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Sharks too clinical for Suns in derby clash

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Sutherland Sharks have finished the season with Derby honours after claiming the Leader Cup with a 5-2 win against rivals Rockdale City Suns.

It was a second big win in as many weeks for the Sharks but it proved too little too late with the side missing out on finals football with an eighth place finish.

For Rockdale the loss was a final nail in the coffin in what has been a horror second half of the season.

Jordan Morfitis opened the scoring for the visitors while Jerry Skotaadis also found the back of the net to give Sutherland a 2-0 lead at the interval.

It was more of the same in the second half with Lokolingoy claiming a goal while Bai Antoniou also claiming a brace.

Alec Urosevski fired in two gaols in the dying stages of the match but they proved to be mere consolation goals.

It was an expansive star to the match with both sides not holding back in the opening exchanges.

Sutherland had the best of the early possession and pounced on a Rockdale error to take a 1-0 lead after only eight minutes.

Suns defender Nick Petrillo paid the price for a poor touch with Lokolingoy pouncing on the Rockdale last man before firing his shot into the woodwork with Morfitis on hand to tap in the rebound.

Gale force winds made play difficult but it didn’t stop both Rockdale and Sutherland from trying their best to keep to their attacking style.

Antoniou was proving dangerous on the left wing for Sutherland with his pace and dribbling creating chance after chance.

However, it was Skotaadis who would be the man to double the Sharks lead.

The central midfield received the ball 30 yards from goal and drove into space before unleashing a rocket of a shot which sailed into the back of the net.

Sutherland took the 2-0 lead into the break and was in control of the contest after a solid first 45 minutes.

It was more of the same from the visitors after the restart and it took them only five minutes for Antoniou to make it 3-0.

Lokolingoy beat his marker on the right wing before firing the ball into Antoniou who turned his man with a skilful pirouette and smashed the ball past the keeper.

Rockdale tried to fight their way back into the contest but lacked the clinical passing required to break down the Sharks defence.

71 minutes in Lokolingoy heaped even more woe on the home side as he scored Sutherland’s fourth of the match.

The burly striker found space and accelerated past two defenders before skilfully side-footing the ball past the onrushing keeper.

Urosevski finally found a breakthrough for Rockdale in the 78th minute when he headed home from close range.

The Suns’ star  then went on to net his tenth goal of the season only three minutes late to cut the deficit to 4-2.

A loose touch from Mateo Poljak proved costly with the Suns quickly pinching the ball before it was delivered to an unmarked Urosevski to score from inside the penalty area.

With the match seemingly all but settled, Bai Antoniou would strike again to claim his second of the match.

The young winger rising high over his marker to nod home a Sutherland set-piece to stretch his team’s lead to 5-2.

The final whistle couldn’t come quick enough for both sides with Sutherland finishing their season in style and Rockdale going out with whimper.

Match Stats

Rockdale City Suns: 2 (Urosevski 77’, 81’)

Sutherland Sharks: 5 (Morfitis 8’, Skotadis 42’, Antoniou 50’ 85’, Lokolingoy 72’)

Sunday, 11 August 2019

Ilinden Sports Centre, Rockdale

Referee: H Jomaa

Assistant Referee: B Wright & M Allum

Fourth official: S Kelly

Rockdale City Suns: David Bradasevic, Patrick Savor, Leigh Egger, Nick Petrillo, Jake Trajkovski, Sasa Macura, Idris El Hafiane, Jonathan Grozdanovski, Jordan Figon, Panny Nikas, Alec Urosevski

Substitutes: Nikola Taneski, Trent McClenenhan, Aleks Canak, Max Rowston

Sutherland Sharks: Anthony Bouzanis, Blair Brown, Quentin Cheng, Harry Sutherland  Patrick O’Shea, Mateo Poljak, Jerry SKotadis, Raul Beneit, Charles Lokolingoy, Bai Antoniou, Jordan Morfitis

Substitutes: Mitchell Evans, Brodie Clarkson, Alexander Lopez,

Player Ratings have now been hidden due to the second half of the season commencing.

 

Wolves officially crowned NPL NSW Men’s Premiers

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Wollongong Wolves have officially been been crowned 2019 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Premiers after wrapping up the title with a narrow 2-1 win against Rockdale City Suns at Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday.

