In an exciting end-to-end PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s clash at Edensor Park, Sydney United 58 and APIA Leichhardt Tigers shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw on Sunday.

APIA’s Nick Olsen proved to be a thorn in United’s side with a Man of the Match performance for the visitors, while Panni Nikas again showed his class for the home team.

A Nikas free kick opened the scoring for United 58 early in the second half before Olsen struck back moments later.

Chris Payne gave the home side the lead with 30 minutes left to play but Olsen once again played the role of party pooper to perfection scoring his second in the 83rd minute to ensure his team went home with a point.

It wasn’t a great performance from Sydney United 58 as they dropped the chance to clinch the PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s Premiership with three weeks to play as rivals and Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32 opponents Blacktown City have kept their hopes alive in possible snatching it off the Reds.

United had a golden opportunity to open the scoring inside the first minute when a pinpoint Nikas free kick was headed just wide by sharpshooter Chris Payne.

Despite the early opportunity, it was APIA who dominated the first half, creating enough chances to win three matches let alone one.

But try as they did, Danial Cummins’ side just couldn’t find the back of the net. United meanwhile seemed to be in a state of perpetual hibernation, possibly playing their most uninspiring football of the season.

For APIA the ever-dangerous Nick Olsen found Tasuku Sekiya in front of goal, but the linesman raised his flag for offside. Olsen was at it again in the 19th minute, but Corey Biczo blasted his shot over the bar. APIA strung together some accurate passes and created several opportunities. Biczo was upended just outside the box, while Elasi eventually headed wide.

In the 23rd minute Chris Payne again went close, this time heading a cross onto the bar.

But such was APIA’s dominance that for every opportunity created by United, the visitors created three.

Sekiya set up Zane Sole only to see his shot fly over the bar. The visitors at times opened the United defence at will, a scenario that would have caused coach Mark Rudan a serious case of indigestion. But despite their dominance, the visitors failed to capitalise and were unable to find the back of the net. Elasi missed a sitter in the 38th minute while another chance went begging just as referee Ben Abraham blew for halftime.

“Come on United! Wake up!” shouted someone in the crowd.

His urging seemed to work as United started the first half with the intensity they lacked in the opening 45 minutes.

And as always it was that man Nikas who came to his side’s rescue. First of all, he unleashed a rocket that went just wide and in the 55th minute he finally broke the deadlock with a brilliant free kick that left APIA keeper Ryan Norval grasping at thin air.

But despite the setback, APIA refused to back down, with Nick Olsen being causing all sorts of dramas in the United defence. First of all he wriggled his way past two defenders only to shoot straight at the keeper. But just past the hour mark, he drove home the equaliser after a brilliant run down the right flank by Corey Biczo.

United hit straight back, with Tratt missing a golden opportunity to give his side a lead. But a few minutes later Chris Payne did what he does best and in a one-on-one with Norval, slipped the ball home to give United a 2-1 lead.

In the 73rd minute APIA’s Sekiya hit a volley just wide and 10 minutes later it was that man Olsen who again came to his side’s rescue, slotting home the equalizer from close range.

Just a minute shy of fulltime, Nikas went agonizingly close to scoring the winner with yet another brilliant free kick. The ball beat Norval but sailed wide of the near post. APIA had a golden opportunity themselves but United 58 keeper Thomas Manos came to the rescue, diving at the feet of the APIA attacker, before parrying a rocket from Olsen. In the end, a draw was probably a reasonable outcome.

“We didn’t lose and that’s a bonus,” said Sydney United 58 coach Mark Rudan.

“Individually APIA’s a fantastic side and they’re fighting for survival. The club is in relegation mode and it was important that we matched their aggression, intensity and desire because you could see from the outset that they were hungry to pick up all three points.

“I wasn’t entirely happy with the first half but (in the second half) we took the lead on two occasions but we weren’t good enough to hold on.”

Meanwhile, APIA coach Danial Cummins rued an opportunity missed but was still proud of his team’s efforts.

“Definitely an opportunity missed,” Cummins said.

“They’re on top of the table for a reason, they’re a very good side. I’m very proud of my boys, we showed a lot of character and probably showed that we’re capable but just not consistent enough.

“The first half I thought our structure was quite good. But throughout the game we didn’t go wide quick enough. But when we did get wide and got the crosses in, we created opportunities.

