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Parramatta FC snap losing streak

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Parramatta FC has snapped its 14-match losing streak after battling to a 0-0 draw with Sutherland Sharks in a dour PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s contest at Melita Stadium on Saturday evening.

The stalemate is Parramatta’s first competition point gained since a 2-2 draw with competition frontrunners Blacktown City back in round six and although Marshall Soper’s outfit will take significant pride from the result they will perhaps regret not claiming all three after offering their best performance of the former Socceroos’ short reign so far.

Goal scoring opportunities were extremely limited for both sides on a night haunted by the infamous Melita Stadium bounce.

Despite some standout performers from the home side this was very much an encounter that underlined the shortcomings of the two most youthful squads in the competition.

The result mathematically confirms a bottom-placed finish for Parramatta FC while Sutherland Sharks move level on points with ninth-placed Bonnyrigg but trail the White Eagles on goal difference.

The competition cellar dwellers were vastly improved in last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Hakoah Sydney City East and offered further evidence of their growing resilience and organisation in a gritty opening forty-five minutes.

Soper’s men also came closest to breaking the deadlock all game when midfielder Johnny Kontos’ shot was blocked off the line by Taku Murayama after Yuya Samba’s short corner early on in the first half.

Sutherland were unable to match the intensity of Parramatta FC for much of the contest but carved out two good chances immediately before and after the interval.

Jeremy Cox forced Stefan Giglio into a firm parry at the near post on the cusp of half time before an acrobatic effort from Nathan Elasi was palmed away impressively by the Parramatta shot stopper.

Grant Lee’s side should have opened the scoring midway through the second half when a misjudged back pass from the otherwise flawless Hamish Galbraith put Cox in on goal but the Sharks speedster was unable to pick out a teammate.

Parramatta could sense a winning goal in the dying embers of the match with some promising forays forward but they were unable to convert these fleeting moments of promise into genuine opportunities.

Parramatta FC coach Marshall Soper praised the performance of his players after the match and targeted a victory in next week’s fixture against Bonnyrigg White Eagles.

“We have young boys who are putting their heart on the line every week and are playing to the best of their ability and we are slowly, slowly getting there,” he said.

“We are pretty close and perhaps should’ve made more of it tonight – but it was good to come up against my old mate Grant Lee tonight and we both agreed the draw was the right outcome.”

Sutherland Sharks manager Grant Lee was similarly candid about his team’s showing and lamented a frustrating performance.

“It’s a disappointing result but these are hard games to play in,” Lee said.

“The pitch does play a part, there’s no denying it, but not overly – in the old days when Marshall and myself were playing it was like this every week so you have to learn how to play in these conditions.

“Melita were playing for their lives tonight, they’re fighting for contracts.

“I think we were naïve tonight and that allowed them to stay in the contest.”

Sutherland will end an underwhelming season at home to semi-final hopefuls Sydney Olympic next Sunday afternoon.

Match Stats

Parramatta 0

Sutherland Sharks 0

Saturday 5th August 2017

Melita Stadium, Sefton

Parramatta FC: 11. Nikita Andricopoulos (9. George Panayi 59’), 7. Ryan Blakeley, 18. Adrian Cocaro, 12. Marcus Donatiello, 20. Hamish Galbraith, 1. Stefan Giglio, 8. Ahmad Hasanzadah, 10. Johnny Kontos, 15. Zeke Prisuda, 5. Yuya Samba, 6. Joshua Littlefield (19. Dylan Ellul 69’)

Substitutes Not Used: 4. Marcus Plataniotis, 40. Justin Veljovic

Yellow Cards: N/A

Red Cards: N/A

Sutherland Sharks: 32. Bradley Bartels, 12. Blair Brown, 13. Jeremy Cox (14. Patrick O’Shea 80’), 10. Joshua Da Silva, 11. Nathan Elasi, 17. Claudio Fabiano (25. Wade Oostendorp 11’), 6. Matthew Gordon (34. Jake Borremeo 80’), 9. Tomohiro Kajiyama, 4. Stephen Kayes, 21. Nikolas Loe, 3. Taku Murayama

Substitutes Not Used: 1. Nathan Denham, 15. Kevin Lopes

Yellow Cards: 10. Joshua Da Silva 64’, 11. Nathan Elasi 86’

Red Cards: N/A

-By PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Jacob Windon

Hakoah edge out gritty Parramatta FC

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Hakoah Sydney City East edged out a spirited Parramatta FC side 1-0 at Hensley Athletic Field on Saturday, with a free kick midway through the second half settling the match.

