on TV, so I know we’ll be keen to show that our club and our players can mix it with the pros.”

Match Details

Wednesday 2nd August

Blacktown City v Central Coast Mariners

Lily Homes Stadium – 7:30pm

-By Matt Galea

Bereveskos dreaming big

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At 21 years of age, Dean Bereveskos has more football experience than most veterans can dream of.

The central midfielder has come on in leaps and bounds since signing for Hakoah Sydney City East FC this season, but his progression is rooted firmly in hard work and a well-rounded football education.

A stint in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen and in England with Wolverhampton Wolves, coupled with five consecutive Golden Boots in the NSW State League Futsal competition and his first taste of senior silverware with Hakoah’s Waratah Cup triumph earlier this year has Bereveskos ready to continue his rapid rise in the stature of Australian football.

“It’s been a great season. I’ve learned a lot and I’m lucky to have such experienced coaching staff around me,” Bereveskos said.

“[Playing-coach] Gavin Rae has been amazing to learn from. Obviously he has a lot of experience from his career in England and Scotland as well as international football.

“Then there’s Alex Robinson and Zlatko Arambasic as well. They’re all very experienced coaches and I’ve just been lucky to be able to feed off all the information and guidance they’ve given me. Week in, week out I just try and improve things.”

The improvement has been noticeable.

Bereveskos spent last season playing in the PlayStation4 National Premier Legaues New South Wales Men’s 2 with Bankstown City, where he played 27 first-grade games. Prior to that he was a part of Parramatta Eagles FC’s under-20 set-up.

The midfielder perhaps went under the radar when Hakoah signed him up, but he has proven one of the signings of the season and he credits his improvement with the faith placed in him by the club to give him a free role in midfield.

“I don’t know if I can pin-point a single area of improvement in my game,” he explained.

“But Gavin has just allowed me the freedom to roam around the park and get up and down the pitch to express myself as a footballer.

“The reins are off now, and it’s allowed me to have that freedom in the middle of the park which has been good.”

The pay-off for Hakoah has been instant.

The club’s rise through the ranks of New South Wales football has been well noted. From the State Leagues right through to the state’s premier competition but even for a club that previously played in the now defunct National Soccer League, this month’s Waratah Cup triumph over the more-fancied APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC was a moment to savour.

For Bereveskos it was a night he will never forget.

“It was an amazing night. We had so much going through our minds in the lead up, but I guess we were the underdogs, we were away from home and the spirit of the team got us through,” Bereveskos said.

“The experience in the team helped. Obviously Gavin’s experience as a player coach was immense, but even [captain Neil] Jablonski was great.

“But I’ll always remember Gavin’s speech. The way he motivated us was amazing and you could just see it flowing through the change room.

“The club deserved the success. That win made us the most successful club in the Waratah Cup again and from since I’ve been here it’s been a great family club to be a part of.”

Hakoah has more to look forward too, with the Westfield FFA Cup still in its sights after the club’s unbelievable 6-3 victory over Hills United at Lilys Football Stadium on Wednesday.

“It’s a huge competition and it’s well known, so it will be different again from the Waratah Cup,” Bereveskos said.

“As a club and as players, it’s our chance to compete on the national stage and against the best clubs in the country from the A-League, so we just hope we can go as far as possible in it.

“It was an unbelievable match especially under the circumstances, Hills really pushed it to us but thankfully we came out on top in the end and are now through to the Round of 16 where we keep on dreaming about our journey.”

The youngster remains committed to Hakoah, but admits there is a part of him that is excited about what may be to come.

“The A-League is definitely a goal for me,” he said.

“As a youngster in the FFA Cup, I guess you could just be on good game against an A-League team from getting a chance and from there, who knows?

“But I just want to keep working and developing.”

-By Matt Galea

APIA ready for Tasmanian Westfield FFA Cup test

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No one has to remind APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC about the perils of cup football.

There is no doubting that the Tigers are the huge favourites heading into their Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32 clash with Tasmanian outfit Olympia FC, but the favourites tag has done the Tigers few favours in recent months.

