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Rangers steal maximum points off Premiership contenders

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The Marconi Stallions shared points with Mt Druitt Town Rangers with a 1-1 draw on Saturday night at Marconi’s final home game of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition.

Connor Evans hit a sensational strike from range in the 56th minute to open the scoring in the game and secure the lead for the home side.

Jack Stewart answered for Mt Druitt in the 82nd minute to bring the visitors back into the game and ultimately secure a point for his team.

It was a slow first half as both sides settled into the match.

The first clear-cut chance for Mt Druitt came in the 20th minute as Fumoto Kamada cut into the area from the left side and John Roberts pulled out a solid save from shot-stopper Nenad Vekic, who dove to guide the ball out of play.

Thomas James came close in the 25th minute for the hosts, but his shot came off Mt Druitt’s defence and out of the path of goal.

Domenic Costanzo took the resultant corner and curled the ball towards the target but Robert Fanella flicked it out of play.

Costanzo took another corner and Fanella punched it out of contention to keep Marconi at bay.

After a relatively uneventful first half, the two teams entered the half-time break without any goals.

The Rangers had an opportunity in the 48th minute from a corner as Solomon-Johnn Monahn-Vaiika tried to recreate his far-post header from last week, however he narrowly missed the target.

Costanzo made a forward run in the 51st minute and came agonisingly close to opening the scoring.

As he moved into the box he took a touch and transferred the ball to his right foot before sending a strike blazing towards the target, but his effort bounced off the woodwork.

The game finally got a goal in the 56th minute as the visitors converted a sensational strike.

The goal was worth the wait as Evans fired from range to place the ball in the top right corner, out of reach of a diving Fanella.

Liam Youlley earned a write up in referee Christian Verdicchio’s book in the 81st minute with a yellow card and gave the visitors a free kick in a dangerous area.

Kamada took the free kick and Vekic managed to get a hand to it, but knocked it forward right into the path of Stewart.

The attacker made no mistake in tapping home the ball from close range to equalise for the Rangers.

Charles Lokolingoy came close to what would have been a cracking goal in the 93rd minute as he attempted a scissor kick which was on its way towards the target, but deflected off a Mt Druitt defender.

Despite both sides creating chances in the final stages, both sides earned a point as the game finished up with a 1-1 draw.

Marconi coach Peter Tsekenis was disappointed his team couldn’t get the result after getting ahead with the opening goal.

“I thought we dominated large parts of the game,” he said.

“Mt Druitt are always dangerous, they’ve got a front four that always attack and we know they can score goals, but I thought we nullified them quite well.

“In every game teams are going to have chances, but I thought we had the majority of them and I thought we had the line of possession, I thought we dominated.

“We got a good goal, got in front and then we’ve got a habit of giving points away and we’ve got to be better in those moments.

“If we want to come first or be Premiers, we’ve got to close out those games and not make errors that give teams a snip to get back in the game.

Lining up against league leaders Manly United on Friday night, Marconi will be looking ahead to prepare for that clash.

“Now we’re two points behind them and it’s more important now to get a result,” Tsekenis explained.

“We’ve just got to focus on a good week of training and go to Manly and get the points.”

Mt Druitt coach Stewart Montgomery was pleased his side was able to maintain their structure and play the type of football they wanted.

“​​We want to keep playing the way that we’ve set our structure,” he explained.

“We’ve got a really strong back central three, hard-working midfield and really dangerous forwards so for us, it’s about ball possession and I think tonight again we showed that under pressure and a high press from Marconi we kept our nerve and we played through.

“We went 1-0 down to a bomb that I think other than that one strikeI don’t think our goalkeeper had too many saves to make.

“With Marconi you know what you’re going to get here, it’s a physical game, there’s a lot of long balls, a lot of contests so I thought we did well.

“We are on a roll, we’ve had seven games now with only one defeat.

“I’d like a few more wins along the way but we’ve just got to find a way of converting those draws to wins.”

In a less than ideal position on the league ladder, the Rangers have managed to keep their spirits high, something Montgomery credits to the playing squad and their positive attitudes.

“We’re running on a squad of 13 players and a few under 20s stepping up,” he explained.

“Our 20s are doing really well, they’re sitting second on the competition ladder so I don’t want to do too much to disrupt them.

“It’s a very young side as well, there’s a couple of old heads in there which you need when you’ve got such a young squad.