“There was a lot on the line for us reputation-wise tonight and we needed to back up that (great) first half and put in a good shift in the second half. I feel like we did that.” 

Wednesday will see the home side tackle Blacktown City FC in the Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32 at Lily Homes Stadium with kick off set for 7:30pm – a match not to be missed by anyone.

Match Stats

Sydney United 58: 2 (Nikas 55’, Payne 66’)

APIA Leichhardt Tigers: 2 (Olsen 62’ 83’)

Sunday 24 July 2016

Sydney United Sports Centre, Edensor Park

Referee: B Abraham

Assistant Referees: N Wotton, R Osborne

Fourth Official: T Harris

SYDNEY UNITED 58: 21. Thomas MANOS (GK), 4. Eddy BOSNAR, 6. Chris PAYNE, 8. Peter TRIANTIS, 10. Robert MILESKI (7. Shin YUTARO), 14. Nick STAVROULAKIS, 18. Glen TRIFIRO, 19. Matthew BILIC (33. Nathan SHERLOCK), 20. Tomislav USKOK (17. Theo KOFINAS), 23. Panny NIKAS, 24. Jacob TRATT.

Unused Subs: 11. Nikola TANESKI, 40. Gabriel KOLIOMIHOS

Yellow Cards: 6. Chris PAYNE, 14. Nick STAVROULAKIS, 17. Theo KOFINAS, 23. Panny NIKAS,

Red Cards:

Coach: Mark RUDAN

APIA LEICHHARDT TIGERS: 92. Ryan NORVAL (GK), 6. Luke AUSTIN, 8. COREY BICZO, 9. Nathan ELASI (11. Jordan MURRAY), 15. Themba MUATA-MARLOW, 16. Sean SYMONS, 18. Adrian UCCHINO (10. Franco PARISI), 19. Brandon LUNDY, 20. Tasuku SEKIYA, 22. Zane SOLE, 23. Nick OLSEN

Unused Subs: 4. Bradley BARTELS, 5. Brendan HOOPER, 50. Blake TUXFORD (GK)

Yellow Cards: 8. COREY BICZO, 19. Brandon LUNDY, 9. Nathan ELASI, 18. Adrian UCCHINO, 23. Nick OLSEN.

Coach: Danial Cummins

By Derek Royal, PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s reporter

Sydney United 58 FC has stretched its lead at the top of the PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition with a comprehensive 3-0 win against APIA Leichhardt at Lambert Park on Sunday pushing the headline that this could be the club’s year.

Goals to two usual suspects in Panni Nikas, Chris Payne and Robbie Mileski helped Mark Rudan’s side to its seventh straight win.

It was a tough day at the office for APIA who challenged United 58 for most of the match but lacked the killer edge required to take down the competition’s top side.

Only three minutes into the match Panagiotis Nikas was brought down in the box by Sean Symons and Kurt Ams awarded a penalty to Sydney United – their fourth in two games.

Nikas dusted himself off and sent the ‘keeper the wrong way from the spot to give the visitors and early 1-0 lead.

In the 16th minute a delightful cross from the right and was met by a powerful drive from Nicholas Olsen but Theo Kofinas was there to clear it off his own goal line for the visitors.

Sydney United 58 FC responded and doubled its lead. A cross from the left resulted in the ball reaching Chris Payne in the 22nd minute and all he had to do was tap it in against his former club.

It was an easy goal that perhaps the defence could have done a little bit better to clear.

Another chance for APIA arrived in the 25th minute when a lovely corner reached Themba Muata-Marlow who headed the ball just wide of the goal.

In the 28th minute a corner reached Nikas just outside the area and he tried to volley it home unsuccessfully.

The game ebbed and flowed from end to end. In the 30th minute a Tasuku Sekiya free-kick from just outside the area curled over the wall and just wide of the intended target.

Five minutes later a hook shot from Payne was well saved by Norval who then made sure he held onto the ball as the Sydney United 58 FC striker was standing over him ready to pounce.

From one end to the other, the chances kept on coming.

In the 44th minute an audacious shot from some distance by Bradley Bartels missed the goal by the faintest of margins and, right at the death of the first stanza of play, APIA should definitely have taken the lead when a Jordan Murray header went across the entire face of goal.

Sydney United 58 FC goalkeeper Thomas Manos made a great save only three minutes into the second half when he was forced to stop a Murray header.