The win ended a 32 year Premiership drought for the club and was their first league honour since they took out the 2008 Championship.

Wollongong were determined to secure their place in history from the opening kickoff and took the lead only 17 minutes into proceedings thanks to a thunderous volley from defender Nick Littler.

Star striker Thomas James gave the visitors a 2-0 lead on the cusp of half-time leaving Rockdale all to do if they were to make a stunning upset.

The Suns attempted a gallant fight back when Jonathan Grozdanovski halved the deficit in the 63rd minute but it would prove too little too late as Wollongong clung on for victory and the Premiership.

The match was dominated by the home side in the opening exchanges as

Alec Urosevski fashioned the first opportunity in the second minute when he fired straight at Wolves’ ‘keeper Justin Pasfield.

Indeed it wasn’t until the 17th minute that Wollongong hit the target for the first time when a stupendous hal-volley via Littler cannoned into the back of the net to give the Wolves a 1-0 lead.

Rockdale upped the tempo after conceeding and nearly equalised when Grozdanovski was denied by a great Pasfield save.

Wollongong’s James worked an opening in the 35th minute that was helped over the bar and from the corner Guy Knight sent a fizzer narrowly wide of the upright with the visitors turning up the pressure on the hosts for the first time in the match.

Suns skipper Daniel Petkovski cost his side a penalty in first-half stoppage time when he took down james in the penalty area.

Wollongong’s leading scorer picked himself up to plant the ball with some venom past David Bradasevic to give Wollongong a 2-0 lead at the break.

After the interval Mick Neill almost claimed one back for Rockdale when he fired across the face of goal after a cruel deflection.

Littler nearly had a brace when he forced another magnificent save out of Suns glove man David Bradasevic

Grozdanovski gave Rockdale hope in the 63rd minute when he cooly headed home to cut the deficit to only 2-1.

It was backs to the wall stuff for Wollongong in the late stages of the match as nerves jangled but they battled through the difficulties posed by the gallant Rockdale side.

Despite the Suns’ determination, they were unable to find an equaliser with the final whistle confirming Wollongong’s title win.

Wollongong Wolves coach Luke Wilkshire was jubilant after the win praising the resilience of his team to secure the hard fought win.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game against a side that’s fighting for a final’s spot,” he said.

“We knew the situation but I think we’ve defended fantastically, as we have all season, and we’ve got the rewards for that effort.

“We had some players playing their first full 90 minutes of the season and some younger guys who’ve got some time on the pitch and obviously we’re happy to have wrapped things up officially.

“At the end of the day we just want to win and that goes throughout the team but we won’t sit back and feel the job is done yet as we have a lot more we want to achieve.

“We’re a group of winners and we want to do the same next week and beyond.

“It’s a habit and we want that to continue but credit Rockdale today. It was a tough game and they put us under pressure but we’ve come through and taken the points so very pleased with the effort.

Rockdale’s Jake Trajkovski rued the match as another opportunity lost for the Suns

“I felt we had the better of the chances,” he said.

“We trained very well throughout the week and perhaps on another day we would have come away with the three points.”

“Congratulations to Wollongong, they thoroughly deserve it for the season they’ve had and after a performance like that, they are a champion side.

“Even when they’ve been put under the pump they come away with the points and they’ve done that again against us tonight.

“We had our chances again but at the end of the day they’ve taken two against our one and that’s how football goes sometimes.”

Match Stats

Rockdale City Suns 1 (Grozdanovski 63’)

Wollongong Wolves 2 (Littler 17’, James 45+1 pen’)

Ilinden Sports Centre, Rockdale

Sunday 4th August 2019

Referee: Lachlan Keevers (Vic)

Asst. Refs: Scott Edeling & Greg Taylor (ACT)

4th Official: Cameron Wright

Rockdale City Suns: 1.David Bradasevic, 2.Daniel Petkovski, 3.Mick Neill, 5.Jake Trajkovski (8.Alex Canak 85’), 7.Alec Urosevski, 9.Jonathan Grozdanovski (23.Jordan Nikolovski 82’), 10.Nikola Taneski (45.Jordan Figon 59’), 11.Leigh Egger, 12.Idris El Hafiane, 19.Patrick Savor, 23.Panni Nikas

