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Championship finally comes home to APIA Leichhardt Tigers

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APIA Leichhardt Tigers have ended nearly three years of championship heartache with an incredible 2-1 extra-time grand final win against Sydney United 58 in front of over 6,500 spectators at Bankwest Stadium on Saturday.

A sensational lob in the first period of extra time from Tigers captain and Man of the Match Sean Symons sealed victory after a gruelling and at times physical opening 90 minutes.

After suffering heartbreaking back to back grand final defeats in 2017 and 2018, the Lambert Park based club earned the title they so desperately wanted to win with a tireless 120 minute performance.

Defender Paul Galimi helped APIA to a perfect start with a towering header from an Adrian Ucchino assist midway through the first half.

United 58 refused to give up and Matthew Bilic helped his side back to level pegging with a desperation finish in the 57th minute.

With the game deadlocked after 90 minutes extra-time was needed and it was Symons who proved to be the difference with his goal enough to secure a historic title for APIA.

It was a cagey start to the contest with neither side looking to take any early risks.

United 58 keeper Tom Manos was forced to make a desperation save 15 minutes in when Payne pinched the ball inside the area but it was smothered by the quick thinking custodian.

The wet pitch conditions made both sides unable to play their usual slick passing style of football with the game becoming a physical grind through the middle of the park

APIA finally found the breakthrough in the 28th minute.

Set-piece master Adrian Ucchino delivered a looping cross into the box from the western sideline with Galimi flying high above his make to nod the ball into the top left corner over the outstretched arms of United keeper Manos.

The tough tackling defender was full of adrenaline as he celebrated his goal with the legion of Galimi fans that turned up at Bankwest Stadium.

Sydney United 58 were denied what they felt was a clear penalty 10 minutes from the interval when Peter Simonoski went down in the box after tangling with a defender.

Referee Ben Abraham had other ideas and waved the penalty shout away as APIA clung onto their 1-0 lead at the break.

A rare run into his own penalty area from Payne kept his former side from making a perfect start to the second stanza.

The striker was able to block a driving shot from Tariq Maia on the goal line before clearing it to safety.

However, The Reds were not to be denied and only a few moments later they levelled the score thanks to a determined finish from Bilic.

A low cross from Simonoski skidded across the penalty area avoiding the APIA defence and onto the outstretched leg of the United winger to direct it into the back of the net.

That sparked massive celebrations with the United 58 faithful who turned out in great numbers to support their beloved side. Chants of ‘Croatia, Croatia’ started to get more momentum as the former NSL giants pushed for a winner.

The physical nature of the match began to take its toll with both United 58 and APIA forced to make changes after players went down hurt.

Towering defender Themba Muata-Marlow was proving to be a hard man to beat for United winning everything sent his way.

Despite the efforts of both sides the game finished locked at 1-1 with another 30 minutes needed to find a winner.

It was a tense start to extra-time but It took APIA only four minutes to turn the game in their favour.

A hopeful flick on from Payne found his captain Symons running in space who then chipped Manos from 25 yards out with a brilliantly placed lob.

The Tigers found a second wind after the goal limiting a desperate United sides chances in the closing stages of the opening period of extra time.

United finally found their way to goal just after the restart with a Patrick Antelmi header remarkably cleared off the line by Ucchino much to the dismay of the thousands watching in attendance.

APIA was defending relentlessly and their opponents rarely looked like they were going to threaten.

United 58 Josh Macdonald found space in the 112th minute and was about to pull the trigger before experienced campaigner and sub Nick Stavroulakis used all his experience and thwarted danger by poking a toe and smashing it out of the pitch.

It was heart and mouth stuff.

A final push from United 58 never truly came as the Tigers clung on for the historic victory.

A jubilant APIA coach John Calleja was lost for words after the triumph such was the enormity of the win for his club.

“This is the greatest feeling and it means so much to these players and to this club,” he said.

“I saw during the week just how driven the boys were to win this game and it showed out there today.

“It wasn’t the prettiest game of football but it came down to determination and resilience which I felt our players demonstrated in spades.

“This team has been through a lot and to finally achieve what we have set out to do for so long is a truly incredible feeling.