The Jordan Murray-show continued in the 60th minute: his shot from just outside the box was well parried by Manos.

In the 75th minute a real majestic volley by Brendan Hooper finished just wide of the post but, had it gone in, would have been a goal to remember for the Tigers.

Sydney United 58 FC, under so much pressure, did go up the other end of the field and score in a beautiful counterattacking move. A long ball by Nikas found Payne who back heeled to Robert Mileski who then slotted home for the visitors in the 88th minute.

Late in the game in the 90th minute Nicholas Stavroulakis received his second yellow card and was sent off but by now the game was over.

After the match Sydney United 58 FC’s assistant coach Jerry Bilokapic was happy with the win but certainly was maintaining a level footing.

“It was a battle and APIA is a good side,” he said.

“We came here to get a result and I won’t say that things were pretty, but we did enough to win the game.

“We are playing as a team and we are working hard for each other and that’s the main thing. At training, the boys are putting in and everyone is hungry to play because they want a spot in the team.”

Over in the APIA Leichhardt Tigers dressing room new coach Danial Cummins, their fourth in six months, wasn’t too displeased because the game was more evenly balanced than the final score showed.

“It hurts to lose because this is a proud club with high expectations,” the 38 year old former Tigers defender said.

“We had a clear game plan and it took us about 15 minutes to get the structure right, but once they got that right we played so much better.

“It’s disappointing that we didn’t take all of our chances but they are a good side. If we had put one of those chances away it would have been a different game. I am very proud of our players because they turned up and played well, but the score line will read 3-0 and people who didn’t see the game will think something different.”

Match Stats

APIA Leichhardt Tigers 0

Sydney United 58 FC 3 (Nikas 3’ (pen), Payne 22’, Mileski 88’)

Sunday 1^st May 2016

Lambert Park, Leichhardt

Referee: Kurt Ams

Assistant Referees: Joon Park, Nicholas Backo
Fourth Official: Nathan McOrist

APIA Leichhardt Tigers: 92. NORVAL Ryan, 2. MILLGATE Nathan, 4. BARTELS Bradley (8. BICZO Corey 61’), 5. HOOPER Brendan, 6.  AUSTIN Luke (3. FSADNI Matthew 87’), 10. PARISI Franco, 11. MURRAY Jordan, 16. SYMONS Sean, 20. SEKIYA Tasuku (19. HASEGAWA Kenta 89’), 21. MUATA-MARLOW Themba, 23. OLSEN Nicholas

Substitutes not used: 45. TUXFORD Blake, 17. VLASTELICA Adrian

Yellow Cards: Nil

Red Cards: Nil

Sydney United 58 FC: 21. MANOS Thomas, 3. MOCHIZUKI Masato, 6. PAYNE Christopher, 7. SHIN Yutaro, 8. USKOK Tom 9. TRIANTIS Peter (11. TANESKI Nikola 53’), 10. MILESKI Robert, 14. STAVROULAKIS Nicholas, 17. KOFINAS Theo, 19. BILIC Matthew, 23. NIKAS Panagiotis.

Substitutes not used:  1. DEPTA Andrew, 2. VLISMAS Kristopher, 4. VRLIC Anthony

Yellow Cards: Kofinas 28’, Stavroulakis 63’

Red Cards: Stavroulakis 90’

Player Ratings

3- Panni Nikas (SU)

2– Jordan Murray (APIA)

1– Chris Payne (SU)

-by Joe Russo, PlayStation®National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Reporter, at Lambert Park, Leichhardt.

APIA Leichhardt Tigers recorded a routine 2-0 win over Sydney United 58 FC at Lambert Park on Sunday afternoon with first half goals from Nathan Elasi and Adrian Ucchino. 

