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Ilinden brought back down to earth by Manly United

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National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Round 11 saw Manly United bring high flying Rockdale Ilinden back down to earth in a tight encounter that was only divided by a penalty from Bruno Mendes in the first half. 

Both sides had their chances but in the end the visitors displayed a touch more grit to claim all three points.

The opening salvo of the game arrived in the 7th minute when a free kick by Jade Casella for Rockdale Ilinden was well parried by goalkeeper Jack Greenwood, but only as far as Mitchell Stamatellis who seemed certain to score from close range, yet somehow Finn Ashton courageously got in the way and ball went over for a corner.

It was a close call but Manly United survived the scare thanks to Ashton’s great defending.

Manly then replied in the 10th minute when Seiya Kambayashi ran down the right flank but goalkeeper David Bradasevic came out, narrowed the angle for the shot and forced the ball wide for a corner.

Manly United though didn’t have to wait much longer and took the lead in the 20th minute through a penalty.

Kieran Paull charged dangerously into the area before being brought down and referee Adrian Arndt jogging on the spot had no hesitation in awarding the visitors the spot kick.

Bruno Mendes stepped up to the mark and dispatched it calmly sending the home side ‘keeper Bradasevic the wrong way.

In the 36th minute a powerful diagonal drive by Alec Urosevski sailed narrowly wide of the intended target as the visitors breathed a sigh of relief before the break and they held onto their narrow lead.

In the second stanza of play the first real chance arrived in the 52nd minute when a corner reached Nikola Kuleski who fired through from just outside the box, but the ball took a deflection and ended up wide for another corner.

Shortly afterwards Rockdale were at it again when a free kick by Stamatellis beat all and sundry except for the Manly United goalie Jack Greenwood.

The visitors replied in the 56th minute when Kambayashi seemed through on goal but he failed to properly control the ball and Bradasevic made an easy save.

A long, through ball in the 61st minute saw Kambayashi charge towards goal but in the end he was thwarted by some great defending from Jamie Percevski and a corner was forced.

Kambayashi turned provider in the 74th minute with a precise cross from the right that reached Dom Ferguson who fired a thunderbolt just wide of the post.

In the 82nd minute Rockdale almost scored when an acute but deflected cross from near the by-line by Urosevski was cleared off the line by an alert Paull.

In the 87th minute replacement Ben Koop seemed to have all the time in the world at his disposal for the visitors but somehow, unmarked in front of goal, he fired just over the crossbar in what was the last real chance of the encounter.

After the game Manly United coach Adam Griffith was delighted with his team and their overall win.

“We were solid defensively and we worked hard on our defensive structure,” he said.

“We also had a lot of good chances to score and they had a couple too, but I thought that we also had a couple of good moments to finish the game even though we didn’t convert those.

“Our mentality now is to win every single game and we were coming to win this game against a very good team, but we are also a very good team that’s going to keep pushing.”

His counterpart at Rockdale Ilinden Steve Zoric was philosophical about the defeat that had come against a well prepared Manly United side.

“It’s a frustrating result after nine games undefeated,’ he said.

“Well done to Manly because they came out and played a good game.

“They compacted their lines and made it hard for us to get anything out of that game.

“We had our chances and were pushing for it, but they defended very well.

“The ball didn’t fall for us at times but I have to congratulate Manly for playing a good game.

“We’ll just move on and look towards our next game against Blacktown, adjust a few things during the week and keep charging towards the top of the table.”

Match Stats

Rockdale Ilinden 0

Manly United 1 (Mendes 20’p)

Sunday 15th May 2022

Ilinden Sports Centre, Rockdale

Referee: Adrian Arndt
Assistant Referees: Joon Park and Alessandro Llana

Fourth Official: Hadi Al-Nakeeb

Rockdale Ilinden: 1. David Bradasevic, 4. Mitchell Stamatellis (16. Mo Ahmed 67’), 5. Will Mutch, 7. Alec Urosevski, 8. Nikola Kuleski, 10. Tomoki Wada, 11. Peter Kekeris (25. Alex Masciovecchio 66’), 14. Brayden Sorge, 15. Jamie Percevski, 23. Jade Casella, 88. Chris McStay (9. Bai Antoniou 75’)

Substitutes Not Used:  31. Matt Morran, 33. Vincent Fedele

Yellow Cards: 58’ Urosevksi, 88’ Percevski, 90’ Ahmed

Red Card: Nil

Manly United: 20. Jack Greenwood, 2. Kieran Paull, 3. Jesse Piriz, 4. Jimmy Oates, 5. Tom Fay, 7. Seiya Kambayashi, 10. Luca Kmet (9. Ben Koop 83’), 12, Finn Ashton (8. Dom Ferguson 46’), 18. Lucas Rainbird, 19. Alen Aganovic, 22. Bruno Mendes