A Waratah Cup final loss at the hands of an impressive Hakoah Sydney City East FC was a blow, but the Tigers’ cup run to that final – and the national rounds of the FFA Cup – were almost halted by PlayStation4 National Premier Leagues 3 New South Wales Men’s outfit Southern Districts Raiders Football Club.

The Tigers needed 121 minutes of football to defeat the less-fancied Raiders in the final rounds of qualifying and defender Themba Muata-Marlow says it was a wake-up call his side won’t forget anytime soon.

“That was a bit of a scare, but we’ll have to learn from it,” Muata-Marlow said.

“On the night, we went behind to a dubious penalty and then they just put up a tough fight after that. They just wouldn’t let us back into the game.

“We thought the game was going to get away from us and then we got a penalty in the 93rd minute which we converted.

“Then in the 121st minute we got a break off a free-kick, Jordan Murray hit the cross-bar and Paul Galimi scored the goal off the rebound and there were absolute scenes after that. There were tears of joy, that’s how much it meant.”

The result is an away trip to Tasmania to take on Olympia, currently equal second in the NPL Tasmania.

“It’s good to get an away trip. I guess, if you can’t get an A-League side, you want an interstate trip,” Muata-Marlow said.

“We don’t know that much about them, but we know they’ve got a synthetic pitch and I think that will suit us because we’re used to playing on one at Lambert Park.

“We’re not underestimating anyone and we’ll treat them with respect.”

Aside from the spoils of victory, Muata-Marlow, said his team-mates are buoyed by the prospect of showcasing their talents to a national audience.

Muata-Marlow has A-League experience under his belt already after a spell with the Newcastle Jets and he hopes the FFA Cup shows a wider audience how much the NPL has improved.

“It’s my first full season back in the NPL since the Jets and it’s definitely picked up since when I first played in the competition under Branko Culina at Rockdale City (Suns FC),” he said.

“I think I’ve grown a lot as a player since then, but the level has gotten higher too.

“So many players come out of A-League clubs and end up in these leagues so it’s a high standard and the FFA Cup is a good place to show that.”

Should his side prove victorious, Muata-Marlow said he would love to have a chance to play against A-League opponents.

“I think everyone wants that chances to test themselves against the best and see how they stack up,” he said.

“But first we have to make sure we win this game against Olympia and go from there.”

Match Details

Tuesday 1st August

Olympia FC v APIA Leichhardt Tigers

KGV Park – 7:30pm

-By Matt Galea

APIA Leichhardt Tigers thump Manly United

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APIA Leichhardt Tigers has taken top spot of the PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s after a comprehensive 5-0 win against Manly United FC at Lambert Park on Saturday.

A red card to Manly attacker Brendan Cholakian after only ten minutes set the tone for the match and APIA didn’t hold back in turning the screws on their opposition.

The Tigers went on a rampage in the first half with three unanswered goals in 12 minutes courtesy of Sean Symons, Nathan Millgate and Tasuku Sekiya to set up a 3-0 half time lead.

Sekiya struck again in the second half to claim a brace while Dominic Cox also found the back of the net to round out the 5-0 thrashing.

It is the first time APIA has been above Blacktown City on the table in two months and sets up an exciting final race for the Premiership.

In 5th minute Sean Symons received the ball from Sekiya but he blasted his diagonal shot onto the inside of the post. It was so close for the home side and the ball came back out at a cracking pace much to their frustration.

The match would take a major turn in the 14th minute when Cholakian was given his marching orders after a rash challenge on Sean O’Connell.

Manly United, down to ten players, were always going to have chase the Tigers who clearly were intent on taking full advantage of the extra player they had.

In the 27th minute a shot by Sekiya from outside the box went over the crossbar as APIA pressed for an opening goal.

However, they didn’t have to wait too long because as Sean Symons received an Adrian Ucchino cross and then scored after taking a nice touch

Manly shot stopper Dylan Mitchell did well to stop Jordan Murray from doubling the homeside’s lead after 32 minutes when he dived in low to make a save.