Subs not used: 15.Nick Petrillo, 18.Sasa Macura, 22.Max Rowston

Yellow Cards: Petkovski 47’, Neill 89’

Red Cards:

Wollongong Wolves: 1.Justin Pasfield, 2.Taylor McDonald, 4.Nikola Djordjevic, 6.Ben Tosi, 7.Chris Price, 9.Thomas James, 10.Brendan Griffin, 11.Takeru Okada, 15.Nick Littler, 16.Guy Knight (8.Bul Juach 78’), 17.James Stojcevski (20.Brandon Stojcevski 62’)

Subs not used: 12.Luke Karies, 13.Stefan Dimoski

Yellow Cards: Knight 69’

Red Cards:

By National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Micky Brock

 

Nikas returns to lead Suns’ finals charge

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It has been an up and down campaign for Panny Nikas and the Rockdale City Suns, but with two rounds to play they are still within striking distance of the National Premier Leagues NSW Finals Series.

Nikas, who has been one of the NPL’s standout performers for some time now, made a well-publicised shift from Sydney United 58 to the Suns prior to the campaign.

But 2019 has been far from straightforward for Rockdale, who after a slow start to the season parted ways with manager Paul Reid.

They then embarked on a hot streak which catapulted them up to second, before another form slump has seen them drop to eighth, with just an outside shot at making the competition’s top five.

Nikas himself has endured a rocky run with injuries this campaign, being restricted to only ­­eight appearances for his new club, during which he has registered two goals.

While he remains on the road to full fitness, the dynamic midfielder is enjoying his new surroundings.

“I had severe bone bruising to my metatarsal that put me out for a prolonged period and I also did my MCL on my other knee which was similar to what I’d done last year,” the 31-year-old recalled.

“So I’m not yet back to 100% fitness but I’ve been working well to get close to around 70-80% at the moment.

“It’s been an up and down year, as you can see, but I think when I’ve played, both in the Cup and on the weekend in NPL fixtures, I’ve contributed and done my best.

“In terms of the playing group I’ve made some good friends on and off the field, so it’s been an enjoyable year off the park.

“On the park, it’s been inconsistent.”

Sunday afternoon saw the Suns claim their first scalp in six outings at Cromer Park with a clinical 2-0 triumph over Manly United.

Nikas, who returned from a two-month absence with a goal against Blacktown City a week earlier, was pleased with the outcome.

“It was a good result and I think it was one of our better performances as a collective unit,” he reflected.

“Especially going away to Manly which is always a tough game.

“We’ve been working hard for a couple of weeks with the introduction of our new coach, so I think everything showed during that game.”

Despite Rockdale’s overall lack of rhythm, their victory at Cromer has them sitting just three points astray of fifth-placed Marconi heading into the penultimate round of the season.

However with the Suns boasting an undesirable goal difference tally, and both Sydney Olympic and Manly sitting equal with them on 26 points, it is likely that no less than six more points will do if they wish to have a shot at participating in the finals.

The first outfit standing in their way are the Premiership-chasing Wollongong Wolves.

Prior to last weekend, the Suns were the only side to have kept Wollongong’s firing attack scoreless, in their 1-0 triumph back in Round 10.

And after Luke Wilkshire’s men suffered a rare defeat at the hands of Blacktown, all of a sudden Rockdale have all the momentum heading into this must-win fixture.

Last weekend’s confidence-boosting result has left Nikas upbeat about Rockdale’s potential to spoil the Wolves’ party yet again.

While the prospect of scraping into the top five is something the Suns squad have not yet given up on, the creative midfielder is well aware his side will need to be back at their best if this is to occur.

“It’s realistic because it’s possible,” Nikas declared.

“We’re just focusing on ourselves.

“We’ve been one of the few teams to beat Wollongong, so that’s a positive from our end and I think they’ll face a different Rockdale this week.

“I’m sure they’ll be ready for the fixture as we will be, whoever produces the goods on Sunday will hopefully get the victory.

“As long as I’m doing my job while trying to be a leader on the pitch for the rest of the boys, I’m pretty sure that’ll be a positive contribution.”

Rockdale lock horns with Wollongong at Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday afternoon, before hosting the Sutherland Sharks on the final day of the season.