“They’re happy to play together and they’ve embraced the type of football that we want that’s really aggressive in possession to try and score goals, which we do.”

Match Stats

Marconi Stallions FC 1 (Evans 56’)

Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC 1 (Stewart 82’) 

Saturday, 25th July, 2022

Marconi Stadium, Bossley Park

Referee: Christian Verdicchio

Assistant Referees: Bradley Wright and Maggie Price

Fourth Official: Jackson Mackie

Marconi Stallions FC: 1. Nenad Vekic, 3. Giorgio Speranza, 4. Roberto Speranza, 6. Domenic Costanzo (17. Martin Fernandez 85’), 8. Connor Evans, 9. Thomas James (7. Christopher Hatfield 64’), 10. Marko Jesic, 11. Charles Lokolingoy, 16. Liam Youlley, 22. Taylor McDonald, 23. Brandon Vella

Substitutes Not Used: 2. Nathan Millgate, 13. Samuel Gulisano, 19. Zach Cairncross, 20. Dion Shaw

Yellow Cards: Jesic 36’, Vella 59’, Youlley 81’, Hatfield 86’

Red Cards: Nil

Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC: 2. Solomon-Johnn Monahan-Vaiika, 7. Jack Stewart, 8. Jason Perez, 9. John Roberts, 11. Fumoto Kamada, 17. Cooper Coskerie, 18. Olayinka Sunmola (19. Bul Juach 63’), 20. Robert Fanella, 21. Tarek Elrich, 22. Rhett Desilva (25. Mohammed Sabbouh 69’), 26. Rocco Fragale

Substitutes Not Used: 15. Brayden Burr, 23. Leonard Abdo, 30. Jerome Narayan, 41. Ivan Sunjic

Yellow Cards: Nil

Red Cards: Nil

Stallions Steal dramatic Late Winner Over Olympic

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The Marconi Stallions secured a sensational 3-2 victory over Sydney Olympic at Belmore Sportsground on Sunday evening, with a 92nd minute goal the difference in a hard-fought battle.

After an even first half, Marconi were the first to get on the scoreboard in the 53rd minute from an Olympic own goal, and doubled their advantage in the 72nd minute through Charles Lokolingoy.

Two penalties in the 78th and 84th minute saw Roy O’Donovan net two for Olympic to enter the final minutes of the match on even footing, but a goal from Marconi substitute Chris Hatfield in the 92nd minute saw the game end in exhilarating fashion.

As the Premiership and finals race heats up in the final stage of the season, the three points will be instrumental in the Stallions’ run to the finish.

The two sides faced up in the Round 16 Match of the Round in what was set to be a tense and physical battle as is the usual battle between the two historic clubs, and that it was.

Referee Kurt Ams set the tone of the match early as Olympic’s Daniel Dias was shown yellow in just the 12th minute after a late challenge on Marconi’s Connor Evans.

A forward run in the 19th minute gave the hosts their first real chance of the game as Roy O’Donovan crossed to Oliver Puflett in front of goal but Marconi custodian Nenad Vekic came out of his position to deny the attacker a chance at securing the opener.

Olympic came back again in the 23rd minute as Darcy Burgess played Sam McIllhatton, who sent a shot towards the target but it was parried away by Vekic.

The visitors created an opportunity in the 26th minute with a corner kick but Roberto Speranza wasn’t able to finish as he got on the end of a Domenic Costanzo delivery.

O’Donovan capitalised on a mistake from Marconi in the 31st minute, collecting a ball in a dangerous position and attempting to chip Vekic but the ‘keeper stretched to collect the ball and keep the danger away.

As both sides continued the end-to-end football, neither could secure the advantage before the half-time break.

The visitors came out with plenty of vigour and it paid off for them in the 53rd minute, when their attacking pressure resulted in an own goal from van Meurs.

Costanzo maneuvered through Olympic’s defence inside the area and passed to Giorgio Speranza, who sent a ball high into the area.

Van Meurs attempted to head the ball out of play but instead guided it into the back of the net to give the visitors a one-goal advantage.

Marconi doubled their lead in the 72nd minute through Lokolingoy.

Giorgio Speranza sent the ball into the striker inside the 18-yard box and he knocked a header over an outstretched Nicholas Sorras to take the visitors lead to two.

A hand ball from Connor Evans inside the area in the 77th minute saw the home side with their chance to get on the scoresheet with a penalty kick.

