Reserve Grade – Sydney FC 2-1 Western Sydney Wanderers
The opening match of the 2022 NSWPFA Powerchair League season saw a Sydney Derby to kick things off. Despite having to withstand some Wanderers pressure early on, it was the sky blues who hit the scoreboard first through the always enthusiastic Fletcher Ball. With the ball in the box before a second defender could effectively help, Ball found a way to find the lead which they kept to end the half.
It wasn’t until the second half that the red and black fought back with their delivery finally working its way through the defence. Jye Mokluk was good enough to find a persistent Jaxon Taylor, with Taylor managing to find Patrick Nolan at the far post before the defence could reach him and stop a tap-in. But the lead would be retaken moments later. Some changes from the sky blues brought Josh Ryan on, and he immediately found the eventual winner. Firing a shot at the post from a sideline hit-in, Ryan squeezed the ball into a gap that didn’t appear to exist to retake the lead.
A tense ending to the match saw the red and black fight to the end, but a determined sky blue outfit held on and saw that the three points secured.
Match stats:
Sydney FC 2 (Ball 12’, Ryan 24’)
Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (Nolan 22’)
Premier League – Western Sydney Wanderers 6-0 Sydney FC
Player movements in the offseason were sure to make the first Sydney Premier League Powerchair Derby for 2022 an interesting one. Former Sydney FC captain Jordan Crane crossed town to join the Wanderers, while the sky blues gained young guns Daniel O’Brien from the Wanderers and Josh Ryan from Hills United to bolster their youth-based resurgence. Coming up against an experienced and hungry red and black outfit, the youngsters fought hard for the opening 10 minutes. Eventually the pressure built and the Wanderers gained the ascendancy through their new signing. Crane fired at goal, squeezing a tough ball to save between defenders, before Andrew Kim, another previous sky blue now wearing red and black for his second season, found himself 1 on 1 with the keeper, his faked shot allowing the ball to roll past a stranded Harry Simmons in goal.
A minute late, Crane found Ben Keyte for the Wanderers’ captain’s first of the season with a well delivered sideline set play. The sky blues made changes at the half, but the flood continued, with Crane finding Keyte with two identical crosses from the same spot. Keyte would finish smartly to open the season with a composed hat-trick before Kim would put an exclamation point on the result with his second. A dominant display by the red and black to claim the three points, but plenty to learn for their rivals and improvement will be sure to come quickly.
Match stats:
Western Sydney Wanderers 6 (Crane 12’, Kim 16’ 36’, Keyte 17’ 22’ 27’)
Sydney FC 0
Reserve Grade – Hills United 2-0 Newcastle Jets
A battle of the top two from last season to open proceedings in both divisions was sure to be exciting, particularly after Hills United recruited former Wanderer Matthew Mallows. With Joshua Ryan departing for Sydney FC, Hills had a hole to cover, but Mallows showed that would be no issue with an early goal. The opening whistle had barely gone off before he found the opening goal. Shooting from long-range to the far post, the stretched defence couldn’t quite cover the space, with Chris Holmes there to clean up had the shot fallen short. Still, as shown last season, the Jets reminded their opponents of their prowess. Despite being unable to breach the defence, a period of sustained pressure from the lethal combination of Ryan Seck and Jake Vidakovic sounded the warning signs.
With Samir Eshani and Mallows forming a solid wall to fight the set pieces, continual pressure from the Jets saw them camped in the box. As the half drew on, finally a clearance found Holmes up front. Streaking up the field, Holmes found the second as he dribbled home from half-way. A scrappy second half from Hills allowed the Jets back into the game but a goal couldn’t be found, even with more sustained pressure. Dogged defending stopped Holmes from adding to Hills’ advantage late on after another breakaway, but the damage had been done.
Match stats:
Hills United 2 (Mallows 1’, Holmes 16’)
Newcastle Jets 0
Premier League – Hills United 2-0 Newcastle Jets
The Hills-Jets rivalry was set to continue from the kick-off as the top two from Season 2021 found themselves facing off to begin Season 2022. From the off, it was certain the match would be one of high intensity as both teams poked and prodded for an opening. Trading attacks, with the Jets working from the sideline and Hills trying to spread with their passing, an opener evaded the teams for the opening exchanges. Eventually Jacob Cross found Chris Suffield on the wing who crossed to Abdullah Karim on the opposite side of the court. A spin from Karim found Suffield again, sending the defenders scrambling before a well-timed spin of his own from Suffield split the defenders for a spectacular opener.
With the Jets surging forward from the kick-off, Cross was able to pick off a powerful cross from deep in his own half. A stranded James Kim, having pushed up aggressively could do nothing but watch as the ball flew in from extreme range to double the Hills lead. The yellow managed to create a few more chances, but the Jets had the final attempts of the half. When the second half began, it was the Jets who managed to get the match flowing in their direction, with captain Dimitri Liolio-Davis dictating play from the centre. A chippy period was to follow, with strong defence from the Hills pair of Suffield and Turnbull and Jets duo of Kim and Liolio-Davis shutting their opponents out effectively to stop the scoring.
Eventually the time dwindled, and despite some more aggression and increased passing, the Jets couldn’t find a response. A relieved Hills United would be glad to earn their three points unscathed, while the Jets would look to build against a high-flying Wanderers next weekend.
Match stats:
Hills United 2 (Suffield 10’, Cross 11’)
Newcastle Jets 0