Even though this is his first year with the Tigers, he wouldn?t have it any other way.
For Costa, APIA has a family connection and therefore he has an amazing sense of pride in the pulling on the famous jersey.
?It was always an interest of mine to come here because my grandfather, Mario Costa, played in the first team at APIA,? he said. ?When I came here there was a bit of pride and family history involved.
?Also, the Manly United game on Sunday will be a big game for me because I am up against my cousin, Adam Foti, who is the striker for Manly United.?
Anthony Costa has been somewhat of a journeyman in his career so far. He reluctantly trialled and made it as a St George junior before moving to other clubs and overseas.
?I was never going to go down to the trials but Paul Scott, my first coach, said just to go down to the trials and I started my career there,? he said.
Costa?s junior career spanned from St George, to Eastern Suburbs, to Sutherland Sharks, and then Sydney University. His first stint overseas was in Cyprus.
?I went to Cyprus to trial and did quite well but came back because I was knocked down with glandular fever, so I was a bit unlucky,? he said.
?I came back for one more season at Sydney University, then I moved Parramatta FC Eagles for two more seasons in the Super League ? we went well and got the minor premiership. Then I went overseas again: firstly to Wales and then to Spain.
?When I finally came back to Australia I re-joined Parramatta FC and then moved to APIA this year because they gave me an offer I couldn?t refuse.?
APIA Leichhardt Tigers in the NSW Premier League is a natural home for Costa at the moment who is very much enjoying his time at the historically famous football club.
?There?s a really good dressing room of boys,? he said. ?On our day we know that we are one of the best teams in the competition but we have been unlucky lately. We are looking at fighting for a finals spot in a very tight competition at the moment where every game counts.?
Costa is also ambitious like many other players in the NSW Premier League.
?I have been chasing my personal ambition for the last six years,? he stated. ?Perhaps a contract in the A-League and my dream has always been to go to Italy. I know that I am getting older but not for a goalkeeper. However, to crack it over there I would have to get my foot in the door very soon.
?I love playing in the NSW Premier League but I do have bigger ambitions just like any other goalkeeper in this competition.
?There are opportunities there; Vedran [Janjetovic of Sydney United 58 FC] got an opportunity this year and congratulations to him because he has been working very hard for that opportunity.?
-By Joe Russo
APIA and Sutherland battle out a tight contest
Both sides were very conscious not to give or concede much to each other given that only 10 days earlier in the final of the Waratah Cup Sutherland Sharks had dished out a lesson to the Tigers.
APIA, clearly motivated by that loss, were determined to not let it happen again and Sutherland were certainly not going to come to a rather barren looking Lambert Park and expect a picnic.
APIA-Leichhardt had only just finished playing out a scoreless draw three days earlier at the same venue against Parramatta FC and tonight?s encounter was almost a carbon copy with perhaps even fewer chances.
After the game, APIA Leichhardt?s experienced coach John Turner was pleased that his team had now gone three games undefeated.
However, he was also realistic in his appraisal to recognise that in 180? minutes of football, even though his side hadn?t conceded a goal, they hadn?t scored one either.
?I thought that we were the better side on the night,? Turner said. ?We had far more possession and at least we tried to play some football. They played a lot more direct with long balls.
?We should have got something more out of our corners. There wasn?t a lot of goal action ? I?ll say that to you ? but across the park, I think we were better than Sutherland.
?Ten days ago they beat us 4-1 but we also knew that we still had a sniff of the semi-finals. If we can play with the commitment that we showed tonight, then I think we?ll be there somewhere around the mark.
?There were some opportunities for us to have a shot at goal tonight and against Parramatta FC, but some of our players still want to walk it in; we are working on that. However, we are creating chances and I would be more concerned if we were not creating.
?It?s very important to also recognise that we haven?t conceded goals either with two clean sheets in a row. It?s our third competition game unbeaten and not many teams in the NSW Premier League can say that. I think these positive results will take us a long way.?
After some lovely lead up play in the 19? minute APIA-Leichhardt had the first real chance of the game. Michael West whipped in a beautiful cross which Franco Parisi met with a powerful header that finished just wide of the net.