Experienced striker O’Donovan stepped up to the spot and powered his shot into the top left corner, sending Vekic the wrong way in the process.

With a goal under their belt, the hosts upped the ante and were given an opportunity to equalise in the 84th minute after referee Kurt Ams pointed to the spot for a second time during the match.

O’Donovan stepped up again and sent the ball to the top right this time to get the game back to an even playing field.

There was plenty of action in the final stages of the match as both teams were desperate to secure the winner and Marconi was able to do so in the 92nd minute.

Substitute Chris Hatfield’s pacey run down the left flank saw him with the ball in prime position and he fired a shot into the top netting to steal the win in the dying stages of the match.

Fans in the stands were in hysterics as Olympic put all their effort into another equaliser but they couldn’t manage to make it happen, leaving Marconi with an all-important three points in a sensational finish to the game.

Marconi coach Peter Tsekenis was pleased his side was able to keep their attacking pressure until the end to secure the win.

“We got up to 2-0 and I thought we were doing really well,” he explained.

“The two penalties were disappointing but credit to Olympic they pushed and pushed and got some penalties and made the game very interesting.

“Credit to our boys they could have dropped their bundle but they kept plugging away and Chris [Hatfield] came on and scored a really good goal which was a great result for us.

“It’s good when those boys [the substitutes] come on and add to what we have and stake a claim for a starting spot.

“These boys coming on and doing the job, it’s very important to our success.”

Olympic captain Michael Glassock was disappointed his team couldn’t get the win but was proud of the camaraderie between the team that kept them in the game.

“We showed tremendous fight and courage to get back into the game,” he said.

“I think really they only had three shots all game and they were pretty clinical with them – one was a deflected goal.

“We’ve got to learn from this because it’s becoming a little bit of a habit, but it shows you that the boys have got this brotherhood and I think that it’s going to hold us in good stead on the back end of the season.

“We know that Marconi is always going to be physical and it’s always going to be a tough opposition, they’ve got some good quality players in their group.

“I think in this game, especially in that second half when we had the momentum going with us, when we play like that we’re going to be very hard to beat in the final six games of the season.

“It was a tough game and that’s what you expect when it’s the second half of the season and top half of the table.”

Match Stats

Sydney Olympic FC 2 (O’Donovan 78’ pen, 84’ pen)

Marconi Stallions FC 3 (Van Meurs own goal 53’, Lokolingoy 72’, Hatfield 92’)

Sunday, 19th June, 2022

Belmore Sportsground, Belmore

Referee: Kurt Ams

Assistant Referees: Emma Kocbek and Manwel Limnios

Fourth Official: Mujtaba Ebrahimi

Sydney Olympic FC: 1. Nicholas Sorra, 2. Thomas Whiteside (3. Nikola Udjur 54’), 4. Benjamin van Meurs, 5. Michael Glassock, 6. Mathieu Cordier, 8. Sam McIllhatton, 9. Oliver Puflett, 11. Adam Parkhouse, 19. Darcy Burgess (10. Brendan Cholakian 72’), 23. Daniel Dias, 99. Roy O’Donovan

Substitutes Not Used: 17. Marley Peterson, 20. Fabio Ferreira, 24. Hagi Gligor

Yellow Cards: Dias 12’

Red Cards: Nil

Marconi Stallions: 1. Nenad Vekic, 3. Giorgio Speranza, 4. Roberto Speranza, 6. Domenic Costanzo (7. Christopher Hatfield 75’), 8. Connor Evans, 9. Thomas James (17. Martin Fernandez 82’), 10. Marko Jesic, 11. Charles Lokolingoy, 16. Liam Youlley, 22. Taylor McDonald, 23. Brandon Vella

Substitutes Not Used: 13. Samuel Gulisano, 18. Adrian Valenti, 19. Zach Cairncross, 20. Dion Shaw

Yellow Cards: James 33’, Roberto Speranza 89’

Red Cards: Nil

 

 

 

 

Urosevski slays Stallions with stunning hat-trick

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An impressive hat-trick from ‘The Baker’ Alec Urosevski saw Rockdale Ilinden secure three points over the Marconi Stallions on a cold Sunday evening at Rockdale City Sports Centre.

The three goals to Urosevski cancelled out the opening goal from Marconi defender Roberto Speranza as the visitors were unable to convert their other chances to get back in the game.

The undoubted man of the match performance from Urosevski was exactly what Rockdale needed after a string of losses saw an impressive start to the National Premier Leagues Men’s season fall away.