A red card to United young gun Chris Zuvela early in the second half meant that APIA were able to see out the match in relative comfort, ending a three-match winless streak with the victory.
Sydney United 58 Fc looked to gently probe their opponents from kickoff, but APIA settled into the ascendancy with relative ease, with Parisi combining well with Elasi at the head of the home side’s attack to work a number of half-chances on goal for their teammates within the opening ten minutes.
Corey Biczo was first to go close for the Tigers; a quick burst of pace up the right flank followed by a thumping shot from a narrow angle, which settled in the side-netting after flying just wide of the near post.
The Reds were not without chances of its own, though they failed to make APIA pay for lapses in defence. 
The visitors’ most obvious opportunities to break the deadlock came from the set piece: a deep Koen Bosma corner fell fortuitously for Chris Triantis, who could only thrash a wild shot high and wide.
Soon after, Bosma swung a low pass across goal to Panni Nikas from a free kick on the right, and though a gap opened up momentarily for a shot, a lunging APIA defender blocked the midfielder’s effort from a few meters out.
APIA responded with a quick break led up the right side by Nicholas Olsen, who crossed to Adrian Ucchino on the edge of the penalty area, but he sliced his volley wide without testing Justin Pasfield.
In the 18th minute, APIA made a deserved breakthrough. Spotting Nathan Elasi drifting alone near the far post, Franco Parisi hit a cross-field pass which dropped perfectly in front of goal for the winger, who connected with the ball first-time to volley past Pasfield and put APIA in the lead.  
The opening goal gave way to a flurry of yellow cards, with Marc Warren, Adrian Ucchino and Zuvela all going into the referee’s notebook as the first half wore on.
APIA very nearly scored a carbon copy of their first goal when Parisi crossed long to Elasi in the middle again, but this time Pasfield was quick to rush the striker, and did enough to put him off as his shot dribbled wide of the far post.
Ucchino doubled the home side’s advantage in the 37th minute after a slalom run from Parisi down the byline; the midfielder passing across the face of goal to his teammate, who slammed a shot past a defender on the line to give APIA a 2-0 lead just before halftime.
The second half began as the first had ended save for a brief period of determined Sydney United 58 FC resistance, which ended when an over-zealous Zuvela earned his second yellow card – and a red – for a foul on Stephen Kayes in an innocuous position on the halfway line.
Two goals and a man up, APIA was content to slow the tempo of the game and frustrate Sydney United without the ball.
Parisi nearly scored a goal of his own when he broke clear of two United defenders on the edge of the area, but left his shot too long, allowing Pasfield to shut him down for a corner which ultimately came to nothing.
Sydney United 58 FC might have pulled one back just after the hour mark when Nikola Taneski worked some room for a shot in the box, but Marc Warren slid across to block a certain goal and hold APIA’s two-goal advantage.
With Taneski and Nikas finding themselves increasingly isolated up front for the visitors, APIA relied on David D’Apuzzo and Stephen Kayes to provide attacking impetus up the flanks, though their final passes often missed Elasi in the centre.

Nikas stung the palms of Ryan Norval in the APIA goal with a driven shot from outside the box as the game ground towards an inevitable conclusion, and had a second opportunity – perhaps Sydney United 58’s best of the game – in injury time, hitting his shot straight at Norval after receiving the ball on the penalty spot from Brett Studman.

With the final whistle, Sydney United 58 FC could reflect on a match of missed opportunities. 
"We had to keep going, and improve in the second half,” said United midfielder Panni Nikas.
"We didn’t think the game was lost at halftime, and if we had a bit more composure it might’ve been different, because we had chances.
“It’s always difficult playing with ten men, especially when you’re 2-0 down, but we committed ourselves well and probably played better with ten than we did with eleven."
APIA’s Rod Williams was particularly pleased with the way his team had bounced back after a disappointing draw last weekend.
"It was a great result. The boys worked well – from the goalkeeper all the way through the team, it was a great performance,” Williams said.
"We knocked the ball around well and kept possession much better than we did last time out – we learned our lesson from last week when we conceded twice in the last couple of minutes, and got the result today."
Match Stats
APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC 2 (Elasi 18′, Ucchino 37′)
Sydney United 58 FC 0
Sunday July 19, 2015
Lambert Park
APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC: Norval, Bartels, Biczo (D’Apuzzo 35′), Elasi, Kayes (Vlastelica 89′), Millgate, Olsen, Parisi, Studman, Ucchino, Warren (Griffiths 83′)
Subs not used: Bazi, Scott
Yellow Cards: Warren 24′, Ucchino 30′, D’Apuzzo 56′, Elasi 64′
Sydney United 58 FC: Pasfield, Bosma (Cindric 40′), Camera, Dragicevic, Nikas, Sherlock, Stamatellis, Taneski, Triantis (Koton 80′), Zuvela
Subs not used: Tomelic, K. Vlismas, Babic
Yellow Cards: Zuvela 28′, 49′, Triantis 59′
Red Cards: Zuvela 49′
– By Max Grieve, PS4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s 1 reporter