After dominating the opening period of the PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s clash without a breakthrough, Dean Bereveskos put the hosts into a deserved lead in the 74th minute with a free kick which was initially flagged for offside by the linesman, handing Parramatta FC their 14th straight defeat.

Hakoah took hold of the match quickly but took some time before mounting the first notable attack on goal, with Anthony Frangie popping up at the back post to head wide seven minutes after the kickoff.

Frangie would have been frustrated at missing what appeared a simple chance and looked to make amends soon after, cutting inside from the wing and curling a dangerous shot towards the far post. Aleksander Lekoski was next to go close for Hakoah, flicking a header over the crossbar midway through the half, before Parramatta FC’s Adrian Cocaro tested Anthony Bouzanis with a snapshot which the goalkeeper touched over for a corner.

Frangie was again at the centre of the action when he snatched at a ball which fell to him in the box, but Stefan Giglio was on hand to make a sharp save. The half petered out somewhat as Parramatta FC found their feet, but despite some impressive attacking play, particularly through Marcus Donatiello, Bouzanis was left untroubled in the Hakoah goal.

The second half began as the first ended, the cold night perhaps responsible in part for the slow start. A series of stoppages for injuries served to interrupt momentum even further, and it wasn’t until the hour mark that either team had registered another attempt on goal; usual suspect Frangie drilling a low shot towards the back post which Giglio did well to push away.

Donatiello lit up the match with a thrilling move deserving of a goal, skipping through the midfield at breakneck speed and playing a clever one-two before the play broke down, as Dean Bereveskos let out his frustrations up the other end with an optimistic shot from distance.

Man of the moment Bereveskos was typically determined to make his mark on the match, and did so in the 74th minute with a free kick which bounced just ahead of the goalkeeper and skipped inside the far post. The linesman raised his flag for offside against Bradley Walker, however the referee deemed that the defender hadn’t interfered with play, and awarded the goal after a long consultation with his assistant.

Parramatta FC should have drawn level during a goalmouth scramble which saw two quick shots deflected off Hakoah defenders, but were ultimately left clinging to their one-goal deficit as Hakoah searched for the killer blow; Aleksander Lekoski and Frangie both wasting chances to close the match out in its final few moments.

“We had to make a few changes, with our FFA Cup match going to extra time during the week,” said Hakoah’s player coach Gavin Rae (himself out of the team this week).

“But it was a good chance to have a look at some young guys.

“I thought they did okay. It’s a win – we can certainly perform better, but it’s a win.”

“We had five 17-year olds out there tonight,” said Parramatta FC’s Marshall Soper, “We’ve got so many players playing their first match for the club, but they don’t look like it. That performance is encouraging – the players are devastated with the end result, but that’s a good thing.

“We’re making steady progress, without question – off the field, we are making good progress. There were some great individual performances, and it was a good, solid team performance as well.”

Match Stats

Hakoah Sydney City East FC 1 (Bereveskos 74′)

Parramatta FC 0

Saturday 29 July 2017, at Hensley Athletic Field

Referee: S. Lucas

Assistant referees: P. Teleki and O. Lawton

4th official: L. Ledden

Hakoah Sydney City East FC: 15. BEREVESKOS Dean, 5. BLUMBERG Dylan, 1. BOUZANIS Anthony, 10. DE JONG Andre, 6. DRAPER Cameron, 14. FRANGIE Anthony, 16. GREEN Oliver, 36. JONES Lee, 40. KOUTA Michael, 7. LEKOSKI Aleksander, 17. SWEET Gideon

Subs: 45. FIGUEIRA Michael, 33. SHADDOCK Connor, 4. WALKER Bradley, 30. ELDRIDGE Connor, 18. JONES Harry