Sutherland Sharks replied a short time afterwards when an accurate pass from midfield workhorse Nick Stavroulakis, who never stopped working on the night, wonderfully set up Nikolas Tsattalios. However, when Tsattalios was faced with only the goalkeeper Anthony Costa to beat, he tried to chip the ball into the net but unfortunately for the Sharks it finished just over the crossbar.
The first-half, while not offering a lot of goalmouth chances, was a really close contest between two sides that were not prepared to give an inch.
The second-half was perhaps even tighter. The small field of Lambert Park often lends itself to a battle of attrition.
Early in the second-half, a free-kick from APIA Leichhardt was partially cleared by the Sutherland defence before it reached Mun Soo Gil who shot just wide with his attempt.
In the 59? minute a long ball from Paul Cotte made its way towards Tsattalios who fired over the crossbar. It was half a chance but, in games like these, chances need to be converted.
In the 77? minute Ethan Galbraith, from close range, fired a rocket into Hayden Morton. Luckily for the visitors the defender was well placed to deny the tall New Zealander and deviate the ball away for a corner.
Robbie Stanton, the coach of Sutherland Sharks and himself a former APIA Leichhardt player, was somewhat philosophical about the whole encounter.
?I was happy with my players because they put the right effort in,? he said. ?We had to change the way we play because we couldn?t play our normal game.
?It was a scrappy game but that?s what you have to do sometimes. We had to change because of the pitch – slipperiness and dimensions ? but we set ourselves a goal at the start of the year to always play football, but we found it difficult to play here.
?There were a few half chances. We knew it was going to be a different game to the Waratah Cup final. On a good pitch you would see that we are a very good football team and a very good passing team.
?This game was one of those things that sometimes happen in football,? he concluded.
Match Stats
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers 0
Sutherland Sharks 0
Wednesday 18th July, 2012
Lambert Park, Leichhardt
Referee: James Lewis
Assistant Referees: Lance Greenshields and James Tesoriere
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers: 21.Anthony Costa; 3.Adel El Jamal, 4.Mun Soo Gil (12.Andrew Bevin 64?), 5.Michael West, 7.Stephen Kayes, 8.Adam D?Apuzzo, 9.Ethan Galbraith, 10.Franco Parisi, 14.Adam Casey, 16.Michael Hawrysiuk, 18.Brendan Reilly.
Substitutes Not Used: 22.David Bradasevic, 15.Bradley Bartels, 17.Sam Salameh, 20.Gyu Re Lee
Yellow Cards: Galbraith 71?
Red Cards: Nil
Sutherland Sharks: 1.Nathan Denham; 2.George Souris, 4.Yianni Fragogianis, 5.Paul Cotte, 6.Matt Gordon, 8.Chris Price, 12.Hayden Morton, 13.Nikolas Tsattalios, 14.Nick Stavroulakis, 17.Pat Savor (11.Todd Halloran 80?), 23.Panni Nikas
Substitutes Not Used: 3.Tyson Rhodes, 9.Hussein Salameh, 25.Ben Cornish, 22.Simon Jaeger
Yellow Cards: Nikas 48?, Tsattalios 75?
Red Cards: Nil
-By Joe Russo
APIA and Parramatta share the points in scrappy affair
The home side did have the better of the chances in the first-half and this was clearly noted by Lee Sterrey after the game.
?I want to give APIA a lot of credit,? he said very sportingly. ?In the first-half, how we walked in at 0-0 at the break was unbelievable. To be honest I just laughed at my players because without Nashy [Matthew Nash] it would have been four.
?They [APIA] played in the conditions a lot better than us; they were first to the ball every time. We knew it was a two touch type of surface and we needed to play the ball forward.
?A couple of substitutes helped turn it around for us. I thought Daniel Gullo won a lot of stuff for us in front of the defence.
?We changed the system around. We went to a diamond because we tried to play two up front in the first but we were still not winning the ball.
?I think young Devante Clut, who is only 16 years of age, is an exceptional talent. He has just won the Nike thing to go to Barcelona in August. He has mainly played under 20s and three games already in first grade when his rightful team is the under 16s.
?We just need more composure in front of goals and more faith in our ability. We had our chances to win the game late on but didn?t take our chances,? Sterrey concluded.
In the 11? minute the Tigers came close to scoring when a ball from the right reached Michael Hawrysiuk standing at the far post, but he couldn?t turn it in from close range.
