Reserve Grade – Sydney FC 11-0 Newcastle Jets
Looking to bounce back from a tough loss, Sydney FC were eager to get back into the winner’s circle. Up against them was a Jets side who earned a point in their last outing in a surprise result. Still missing Jake Vidakovic through illness, his Jets teammate Rumeth Herath shifted into centre, partnering Jack Bridge in goals with Cooper Greenwood and Molly Boland on the wings. The Sky Blues started Mitchell Albert in the centre with Cameron Moody and Fletcher Ball on the wings. It didn’t take long for Sydney FC to put the pressure on with Albert finding gaps in the Newcastle defence with ease. Despite Herath and Bridge’s best efforts, the dominance of their opponents was all too clear.
Albert scored two of his own, dribbling through the middle, before Ball took over for a rapid fire brace. Ball then turned provider, slicing the defence open with a perfect pass to gift Albert his third. Going into the half down by 5, credit had to go to the Jets for not losing their confidence and continuing to fight. Shuffling their deck at the break, O’Brien and Simmons came on for the sky Blues and with a few moments O’Brien was able to add his name and Moody’s to the score sheet, with a simple shot inside the post with the front of his guard netting Moody his first of the season.
Albert was still hungry for more, battling away for a second half hat trick, with a nice pass from Simmons aiding with Albert’s sixth strike. Romping home to an 11-0 victory was the confidence boost the sky blues wanted to get back on the winner’s list. For the Jets, a big loss hurts but they would be looking to improve with Vidakovic’s return and build from their tough start to the season.
Match stats:
Sydney FC 11 (Albert 2’ 6’ 18’ 34’ 35’ 38’, Ball 11’ 14’, Moody 25’, O’Brien 26’, Own Goal 30’)
Newcastle Jets 0
Premier League – Newcastle Jets 6-1 Sydney FC
A young Sydney FC side had impressed with points against Hills United and the Western Sydney Wanderers in their last two matches and were looking to carry this form into their encounter with the resurgent Newcastle Jets. Confidence had been building for the Jets lately, highlighted by their comfortable 3-1 victory against The Wanderers in their last outing, and this was plain to see from the kick-off. The formation of Ryan Seck in the centre with Chris Hastas and Dimitri Liolio-Davis on the wings, backed up by James Kim had been effective and continued this week, while the sky blues played Daniel O’Brien, Josh Ryan and Mitchell Albert in midfield, supported by Harry Simmons in goals.
Putting their younger opponents under pressure immediately, Hastas was able to find space and slide home a typically crafty finish and the Jets would have felt they were on their way. But, showing their character, O’Brien worked the ball down the field forcing a hurried clearance from the Jets which fell straight to Ryan who fired the ball between defenders and levelled the scores. However this did little to change the Jets approach, working the ball to the wings in general play with Hastas picking apart the defence to set Seck up for an easy finish, Seck adding to his team’s advantage as he pounced on a slightly misguided goal kick from Simmons.
With a 3-1 lead at the half, the Jets could have been forgiven for easing back, but this was far from the case. Kim shifted to the wing with Liolio-Davis moving between the posts. Much like his first half assist, Hastas found Kim out wide with a cutting pass, much like he did for Seck in the first half, with Kim scoring his first goal of the season. The sky blues were unable to withstand the Jets’ pressure, finding themselves chasing which in turn led to several 2 on 1 opportunities for their opponents. Liolio-Davis came up to take a sideline hit, blasting the ball across the court to Seck for a composed finish. The Jets maintained their relentless pressure with a 4 man offense, another free kick seeing Liolio-Davis find Kim who crossed the ball to Seck for a tap-in and his fourth goal of the match.
Despite such a difficult loss, the young sky blues would take a lot of knowledge from this match and look to improve going forward. Newcastle would be proud of their efforts to slow down an enthusiastic opponent, with their clinical finishing something their other opponents would need to be wary of. The result lifted the Jets above the Wanderers and into second place ahead of next week’s now top of the table clash with Hills United.
Match stats:
Newcastle Jets 6 (Hastas 7’, Seck 12’ 15’ 26’ 37’, J Kim 25)
Sydney FC 1 (Ryan 8’)
Reserve Grade – Hills United 5-0 Western Sydney Wanderers
The Wanderers went into their clash with the high flying Hills United after a slightly disappointing draw in their last match with the Newcastle Jets. For Hills United, they were looking to extend their winning streak to 6 matches to start the season. Hills played Matt Mallows and Samir Eshani in midfield with Lachlan Ninham on the wing, and Chris Holmes in goal, while the Wanderers started Jye Mokluk in the middle with Jaxon Taylor and Patrick Nolan out wide, supported by Steve Shadow in between the posts. Despite an aggressive start from the team in yellow, the red and black managed to repel their advances for the opening 10 minutes.