The loss broke Marconi’s ten-game undefeated run as the Stallions face a number of away matches in the final leg of the season.

It was end-to-end football in the opening period as both sides used their attacking talent to create chances as they settled into the tempo of the game.

Urosevski had a shot in the 7th minute that could have seen him steal an early advantage but Marconi goalkeeper Nenad Vekic defended it with ease.

Marko Jesic had a chance from just outside the box for the Stallions in the 12th minute but it rebounded off the sticks.

A Rockdale deflection from a corner almost saw Marconi steal a goal in the 13th minute but Tomoki Wada cleared it off the line.

Charles Lokolingoy had the perfect opportunity to take the opening goal in the 16th minute, stealing the ball from Daniel Araujo, but as Lokolingoy took an extra touch to move the ball to his right Araujo cleared it from contention.

It was Roberto Speranza who opened the scoring in the 19th minute after plenty of movement in the box from a Domenic Costanzo free kick saw the visitors with an opportunity.

The defender missed his first chance but was able to convert his second as he used his left boot to knock home the ball after it popped up in front of him in front of the goal.

It was his third goal in successive weeks with the big defender asserting himself as a formidable goalscoring threat for the Stallions.

Rockdale were quick to retaliate, coming close through Urosevski off the restart.

The striker got on the end of a Wada long ball, but it drifted a bit too far and he sent his shot over the bar.

It was end-to-end action as Marconi counter-attacked and Jesic played the ball to Lokolingoy, but the burly striker’s shot was again cleared by Rockdale’s defence.

The hosts levelled the score in the 21st minute through Urosevski.

The striker received the ball from Peter Kekeris from a quick Rockdale counter attack and was well-positioned inside the 18-yard box with plenty of time and space as Marconi’s defensive line rushed back to try and cover.

Urosevski controlled the ball with his chest and sent a left-footed strike past Vekic and into the netting.

Chris McStay missed a sitter in the 38th minute as Will Mutch crossed the ball into him in prime position in front of goal, but his shot rocketed over the bar.

Jesic had a chance for Marconi in the 40th minute as he sent the ball towards the target, but it dribbled past and out of play.

Urosevski came close to a second in the 45th minute, but his shot flew over the target.

The striker was able to complete his brace in the 52nd minute after the hosts earned a free kick in a dangerous area.

Urosevski stepped up to take the kick and sent it low into the bottom corner, out of reach of Vekic to secure the lead for Rockdale.

He came close to a third in the 55th minute, getting on the end of a McStay cross to send a header towards the target, but it was collected by Vekic.

Urosevski took it to three in the 65th minute with a clinical finish.

Receiving the ball from Wada on a forward run, Urosevski beat the two Marconi defenders marking him and sent another left-footed strike past Vekic and into the netting to secure his hat-trick and his fourteenth goal of the 2022 NPL NSW Men’s campaign.

Marconi hit the back of the net in the 67th minute as a corner kick resulted in a scramble in the box and a toe-poke over the line from Lokolingoy, but referee Adrian Arndt called a foul on Rockdale keeper David Bradasevic, seeing the goal disallowed.

Lokolingoy maneuvered through Rockdale’s defence down the left of the field in the 76th minute and passed across to substitute Martin Fernandez.

Fernandez then played the ball to substitute Liam Youlley, who fired the ball towards the target, drawing out a brilliant save from David Bradasevic.

Although Marconi continued to create attacking opportunities, they couldn’t manage to break down a strong Rockdale back line and in an intense final period of football.

Rockdale coach Steve Zoric was pleased with his side’s effort to return to form after a rough few weeks.

“I thought we played some great football, we’re back to where we were when we were on top of the table,” he said.

“It took a bit of time for us to get the guys going again since we had a few guys off with COVID and injuries – we really struggled with that.

“It’s been a hard time but I’ve got to congratulate the boys, they have been positive throughout this time and we knew eventually we would turn it around and we were hoping that would happen today and it did.

“We’ve got to keep going on and looking onto the next one – if we don’t win next week, this doesn’t mean much, but we just got to keep going now.”

Marconi coach Peter Tsekenis was disappointed his team wasn’t able to produce their best performance in the match.

“Every time you don’t lose you’re one step closer to losing a game, it was probably a game that we had to lose,” he explained.

“We got up early in the game with a goal and just some stuff that we work on that we shouldn’t be doing, we’ve done and we got punished for it.