By National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Reporter Chris Curulli (Twitter handle @ChrisCurulli)

Suns keep finals series ambitions alive with win at Manly

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Rockdale City Suns snapped their five-game losing streak with a clinical 2-0 victory over fellow finals hopefuls Manly United at Cromer Park on Sunday afternoon. 

In what was a fiery, high-stakes affair from the outset, both sides forged their fair share of opportunities during a scoreless first period.

After the interval, deadly strikes from Jonathan Grozdanovski and substitute Aleksander Canak were enough for the visitors to overcome a wasteful Manly outfit.

The result inflicted a dent within Manly’s finals hopes, whilst concurrently launching the Suns right back into contention as they join Paul Dee’s men on 26 points.

From the opening whistle, it was clear that Suns striker Nikola Taneski was eager to come back to haunt his former side.

The attacker, who made the switch from Cromer to Illinden just a few weeks ago, almost registered the opener just two minutes in as his glanced header drifted narrowly wide.

Taneski was faced with another clear sight on goal after 12 minutes, but his close-range effort was weak and unable to escape the grasp of Manly custodian Dylan Mitchell.

Manly, who on Wednesday night became the first National Premier Leagues NSW side to secure passage into the FFA Cup Round of 16, then began to establish a foothold in the contest.

Charles Mendy, who converted the decisive penalty at Popondetta Park, looked to play an instrumental role yet again as he rifled a left-footed effort marginally high and wide in the 17th minute.

He came even closer four minutes later, as Adam Parkhouse found space down the left flank and delivered a precise low cross that Mendy flashed wide with the goal at his mercy.

In a high-tempo first period, the tide swayed back towards the visitors in its closing stages.

Rockdale believed that they should have been awarded a penalty after 35 minutes, yet continued to push forward to create their best chance of the match moments before the break.

Taneski was involved yet again, as he weaved his way down the right wing with some superb trickery and floated a ball directly into the path of an onrushing Urosevski.

However the winger’s volley was denied by a trademark Dylan Mitchell stop down low to his right, ensuring both teams would head into the sheds with it all still to play for.

It was Manly who sprung out of the blocks in the second half, with their dangerman Mendy continuing to cause some concerns within the Rockdale back four.

After harnessing his pace and skill to shake off his marker, the former Marconi and Blacktown man unleashed a powerful low effort that evaded both the back post and an outstretched Dejan Pandurevic by inches.

Moments later, Manly were made to pay for their carelessness in front of goal.

Fifty-one minutes in, Taneski led a rapid counter-attack by feeding the ball into the path of a flying Jonathan Grozdanovski.

The Suns’ number nine did the rest, driving into the Manly penalty area and lifting the ball over Mitchell, who despite getting a hand to it, could not deny Rockdale the opening goal of the afternoon.

The chances then began to dry up for both sides as the visitors professionally consolidated their advantage.

Manly, who appeared to be feeling the effects of their tough 120-minute battle midweek, saw their best chance at snatching an equaliser arrive in the 68th minute.

Mendy found himself in behind yet again, this time electing to cut the ball back in the direction of Pandurevic who blazed it over the bar.

Then as the hosts began to throw caution to the wind in pursuit of the elusive equaliser, Rockdale sealed the deal a minute into stoppage time.

Alec Urosevski danced his way inside from the right edge, eventually squaring the ball to Aleksander Canak who made no mistake with an emphatic first-time finish.

For Idris El Hafiane, the impressive result was a long time coming.

“We deserved that, throughout last few weeks we should probably have had a win,” the Rockdale skipper reflected.

“There’s been a bit of a change in training, we’ve definitely upped the intensity and I think it showed out on the pitch.

“We kept the ball well and that was our game plan.

“We problem solved well out on the field and adapted to their playing of the ball over the top.

“Once we adapted to that they didn’t really have too many options.

“It was a vital victory.”

El Hafiane is fancying his side’s chances against ladder leaders Wollongong Wolves next weekend as Rockdale look to mount a last-ditch attempt at securing a top five spot.

“I’m confident and positive every week,” he said.

“I think we should give Wollongong a very good test.

“They’re still hurting from last round and their game plan doesn’t really work too well against us; we’re they’re kryptonite!