Substitutes Not Used: 17. Zenden Hart, 15. Kristian Santich, 21. Lucas Rainbird, 29. Marcos Lal

Yellow Cards: 29’ Ashton, 88’ Greenwood

Red Card: Nil

Player Ratings

3 – Jimmy Oates (MU)

2 –  Kieran Paull (MU)

1 – Jaden Casella (RI)

By National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Joe Russo

Manly United too strong for United 58

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Sydney United 58’s woes continued as the former NSL giants suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Manly United at the newly upgraded Cromer Park on Friday night in round 10 of the NPL NSW Men’s competition.

A lone goal to Manly’s Japanese star import Seiya Kambayashi was all it took for the Northern Beaches side to collect three points from the match as Sydney United 58 were unable to retaliate.

The win gives valuable points to Manly, while the loss for United 58 was not the start new interim coach Miro Vlastelica would have liked since stepping back into the head coaching role earlier this week following the departure of Joe Haywood.

Both teams kicked into gear as soon as the whistle blew as the hosts looked to put on a show for their home fans.

It was Andreas Agamemnonos who had the first real chance of the match in the 12th minute when his shot from outside the box was saved by Jack Greenwood.

Devante Clut then joined in on the action with a long range effort in the 24th minute but again Greenwood was equal to the task saving well.

After a number of half chances as well as battle in midfield it was United 58 that thought they got the first goal of the match.

Former Manly United star Chris Payne smashed the back of the net only to be denied by an offside call by the assistant referee much to the dismay of the travelling fans.

The match finally started to settle midway through the first half and the crowd at Cromer Park began to find their voice every time Kambayashi touched the ball.

It was however the visitors that thought they grabbed the opening goal once more and it was that man again, Chris Payne.

Fate though would play a role once more as his header was adjudged to be offside but it was yet another warning side for the hosts in the 29th minute.

A long-range strike from Kambayashi nearly broke the stalemate however a diving save from Danjiel Nizic saw it pushed away for a corner in the 35th minute but the signs were ominous that Seiya meant business.

Both teams hit the sheds for the half-time break scoreless as they looked to regroup and make an impact in the second stanza.

Looking to take the lead, United 58 came out firing as Jordan Roberts had a shot saved by Greenwood in the 49th minute.

It was Manly however who finally broke the deadlock and it was that man, Kambayashi that would etched his name on the scorer’s sheet with a well taken goal in front of a healthy crowd in the 58th minute.

The Japanese star drove towards goal and smashed a low drive that deflected off Nizic’s shin to send the ball into the bottom left corner and it was 1-0 to the hosts.

That goal sparked scenes for Manly United who were buoyed by their home fans as they went searching for a second of the match.

Manly United keeper Jack Greenwood stood tall and pulled off a couple of good saves as the game started to stretch but it was Kambayashi’s goal that would separate both teams as Adam Griffiths’ men took home the three precious points.

“It was great to be back in front of a nice crowd,” Adam Griffiths stated to Football NSW.

“Firstly, thanks to Dave Mason he has done an exceptional job with everything to do with this football club we are really pushing with a positive football mentality.

“In terms of the game it was a very tough match against a well organised Sydney United 58 team.

“They just changed their manager, and they have a lot of talented players but we dominated the majority of the game.

“They had a couple chances, and we had a lot more.

“I think we lacked a bit of quality in the final quarter but 100% we deserved the win, and it was a great goal by Seyia.”

Newly appointed Sydney United 58 coach Miro Vlastelica, although disappointed with the result, could not fault his team.

“Its always tough coming up here on a Friday night, but I can’t fault our performance,” he explained.

“We worked on things at training, obviously I’m new to the team, the boys adapted, we worked on certain parts of our game, the boys executed.

“Unfortunately, we got punished, we switched off for a split second when everyone thought the ref would call a foul for the injury or stop the play and Manly kept playing and we stopped.

“Apart from that I don’t think they were the better side.”