“They’ve got a decent player in Urosevski, who pretty much nailed every chance he got and goals change games.

“It just wasn’t our day, it wasn’t our best performance and things didn’t fall for us and you’ve just gotta take it and move on and work on things.”

Match Stats

Marconi Stallions FC 1 (Roberto Speranza 19’)

Rockdale Ilinden FC 3 (Urosevski 21’, 52’, 65’)

Sunday, 12th June, 2022

Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre, Rockdale

Referee: Adrian Arndt

Assistant Referees: Joon Park and Nick Vermaat

Fourth Official: Rebecca Mackie

Rockdale Ilinden FC: 1. David Bradasevic, 2. Daniel Petkovski, 4. Mitchell Stamatellis, 5. William Mutch, 6. Daniel Araujo, 7. Alec Urosevski, 10. Tomoki Wade, 11. Peter Kekeris (9. Bai Antoniou 80’), 15. Jamie Percevski, 23. Jaden Casella, 88. Christopher McStay

Substitutes Not Used:, 16. Mohamed Ahmed, 25. Alex Masciovecchio, 31. Matthew Marrum, 39. Jason Cakovski, 47. Alexander Casella

Yellow Cards: McStay 46’

Red Cards: Nil

Marconi Stallions FC: 1. Nenad Vekic, 3. Giorgio Speranza, 4. Roberto Speranza, 6. Domenic Costanzo (17. Martin Fernandez 69’), 8. Connor Evans (16. Liam Youlley 69’, 9. Thomas James, 10. Marko Jesic, 11. Charles Lokolingoy, 13. Samuel Gulisano, 22. Taylor McDonald, 23. Brandon Vella (7. Chris Hatfield 77’)

Substitutes Not Used: 18. Adrian Valenti, 19. Zach Cairncross, 20. Dion Shaw

Yellow Cards: Vella 51’

Red Cards: Nil

 

 

 

 

Goal scoring defender Roberto Speranza continues to impress

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Marconi Stallions’ Roberto Speranza curled home a crucial goal in the 96th minute of the Round 14 match against his former club Blacktown City.

The defender has become the surprise star of Marconi in recent weeks, with three goals to his name this National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s season and two in the past two games.

“It’s been unusual for me to be hitting the net quite a few times.” Speranza explained.

“During preseason the boys were laughing at me because I was doing training sessions with my brother and they were saying why are you doing so much shooting, you should be practicing defending and now I had the last laugh.

“Obviously it doesn’t matter who scores – on the weekend we could have had a few, I thought Charles’ would have been in but that got wiped off for offside.

“I think we have so many attacking options, off all our set pieces I think [Nathan] Millgate is the obvious target and if he attracts three players, maybe I can find some space.

“We have amazing e deliveries coming from [Domenic] Costanzo and when we look at attacking threats I think we have plenty of them and I think that’s why I’m being afforded a few more opportunities.”

Having netted a few goals this season, Speranza says he’s running out of post-goal celebrations.

“I’ve actually run out of celebration ideas,” he said.

“Normally when I go up for set pieces I’m there just to create havoc, but the ball has been landing on me lately so I’m not complaining.

“I’m just going to keep trying to think of weird and wonderful things to impress Flea [Assistant Coach Peter Papoythis], because I know he loves my celebrations.”

Playing alongside his brother Giorgio, the chemistry of Marconi’s defensive line is strengthened through their bond.

“We joke that I’ve been riding his wave, but now the last couple of weeks I’ve scored goals so I can say he’s, he’s riding my wave for once,” Speranza joked.

“I think playing next to G for a long time, playing in the backyard every day since we were probably five years old definitely helps out our connection and our combination.

“We both are on the same wavelength, he knows when I’m looking for a little pass to him and vice versa.

“I get up for more headers than he does, he likes to do a bit more running than I do, so he covers me and I cover him.

“Naturally you want to look after your brother just like you would your mate, even a little bit extra – I think it means that our backline chemistry is very strong.”

With a wealth of experience in the competition, Speranza is happy to see the hard work paying off for his club, crediting a big part of their success to their physical fitness.

“The preseason we did with Studsy [Brett Studman, Marconi Strength & Conditioning Coach] had us all a lot fitter than we had been in the previous years and has allowed us to play the style of football the coaches want to play for the entirety of matches and go running over the top of a lot of teams.

“I think that has played a major part to keep winning and keep playing that style for long periods.”

