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Rangers strike back twice at stormy Cromer Park

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A breathless second stanza saw Manly United and Mt. Druitt Town Rangers play out a dramatic 2-2 draw in a storm-affected fixture at Cromer Park on Saturday night.

In a clash that was originally scheduled to take place at Mt Druitt’s Popendetta Park, mother nature continued to wreak havoc as the devoted Northern Beaches crowd saw kick off delayed by over an hour due to nearby lightning.

And while the contest initially threatened to fizzle out into obscurity, a frenetic final forty-five minutes saw four goals scored in the space of sixteen minutes.

The visitors clawed back Manly on two occasions, as set piece strikes courtesy of Cooper Coskiere and Nick Trimble cancelled out a Brendan Cholakian brace.

It was a gutsy performance from the visitors, who created their fair share of opportunities to win it despite losing three players to injury in the first half and being pinned back by a determined Manly side for extended periods.

The delayed kick off surely played a part in what was a scrappy first half.

Manly were the quicker out of the blocks, creating the first clear cut chance of the match inside the opening half an hour through some Brendan Cholakian trickery.

Manly’s number 10’s low drive sailed narrowly wide of the mark, however proved to be a foreshadowing of what was to come later in the night.

Whilst the Rangers’ early momentum was disturbed by injuries to Hiten Satoh, Fabricio Fernandez and Lachlan Roberts over the period, their frontman Alex Boyadjian found room to test the resolve of Manly custodian Dylan Mitchell on multiple occasions.

With the picturesque backdrop of distant lightning strikes illuminating the night sky, the match was belatedly sparked into life on the 55 minute mark as Nikola Taneski was dragged to ground and the hosts were awarded a spot kick.

Cholakian stepped up and confidently dispatched the ball into the bottom left corner, sending Saliadarre the wrong way.

However Manly were unable to enjoy their lead for long.

A 63rd minute Mt. Druitt corner caused a frantic goal-mouth scramble, resulting in substitute Cooper Coskiere bundling the ball home to the delight of the visitors.

Yet similarly, their jubilation soon evaporated thanks to a piece of individual brilliance from Manly’s number 10 five minutes later.

Picking up the ball out wide, Cholakian danced his way infield and forged a plausible sight on goal before unleashing a venomous curling effort that left a soaring Saliadarre with no chance.

Despite the strike being worthy of deciding any contest, a stubborn Mt. Druitt outfit had other ideas.

Just four minutes later, Nick Trimble rose highest off a long-range range free kick to flick the ball past Dylan Mitchell, restoring parity yet again.

Despite the scoreline remaining consistent from that point on, the final twenty minutes produced no shortage of drama.

On 78 minutes, a parried Joe Fox strike fell perfectly to the feet of that man Cholakian, however to the dismay of the Cromer Park gallery, he spurned his hat-trick chance with a feeble strike straight into the palms of Saliadarre.

The sense of frustration in the air only grew on 88 minutes, as Jamie Glover broke the offside trap, cutting the ball back to fellow substitute Dejan Pandurevic, who thumped the ball into the back of the net.

But a raised flag from the referee’s assistant, who had adjudged the ball to have passed the by-line, cut short celebrations.

A minute later Manly were almost made to pay approaching stoppage time, as Boyadjian broke through on goal, only to have his squared pass cut out by a tireless Kieren Paul, who was one of the standout performers of the night.

Ultimately, despite a heart-stopping conclusion, both clubs were forced into a share of the spoils, continuing their winless starts to the campaign.

Man-of-the-match Brendan Cholakian was understandably disappointed with the ultimate outcome:

“It’s disappointing,” he said.

“I thought we played really well all over the park.

“We knew their threat was set pieces coming into the match but we just gave them too many. When you give them that many they are probably going to score one or two.

“I think we fully deserved the three points so it is a bit of a kick in the guts to come away with a draw at home.

“We just have to keep working collectively and hopefully start to pick up the wins we deserve.”

Mt Druitt skipper Mathew Clowes echoed Cholakian’s sentiments, whilst praising his side’s response to a tough set of circumstances:

“You can take some positives out of getting a point but you always want the three,” he said.

“It was a bit of a rough night losing three players in the first half, all through knocks and a dislocated shoulder.

“You have to learn from every game. We’ll rebuild and recoup and get some new blood in for next week.

“I thought some of the young boys who stepped in tonight did really well, so they will get their opportunity next week and we’ll take it from there.”

Manly continue their quest for a maiden victory on the road at Marconi Stadium next Saturday, whilst Mt Druitt travel to Illinden as they face Rockdale City Suns the following afternoon.