APIA-Leichhardt were then forced to part with Mark Byrnes due to an early injury as the game continued to be an arm wrestle more or less in midfield.
In the 30? minute Masaki Nomoto tried his luck with a speculative free-kick that was lobbed over the crossbar.
The best chance of the half belonged to Andrew Bevin in the 35? minute when a corner kick reached the young New Zealander just outside the box and his powerful left foot shot brought out the best in Matthew Nash against his former club.
A few minutes later Parramatta FC almost snuck a goal when Akiyoshi Nomoto with a great free-kick beat all and sundry, but then he saw the ball hit the post after threading it through a myriad of players.
In the 40? minute Ethan Galbraith met a cross with a nice header that once again saw Nash called into action. APIA-Leichhardt peppered the opposition again when Bevin set up very nicely Hawrysiuk, but his powerful driving shot finished just wide of the intended target.
The first-half ended goalless despite the flurry of good chances towards the end.
The second-half was another battle of attrition. In the 60? minute Adam Casey charged dangerously into the box only to be denied by the ever alert Nash who was clearly relishing the outing against his former club.
Late in the game there were a few half chances to Parramatta FC but, on the whole, the second stanza of play was a dull affair that dragged on far too long for all involved.
John Turner, APIA Leichhardt?s coach, was very disappointed after the game.
?It?s the most comprehensive draw I have ever been involved with,? he said. ?It?s disappointing because we played well. If we had have put two out of our four chances away in the first-half, the game would have been over.
?They probably had three chances at the end of the game when we had ten men [Danial Cummins received his second yellow card in the 83? minute]. Losing Mark Byrnes early on didn?t help either.
?I didn?t think we deserved to get nothing out of that game and I am disappointed for the players. The effort was there, we were organised but didn?t win.
?I want to play Sutherland on Wednesday ? I don?t want to leave it too long so that the Waratah Cup loss doesn?t fade from our memory [a catch up game that was previously washed out will played at Lambert Park on Wednesday evening between APIA Leichhardt and Sutherland Sharks].
?I?d rather play them quickly because you often don?t get the same result ? just ask Marconi: we beat them 5-0 in the Cup and then lost a short time later in the NSW Premier League,? he said with a smile on his face.
Match Stats
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers 0
Parramatta FC 0
Sunday 15th July, 2012
Lambert Park, Leichhardt
Referee: Kurt Ams
Assistant referees: Michael Robertson and Lee Corey
Fourth Official: James Tesoriere
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers: 21.Anthony Costa; 2.Mark Byrnes (6.Danial Cummins 11?), 3.Adel El Jamal, 4.Mun-Soo Gil, 7.Stephen Kayes, 8.Adam D?Apuzzo, 9.Ethan Galbraith, 10.Franco Parisi, 12.Andrew Bevin (14.Adam Casey 47?), 16.Michael Hawrysiuk (20.Gye Re Lee 73?), 18.Brendan Reilly.
Substitutes Not Used: 22.David Bradsevic,
Yellow Cards: Cummins 51?, D?Apuzzo 70?, Lee 77?, Galbraith 79?, El Jamal 81?
Red Cards: Cummins 83?
Parramatta FC: 1.Matthew Nash; 3.Andy Matloub, 4.Domenic Trimboli, 5.Mark O?Reilly (16.Daniel Gullo 27?), 7.Patrick Dixon, 9.Aaron Peterson (18.Nicholas Napoli 66?), 10.Akiyoshi Saito, 11.Bruno Pivato, 13.Joel Wood, 15.Masaki Nomoto, 17.Luke Grima (14.Devante Clut 72?).
Substitutes Not Used: 6.Graziano Trimboli, 40.Michal Sakowicz
Yellow Cards: Grima 14?, Dixon 90? + 2, Matloub 90? + 3
Red Cards: Nil
-By Joe Russo
Fixture Alteration: APIA Leichhardt v Sutherland Sharks
Kick-off times are as follows:
1st Grade ? 8.15pm
Grade 20s ?6.15pm
APIA-Leichhardt stun Bonnyrigg White Eagles with late Gailbraith double
Down on confidence following an inconsistent run of results in the League, it was Kiwi import Ethan Gailbraith ? on as a second-half substitute – who stole the headlines with a sensational second-half double to cancel out Robbie Younis? 25? minute penalty.