Match Stats

Manly United 1 (Seiya Kambayashi ’58)

Sydney United 58 FC 0

Friday 6th May 2022

Cromer Park, Cromer

Referee: Sam Kelly

Assistant Referees: Joon Park and Joel Crawford

Fourth Official: Alessandro Llana

Manly United FC: 2. Kieren Paull, 3. Jesse Piriz, 4. James Oates, 5. Thomas Fay, 7. Seiya Kambayashi, 10. Luca Kmet (29. Marcus Lal, 87’), 12. Finn Ashton (8. Dominic Ferguson 76’), 17. Jack Greenwood, 18. Lucas Rainbird, 19. Alan Aganovic, 22. Bruno Mendes

Substitutes Not Used: 6. Kristian Santich, 20. Zenden Hart, 21. Nick Rainbird, 31. Max Martinello

Yellow Cards: Fay 32’, Ferguson 91’

Red Cards: Nil

Sydney United 58 FC: 1. Danijel Nizic, 3. Jordan Roberts, 4. Adrian Stephen Vlastelica, 6. Christopher Baden Payne, 8. Kyle Cimenti (9. Patrick Antelmi 65’), 10. Devante Autupuna Clut (13. Jordan Ivancic, 81’), 14. Andreas Agamemnonos (16. Jacob Poscoliero, 81’), 15. Tariq Maia (21. Mihael Marcic 76’), 17. Matthew Joseph Bilic, 18. Glen Trifiro, 22. Yianni Fragogiannis

Substitutes Not Used: 23. Adrian Knez, 55. Goran Palecek

Yellow Card: Vlastelica ’38, Fragogiannis ‘44

Red Cards: Nill

Player Ratings

3 – Seiya Kambayashi (MU)

2 – Alan Aganovic (MU)

1- Finn Ashton (MU)

By National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Sophie Tarrant-Foder

 

Rangers floored by red-hot Mendes

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Manly United FC were comfortable 4-2 winners against Mt Druitt Town Rangers on a cold Saturday night at Popondetta Park.

Mt Druitt Town Rangers were handed the perfect start when Japanese import Fumoto Kamada put them ahead after 11 minutes but a dazzling hat-trick from Manly United FC striker Bruno Mendes humbled the hosts.

Substitute Marcus Lal added the fourth to the Northern Beaches boys and although the home side found a late consolation goal to substitute Olayinka Sunmola it didn’t help them rise from the bottom rung of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition.

Trying to atone for their mid-week loss, Mt Druitt Town Rangers were off to a quick start tonight with a chance within two minutes for Kamada that flew wide.

Kamada made amends for his miss with the opening goal of the contest in the 17th minute as he tucked one home in the left corner to make it 1-0 to the home side.

Manly United were the next to try their luck as Seiya Kambayashi stood over a free kick from just outside the box that he whistled over the bar just after the half-hour mark.

The visitors were awarded a penalty in the 35th minute for a foul inside the box that gave them the perfect opportunity to equalise.

Brazilian import Mendes stepped up and rolled it home to equalise.

It was double delight for Manly United soon after as once again Mendes made magic happen.

The striker unfurled a shot that bounced off Rangers’ custodian Robert Fanella and into the net to take the score to 2-1 in the 39th minute.

Mt Druitt had the final chance of the half through sharpshooter Jack Stewart.

He weaved between Manly United defenders like it was peak hour traffic, but his effort flew over.

Straight from the second half kick off, Manly United picked up where they left off as Mendes took a free kick that whistled wide of the left-hand post, then minutes later Kambayashi struck the post with an effort.

The Rangers continued to push forward to find the equaliser and went close through former Manly United player Travis Oughtred.

The tall defender flicked his header towards the top corner, but Manly United keeper Jack Greenwood tipped it over.

Things went from bad to worse for the hosts when Manly United were awarded another spot kick as custodian Robert Fanella received a red card for bringing down a player in the area.

Mendes stepped up to the spot and rolled home his penalty to secure his hat trick and take the score to 3-1.

The striker almost had a fourth when he struck the base of the post, but the ball fell to the feet of substitute Lal to take the visitors tally to four.

There was some late consolation for Mt Druitt before stoppage time as substitute Olayinka Sunmola strode into the box and fired into the bottom corner to make it 4-2.

Speaking post match, Mt Druitt Town Rangers coach Stewart Montgomery was disappointed his side threw away the game with some defensive errors again.

“The first 20-25 minutes, we were good and took the lead,” Montgomery said.

“We pressed well and it worked on them but then the defensive errors crept back in.

“It is something each individual player has to own to help us turn around the results.

“It is testament to the teams resolve and ability to remain in these contests.

“At 2-1 we were in the contest but it is just moments that are costing us.”

For Manly United FC coach Adam Griffiths, he was happy with the sides effort to take three points away from a tough away trip.

“I thought we dominated in possession,” Griffiths explained.

“There was a lot of movement and chances in the final third while they were dangerous on the counter attack.

“All in all, it was a good three points away from home for us.

“We’ve had a lot of away games so we’ll be able to push up the ladder once we get some players back with the ability that we have in this side.”

