Reserve Grade – Western Sydney Wanderers 1-0 Sydney FC
The NSWPFA Reserve Grade table had tightened up in the last few weeks with only a point separating the Wanderers and Sydney FC in their battle for second place. A couple of absences for the sky blues would test their depth against a combative red and black outfit who were hungry to bounce back from a difficult loss in the previous round. From the opening whistle, the Wanderers were able to gain an advantage in their field position battle, with Jye Mokluk doing well to find Jaxon Taylor and Jesse Ezzy in space to work his team forwards.
For the sky blues, Joshua Ryan played in the centre and his partnership with FC goal keeper Marthy Anax was one that would be crucial for the sky blues. Up front were Cameron Moody and Riley Brown, hoping to act as an outlet for the Sydney FC team. The opening passages saw the Wanderers looking dangerous but not quite able to break through before Mokluk made a crucial run down the right wing. Getting into a battle with Ryan, Mokluk took him deep into the corner before Ryan had a chance to clear. The clever Taylor managed to block this off and ran at Anax, the keeper making an excellent save but unable to clear the danger. Taking his chance, Taylor dribbled between Anax and the hustling Ryan, pushing the ball over the line for an early opener.
With their noses in front, the Wanderers looked to settle into a more defensive rhythm and the sky blues got a hold on the match to find themselves upfield. A combination of solid keeping from the red and black custodian Steve Shadlow and some passes just not quite being met by Moody and Brown meant scores stayed at 1-0 at the half. Some changed by the sky blues, namely bringing Mitchell Albert on and giving Ryan a rest, looked to change the momentum of the match, but the second half was one where neither side could find their rhythm and despite some long-range strikes from the red and black and one ball striking the post from Albert. The result sees the Wanderers take a 4 point lead over their rivals into the easter break.
Match stats:
Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (Taylor 4’)
Sydney FC 0
Premier League – Western Sydney Wanderers 3-1 Sydney FC
The Wanderers fielded a changed line-up in Round 7 with Jaxon Taylor and Jye Mokluk given their first Premier League starts of the season. Alongside them were Jordan Crane in the centre and Andrew Kim out wide. For the sky blues, Joshua Ryan and Mitchell Albert started in midfield with Harry Simmons in goals and Riley Brown, also in his first Premier League start of the season on the wing. With so many changes and key personnel missing, the opening exchanges were a little scrappy but it was the younger side who made the early running. Consistently putting Mokluk and Crane under pressure initially, the defence held firm despite a few nervous moments. As the match wore on, Kim got involved more and more, working the balls from Crane forward more consistently.
For all the pressure they worked to build in the opening 10 minutes or so, the Sydney FC players couldn’t seem to find that final pass, resorting to more 1 on 1 play than they would have liked. Despite Ryan and Albert being so strong in the tussles, they were going to have to do a lot more to beat such an experienced pairing in the box. Eventually the enthusiasm began to fade, and this was the opportunity Crane needed to begin to control proceedings more and more. As things neared half-time, Ryan and Simmons found themselves under relentless pressure from the red and black, but they held firm until the break with scores unbroken.
The Wanderers were the team who made the changes at half time with Steve Shadlow moving into the goals while Mokluk took Taylor’s place on the wing in quite an aggressive formation which paid almost immediate dividends. The field position battle was firmly in the Wanderers’ favour now and Crane was determined to make the most of the positions he was now getting to hit the ball from. Not long into the second half, the Wanderers finally broke the deadlock. Crane broke through the defence with a pinpoint pass, giving Mokluk all the time he needed to guide the ball inside the far post. Crane had found his passing range now, controlling the play and giving Kim and Mokluk the space they needed to have an impact. For Sydney FC, going behind made them panic a little more than they would have liked, gifting the Wanderers a few 2 on 1 free kicks. This building pressure saw Crane find Mokluk once more for his double, this time the shot hammered between the defenders before they had time to blink.
With the damage done and a two goal lead, the Wanderers could have been forgiven for letting their guard down, but they instead looked for a third. Crane completed his hat-trick of assists when he found a dangerous Kim from the sideline for a trademark finish from the Wanderers striker. Credit had to be given to the sky blues for their never-say-die attitude, for with only moments remaining they were rewarded for their effort. Ryan made his way down the sideline and into the corner, finding a charging Albert with a pinpoint cross to give the sky blues a goal just before the final whistle. Cutting their deficit to the league leaders to 5 points was quite the way to enter the easter break for the red and black, while having some time to reassess their progress would come in handy for the sky blues.