Yellow Cards: N/A

Red Cards: N/A

Parramatta FC: 7. BLAKELEY Ryan, 18. COCARO Adrian, 12. DONATIELLO Marcus, 20. GALBRAITH Hamish, 1. GIGLIO Stefan, 8. HASANZADAH Ahmad, 10. KONTOS Johnny, 6. LITTLEFIELD Joshua, 15. PRISUDA Zeke, 5. SAMBA Yuya, 3. TSIOULOS Nathan

Subs: 9. PANAYI George, 2. ABOUCHAAYA Camil, 19. ELLUL Dylan

Yellow Cards: Galbraith 69′, Tsioulos 77′

Red Cards: N/A

-By PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Max Grieve

 

Sydney United 58 back in the top five

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Sydney United 58 have re-entered the PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s top five after easily accounting for 10-man Parramatta 5-0 in their round 19 clash at Melita Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Edensor Park side struck twice in an eventful opening fifteen minutes with the Reds racing to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Panny Nikas and Matt Sim.

Parramatta were reduced to ten men after 13 minutes following a red card to Victor Anyimba who was dismissed for lashing out at Peter Markovic on the halfway line – a decision the Parramatta FC would end up regretting more as the game continued leaving his troops one man down.

The striker’s removal cut any hopes of an unlikely Parramatta comeback short, and although Marshall Soper’s side battled diligently for the remainder of the contest, the visitors added three second half goals through Sim as well as substitutes Adrian Vranic and Yutaro Shin to leapfrog Sydney Olympic into fifth position.

With the two rivals set to face each other next Sunday in what looks to be a decisive fixture in the race for finals football, the visiting Reds were eager to continue their end of season momentum at Melita Stadium and broke the deadlock inside five minutes when Nikas curled an unstoppable free kick past Stefan Giglio.

Nikas then turned provider ten minutes later after threading a superb ball through to Sim who doubled the advantage for the visitors with a smart far-post finish.

Anyimba’s dismissal provided a period of respite for the Eagles who defended stoutly for the remainder of the half, although Giglio was forced into two excellent saves to deny Sim from point blank range and Nicholas Olsen in first half stoppage time.

United 58 dropped several levels of intensity after the interval but enjoyed a slew of chances to add a third, most notably through substitute Glen Trifiro who was unable to turn home a Nikas corner at the back post.

The visitors eventually broke through again with twenty minutes remaining when Vranic arrived off the bench to steer a Matthew Bilic cross into the top left corner.

Parramatta offered a few promising moments going forward despite the weight of United 58 pressure with Marcus Donatiello in particular going close after a mazy run but seeing his effort blocked by Markovic.

Sim claimed his brace and Sydney United’s fourth with a spectacular overhead kick from underneath the crossbar after Trifiro and Shin combined in the box.

And the Japanese attacker got his name on the scoresheet in stoppage time when he fired into an empty net following a delightful exchange on the edge of the area between Nikas and Trifiro.

The defeat is Parramatta’s thirteenth consecutive loss but the Eagles will likely take some heart from a brave showing against a more seasoned and canny outfit.

Parramatta will be aiming to avoid a fourteenth loss in a row when they travel to Hensley Athletic Field next Saturday night to play Hakoah Sydney City East.

Match Stats

Parramatta 0

Sydney United 58 5 (Nikas 5’, Sim 15’, Vranic 70’, Sim 87’, Shin 90’)

Sunday 23rd of July 2017

Melita Stadium, Sefton

Referee: Adrian Arndt

Assistant Referees: Ray Osbourne & James Gwynne

Fourth Official: Cameron Wright

Parramatta FC: 17. Victor Anyimba, 7. Ryan Blakeley, 12. Marcus Donatiello, 20. Hamish Galbraith, 1. Stefan Giglio, 8. Ahmad Hasanzadah (9. George Panayi 71’), 10. Jonny Kontos, 6. Joshua Littlefield (18. Adrian Cocaro 65’), 4. Marcus Plataniotis, 5. Yuya Samba, 3. Nathan Tsioulos

Substitutes Not Used:

Yellow Cards: Yuya Samba 41’

Red Cards: Victor Anyimba 12’