Another improved aspect of the Stallions’ game for 2022 has been their depth and competitiveness amongst the team.

“I think we’ve brought in a lot more depth going forward, we brought in the likes of TJ [Thomas James] and Charles [Lokolingoy] and Dom Costanzo to add to what we had at the top already and that has meant that everyone has to perform each week or someone else will slot in and do your job just as well.” Speranza said.

“We have guys who have been on the bench recently who could start any day of the week and do just as good a job as the guys who were playing already and it keeps them on their toes.

“It means training is at a higher intensity and a higher level and it just makes it a lot easier for the players and probably gives the coaches a few more headaches.”

Having slipped off the top spot last week, Marconi is still well and truly in the Premiership race and have a 10-game undefeated streak heading into Round 15.

“I think everyone at the moment is happy overall,” Speranza stated.

“Being near the top of the table again, where I think we belong and really should have been over the past couple of years, it’s good to finally deliver.

“It’s a happy camp at the moment, confidence is flying. Even though we’ve had a couple of draws mixed in there, we’ll still ride the wave of being undefeated.”

Looking to the final eight games of the regular season, Speranza is confident that the team can continue their success if they stick to their plan and use the tools their coaches have given them.

“If we stick to our guns and everyone’s on the same page we have been I think we’ll keep we’ll keep flying,” he said.

“I think that starts from inside the club from the board, to the gear stewards, to the managers, to strength conditioning guys, to video analysis and even down to our ground announcer.

“Everyone contributes in a way that if they keep doing their own little bit, it makes the personnel have an easier job to do come game day because we’re just following the game plan and everyone knows what it is.

“Having so much depth, everyone can step in and know exactly what we need to do, we just worry about ourselves and we try and make sure we get three points every week.”

With a fiercely competitive ladder, Marconi’s eyes are still well and truly on the prize for 2022.

“Our goal is always to come first,” Speranza said.

“I think we definitely have the squad for it from player one to player 20, it doesn’t matter who comes in we should be able to compete for that top spot.

“If we fall short, we’re still among the five and I back us every day of the week to go all the way through to the grand final and take some silverware this year.”

 

Late Stallions equaliser breaks Blacktown City hearts

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The Marconi Stallions have stolen a point from Blacktown City in an intense 1-1 battle at Marconi Stadium on Saturday night.

A sensational 96th minute goal from Roberto Speranza cancelled out a 65th minute penalty from Grant Lynch to wrap up the hard-fought match in a draw.

The physical, and at times aggressive, match saw plenty of action as Blacktown looked to control most of the game, but they were unable to hold out the Stallions who applied pressure until the final moment of the match.

Blacktown City seemed to control the tempo of the match in the early stages and took their time to pick up the intensity.

Jackson Bandiera crossed the ball into the area in the 30th minute but Mario Shabow’s touch left something to be desired, sending the ball out of play.

Lachlan Campbell moved forward to create a chance for Blacktown in the 41st minute.

The defender maneuvered through some space in the middle of the park to take a shot from outside the 18-yard box.

Mitchell Mallia sent a brilliant ball over the top to Shabow, who ran onto it to create an opportunity in the 43rd minute.

Shabow cut across to Mendy in front of the goal but the striker couldn’t get a shot off and the ball came to Thomas James who did very well to keep out the Blacktown press and maintain possession of the ball in a dangerous area.

Roberto Speranza kept Blacktown out in the 45th minute as Shabow again cut to Mendy, but Speranza got in between for a great clearance.

Nathan Millgate came close to knocking home a header for Marconi just before the end of the first half but Campbell managed to intervene to keep the hosts off the scoreboard as they headed to the half-time break.

Marconi’s Connor Evans stole the ball for a chance in the 48th minute, playing the ball to Dominic Costanzo who had a shot on target that was deflected by Blacktown’s defence.

Marconi made a forward run in the 53rd minute as Costanzo delivered the ball to James outside the 18-yard box.

James sent a curling ball into the path of Costanzo but Campbell was able to get it out of the way.

They came back for more minutes later as Costanzo sent a corner kick into the area and Taylor McDonald was in position to connect but guided his header into the crossbar.

Blacktown had a dangerous sequence in the 63rd minute Dakota Askew received the ball in the area and played back to substitute Matthew Lewis whose shot went over the bar.

The visitors continued to maintain pressure in attack and it paid off as they earned a penalty in the 65th minute as Connor Evans brought down Shabow in the area.