Match Stats

Manly United FC 2 (Brendan Cholakian 56’, 68’ )

Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC 2 (Cooper Coskerie 63’, Nick Trimble 72’ )

Saturday 23rd March, 2019

Cromer Park, Dee Why

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Referee: B. Abraham

Assistant Referees: K. Robinson, M. Price

Fourth Official: A. Brett

Manly United FC: 1. Dylan Mitchell, 2. Kieren Paull, 4. Travis Oughtred, 5. Sam Gallagher, 6. Joseph Fox, 8. Dom Ferguson, 9. Nikola Taneski (22. Jamie Glover 73’) 10. Brendan Cholakian, 11. Adam Parkhouse (12. Charles Mendy 81’, 13. Scott Balderson (14. Dejan Pandurevic 66’) 17. Lewis Miccio,

Substitutes Not Used: 32. Mackenzie Syron, 22. Jamie Glover, 3. Jamie Lobb, 12. Charles Mendy, 14. Dejan Pandurevic

Yellow Cards: Dom Ferguson 70’

Red Cards: Nil

Mt Druitt Town Rangers: 1. Carlos Saliadarre, 2. Hiten Satoh (14. Felipe Zapata 15’), 3. Lachlan Roberts (23. Adrian Vranic 45’) , 5. Jake Mamome 6. Blake Thompson,, 8. Matthew Clowes, 9.Alex Boyadjian, 10.Fabricio Fernandez (15. Cooper Coskerie 14’), 12. Nick Trimble, 13. Lord Darkoh, 17. Jordan Gomez

Substitutes Not Used: Matthew Nikolovski, 19. Solomon Monahan

Yellow Cards: Matthew Clowes 39’, Jake Mamome 47’, Lord Darkoh 60’, Alex Boyadjian 80’

Red Cards: Nil

Player Ratings

3 – Brendon Cholakian (MU)

2 – Kieren Paull (MU)

1 – Cooper Coskerie (MDT)

–  By NPL NSW Reporter Chris Curulli (Twitter handle @ChrisCurulli)

 

Manly United and Sydney FC share points

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Manly United and Sydney FC were forced to settle for a share of the spoils following a tense 1-1 stalemate at Cromer Park on Sunday afternoon.

National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s football returned to Cromer Park with a bang, with both sides scoring in the 15th and 16th minutes respectively.

The opener arrived courtesy of an impressive Sam Gallagher header, which nestled in the far corner of Thomas Hewerd-Bell’s net.

Sydney FC then fired back instantly, as Hamish Lamberton left the Manly backline in his wake, weaving his way through on goal before poking the ball through the outstretched legs of Dylan Mitchell.

Despite the game initially shaping to be a goal-fest, the frequency of opportunities created by both sides progressively declined as the contest endured.

Sydney grew to dominate the latter stages of the first half, culminating in Lamberton striking the crossbar with a well-timed rocket in additional time.

Manly then took the game to their youthful opponents in the second half, however ultimately failed to gather a clinical touch in the final third.

A tough afternoon for both sides saw the Baby Sky Blues head home content with a point that prolongs their unbeaten start to the campaign, while Manly were offered plenty of positive snapshots as they carry on their search for a maiden victory.

The contest sprung to life from the opening whistle, as Jordan Swibel forged a sight on goal within 15 seconds, however his low shot was comfortably saved by Dylan Mitchell.

Both teams then traded blows during a frenetic opening quarter of an hour, with Scott Balderson blazing over the bar after five minutes, before Jerry Skotadis came within inches of opening the scoring after nine.

The Sky Blues midfielder lost his marker to be free on the end of Marco Tilio’s well-delivered corner, however directed his volley narrowly wide of the mark.

It was another set-piece, this time up the other end on 15 minutes, that would bear the match’s opening goal.

Scott Balderson swung in a powerful cross which was met well by Sam Gallagher, who found the back of the net with a precise flicked header which grazed the inside of the back post.

The defender’s second goal of the season injected life into a healthy Northern Beaches crowd, however unfortunately for them, Sydney’s travelling contingent would not have to wait long for parity to be restored.

Seconds after the restart, Skotadis won the ball high up the field and played it into the feet of Hamish Lamberton via a neat touch from Jordan Swibel.

Last year’s National Premier League NSW Men’s Under 20’s Golden Boot winner seemed to have only thing on his mind as he set off on a spellbinding run, beating a handful of Manly defenders before poking home the equaliser.

The situation so almost improved even more for the Sky Blues after 39 minutes, as they were awarded an indirect free kick in the area by referee Kurt Ams.