Sydney United 58: 17. Matthew Bilic, 21. Thomas Manos, 20. Peter Markovic, 3. Michael Neill, 23. Panagiotis Nikas, 32. Nicholas Olsen (7. Yutaro Shin 45’), 66. Christopher Payne (9. Adrian Vranic 65’), 11. Yianni Perkatis (18. Glen Trifiro 45’), 8. Matthew Sim, 14. Nicholas Stavroulakis, 5. Anthony Tomelic

Substitutes Not Used: 16. Stjepan Paric, 30. Lucas Pervan

Yellow Cards: Michael Neill 48’

Red Cards: N/A

-By PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Jacob Windon

Blacktown City close in on Premiership

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Blacktown City strengthened its PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Premiership credentials after defeating struggling Parramatta 3-1 in a scrappy contest at Melita Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The visitors cantered to a 2-0 lead at half time thanks to Zac Cairncross’ opener and a Mitch Mallia penalty.

A fine solo effort from Victor Anyimba reduced the deficit for Parramatta but hopes of a fightback were extinguished by a late goal from Connor Evans.

The result leaves City six points ahead of second-placed APIA Leichhardt following the Tigers’ shock 2-1 defeat to Sydney FC on Saturday night.

Parramatta offered a spirited second half display but were ultimately outclassed by the premiership favourites who consigned the embattled club to their tenth consecutive defeat.

The visitors had to be patient but broke the deadlock from an Evans corner in the final ten minutes of the first half where Cairncross put away his second goal of the season at the back post following a goalmouth scramble.

Blacktown should’ve doubled their lead shortly after when Mallia picked out an unmarked Grant Lynch from a free kick but the City defender looped his header onto the roof of the net.

Parramatta had otherwise defended stoutly throughout the first half but a rash challenge inside the box from Eagles defender Yuya Samba on Blacktown forward Peter Cejka saw Mallia put the visitors in cruise control from the penalty spot.

The Eagles had failed to test Blacktown gloveman Tristan Prendergast in the opening half but halved the deficit with their first meaningful foray on goal when Anyimba pulled a goal back minutes into the second half.

The recent Hills Brumbies arrival showed great balance and power to drive towards goal from distance while skipping over several Blacktown challenges before poking the ball beyond Prendergast for his first strike in Parramatta colours.

Anyimba nearly gave Parramatta an unlikely equalizer midway through the half but saw a shot from point blank range expertly blocked by Cairncross.

The hosts continued to rally but were unable to pick their way through a dogged City outfit and were put to the sword with ten minutes remaining when a Mallia corner evaded Parramatta keeper Corey Finch and landed at the feet of Evans who added Blacktown’s third.

City assistant Luke Roodenburg hailed a positive end to a week which saw Blacktown beaten 3-0 by APIA Leichhardt in the Waratah Cup semi-final.

“We were obviously disappointed by what happened midweek and it’s a difficult pitch to come and play on here so we’re delighted with the three points,” he said.

“We’re looking forward to a rest next week – then we have five games to win.”

Although unable to prevent another defeat, Parramatta FC assistant coach Paul Carter said there were plenty of positives to take from the performance.

“Blacktown is probably the best side in the league at the moment and at the end of the day they haven’t scored against us in open play today.”

Match Stats

Parramatta 1 (Anyimba 51’)

Blacktown City 3 (Cairncross 35’, Mallia 45’ (P), Evans 81’)

Sunday 2nd July 2017

Melita Stadium, Sefton

Parramatta FC: 11. Nikita Andricopoulos, 17. Victor Anyimba (15. Cameron Juntree 70’), 7. Ryan Blakeley, 12. Marcus Donatiello, 40. Corey Finch, 8. Ahmad Hasanzadah, 10. Johnny Kontos (18. Adrian Cocaro 78’), 2. Bibek Panta, 4. Marcus Plataniotis, 5. Yuya Samba, 3. Nathan Tsioulos

Substitutes Not Used: 1. Stefan Giglio, 14. George Panayi, 8. Anthony Morena

Yellow Cards: Donatiello 25’, Kontos 37’, Tsioulos 90+2’