Match Stats

Mt Druitt Town Rangers 2 (Kamada ‘17, Sunmola ‘87)

Manly United FC 4 (Mendes ‘35, ‘39, ‘75, Lal ‘79)

Saturday 30th April 2022

Popondetta Park, Emerton

Referee: Craig Fisher

Assistant Referees: Joon Park and Hugh Fenton-White

Fourth Official: Melik Ibrahim

Mt Druitt Town Rangers: 4. Travis Oughtred, 7. Jack Stewart 8. Jason Perez (25. Mohommed Sabbouh ‘78), 9. John Roberts (6. Louis Khoury ‘59), 10. Diogo Barbosa (18. Olayinka Sunmola ‘59), 11. Fumota Kamada, 15. Brayden Burr (19. Bul Juach ‘59), 17. Cooper Coskerie, 20. Robert Fanella, 21. Tarek Elrich, 41. Ivan Sunjic (31. Jerome Narayan ‘75)

Substitutes Not Used: 3. Andrew Tchuda

Yellow Cards: Barbosa ‘35, Elrich ‘46

Red Cards: Fanella ‘73

Manly United FC: 2. Kieren Paull, 3. Jesse Piriz, 4. James Oates, 5. Thomas Fay, 7. Seiya Kambayashi, 10. Luca Kmet (8. Dominic Ferguson ‘69), 12. Finn Ashton (29. Marcus Lal ‘69), 17. Jack Greenwood, 18. Lucas Rainbird, 19. Alan Aganovic, 22. Bruno Mendes (31. Max Martinello ‘85)

Substitutes Not Used: 20. Zenden Hart, 21. Nick Rainbird, 35. Stefano Rossello

Yellow Cards: Piriz ‘33, Ferguson ‘78

Red Cards: Nil

Player Ratings

3 – Bruno Mendes (MU)

2 – Seiya Kambayashi (MU)

1 – Fumoto Kamada (MDTR)

By National Premier Leagues NSW reporter Justin Davies (@JustDavies90)

Smylie show rolls on as Blacktown beat Manly

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Jordan Smylie stole the headlines once again with a brace that ultimately decided Blacktown City’s professional 3-1 win over Manly United at Blacktown City Sports Centre on Sunday night. 

Smylie was joined by Hiroaki Aoyama and Manly skipper Jimmy Oates on the scoresheet as Round 8’s ‘Match of the Round’ fell the way of Mark Crittenden’s men.

For the second week running, Blacktown burst out of the blocks with a goal inside ten minutes.

Jackson Bandiera whipped in a dangerous delivery that wasn’t dealt with by the Manly defence, allowing Smylie to pounce and prod home from close range.

Less than 20 minutes later it was two, as Aoyama swiveled in the area and rolled the ball past Jack Greenwood in the Manly net.

The game looked to be following a familiar pattern to City’s 4-2 win over Sydney FC last time out; even more once Smylie bagged a brace early in the second half.

Once again it was a delivery from the left that sealed the deal, with Aoyama’s set piece falling to the former Central Coast Mariner who made no mistake in slotting home his eighth goal of campaign.

From that point on Manly United slowly but surely worked their way in to the contest, and after 63 minutes clawed one back.

Seiya Kambayashi’s corner sailed towards the back of the net, resulting in an attempt to palm it away by Alex Robinson offering Manly skipper Oates the simplest of finishes.

Manly continued to push from that point on, but Blacktown showed their customary defensive resolve to soak up plenty of late pressure and secure another comfortable victory in front of their home fans.

While they remain in third position for now, the result sees Blacktown sit within striking range of the summit; level with APIA Leichhardt in second, and one point shy of Sydney FC.

It’s a similarly close standing at the top of the goalscoring charts, with Jordan Smylie’s brace matched by Sydney’s Jayden Kucharski, leaving both a couple of goals clear on top – with eight each.

Post-game, Blacktown City Head Coach Mark Crittenden was pleased with how his side dispatched a tricky opponent and how Jordan Smylie stepped up once again.

“The boys fought hard, and it was a good solid result against a good side,” he reflected.

“When you’re 3-0 up we probably dropped a little bit deep and it was always going to be an interesting last 15 or 20 minutes.

“Jordan is busy, gets himself in the right positions like a good number nine does – he’s doing very well.”

On the other hand, Adam Griffiths knew the damage was done early against a solid City side.

“You can’t give teams like Blacktown a three-goal head-start and expect them to give you a couple of easy ones,” he said.

“We fought to try and get back in the game, and the good thing is that we stuck together and continued to fight to get a win.

“If we got the second it would have really been game on – that’s the good sign, but we need to tighten up our defence like it was for the early part of the season.