However Marco Tilio could not steer his close-range strike through a crowded penalty area, allowing for the Cromer faithful to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

The visitors came even closer to edging in front with one of the final kicks of the first period, as Lamberton forged a yard of space on the edge of the area and released a venomous strike that was cruelly denied by the woodwork.

Sydney FC maintained their momentum in the early stages of the second half, and if it was not for a stunning fingertips save by Dylan Mitchell to deny Jordan Swibel’s close-range header, they would have taken the lead after 52 minutes.

Manly United then worked their way back into proceedings, eventually garnering a stranglehold of possession and field position.

Their best chances arrived aerially through Jamie Glover and Adam Parkhouse in the 58th and 65th minutes respectively, however a stubborn Sky Blue defensive unit proved to be up to the task time and time again.

The hosts believed they should have been granted a 94th minute spot kick after a collision between substitute Charles Mendy and Thomas Hewerd-Bell, however their vocal appeals were waved away by Kurt Ams, ensuring the points would be shared.

Manly United’s assistant coach Dylan Macallister offered a positive outlook on the draw:

“We were looking for a reaction from our players today after losing round one,” Manly’s former striker revealed.

“I thought the effort was fantastic today from the players.

“In the front third we were very dangerous- we must have had 15 to 20 crosses throughout the game.

“We probably needed more bodies in the box at times.

“We had a few players today coming back from injuries, we are just going to get fitter and fitter as a squad.

“The majority of our squad is playing really good football the way we want them to.

“If we could have a bit more of an impact from our players coming off the bench, that will be the final piece we need to start running over teams like we did last year.

“We’ll take a point in the end, almost could have nicked it with a penalty, but were a little bit unlucky.

“We’re still happy overall.”

Similarly, Sydney boss Jimmy Van Weeren extracted many promising signs from his side’s impressive start to the season:

“It was pleasing to see that the boys could manage the game in the back end there against what is a really strong opposition,” he said.

“The (four) points are good,  but are only one thing. It is nice to see some of these young players really stepping up in a quality competition.

“I think this is only the start of the project with some of these boys, and they are still quite young.

“It is exciting to think what they are potentially capable of throughout this season.”

Van Weeren’s Baby Sky Blues will be confident they can remain undefeated after they host Marconi Stallions next Saturday, whilst Manly United will face another team in search of a maiden victory in the form of Mt. Druitt Town Rangers in Round 3 National Premier League’s NSW men’s action.

Match Stats

Manly United FC 1 (Sam Gallagher 15’)

Sydney FC 1 (Hamish Lamberton 16’)

Sunday 17th March, 2019

Cromer Park, Dee Why

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Referee: Kurt Ams

Assistant Referees: Lance Greenshields and Jarrod Park

Fourth Official: S. Andrews

Manly United FC: 1. Dylan Mitchell, 2. Kieren Paull, 4. Travis Oughtred, 5. Sam Gallagher, 6. Joseph Fox (3. Jamie Lobb 80’), 8. Dom Ferguson, 10. Brendan Cholakian, 11. Adam Parkhouse (12. Charles Mendy 71’), 13. Scott Balderson (14. Dejan Pandurevic 58’), 17. Lewis Miccio, 22. Jamie Glover

Substitutes Not Used:  20. Sam Benton, 32. Mackenzie Syron

Yellow Cards: Scott Balderson 24’, Kieren Paull 38’

Red Cards: Nil

Sydney FC: 1. Thomas Heward-Belle, 3. Ben Van Meurs, 4. Liam Mcging, 5. Patrick Scibilio, 6. Harry Van Der Saag, 7 Jerry Skotadis, 8. Joel King, 9. Hamish Lamberton (12. Giuseppe Tilio 62’), 10 Marco Tilio, 13. Jordan Swibel (2. Daniel Blachura 87’), 18. Benjamin Koop (24. Jake Hollman 73’)

Substitutes Not Used: 40. David Malishev, 15. Ryan Teague

Yellow Cards: Hamish Lamberton 53’, Guiseppe Tilio 73’, Harry Van Der Saag 90’

Red Cards: Nil

Player Ratings

3 – Sam Gallagher (MU)

2 – Hamish Lamberton (SFC)

1 – Dom Ferguson (MU)

–  By NPL NSW Reporter Chris Curulli (Twitter handle @ChrisCurulli)

Wolves kick-off season with a bang!

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A new-look Wollongong Wolves kicked off their 2019 National Premier League NSW Men’s campaign off in the best possible way with a 2-1 win over Manly United at Albert Butler Memorial Park on Sunday.

In coach Luke Wilkshire’s first competitive game in the Wollongong dugout, the Wolves netted all three points thanks to goals from Thomas James and Jordan Nikolovski, while an early goal of the season contender from Manly’s Sam Gallagher gave the travelling fans something to cheer for.