Red Cards: N/A

Blacktown City: 8. Daniel Araujo (17. Lewis Beumie 83’), 19. Zachary Cairncross, 23. Pete Cejka (9. Joey Gibbs 54’), 10. Connor Evans, 22. Yuta Konagaya, 5. Matthew Lewis, 6. Grant Lynch, 14. Mitchell Mallia, 1. Tristan Prendergast, 16. Mark Rodic, 4. Roberto Speranza (12. James Andrew 45’)

Substitutes Not Used: 20. Tomislav Romic

Parramatta FC no match for rising Suns

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Rockdale City Suns cruised to a 2-0 victory over last placed Parramatta FC during their rescheduled PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Round 14 clash at Melita Stadium played on Wednesday evening.

Two superb headers from Blake Ricciuto and former Sydney FC defender Trent McClenahan in the first half was enough to see off a Parramatta FC team which showed plenty of heart but lacked the polish required to end their horror run of losses.

Parramatta FC started the contest brightly as Yuta Samba flashed a free-kick wide after an earlier effort was headed wide from Nathan Tsioulos.

The visitors started to work their way into the contest as Jordan Figon had a close-range effort saved before Eagles keeper Stefan Giglio was called into action again from the rebound.

Both sides looked dangerous from set-pieces but it was Rockdale who managed to put the ball in the back of the net. A dangerous delivery forced a dramatic save from Giglio then the rebound fell to Blake Ricciuto to head home for a 1-0 lead.

Rockdale City Suns appeared more comfortable on the ball after the goal and had Parramatta struggling to contain an elusive Toufic Alameddine who was dangerous down the wing on every occasion he received the ball.

Ante Covic was forced into action when he had to sprawl full length to deny Ryan Blakeley as the Eagles pushed back against the Suns.

Just before half-time it was another set-piece which lead to a second goal for the visitors.

Paul Reid delivered a stunning ball for McClenahan to head home.

In the second half Rockdale City Suns continued to look strong on the ball. Figon almost created a chance when he shrugged off a defender to find Ricciuto who fired his effort wide.

Substitute Alec Urosevski found space down the left side before Harris Gaitatzis headed his cross over the bar.

Rockdale player-coach Paul Reid was happy with the result and the performance of his players.

“In terms of what we had to do tonight, we had to get the three points which we did. We got the goals and could have got even more. It was a professional performance,” said Reid.

“I said to the boys at half-time to not concede a goal and take third position outright. We did that and I am happy with that.”

For Parramatta FC coach Marshall Soper it was about development of the team.

“The first five games of my reign has been against the top five sides. We have only conceded from set pieces though, nothing from general play which is good. We can coach the rest of it especially as there are some very young players in there,” Soper said.

Match Stats

Parramatta FC 0

Rockdale City Suns FC 2 (Ricciuto ’28 and McClenahan ’44)

Wednesday, July 5 2017

Melita Stadium, Sefton

Parramatta FC: 1. GIGLIO Stefan, 2. PANTA Bibek, 3. TSIOULOS Nathan, 5. SAMBA Yuta, 7. BLAKELEY Ryan (PRISUDA ’88), 8. HASANZADAH Ahmad (PLANTANIOTIS ’55), 10. KONTOS Johnny, 11. ANDRICOPOULOS Nikita, 12. DONATIELLO Marcus, 17. ANYIMA Victor and 20. GALBRAITH Hamish

Substitutes not used: 15. JUNTREE Cameron, 18. COCARO Adrian and 40. FINCH Corey

Yellow cards: Tsioulos, Panta, Plantaniotis

Red cards: nil

Rockdale City Suns: 3. HESKETH Steve, 4. MCCLENAHAN Trent, 5. REID Paul (SAVOR ’82), 6. RICCIUTO Blake, 8. CANAK Aleksandar (GROZDANOVSKI ’63), 10. GAITATZIS Harris, 16. SAVOR Issac, 17. ALAMEDDINE Toufic (UROSEVSKI ’73), 18. SARIC Daniel, 22. COVIC Ante and 23. FIGON Jordan

Substitutes not used: 1. BRADASEVIC David and 2. PETKOVSKI Daniel

Yellow cards: Alameddine

Red cards: nil

-By PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s reporter Justin Davies