APIA was firing on all cylinders and weren’t going to be denied. Nathan Millgate  made it 2-0 in the 35th minute with a towering headed effort.

In the 41st minute it became 3-0 to the home side when Sekiya tapped home a Corey Bizco cross to ensure they went into the break with complete control of the match.

Early in the second half APIA should have scored again. A sweeping move forward ended with a back heel by Sekiya in the box to Biczo, but his shot was just a matter of centimetres wide.

In 68th minute APIA scored their fourth goal thanks to substitute Dominic Cox.

A free-kick by Ucchino was met by a glancing header from Joshua Symons; goalkeeper Mitchell parried but only as far as Cox who headed in from close range.

APIA made it five in 77th minute. A wonderful through ball found Sekiya and his silky skills did the rest for another great goal and his second of the evening.

The last roll of the dice was right at the end when, from just outside the box, Franco Parisi put the ball a mere fraction wide.

After the game APIA Leichhardt coach Danial Cummins was justifiably delighted with the one sided victory.

“I am happy that we kept a clean sheet and executed very well because we knew that Manly were a dangerous side,” he said.

“Our team’s attitude is fantastic. They are following instructions well and they believe. I have quality players on the bench and that’s quality players missing out, but it’s hard to get into this team and they are all professional and taking it very well.

“It’s now all in our hands for the remaining games. We’ll go to Blacktown next week and then we have Rockdale here [at home] but they are going to be two very tough games.”

Despite the result, Manly United coach Warren Grieve was also very proud of his side and fully aware that the early send-off may have skewed the result of the encounter.

“It’s always tough to take but the 5-0 result was not a true reflection of reality,” he said.

“We had to make a decision: do we go reactive or do we bunker in, but that’s not the way that we play or what we are about. We always want to be proactive in our approach but, it is what it is, and we have to move forward.

“There are no easy games for any side and it’s a tough run-in for everyone to make that top six. Everyone is still fighting for a position and everyone is still in with a chance.

“I am ever so proud of the boys tonight because they kept working and they stuck together but unfortunately it wasn’t our night.”

Match Stats

APIA Leichhardt Tigers: 5 (Symons 28’, Millgate 35’, Sekiya 41’ & 77’, Cox 68’)

Manly United FC: 0

Saturday 29th July 2017

Lambert Park, Leichhardt

Referee: Chris Kavanagh (UK)

Assistant Referees: Lance Greenshields, Matthew McOrist

Fourth Official: Chris Wright

APIA LEICHHARDT TIGERS: 1. Ivan Necevski, 2. Nathan Millgate, 4. Joshua Symons, 7. Sean O’Connell, 8. Corey Biczo, 11. Jordan Murray (12. Dominic Cox 62’), 15. Themba Muata-Marlow, 16. Sean Symons (17. Adrian Vlastelica 80’), 18. Adrian Ucchino (10. Franco Parisi 69’), 19. Brandon Lundy, 20. Tasuku Sekiya.

Substitutes not used: 3. Paul Galimi, 22. Luke Turnbull.

Yellow Cards: Muata-Marlow 7’, S. Symons 51’, O’Connell 58’, Biczo 70’

Red Cards: Nil

MANLY UNITED FC: 1. Dylan Mitchell, 2. Kieren Paull, 3. Jaime Lobb, 4. Travis Oughtred, 6. Dominic Ferguson (21. Joe Fox 69’), 8. Sasa Macura, 9. Dylan Macallister (15. Marco Sama 55’), 10. Brendan Cholokian, 12. Leigh Egger, 14. Dejan Pandurevic, 17. Sam Wilson (11. Nikola Taneski 55’).

Substitutes not used: 13. Scott Balderson, 20. Shaun Catlin.

Yellow Cards: Ferguson 34’, Egger 52’, Oughtred 67’

Red Card: Cholokian 14’

-by Joe Russo, PlayStation®National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Reporter, at Lambert Park, Leichhardt