A sombre Sydney United 58 coach Miro Vlastelica rued what could’ve been with his side suffering going down after gallant effort to take the game into extra-time.

“That’s football, sometimes it’s cruel and we learnt that today.” Vlastelica said.

“I felt we dominated large sections of the match tonight but in the end we paid the price for conceding two soft goals.

“It hurts but we can be proud of this season and the incredible effort it took to make it to the grand final.”

Match Stats

APIA Leichhardt Tigers: 2 (Galimi 28’, Symons 95’)

Sydney United 58: 1   (Bilic 57’)

Saturday, 31 August 2019

Bankwest Stadium, Parramatta

Referee: Ben Abraham

Assistant Referees: A Giev & B Wright

Fourth official: K Ams

APIA Leichhardt Tigers: 1. Ivan Necevski, 3. Paul Galimi (21. Michael Kouta 73’), 4. Josh Symons, 6. Chris Payne (14 Lachlan Hughes 119’), 7. Tynan Diaz, 8. Corey Biczo (19. Dominon Nasrabadi 119’), 10. Franco Parisi (23. Nick Stavroulakis 102’), 12. Sam McIllhatton, 15. Themba Muata-Marlow, 16. Sean Symons, 18. Adrian Ucchino

Substitutes not used: 22. Luke Turnbull,

Yellow cards: McIllhatton 35’  

Red cards:

Sydney United 58: 21. Thomas Manos, 4. Adrian Vlastelica, 7. Peter Simonoski (19. Joshua McDonald 76’), 8. Matthew Sim, 9. Patrick Antelmi, 12. Liam Rose, 14. Tomislav Uskok, 15. Tariq Maia, 17. Matthew Bilic 5. Anthony Tomelic 90′, 20. Cristian Gonzalez (3. Jordan Roberts 82’), 22. Yianni Fragogiannis.

Substitutes not used: 1. Daniel Sadaka, 6. Petar Markovic,

Yellow cards: Maia 44’, McDonald 105′

Red cards:

 

Grand Final Player Ratings 

APIA LEICHHARDT TIGERS

1 IVAN NECEVSKI 6.5/10

Ever reliable but not overworked but there when the team required. Cool head when called upon.

3 PAUL GALIMI 7.5/10

Netted the opening goal of the game but didn’t desert his defensive duties. Was a workhorse and battled bravely albeit with injury which he succumbed to in the second half.

4 JOSHUA SYMONS 7/10

Dependable and strong in the tackle and once again proved that he is one of APIA’s most consistent defender. Another player who was carrying an injury into the final, he battled well and won his battles.

6 CHRIS PAYNE 7/10

Worked hard and always a threat up front for little reward scoring wise but set up the pass for the winner. Threw himself at everything but missed that elusive goal against his former club.

7 TYNAN DIAZ 7.5/10

Put in his usual seamless performance, helped out in attack when overlapping down the right flank and used all his experience with a good performance for the Tigers.

8 COREY BICZO 7/10

Industrious, willing to chase and hustle throughout. Never gave up and gave his all from the start till the end.

10 FRANCO PARISI 6.5/10

A quiet performance from the mercurial maestro but a vital cog in the well oiled APIA machine.

12 SAM MCILLHATTON 8/10

Enthusiastic outing but picked up a caution in the 35’ for a rash challenge. That did not deter the hard working midfielder who clocked up the kilometres, breaking up play and was a constant pest for APIA.

15 THEMBA MUATA-MARLOW 8/10

The pick of APIA’s back-four. Solid, thorough and completely at ease on the big stage.

16 SEAN SYMONS 9/10 MOTM

Patrolling the left flank, broke up countless attacks in making himself busy. Scored five minutes into extra-time when lobbing  Manos. The former NPL NSW Men’s Player of the Year really rose to the occasion and showed to many why he still is one of the best in the business.

18 ADRIAN UCCHINO 8/10

Toiled away, made himself busy through the middle and supporting the attack. Cleared off the line in second-half stoppage time that all but won the match for his side.