“We’re missing a few key players in the final third which doesn’t help the way we attack, we got the ball to the middle third well, but didn’t have enough in attack today.”

Match Stats

Blacktown City FC: 3 (Smylie 9’, 52’, Aoyama 26’)

Manly United FC: 1 (Oates 64’)

Sunday, 24 April 2021

Blacktown City Sports Centre, Seven Hills

Referee: Michael Weiner

Assistant Referees: Joon Park, Jackson Mackie

Fourth official: Rebecca Mackie

Blacktown City FC: 30. Alex Robinson, 3. Daniel Collins, 4. Lachlan Campbell, 5. Grant Lynch, 7. Jordan Smylie, 10. Mario Shabow (6. Matthew Lewis 79’), 11. Mitchell Mallia (21. Charles Mendy 77’), 17. Dakota Askew, 19. Adam Berry, 24. Jackson Bandiera, 32. Hiroaki Aoyama (8. Jak O’Brien 87’)

Substitutes Not Used: 40. Dylan Niski, 18. Nicholas O’Brien, 9. Jake Trew

Yellow Cards: Smylie 92’, Robinson 93’

Red Cards: Nil

Manly United: 20. Jack Greenwood, 2. Kieran Paull, 4. Jimmy Oates, 5. Thomas Fay, 7. Seiya Kambayashi, 8. Dom Ferguson, 12. Finn Ashton, 18. Lucas Rainbird, 19. Alen Aganovic, 22. Bruno Mendes, 29. Marcus Lal

Substitutes Not Used: 3. Jesse Piriz, 17. Zenden Hart, 24. Mitch Mattison, 10. Luca Kmet

Yellow cards: Ferguson 37’, Ashton 44’

Red cards: Nil

Player Ratings

3 – Hiroaki Aoyama (BC)

2 – Jordan Smylie (BC)

1 – Daniel Collins (BC)

–  By Football NSW reporter and commentator Chris Curulli (Twitter handle @ChrisCurulli)

 

 

Everyone’s raving about Rainbird

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Manly United’s 21-year-old young gun Lucas Rainbird put his name on the map over the weekend after scoring an absolute screamer in his side’s match against Marconi.

The goal was his first in the NPL NSW Men’s competition and was quick to gain traction across social media as football fans appreciated the incredible strike.

“It was a pretty special goal, it was my first goal in the first grade side as well, which made it also particularly special,” Rainbird said.

“I usually don’t like the attention but I can’t really get away from it at the moment.”

The Northern Beaches local has risen through the ranks at Manly United and has joined the first grade squad as a regular this season under the leadership of former Socceroo Adam Griffiths.

Having joined Manly United as a junior, Rainbird is a product of their development system and a great demonstration of their commitment to giving opportunities to local young talent.

“I’ve been at Manly my whole life since probably the first age group you could play there and I haven’t gone anywhere else,” he explained.

“I think the basis of the squad each year comes from that Northern Beaches bubble with the exception of a few players.

“I think from the early ages, they look for players from the local leagues and do their best to make them the best they possibly can.”

As a starter and regular first grade player, Rainbird has been able to draw from the experience of the Northern Beaches outfit’s experienced players and player-turned-coach Adam Griffiths.

“I’ve sort of been around the squad for a couple of years now but this is probably the first year I’ve actually got some game time and some starts which has been good,” he said.

“It’s been helpful being around the squad and training with some older boys for a while now so I’ve got a bit of experience through that, but it’s definitely a step up and a new challenge.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to have him [Adam Griffiths] for a couple of years now.

“I was under him when I was in the Under 20s so I sort of followed his progression and he’s really good without the younger players.

“If you prove yourself he gives you the opportunity and a chance and I fortunately got mine.

Manly United have invested in the future of football with major improvements to the club’s facilities and resources, something Rainbird has drawn great value from.

“It’s an awesome facility down there now,” he said of the Cromer Park upgrades.

“It’s been good for the club’s culture.

“You feel like a professional almost with the services available – it’s been great.”

After seven rounds, Manly United sit at sixth position on the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s ladder with some decent results, but Rainbird believes they can experience more success through the season by sticking to their playing philosophy set by Griffiths.

“Our squad’s been a bit depleted with a few bigger names out and a few injuries but we’re still getting by and we’re still getting some good results in and putting in some good performances which is good,” Rainbird explained.

“I think the goal is to continually work on our playing style, and that usually reflects in good results.

“The better we play to our sort of philosophy and how Adam wants us to play the more wins we’re going to get and I think now we’re starting to see some of our older, more experienced players coming back into the side which has been beneficial and it really helps us as young boys.”

-By Madeline Riley