Match stats:
Western Sydney Wanderers 3 (Mokluk 26‘ 32 ‘, Kim 37‘)
Sydney FC 1 (Albert 39’)
Reserve Grade – Hills United 1-0 Newcastle Jets
The Newcastle Jets were glad to welcome Jake Vidakovic into their line-up after his absence for the last couple of weeks. Linking up with Ryan Seck and Molly Boland in the midfield, the Jets went up against the league leaders with the hope of causing an upset. For Hills United, Ollie McPhail got the start, with Lachlan Ninham shifting into the goals, while Samir Eshani and Matt Mallows took their usual places in midfield. The match was a little messy in the opening exchanges with both sides resorting to pushing the ball against their opponents to no real gain. While the Newcastle Jets tried to work the field position battle, they were unable to make any real inroads and generate shot opportunities. On the other side of the ball, Hills were struggling to make their passes stick. It wasn’t until Eshani sought out McPhail on the wing that they looked dangerous. Firing a sharp shot wide, McPhail found another chance moments lates but just couldn’t redirect the ball towards the goal.
Going into half-time with scores level was going to frustrate both sides, particularly the league leading Hills United. They were giving away more 2 on 1 fouls than they would have liked, despite their efforts to warn each other, something the Jets hadn’t had to worry about to the same extent so far. The Hills United players changed their approach slightly with Eshani and Mallows clearing the ball upfield more frequently and looking to set McPhail up in space. Clamping the Jets down in their own half, the team in yellow benefitted from a sideline hit in from Vidakovic with Eshani pouncing on a loose ball and slotting it into the open goal.
Another couple of shots from McPhail couldn’t find the target as Seck and Vidakovic tightened things up defensively and left few gaps for their opponents. Desperate to find an opening, the duo worked hard to win their individual battles and flick the ball out to each other, but the Hills side worked together to stifle most of their chances.
The Jets were unable to find an equaliser late on but could be proud of how difficult they made it for their opponents to play their usual style. For Hills, coming out on top in such a difficult match would be a relief ahead of the easter break.
Match stats:
Hills United 1 (Eshani 29’)
Newcastle Jets 0
Premier League – Newcastle Jets 2-0 Hills United
Hills United went into their match up against the Newcastle Jets with yet another reshuffled line-up for their top of the table clash. Samir Eshani started on the wing ahead of Chris Suffield and Abdullah Karim in the midfield, while Matthew Mallows defended the goals. On the other side of the ball, the Newcastle Jets were in a rich vein of form after claiming a dominant victory in their last outing against Sydney FC, backing up a comfortable win over the Wanderers the week before. Since moving Ryan Seck into the centre, along with shifting Dimitri Liolio-Davis onto the wing opposite Chris Hastas, the Jets had become a tough opponent to break down and even tougher to defend against.
With a weakened opponent against them, you would have expected the Jets to start the stronger of the two teams, but initially it was Hills who generated more pressure. After the opening exchanges, James Kim was forced to take a few goal kicks for the Newcastle side. Suffield was able to attack the ball a few times, but his attempts continued to go wide despite repeat opportunities. Liolio-Davis shifted inside to help clear the situation and soon the Jets were feeling comfortable once more. Being so lethal from their set pieces was something the Jets take pride in, with Liolio-Davis generally the one to take them. But, Hastas rolled up to take a dangerous sideline, his deceptively firm pass sneaking past Mallows’ guard and finding Liolio-Davis at the top of the box for a composed finish just before the midway point of the first half.
Hills found themselves in a situation where they weren’t taking risks, opting for a much safer 2-man combination between Karim and Suffield that saw them work down the field eventually, despite Newcastle covering most chances. Trying to work Eshani into the game, Suffield fired a pass up the middle, but Eshani’s focus on the ball saw him crash into James Kim, earning a yellow card for his troubles. Thankfully Kim was fine to continue, even if taking a moment to recover. That collision saw Eshani take a rest for the final minute of the half, allowing Lachlan Ninham to get some Premier League minutes including the start of the second half. The Jets maintained their pressure, setting the Hills side on their heels once more as they took advantage of a slightly inexperienced opponent. Giving Eshani a few moments to calm down, he re-joined the fray with his team really needing an outlet to release the pressure.
So desperate to clear the ball, Hills found themselves not giving space to their team mates resulting in a few 2 on 1 free kicks. This wasn’t an opportunity the Jets would refuse with Liolio-Davis finding Seck on the left side of the box, Seck hitting the ball across the face of the goal, just squeezing it between Suffield and Mallows, neither defender able to prevent it from rebounding between the posts. Leaving their run a little too late, Suffield and Karim continued to push things, but their passes couldn’t find their target as time wound down. The Jets were clearly the better side this time out, converting their chances and allowing very little in reply. The result cuts the deficit to 4 points at the top of the table before the easter break, with Newcastle having a game in hand and being full of confidence after their third win in a row. With a couple of weeks off, Hills United would be hoping for some reinforcements when the season resumes to regain their early season form.
Match stats:
Newcastle Jets 2 (Liolio-Davis 8’, Seck 28’)
Hills United 0