Gailbraith?s second was an absolute screamer, as the lanky striker showed skill and a powerful shot to leave the White Eagles? supporters in complete silence. Unfortunately for the two goal hero, he was to turn villain in the final minute of injury-time as he picked up a second yellow card and will consequently be out of the Cup Final next weekend.
It was the visiting Tigers to create the first opening of the night as Adam Casey appeared to steer his diagonal attempt past Andrew Bazi in the Bonnyrigg goal. With the White Eagles defenders retreating, Bonnyrigg thwarted the danger with a swift clearance.
Bonnyrigg?s response arrived immediately via Chris Payne who showed his speed down the right-flank. The former A-League striker however, failed to centre to a teammate.
Payne was in the thick of the action again on 5? minutes as he cleverly skipped his way past two APIA-Leichhardt defenders before being denied by some desperate Tigers defending,
Despite the 18-points separating the two sides on the League ladder prior to the match, the Tigers took the game to the high-flying White Eagles with some fine ball movement in the middle of the park by Adam D?Apuzzo, Michael Hawrysiuk and Mun-Soo Gil.
Hawrysiuk was one of the best on the park with his energetic performance for the visitors.
APIA-Leichhardt however did get caught out following a string of passes that ended back at the feet of Anthony Costa. The Tigers? shot-stopper?s poor clearance gave the White Eagles a chance to pounce as Payne again was sent through on goal, denied only by the flag of assistant referee Sarah Ho.
Bonnyrigg?s best movements arrived via their midfield pairing of Aleksander Canak and Adrian Ucchino; the latter looking comfortable on the ball for his side.
On 14? minutes, the Tigers created a neat headed chance for Casey, however the delivery from the right carried a little too much punch as the APIA-Leichhardt striker could only divert his header over the crossbar.
In the 17? minute, the home side again looked dangerous with a swift counterattack. Chris Payne was once more the main participant when he was released down the right. The speedy striker got to the byline showing strength and agility, though his cutback effort into the penalty-area again failed to find a teammate.
2? minutes later, Canak tested Costa with a shot from the edge of the penalty-area. The attacking midfielder lined up his effort nicely though failed to hit it with any conviction as the shot-stopper made a routine save.
APIA-Leichhardt responded with a set-piece from the right as Andrew Bevin got his first look-in for the match with an attempted header that finished off the mark.
The home side found its opener via the penalty-spot on 25? minutes. Chris Payne was sent through on goal before being denied by a brave Costa save at his feet. The shot-stopper then bravely denied Younis? follow-up attempt before the striker was fouled by Hawrysiuk challenge. Younis was deadly with his finish from the spot, driving the ball straight down the middle to send the Bonnyrigg supporters into raptures with a goal against his former club.
Younis nearly doubled his, and his side?s, tally in the 32? minute as he latched onto Chris Tadrosse?s set-piece delivery from the left. The looping ball managed to find its way through to the striker who sent his glancing header inches wide of the mark.
The visitors closed the half on the front foot with a massive amount of possession though the final ball in the attacking third was constantly dealt with by the always impressive young defender David Vrankovic who marshalled the White Eagles defensive line to perfection.
In the final chance of the half on 44? minutes, Ben Spruce sent his header from a Tadrosse corner delivery wide of the mark after showing great strength and agility to out-jump his marker.
Following the half-time interval, Younis should have doubled his side?s lead. After receiving a neat square pass on the edge of the penalty-area, and with the goal at his mercy, the striker blasted his attempt wide of Anthony Costa?s left-hand post.
Bonnyrigg striker Payne stung the palms of Costa with a ferocious drive from close-range in the 63? minute, though the Tigers? shot-stopper was brilliant in diverting the ball away before his teammates got their bodies behind the ball to thwart Younis? follow-up.
Bonnyrigg did have the ball in the back of the net shortly after via Payne, though referee Stephen Lucas was quick to spot the linesman?s flag and correctly brought play back for a free-kick.
APIA-Leichhardt substitute Ethan Gailbraith attempted to get his side moving in the right direction with a mazy run on 70? minutes, though the tall striker weaved his way into some trouble as the Bonnyrigg defenders shut down his run.
APIA-Leichhardt?s possession in midfield, and persistence, finally did pay off in the 78? minute as Gailbraith drew the visitors level. A pin-point delivery from Stephen Kayes on the right was powerfully headed home by the Kiwi import, leaving Bazi helpless.