SUBS

14 LACHLAN HUGHES N/A

Subbed on in 120’ (6.Chris Payne)

19 DOMINION NASRABANDI N/A

Subbed on in 120’ (8.Corey Biczo)

21 MICHAEL KOUTA 5/10

Subbed on in 74’ (3.Paul Galimi)

23 NICK STAVROULAKIS 5/10

Subbed on in 102’ (10.Franco Parisi). Stavroulakis made a key interception deep into the second half of extra time that spurred APIA to victory.

 

SYDNEY UNITED 58

21 THOMAS MANOS 6/10

Made a couple of point blank saves but powerless for the opening goal. Acquitted himself well but left hopelessly stranded for the winning APIA goal.

4 ADRIAN VLASTELICA 7.5/10

Steady, resolute and polished performance from the tall stopper.

7 PETER SIMONOSKI 6.5/10

Busy, hard working. Subbed in the 76’ minute to be replaced by Josh Macdonald which was a shock to many as he looked dangers in patches and looked likely to score.

8 MATTHEW SIM 7.5/10

Always a threat, hustling throughout the match, made key runs and was great with his distribution.

9 PATRICK ANTELMI 6.5/10

Eager early into the match but drifted when man-marked. Threw his weight behind a few opportunities for the lethal marksman but failed to get that goal.

12 LIAM ROSE 8.5/10

Great hold-up and link play Rose was one of the best on the park. Certainly found his form late in the second half of the season and the Grand Final showed yet again that there is life in the former Australian youth international.

14 TOMISLAV USKOK 7/10

Sturdy performance if not glamorous. Did what needed to be done for his side.

15 TARIQ MAIA 7/10

Picked up a caution in the 43’ minute however his bustling style was a constant threat.

17 MATTHEW BILIC 7.5/10

Pulled his side back into the contest when finding the net in the 57’ but forced from the field in the final minute of the match through injury, replaced by Anthony Tomelic. Was energetic and made darting runs constantly on his end.

20 CRISTIAN GONZALEZ 6.5/10

Great work rate and prepared to roll up the sleeves and chase lost causes. Subbed off in the 83’ for Jordan Roberts.

22 YIANNI FRAGOGIANNIS 7/10

Strong performance at right-back, particularly in the early stages of the match. His distribution and tackles were excellent.

SUBS

3 JORDAN ROBERTS 5/10

Subbed on in the 83’ (20.Christian Gonzalez).

5 ANTHONY TOMELIC 5/10

Subbed on in 89’ minute due to injury for goalscorer Matthew Bilic.

19 JOSHUA MCDONALD 5/10

76’ sub (7.Peter Simonoski), picked up a caution at the end of the first period of extra-time.

Sutherland Sharks win 20s Championship in epic shootout

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Sutherland Sharks have completed a remarkable hat-trick of Championships with an incredible comeback win on penalties, adding to their 2017 and 2018 titles with perhaps the sweetest victory of all.

The Sharks were left shellshocked by as they went down 2-0 to a Suleyman Bangura double before the half hour mark, but pulled a goal back shortly after through a James Temelkovski penalty to give themselves hope heading into the break.

The Sharks completed the comeback only a few minutes into the second half with Alexander Lopez’s spectacular scissor kick, forcing extra time and an extraordinary penalty shootout which saw seven saves before Matthew Taverniti scored the winner.

The match was barely a minute old before the first push-and-shove of the afternoon, an exchange which set the tone for the half to come as neither side gave the other an inch.

Emmanuel Gonzalez might’ve opened the scoring when he found himself on the end of a long ball across the area which dropped at the back post, but mistimed his volley and sent the ball spinning over the bar.

Sutherland had their chances too, with James Temelkovski unsurprisingly in the middle of the action. The striker first saw a freekick on the edge of the box blocked away by Rhett Desilva, before a second effort was thwarted by Stuart Gosling sliding in at the last moment.

The Sharks appeared the more likely of the two sides to break the deadlock, but were sent into a spin by two unfortunate deflections as the half hour mark approached.

William Mutch played a pass toward the penalty spot but the ball flicked off Brodie Clarkson and ran for Suleyman Bangura; the Blacktown man taking his time to line up his shot before hitting the ball across the keeper and inside the far post.