The Wolves dominated the opening motions of the match, with Japanese import Takeru Okada creating numerous chances for the hosts to take the lead through a number of free-kicks outside the Manly box, but the visitors showed resilience in their defence, limiting the Wolves’ chances to loose headers and efforts from outside the box.

However, Wollongong finally found themselves on the scoresheet in the 34th minute, after another dangerous play down the left side of the field from Okada allowed the Japanese debutant to send in a pinpoint ball to an incoming Thomas James. James was able to make the most of the loose ball in the box, tapping the ball past Manly’s Dylan Mitchell and netting the first goal of the 2019 National Premier League NSW Men’s competition.

Things continued to run against Manly in the 41st minute when a knock to the head of Dom Ferguson forced the Manly midfielder off the field early, with the side having to change their formation to adapt to the situation.

As the second half got underway, both sides began to tire due to the warm weather, but Wollongong almost managed to double their advantage in the 55th minute through Lachlan Scott, with the former Western Sydney Wanderer managing to dig the ball out of a tough challenge and fire a curling effort at goal that required a top-drawer save from Mitchell to deny the Wolves striker and tip the ball over the bar.

Despite struggling to create many meaningful chances for most of the match, the visitors were unwilling to call the match quits and in the 72nd minute their persistence was rewarded with a stunner of a strike from Manly’s Sam Gallagher. The Manly defender fired a powerful effort goalward from over 30 yards out and the shot managed to weave its way past a leaping Justin Pasfield and bury itself in the top left corner to level the scores and give Gallagher an early contender for the goal of the season.

However, the score remained level for only two minutes, with the Wolves quickly retaking the lead after a great show of control from Harry Callahan allowed him to retain the ball in the Manly box and lay the ball off to a waiting Jordan Nikolovski, who calmly slotted the ball into the bottom left corner and restored the hosts lead.

A tense final period ensued with Manly attempting to throw everything they had at the Wolves to try and secure a point, but the hosts managed to stay firm and secure a winning start to their 2019 campaign.

Wollongong coach Luke Wilkshire was pleased with the effort shown by his squad to secure the win, noting the strength shown by several Wollongong debutants.

“The reaction from the boys to come back and get the second goal was fantastic,” he said.

“We want to win and at home, especially with the first game of the season, it’s important.

“I think there was probably around six or seven players who had never played at this level who were starting for us and I thought they were fantastic, they took it in their stride and we played some fantastic football and created numerous opportunities.”

Meanwhile, Manly coach Paul Dee was disappointed by the final result, but took solace in how his team came out firing in the second half.

“We had an unfortunate concussion that forced a bit of a structural change for us, but I think the response after the first half, we were disappointed and tried to change a few things at half time and I think the response that they came out with in the second half was quite good,” he said.

“We came down here with a game plan to win, but Wollongong did really well. I think, if I look at their side and some of the new talent they have brought in, I think they are gonna be a handful for teams.”

The Wolves will be hoping their winning start to the season continues when they travel to face last season’s runners-up APIA Leichhardt Tigers next Sunday while Manly will play host to Sydney FC.

Match Stats

Wollongong Wolves 2 (Thomas James 34’, Jordan Nikolovski 74’)

Manly United 1 (Sam Gallagher 72’)

Sunday 10th March, 2019

Albert Butler Memorial Park, Kemblawarra

Referee: C.Fisher

Assistant Referees: M. McOrist and N. Wotton

Fourth Official: B. Merchant 

Wollongong Wolves: 1. Justin Pasfield, 2. Taylor McDonald, 4. Nikola Djordjevic, 6. Benjamin Tosi (10. Brendan Griffin 71’), 9. Thomas James, 11. Takeru Okada, 14. Harry Callahan (13. Stefan Dimoski 78’), 15. Nick Litter, 16. Guy Knight, 17. James Stojcevski, 24. Lachlan Scott (23. Jordan Nikolovski 63’)

Substitutes Not Used: 7. Christopher Price, 12. Luke Kairies (GK)

Yellow Cards: Thomas James 84’, Jordan Nikolovski 91’

Red Cards: Nil

Manly United: 1. Dylan Mitchell, 2. Kieren Paull, 4. Travis Oughtred, 5. Sam Gallagher, 6. Joseph Fox, 8. Dom Ferguson (3. Jamie Lobb 41’), 10. Brendan Cholakian, 11. Adam Parkhouse, 13. Scott Balderson (14. Dejan Pandurevic 72’), 17. Lewis Miccio, 22. Jamie Glover (9. Nikola Taneski 60’)

Substitutes Not Used: 18. Luca Kmet, 20. Sam Benton

Yellow Cards: Scott Balderson 50’, Sam Gallagher 61’

Red Cards: Ni

Player Ratings

3 – Takeru Okada (Wollongong Wolves)

2 – Thomas James (Wollongong Wolves)

1 – Harry Callahan (Wollongong Wolves)

-By NPL NSW Reporter Cal Behrendt (Twitter handle @CalBehrendt)

Pandurevic returns for Manly United

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Manly United has bolstered its squad on the eve of the 2019 National Premier League NSW Men’s season by confirming the signing of local junior Dejan Pandurevic.