Campbell was quick to fire up after the challenge and aggressively approached Evans, although the tension fizzled out before it became too physical.

Grant Lynch stepped up to take the penalty and sent it past Nenad Vekic to secure the first goal of the match.

A free kick in the 72nd minute gave the Stallions a chance and Costanzo took it well and sent it to McDonald who wasn’t able to direct his header towards the target.

Charles Lokolingoy had a chance to equalise in the 77th minute as he collected the ball inside the box but his effort slid wide of the goal.

Shabow made a run down the left flank in the 83rd minute, drawing out Millgate and Jesic to defend.

Shabow looked to grab the shirt of the Marconi captain and push him out of the way and Millgate then took down Shabow with a dangerous tackle.

Jackson Bandiera ran in and challenged Millgate to start the tensions as an all-in incident broke out on the pitch with Blacktown ‘keeper Alex Robinson even joining in on the action from the other end of the field.

The fiery tempers continued as Lynch broke away from the group to continue challenging the Marconi defender.

Evans and Robinson were the only two that came away from the scuffle with yellow cards from referee Nathan Shakespear, along with Millgate who received a card for the initial challenge and Marconi coach Peter Tsekenis who was vocal on the sideline.

Play recommenced and the action continued as Marconi desperately fought to get something from the match.

The Stallions hit the back of the net in the 93rd minute as Lokolingoy tapped in a header from Millgate, but the home side had the goal disallowed for offside, much to the dismay of the Marconi faithful as Campbell looked to keep Millgate onside.

An exceptional delivery of a corner from Jesic in the final minute of the match saw Marconi come so close to equalising as the ball came so close to going over the line but was kept out by Robinson.

Marconi managed a sensational comeback in the 96th minute through defender Roberto Speranza.

Brandon Vella played the ball to Speranza at the edge of the 18-yard box and he curled the ball to the bottom right corner of the goal, out of reach of Robinson.

In a bizarre aftermath of the goal Millgate was given a second yellow by Shakespear for unsportsmanlike behaviour.

With high tensions and intense action, the game wrapped up with a goal apiece, seeing the two sides share points.

Marconi coach Peter Tsekenis applauded his team on their ability to hang on to get a point from the match.

“I thought there were two teams that cancelled each other out pretty much the whole game,” he explained.

“They got a penalty, which I thought Connor Evans did everything he could to pull out of, and they got up.

“Credit to the boys, they just kept plugging away and we had one disallowed and we looked threatening and we eventually got one – it was good that we got it.

“We weren’t at our best, I thought we could be a little bit better but when you’re playing a good side and they nullify each other that’s what happens, it becomes an arm wrestle.”

Match Stats

Marconi Stallions FC 1 (Roberto Speranza 96’)

Blacktown City FC 1 (Grant Lynch 65’p)

Saturday, 4th June, 2022

Marconi Stadium, Bossley Park

Referee: Nathan Shakespear

Assistant Referees: Maggie Price and Matthew Harris

Fourth Official: Alessandro Llana

Marconi Stallions FC: 1. Nenad Vekic, 2. Nathan Millgate, 3. Giorgio Speranza, 4. Roberto Speranza, 6. Domenic Costanzo (17. Martin Fernandez 75’), 8. Connor Evans (7. Chris Hatfield 83’), 9. Thomas James, 10. Marko Jesic, 11. Charles Lokolingoy, 22. Taylor McDonald, 23. Brandon Vella

Substitutes Not Used: 13. Samuel Gulisano, 16. Liam Youlley, 18. Adrian Valenti, 20. Dion Shaw

Yellow Cards: Jesic 80’, Millgate 84’, 97’, Evans 85’

Red Cards: Millgate 97’

Blacktown City FC: 3. Daniel Collins, 4. Lachlan Campbell, 5. Grant Lynch, 10. Mario Shabow, 11. Mitchell Mallia (6. Matthew Lewis 49’), 17. Dakota Askew, 19. Adam Berry, 21. Charles Mendy (8. Jak O’Brien 78’), 24. Jackson Bandiera, 30. Alexander Robinson, 32. Hiroaki Aoyama

Substitutes Not Used: 9. Jake Trew, 18. Nicholas O’Brien, 22. Carlos D’Oliveira, 40. Dylan Niski

Yellow Cards: Berry 37’, Robinson 85’, Shabow 96’

Red Cards: Nil