Blacktown and Bangura had a second barely three minutes later. An attack down the left saw a pass cut back for the striker to stab at goal with a sea of bodies between him and the Mario Aleskik; the ball bouncing up off Jarrad Wiley to wrongfoot the keeper and give the Premiers a 2-0 lead.

Sutherland heads might have dropped after Bangura’s second, but the Sharks pushed on as they looked to mount a comeback.

They wouldn’t have to wait long; Thomas Papa putting Alexander Lopez through on goal only for the forward to be hauled down by Stuart Gosling as he broke into the area. James Temelkovski stepped up to the spot and sent Dylan Niski the wrong way to halve the deficit, leaving Sutherland chasing a leveller as the whistle blew on a tetchy opening 45 minutes.

Halftime came and went, with Sutherland wasting little time in their hunt for an equaliser.

Alexander Lopez came agonisingly close only a few minutes after the break, latching onto a pass across the top of the box from Temelkvoski to send the ball crashing off the base of the near post before Quentin Cheng’s follow-up was blocked away for a corner.

Lopez wouldn’t be denied with his next effort as the corner dropped inside the six-yard box. With a man on his back, the Sutherland midfielder threw his legs over his head to hit a scissor kick at goal; the shot too strong – and unexpected – for Dylan Niski to keep from settling in the back of the net.

Sutherland were irrepressible in attack, leaving Blacktown chasing shadows as they went looking for a third. The Premiers weren’t without their chances – a Manny Gonzalez free kick drew a sharp save from Aleksik at the near post – but the run of play had undoubtedly swung in the Sharks’ favour.

Quentin Cheng and James Carli had their chances on the right, while at the other end a hopeful drive from Rhett Desilva swerved enough in the air to force Aleksik into a dramatic fingertip save.

Still, neither side could muster up another goal in the final ten minutes; this Grand Final needing extra time to find a winner.

Dale Howarth had a weak shot gathered easily by the keeper after a strong run from his own half, and Cheng had yet another effort saved by Niski as Sutherland rolled into the box in numbers. Alen Aganovic might have scored his side’s third when he rose to meet a corner in the final minute of the first half of extra time, but Aleksik was on hand again to push the ball away as it bounced towards goal.

Deren O’Brien should have won it for Sutherland with one of the last kicks of the game; played in on goal with only the keeper to beat only for a defender to streak across and make a desperate block as he pulled the trigger.

The final whistle sounded, and Blacktown and Sutherland lined up along the halfway line for penalties.

Alexander Purves and James Temelkovski saw their first penalties saved, before the two sides traded conversions as the score levelled at 2-2. Aleksik made another extraordinary stop which was followed by another save from Niski; the shootout going into sudden death. Another two saves followed before Blacktown were denied again, leaving Matthew Taverniti to step up to win it for the Sharks.

Niski could do no more; diving the wrong way as Taverniti stroked his shot down the middle of the goal. The Sutherland bench exploded, handing Nick Dimovski his third championship in as many years and a fairytale finish in his last match before taking charge of the Sharks’ first grade team next season.

“I’ve been through some tough times,” said Nick Dimovski.

“I lost both my parents recently, but the penalty kicks definitely tested my heart, I thought I was going to have a heart attack!

“I’m ecstatic. I’m so proud of my boys. I asked these boys to be sixteen legends, and they stood up and delivered. To be 2-0 down in a cup final and to come back and win it is such a test of character. We could’ve gone home and died but they rose another level, it’s massive.”

“Penalties is such a tough way to lose,” said Andy Montgomery. “I told these boys before the game that the true test of a team is the Premiership over 22 rounds which we did, but whenever there’s cups to win we want to win them. I’ll be here next year to go again.”