Gailbraith became the Tigers? hero with 5? minutes remaining as he found a stunning winner for his side. The striker showed poise on the ball to turn his marker and enter the penalty-area before blasting a venomous drive into the back of the net.
With the momentum completely in favour of the Tigers, Gailbraith uncharacteristically saw his near perfect evening turned on its head. Deep into injury-time, the striker kicked the ball away to buy some time for his side and was correctly shown his second yellow card for his efforts.
The sending off is a huge blow for the striker and the Tigers who will be without their front man for the Waratah Cup Final showdown against Sutherland Sharks.
At the conclusion of the 90? minutes, APIA-Leichhardt Tigers coach John Turner ? who watched this match from the grandstands due to suspension after he was sent from the field last week ? was full of praise for his chargers:
?I am very happy for the boys, they really did put in a massive effort tonight,? commented Turner.
?To come to Bonnyrigg and take three-points is tremendous, and I really think we deserved it tonight.
?We were down a goal, and that was a penalty, and we managed to turn the match around. I told the boys to keep digging deep at half-time, and we managed to get the win.?
The win has come at a good time for the Tigers who have struggled for results in the League this season:
?The win was important obviously as we head into the Final of the Cup, though I told the players this week that I did not want to hear any talk of the Final at all? My concern was this match tonight,? explained Turner.
?We needed to focus on this match and look to move up the ladder, so we did that very well tonight. This week we can start looking at the Cup Final.?
APIA-Leichhardt?s defeat of Bonnyrigg is also a personal victory for the Tigers? boss:
?I spent quite some time at Bonnyrigg, so to walk away with the win and bragging rights is definitely something I am pleased about,? Turner ended.
Out of the Bonnyrigg dressing sheds, coach Brian Brown was less impressed than his counterpart, however it is not a time for panic in the White Eagles camp:
?APIA-Leichhardt I thought played a very good game today, and they took the chances that came their way so I can only applaud their efforts for the win tonight,? Brown commented.
?We didn?t get going the way we wanted, and to lose at home is disappointing, though we will be looking to bounce back next week.?
Despite the League leader?s potentially seeing their seven-point lead cut to four should South Coast Wolves and Blacktown City FC win on Sunday, Brown is aware what his side need to do:
?To be honest, I haven?t been following the League ladder, I am not looking at that. Even if the lead is cut down after this weekend, we have the catch-up match against South Coast Wolves next weekend, so we will be looking to get things right at home on Saturday night and make further progress on our work so far,? concluded Brown.
Match Stats
Bonnyrigg White Eagles 1 (Robbie Younis 25? (pen) )
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers 2 (Ethan Gailbraith 78?, 85?)
Saturday 30th June, 2012
Bonnyrigg Sports Club, Bonnyrigg
Referee: Stephan Lucas
Assistant Referees: Sarah Ho and Nathan Wotton
Fourth Official: Adrian Arndt
Bonnyrigg White Eagles: 20.Andrew Bazi; 4.David Vrankovic, 11.Ben Spruce, 5.Chris Tadrosse (C), 18.Adrian Ucchino (21.Ken Chun 50?), 19.Harris Gaitatzis (13.Nikola Stanojevic 85?), 6.Nikola Zonjic, 8.Aleksander Canak, 15.Chris Payne, 9.Robbie Younis, 7.Tynan Diaz
Substitutes Not Used: 33.Nikodin Matic, 16.Andres Gomez, 10.Jordan Simpson
Yellow Cards: Ben Spruce 52?
Red Cards: Nil
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers: 21.Anthony Costa; 2.Mark Byrnes, 20.Gyu Lee (10.Franco Parisi 59?), 7.Stephen Kayes, 8.Adam D?Apuzzo, 16.Michael Hawrysiuk, 3.Adel El Jamal (6.Danial Cummins 28?), 12.Andrew Bevin, 4. Mun-Soo Gil, 5.Michael West (C), 14.Adam Casey (9.Ethan Gailbraith 59?)
Substitutes Not Used: 22.David Bradasevic
Yellow Cards: Michael Hawrysiuk 64?, Ethan Gailbraith 75?, 90?+2?
Red Cards: Ethan Gailbraith 90?+2?
-By Joseph Carlucci