The 22-year-old has returned to Manly United after spending the last year playing for FK Zemun in the Serbian First Division.

The former Australian U20 attacker returned to Australia late last year and has been training with Manly United awaiting his International Transfer Certificate, which has come through in time for the start of the season.

“Dejan is a class player and a great addition to our squad,” said Manly United Coach Paul Dee.

“He adds to the quality we have in the attacking third with Adam Parkhouse, Scott Balderson, Charles Mendy, Nik Taneski, Brendan Cholakian and some talented young players, giving us some really strong options.”

Pandurevic played all of his junior football at Manly United before starring for the senior side from 2015 – 2017, scoring 23 goals in 58 matches, culminating in the 2017 NPL Grand Final victory.

“Not only is Dejan a talented player but he is a Manly Junior and we are committed to not only developing junior players but giving them opportunity in the first team. Part of that is bringing back former Manly Juniors and Dejan is a tremendous example of this.”

Manly United starts its season this Sunday against Wollongong Wolves away this Sunday before the first home game of the season against Sydney FC at Cromer Park on Sunday 17 March.

Manly United want to emulate 2017 success

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The disappointment of a horror title defence is set to be the driving force which helps Manly United return to the top of the NPL Men’s NSW in 2019.

Manly went into last season on top of the world flying high on confidence after claiming an incredible upset win to claim the 2017 grand final with a dramatic penalty shootout win against APIA Leichhardt Tigers.

However, their season failed to play out how they would’ve hoped as they slumped to an eight place finish and out of the finals less than 12 months after lifting the trophy.

The results left a bad feeling at the proud club from Sydney’s Northern Beaches, star player Brendan Cholakian says it has been a motivating factor for the team ahead of the upcoming campaign.

“It was a very frustrating season for everyone last year and it felt like no matter what we did we just couldn’t reach the heights which we know we’re capable of,” Cholakian said.

“Missing out on the finals cut deep and we have been determined this offseason to identify everything which we felt fell short and made changes so we can be a contender again this season.

“Preseason for us started back in November because we wanted to give everyone the best chance to start this campaign at their best and for our new signings to develop strong chemistry with the rest of the team.”

Coach Paul Dee has taken a nuanced approach to recruitment so far with a focus on developing young local talent combined with a few experienced addictions.

The biggest name back on the team sheet at Manly this year is the return of former NPL NSW Men’s Player of the Year winner Adam Parkhouse after two seasons in Wellington for A-League side the Phoenix.

He is joined by defender Sam Gallagher who also returns after a stint abroad and former Marconi attacker Charles Mendy.

“We’ve really added some new versatility to our attack and strengthened up the defence which was definitely needed,” Cholakian said.

“Adam (Parkhouse) was a huge part of our success in 2017 and his form was noticed enough to get him an A-League deal.

“Having a player like him on your team is a major coup as is bringing in a unique player like Charles (Mendy).

“I feel like we have really addressed the areas which we fell short in last season and helped strengthen the squad to where we have been at in prior years.”

Unfortunately it hasn’t all just been arrivals at Cromer Park with key players Sasa Macura and Leigh Egger both making the move to Rockdale City Suns.

While their departure is a big loss for Manly, Cholakian believes the club’s rising stars will help fill the void.

“It was unfortunate to lose Leigh and Sasa but that’s football but we are very lucky to have recruited players like Sam Gallagher to cover their departure,” he said.

“The young players coming up into the first team will also get their chance and that is something which Manly does very well. I was given a chance as a young player and the club helped me reach the level I am now.”

A fan favourite will also make his debut in the technical area this season with recently retired striker Dylan Macalister taking up an assistant coach position.

Manly United start their season with a tough road trip to Wollongong on Sunday, March 10.

Key player movements

Arrivals: Adam Parkhouse (Wellington Phoenix), Sam Gallagher (UK), Charles Mendy (Marconi Stallions)

Departures: Leigh Egger (Rockdale City Suns), Sasa Macura (Rockdale City Suns)

-By Nick Houghton