Match Stats

Blacktown City FC 2 (Bangura 28’, 31’)

Sutherland Sharks FC 2 (Temelkovski 36’, Lopez 48’)

Sutherland win 4-3 on penalties

31st August, 2019

Bankwest Stadium

Referee: C. Wright

Assistant Referees: H. Fenton-White & S. Quinn

Fourth Official: S. Kelly

Blacktown City FC: 21. MUTCH William, 34. BANGURA Suleyman, 32. DE OLIVIERA Carlos, 24. BANDIERA Jackson, 18. BARTOLOTTO Josh, 20. NISKI Dylan, 26. AGANOVIC Alen, 27. PURVES Alexander, 35. DESILVA Rhett, 11. GONZALEZ Emmanuel (16. HOWARTH Dale), 31. GOSLING Stuart (33. GALLO Anthony)

Substitutes not used: 29. COLOSIMO Daniel, 1. CUNICO Zane, 38. MCLOUGHLIN Kai

Yellow cards: Bandiera 23’, Gosling 35’

Sutherland Sharks FC: 2. CHENG Quentin (23. O’BRIEN Deren), 38. TEMELKOVSKI James, 25. CLARKSON Brodie, 29. WILEY Jarrad, 15. PAPA Thomas (35. MCDONALD Jacob), 34. JONES Charlie (27. TAVERNITI Matthew), 32. LOPEZ Alexander, 28. STEWART Richard, 31. CARLI James, 24. BRISCHETTO Dominic, 26. ALEKSIK Mario

Substitutes not used: 37. BOVA Andrew, 39. PAULL Jordan

Yellow cards: Lopez 64’, Taverniti 106’

Blacktown City FC crowned Under 18 Champions

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Blacktown City are Champions of the 2019 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s U18s competition, coming through a scoreless 110 minutes to beat Mt Druitt Town Rangers in a penalty shootout.

It seemed fitting that this match was decided from the spot given how little separated these two teams throughout the season. Mt Druitt should have won in normal time, with Zane Cunico putting in a sensational shift between the sticks to keep the green and yellow tide at bay.

Neither could find a breakthrough, and Cunico proved the hero in the shootout to ensure the Championship would be heading to Lily Homes Stadium.

The Premiers settled on the ball early and looked to ease their way into Mt Druitt’s half through Thomas Bienasz, who set his opponents on the back foot every time he took possession.

The first real chance of the match came from a Mt Druitt freekick; Callum Richards swinging a cross in from the left for Jesse Hirschowitz to rise unmarked and glance a header towards goal. Zane Cunico was alive to the danger and threw up a glove to make a spectacular save, tipping the ball over the bar to deny Mt Druitt an early opener.

Blacktown appeared rattled by the chance, while Mt Druitt seemed emboldened. The Rangers pushed their opponents back into their half as they began to dominate possession, though with little to show for their time on the ball.

Rhys Osmond took an opportunistic crack at goal after running onto a loose ball at the top of the box, but Cunico got down well to gather the shot as it curled towards the bottom corner; a comfortable save for a keeper of his pedigree.

Blacktown struggled to push past the halfway line as Mt Druitt rolled forward, with Osmond looking threatening as he slid a shot just wide of the far post after good work from Yinka Sunmola on the edge of the area.

Cooper Halfpenny might have been an unlikely goalscorer if not for another crucial intervention from Cunico as the half came to a close; the fullback running into space on the right before lashing a volley goalwards for the keeper to palm the ball away.

Mt Druitt picked up in the second half where they left off in the first, though Blacktown came out with markedly more fight than they had shown in the opening 45 minutes.

The half slid by with little incident before exploding into life as extra time began to cast a shadow over the final ten minutes.

Jesse Hirschowitz should have given his side the lead their dominance deserved when he pinched the ball off a Blacktown defender on the byline and skipped past Cunico, finding himself in front of goal with only a man on the line to beat. Inexplicably, the Mt Druitt man failed to pull the trigger until the keeper recovered, allowing Cunico to make another extraordinary save to keep his side in the game.

Blacktown might have grabbed a late winner against the run of play but Blake Richards sent a header spinning wide of the near post before Connor Rose did the same, leaving the two sides level at the end of the 90.

Both teams became increasingly desperate as the spectre of penalties loomed into view, though neither could find the opening for a shot as extra time wore on.