“We’ll be taking this result into next week and beyond.”

On the other hand, Brendan Cholakian lamented the impact of Wednesday night’s contest whilst remaining optimistic that his side have what it takes to turn their fortunes around.

“Obviously a lot of us were pretty fatigued after 120 minutes on Wednesday but that’s not really an excuse,” Manly’s number ten reflected.

“We should be up for these types of games because they’re the ones with potential to get us into the finals and knock other teams like Rockdale out, but we just weren’t at the races today.

“Up until today we’ve been playing some really good football.

“I’m not sure if it was the fatigue, or just poor decision making on the ball.

“We had a couple of chances that if they had of gone in, we would have come away with the win.

“We just have to get back into training on Monday to recover and bounce back.”

Sitting in seventh and eighth spot, three points astray of fifth placed Marconi, it is likely that both outfits must win their final two matches whilst relying on other results if they are to experience finals football.

Manly host APIA Leichhardt next Sunday before travelling to Sydney United on the final day of the season, whilst Rockdale have two home fixtures against the Wollongong Wolves and Sutherland Sharks to look forward to.

Match Stats

Manly United FC 0

Rockdale City Suns FC 2 (Grozdanovski 51’, Canak 90+1’)

Sunday 28th July, 2019

Cromer Park, Dee Why 

Referee: S. Hooper (England PGMOL Referee)

Assistant Referees: S. Edeling, R. Osborne

Fourth Official: S. Andrews

Manly United: 1. Dylan Mitchell, 4. Travis Oughtred. 5. Sam Gallagher, 7. Sam Wilson, 8. Dominic Ferguson (6. Joseph Fox 70’), 10. Brendan Cholakian, 11. Adam Parkhouse (31. Max Rogers 74’), 12. Charles Mendy, 14. Dejan Pandurevic, 17. Lewis Miccio, 23. Bradley McDonald

Substitutes not used: 3. James Georgaklis, 32. Mackenzie Syron, 26. Lachlan McGrath

Yellow Cards: Dominic Ferguson 43’, Sam Gallagher 90+2’

Red Cards: Nil

Rockdale City Suns: 1. David Bradasevic, 3. Michael Neill, 5. Jake Trajkovski, 7. Alec Urosevski, 9. Jonathan Grozdanovski (45. Jordan Figon 66’), 10. Nikola Taneski (8. Aleksander Canak 77’), 11. Leigh Egger, 12. Idris El Hafiane, 15. Nick Petrillo, 19. Patrick Savor (18. Sasa Macura 89’), 23. Panni Nikas

Substitutes not used: 22. Max Rowston, 21. Blake Currey, 16. Alek Malfara

Yellow Cards: Nikola Taneski 70’, Jake Trajkovski 90+2’

Red Cards: Nil

Player Ratings have now been hidden due to the second half of the season commencing.

By National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Reporter Chris Curulli (Twitter handle @ChrisCurulli)

Blacktown City secure Finals Series spot

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Blacktown City secured their spot in the finals with a drama packed 4-2 win on the road against Rockdale City Suns at Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday.

It was third placed Blacktown’s third win from their past four games and stretches their unbeaten run to four matches.

Panny Nikas’ return from a lengthy stint on the sidelines was unable to re-ignite a stuttering Rockdale side as the visitors raced out of the blocks with three unanswered goals thanks to finishes from Mason Versi, Joey Gibbs and Leroy Jennings.

Alec Urosevski and Nikas scored midway through the second half as they tried to lift their struggling Suns side but it wasn’t to be with a Versi goal all but securing the win for Blacktown.

It went from bad to worse for the home side with captain Daniel Petkovski sent off in the final five minutes with the defeat all but ending Rockdale’s hopes of finals football.

It was a physical start to the match with the tackles flying thick and fast from the opening whistle.

Versi, working himself into space, hit the net to put the visitors ahead in the 17th minute with a wonder strike from outside the area that was always curling away from keeper David Bradasevic. It came at the right time and sparked the match into life after becoming entrenched in midfield.

Grant Lynch, picking up the ball inside his half, strode through the centre of the pitch and unleashed a thunderous shot from 35-yards out which hit the woodwork. It was a near miss but Blacktown would be held down long with Gibbs tapping in at close range after 30 minutes to double their lead.