Eventually the pressure became too much and Mallows broke through for the opener, pouncing on a loose ball. Thanks to Ninham fighting for the ball moments later, the Hills players spurned a few chances before a clever block from Ninham allowed Mallows to turn provider, playing a cross to Eshani for a calm finish. It looked as if it would be a two goal advantage at the break before Mallows took one last chance, slamming an errant Wanderers cross in for his second and putting the Wanderers in a tough spot at the half.
The changes came at the half, with Mokluk shifting into the Wanderers’ goal and Ollie McPhail rolling onto the wing for Hills. The pressure continued to flow with the passing from the yellow team making it tough for the Wanderers to counter, and despite the occasional run from deep, they couldn’t generate any offensive pressure. Controlling the centre, Eshani played the ball out wide for McPhail with a shot at the near post earning McPhail his debut goal. Mallows then found Eshani on the goal line from a free kick, a deft touch leaving the defence unable to prevent a fifth goal from crossing the line.
Mallows was replaced by Ninham for the final ten minutes, giving his younger teammates time to work on their combination with Eshani. The last 10 minutes saw the match played in the middle half of the pitch, but no further goals. Hills United extend their winning streak to 6 matches while the Wanderers would go back to the drawing board before their next match against the sky blues.
Match stats:
Hills United 5 (Mallows 11’ 20‘, Eshani 18’ 31’, McPhail 25’)
Western Sydney Wanderers 0
Premier League – Hills United 2-1 Western Sydney Wanderers
After a drawn result last time out, Hills United went into their contest with the Wanderers with a couple of changes. Chris Suffield passed the goal keeper’s jersey to Matt Mallows so he could shift into midfield alongside Abdullah Karim and Jacob Cross. The Wanderers were looking to bounce back after a loss to the Newcastle Jets and started with their usual line-up of Waite in goals, with Crane in the centre with Keyte and Kim on the wings. It was obvious that Hills were putting an emphasis on their passing, looking for their team mates even if the Wanderers might have a chance to pick the passes off. It took some time, but Hills eventually started to gain control of the game.
The opening 10 minutes were looking like they would end up scoreless before Hills found a more promising passing sequence. Suffield found Cross who then slid a sharp pass out wide to Karim, with Karim clever enough to slip the ball inside the post for a well-earned lead. The Wanderers looked to answer right away, taking the kick off and forcing Hills back onto their heels. Crane looked to feed the ball from the sideline across to Keyte, but Mallows refused to let the ball through. The red and black continued to fire away, Kim fighting his way closer to the goal line after a corner. It looked like the ball would dribble over the line, but Mallows somehow managed to keep the lead in tact with the help of the goal post.
Going into the halftime break only down a goal, the Wanderers looked to continue to force their way into the game. With a focus on field position, they managed to clear the ball downfield and force Hills to take a goal kick. Mallows played the ball out towards Suffield but the pass was too wide and Crane was there to punch the ball back and into the goal, with his team mates celebrating their resilience and fighting spirit in finding an equaliser. With 8 minutes remaining, the momentum felt to have shifted into the Wanderers’ favour and they looked to press home their advantage. With both sides continuing to fight, Hills managed to regain their composure despite the aggression of their opponents, really having to dig deep against a now confident red and black outfit.
The Wanderers defence had been rock solid against Hills’ sideline efforts throughout the match, with Cross unable to pick the puzzle apart, but he only needed one successful chance. Sliding the ball in front of the keeper from the sideline, Cross found Suffield at the far post for a calm tap in with only a few minutes remaining. The Wanderers threw everything they had left at Hills United to end the match, but the team in yellow played the field position to their advantage until the final whistle blew, resigning the Wanderers to their second consecutive defeat and allowing the Newcastle Jets to move into second place. The Wanderers would feel this was one that got away and would be disappointed not to have earned something from the game, while Hills would be proud of their ability to compose themselves and find a way to win late on.
Match stats:
Hills United 2 (Karim 10’, Suffield 35’)
Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (Crane 32’)