And so this final would be decided from the spot: Mt Druitt went first, with Nathan Grimaldi skying the ball over the bar to hand Blacktown an immediate advantage. Kai McLoughlin scored to put the Premiers up 1-0, before Cunico saved Dimo Vlachos’ penalty to leave Blacktown on the brink of an incredible win. Callum Garrett stepped up to take the decisive kick, and rolled the ball into the open side of the net to send his side into raptures.

“It could’ve gone either way,” admitted John Carnevale as his team lined up for photos with the crowd. “We came into it more in the second half and extra time, and I knew when we went to penalties that we’ve done it before.”

“Zane pulled off a couple of great saves, and it’s capped off a super year for us. The boys have done extremely well, and it’s just reward for their efforts during the year.”

“It’s never easy losing on penalties,” said a dejected Joe Dermillio. “I think the boys did enough to win, but sometimes those goals are just not there. Testament to the boys, I don’t think Blacktown had a shot on goal, and the keeper pulled off a few good saves.

“I think the boys deserved a result today; I’ll try to lift them. It’s been a phenomenal season, these are the tightest bunch of lads. They’d take a bullet for each other, they’re an amazing team.”

Match Stats

Blacktown City FC 0 

Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC 0

Blacktown win 4-2 on penalties. 

31st August, 2019

Bankwest Stadium

Referee: J. Crawford

Assistant Referees: B. Merchant & M. Ibrahim

Fourth Official: A. Bloch

Blacktown City FC: 1. CUNICO Zane, 6. ATTARD Ryan (16. VELDHUIZEN Cameron [ 2. SMITH Corey]), 12. BERRY Ben, 10. BIENASZ Thomas, 14. BURNIE Tyren, 3. DUFFY Ryan, 15. JACKSON-BROWN Caleb, 11. MCLOUGHLIN Kai, 4. RICHARDS Blake, 9. ROSE Connor (13. CIRINO Christian), 8. TAPP Bradley

Substitutes not used: 20. VIDAKOVIC Tristan

Yellow cards: Tapp 62’

Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC: 22. ALLEN Brendan, 14. GARRETT Callum, 3. GRIMALDI Nathan, 2. HALFPENNY Cooper, 6. HOWARTH Riley (12. CHOL Dilang [11. IDEHEN Anthony]), 4. ILITCH Blake, 9. OSMOND Rhys, 16. RICHARDS Callum (18. GONI Daniel), 7. SUNMOLA Yinka (19. CHUKWUEKE Nonso), 10. HIRSCHOWITZ Jesse, 8. VLACHOS Dimos

Substitutes not used: 21. NARAYAN Jerome

Yellow cards: Richards 82’, Halfpenny 90’

 

2019 Ultra Football Team of the Year Announced

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The wait is finally over, the 2019 Ultra Football Team of the Year has officially been announced in what has been a stellar season for all clubs and players involved in the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s top tier competition.

As it has been traditionally for the past thirteen seasons, Football NSW journalists have been awarding their 3,2,1 player ratings for each of the respective 132 matches played in the regular National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s season.

The below is a starting eleven and substitutes line-up that is sure to threaten any side across Australia both at state and A-League level.

Promoted side Mt Druitt Town Rangers really handled themselves well in their first year in the NPL NSW Men’s competition. One of the main reasons why the club did ever so well were down to two influential players in keeper and skipper Carlos Saliadarre and Uruguayan import Fabricio Fernandes. Saliadarre was in a league of his own, pulling off a number of fantastic saves as well as stopping a fair few penalties assisting in his side’s rise to the top. Fernandes was one of the finds of the season and has certainly thrown out his name as a fantastic import to grace the pitches across NSW.

Sutherland Sharks’ workhorse skipper Marc Warren won himself a spot in the side after a sterling year with the Shire based club. His never-say-die attitude and willingness to win every ball at any cost were constant features at Seymour Shaw and opposing grounds.

Blacktown City FC’s Grant Lynch stood tall as one of the best defenders in the leagues this year. Without a shadow of a doubt, Lynch was in sterling form, turning defence into attack on many occasions having scored a few goals and really put in the hard yards leading from the back.

An imposing figure across the NPL NSW Men’s elite, Marconi Stallions’ Nathan Millgate began life in Sydney’s West after leaving the APIA Leichhardt Tigers in fine fashion. Rarely losing an aerial challenge and always giving strikers headaches, not to mention scoring a few goals, Millgate stood out in more ways than one.