The first half gave the home fans little to smile about with a 45th minute strike from Nikas their only effort on target in the opening stanza as Blacktown went into the break leading 2-0.

Blacktown, for their part, could afford to sit deep after the restart and spring the counter as it was all on their hosts to do.

Urosevski stepped up five minutes after the break but his on target shot hit the back of team-mate Jordan Figon to deflect away for a goal-kick but the home side looked reinvigorated.

However, Blacktown soon made it three with Leroy Jennings firing the visitors to a 3-0 lead after following up on an acrobatic volley from Versi.

Bradasevic did well again moments later when a Gibbs header was arrowing in toward the net, producing a reaction save of some note.

Jennings then twisted and turned in the area bewildering Suns’ skipper Daniel Petkovski, before unleashing once more only for the Suns’ gloveman to tip over the bar.

Rockdale weathered the onslaught and desperate times call for desperate measures as Urosevski pulled a goal back with a rocket of a free-kick in the 64th minute.

It sparked his side into action and only two minutes lated Nikas made it 3-2 with a clinical finish of his own.

Jonathan Grozdanovski came oh so close the leveling the scores in the 83rd minute but his glancing header flashed narrowly wide of the upright.

Versi scored his second of the game after tapping in from close range after a Gibbs free-kick smacked the up-right post with five minutes left on the clock ended any hope of a Rockdale fightback while Petkovski’s red card just added insult to injury.

It was a spirited second-half performance but ultimately it proved too much to overcome a tactically astute Blacktown City.

“We were good for the opening quarter hour,” said a reflective Alec Urosevski after the final whistle

“Then they got a goal against the run of play and added another two before we got back into it.

“We were three-nil down and got a couple back but in the end its tough to come back from that, especially against a team like Blacktown.

“We need to play the remainder of our games the way we played in the second-half today and if we can sneak into the top five, anything can happen from there but we’re bitterly disappointed with the result today.”

Blacktown City coach Mark Crittenden felt his side was unlucky to have conceded two goals but thought it was a solid display.

“We were sitting pretty with three goals but at the end of the day they get two free-kicks and capitalise on them,” he said.

“I cannot think of a save Tristan (Prendergast) has had to make during the match.

“Defensively we set up really well so it is frustrating to have not kept a clean sheet.

“I told the guys at half-time that they would keep coming at us, they have some quality players across the park and this is a tough ground to come to and grind out or get a result so delighted  with the points.”

Match Stats

Rockdale City Suns 2 (Urosevski 64’, Nikas 66’)

Blacktown City 4 (Versi 17’, 86, Gibbs 30’, Jennings 54’ )

Ilinden Sports Centre, Rockdale

Sunday 21st July 2019

Referee: Hassan Jomaa

Assistant Referees: Janush Adabjou & Danny Horstead

Fourth Official: Cameron Wright

Rockdale City Suns: 1.David Bradasevic, 2.Daniel Petkovski, 3.Mick Neill, 5.Jake Trajkovski (17.Matthew Lecce 86’), 7.Alec Urosevski, 10.Nikola Taneski, 12.Idris El Hafiane, 15.Nick Petrillo, 18.Sasa Macura (19.Patrick Savor 58’), 23.Panni Nikas, 45.Jordan Figon (9.Jonathan Grozdanovski 52’)

Substitutes not used: 11.Leigh Egger, 22.Max Rowston

Yellow Cards: Petkovski 28’, 84’, Nikas 90’

Red Cards: Petkovski 84’

Blacktown City: 1.Tristan Prendergast, 3.Daniel Collins, 4.Yianni Spyrakis, 5.Grant Lynch, 6.Matt Lewis, 9.Joey Gibbs, 12.Lachlan Campbell (11.Mani Gonzalez 73’), 15.Mason Versi, 17.Dakota Askew, 19.Adam Berry, 22.Leroy Jennings (35.Brett Da Silva 90+1’)

Substitutes not used: 10.James Demitriou, 20.Dylan Niski, 24.Jackson Bandiera

Yellow Cards: 

Red Cards: 

Player Ratings have now been hidden due to the second half of the season commencing.

By National Premier Leagues NSW Reporter Micky Brock