What more can be said about the ‘maestro’ of the NPL NSW Men’s competition. Franco Parisi once again turned back the clock and showed the league that he still has life in him, producing some impressive performances that took his beloved APIA Leichhardt Tigers to this year’s Final Series. Playing in the traditional number 10 role, Parisi looked like a spring chicken, and at the age of 36 continues to wow the fans who witness him in action or on the live streams.

Former A-League star Mitch Mallia was also another new figure that kicked off his career at the Stallions in 2019 on a high. On his day, Mallia is one of the best in the business across the nation, a tricky customer to come up against, his speed and finishing are what shone this year.

Yet another huge find for season 2019 was Wollongong Wolves’ Japanese import Takeru Okada. An unknown to many of the NPL NSW Men’s competition, part of the Premiers’ success this year was down to the trickery and wizardry of this Japanese superstar who is sure to put more smiles on faces for the locals at WIN Stadium in 2020.

Keeping on  with the theme of imports, Spanish star striker Alejandro Sanchez once more did his bit in earning a a spot in NSW’s elite eleven after yet another impressive season. Although the Blues struggled to find their 2018 form that saw them take out the double, Sanchez’ class still stood out and it was no surprise to hear he was linked with an A-League move to the Central Coast Mariners. Here’s hoping Sanchez gets that opportunity otherwise the NPL NSW Men’s competition would love to see the former La Liga star grace its pitches in 2020.

In what has been well documented this year, what was Sydney United 58’s loss was APIA Leichhardt Tigers’ gain in bagging mercurial marksman Chris Payne. An old fashioned striker that has been a constant pest for many defenders in previous NPL NSW Men’s campaigns, Payne was banging in the goals for fun at the Inner West club and showed to many he still knows where the back of the net is.

Finally, a player that really caught the eye of many both locally and nationally, Wollongong Wolves star and prized recruit, Englishman Thomas James was quite simply outstanding in his debut year in the NPL NSW Men’s competition. Bought over from the ACT Premier League, James’ speed, accuracy in front of goal and the willingness to change a game at the drop of a hat was a sight to see especially at WIN Stadium. James has really thrown his weight around as being one of the best imports to touchdown in NSW. Winning both the Premiership and Golden Boot, James has set his sights on doing more damage representing the state at this year’s NPL Finals Series.

Making up the final piece of the puzzle in what has been a truly remarkable season for the Wolves was coach and former Socceroo Luke Wilkshire. In his debut year coaching at the club, Wilkshire bought a winning mentality to the Gong that saw them crowned Premiers for 2019, something that eluded the former NSL side for many years. Although not involved in this year’s big final, Wilkshire showed that he is certainly one coach to look out for in years to come.

Special mentions to Wolves keeper Justin Pasfield, Rockdale City Suns attacker Alec Urosevski, Stallions skipper Marko Jesic, Blacktown City marksman Joey Gibbs and Manly United defender Travis Oughtred for earning spots on the substitutes list.

Congratulations to everyone who won selection into this year’s Ultra Football Team of the Year.

 

Perkatis to miss Grand Final

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It was meant to be a memorable evening for Sydney United 58’s gifted midfielder Yianni Perkatis who took on his former club in the Western Sydney Wanderers during their Wednesday evening FFA Cup Round of 16 clash at Campbelltown Stadium – but things turned sour in the 63rd minute when he was shown a straight red card.

Perkatis was given his marching orders just after the hour mark for sparking a melee that followed a rough foul from teammate Luke Vlastelica.

The scoreline hurt the club getting on the receiving end of a 7-1 scoreline from a prolific Wanderers side but what hurt the NPL NSW Men’s club the most was losing an influential player in Perkatis for the big dance on Saturday against the APIA Leichhardt Tigers.

The 25-year-old has been in fine form for United 58 and has played a key role in the club’s run to the final at Bankwest Stadium but unfortunately will  be watching his teammates from the stands in a bitter blow for not only the club but the player.

This will only add a further story-line to what will be a huge Grand Final not to be missed.