Reserve Grade – Hills United 4-3 Sydney FC
With both sides coming off tight matches prior to the Easter break, the sky blues suffering a tight loss to their cross town rivals, the Wanderers, while Hills had a tough battle overcoming the Newcastle Jets, this was sure to be a difficult battle for both sides. Goals had been at a premium in the last round, but this was soon proven not to be the case this time. The match began with Hills trying to pass but the sky blues managing to pick the passes off and keep the Hills players on their heels. Daniel O’Brien managed to intercept a pass from Hills’ Matthew Mallows, sending it up the floor for Samir Eshani to deal with. The Hills’ designated goal keeper cleared the ball but only straight into the always aggressive Fletcher Ball, the rebound flying into the goal to give Sydney FC the early lead.
It was as if going behind spurred the Hills United side into action because their passing managed to start finding the target more and more from the restart. Mallows and Eshani managed to find a few more gaps, working the ball methodically before Mallows swung the ball wide for Lachlan Ninham to take a chance. Firing the ball across the goal and between the defenders to restore equality, before only moments later Eshani and Mallows’ passing combination led to Mallows converting a well placed cross from his team mate. Having been injured for the past few rounds, Hills brought Chris Turnbull onto the court in goals to test out how he had recovered, and, despite not touching the ball much as the half closed out, it appeared he was back in playing condition.
Taking a lead into halftime was perhaps a little lucky for the team in yellow, but moments into the second half the lead extended once more. Mallows took a corner and found Eshani at the near post for a cleverly placed shot between the parting defence to take a two goal buffer as the second half began. Turnbull took to the bench once more, preparing for the later match and this gave Sydney FC a chance. Ball, continuing to be aggressive, dribbled into the box, rounding both keeper and defender for his second goal. With time running down, it looked as if Hills would seal the victory, but instead, Mitchell Albert fired a firm cross from the sideline right to Ball at the far post, sealing his hattrick. Sydney had shown a mountain of fight to claw their way back, but a final Hills surge saw them win a corner. This time Mallows found Eshani once more, but the shot slid inside the far post to secure what was an improbable victory, robbing Sydney of what would have been a well-deserved point and maintaining the Hills United win streak.
Match stats:
Hills United 4 (Ninham 10’, Mallows 14’, Eshani 21’ 38‘)
Sydney FC 3 (Ball 3‘ 29‘ 36‘)
Premier League – Hills United 2-0 Sydney FC
Hills United had gone through a difficult run over the last few rounds with the absence of starting goal keeper Chris Turnbull, but his return after recovering from injury was a hopeful boost for the team. Also joining the team for the Club Championship run was Rebecca Evans, the West Australian adding some depth to an already strong squad. For Sydney FC, a full strength midfield of Joshua Ryan, Mitchell Albert and Daniel O’Brien were supported by Fletcher Ball in goals. Fresh off scoring a hattrick in reserve grade, he was full of confidence and ready to go. The match began with Hills returning to their usual starting line-up, looking to pass the ball through the defence, but the enthusiastic energy of their younger opponents, along with their impressive organisational skills, meant that the team in yellow just couldn’t find the final killer pass. While taking most of the play in their own hands, Hills couldn’t convert and this gave the sky blues chances to apply pressure on the counter attack.
Evans came on to give the side a different look, but having to gain some familiarity as a unit meant that the sides went into halftime level. Defence was stronger from both sides to begin with and this hustle meant that passes were under more pressure from both sides. Some impressive saves from Ball in the sky blues’ goal made the yellow team have to work that much harder to breach the deadlock, and as time wound down, it was beginning to look like a repeat of the last time the two sides met, a goalless draw. In his haste to get back into position, Ryan reversed into an unnoticed Karim, earning himself a yellow card and giving Hills a chance from the set piece. But his desperation once again meant that Ball held off a surging Karim.
But for the sky blues, their dogged resistance would soon come to fade as a persistent Hills side continued to work forwards. Suffield found Karim out wide who then fired a firm cross past the onrushing defence, finding Evans at the far post for a calm and composed finish. Her debut goal for her team on her debut match was just what the team needed, and this fed confidence through the whole team. Surging forwards again, Karim hit the ball forwards into the box for an onrushing Suffield, the Hills midfielder reaching the ball first before a hustling Ryan collided into Suffield’s side in his desperation to make a save. The contact saw an unlucky Ryan pick up his second yellow card of the match, awarding Hills a penalty which was calmly converted by Karim. The final minute saw Hills run the clock down, having done enough to earn three points.
Having such a close and hard-fought tussle was going to leave one team disappointed, and despite their effort, the sky blues couldn’t overcome their experienced opponents. The result was crucial for Hills, maintaining the gap on top of the table ahead of their Club Championship campaign and giving them some needed confidence, while the Sydney FC side would take confidence from their efforts into the tournament and hope to surprise some of their opponents next week.
Match stats:
Hills United 2 (Evans 34‘, Karim 38(P)’)
Sydney FC 0
Reserve Grade – Western Sydney Wanderers 3-1 Newcastle Jets
The reserve grade clash between the Wanderers and Newcastle was a chance for the red and black to solidify their hold on second place following the sky blues loss earlier in the day. With Jye Mokluk in the centre, supported ably by Jaxon Taylor and Jesse Ezzy on the wings and Patrick Nolan in goals, the Wanderers were looking for a confidence building win. The combination of Jake Vidakovic and Rumeth Herath in midfield for the Newcastle side, with Cooper Greenwood in goals and Molly Boland up front had their work cut out for them and this soon showed when the red and black side cleared the ball forwards and into the box, pressure from Taylor pressuring Greenwood into an error for the opener with barely five minutes gone.
The newness of the defensive combination of Vidakovic and Greenwood made it difficult for the defence, and this budding pairing were still ironing out the kinks as the Wanderers pressed again for a second strike. This time, despite Vidakovic being closer to lend some assistance, Greenwood was under pressure once more, unable to deal with another ball after more red and black pressure that resulted in another goal. Feeling that their job was now mostly done, the Wanderers unintentionally let up their pressure and allowed the Jets back into the contest. Vidakovic and Herath were linking up more and more frequently, with Boland able to get her nose into some difficult positions for the defence to handle. Still their pressure wasn’t rewarded as both sides went into the break with no further changes.
The Wanderers made their customary change for the second half, sending Mokluk back into the goals and giving Nolan a run in the midfield. The different look for the defence was something that the red and black hoped would pay dividends. But the momentum of the first half bled into the second, both sides working the ball around but not managing to find what they needed to cause a difference. But their endeavour eventually gave Nolan a chance, latching onto an attempted Vidakovic clearance and slamming it home to give the red and black their third and final goal. Still, credit had to be given to the Jets, with Vidakovic continuing to fight and getting a chance against an adventurous Mokluk. He battled down the pitch and beat a stranded defence to earn a well deserved goal in the dying seconds. The result was just what the Wanderers needed to maintain their grip on second place, while the Jets would take some confidence from their fighting efforts.
Match stats:
Western Sydney Wanderers 3 (Own Goal 5’ 7’, Nolan 33’)
Newcastle Jets 1 (Vidakovic 39’)
Premier League – Newcastle Jets 3-1 Western Sydney Wanderers
With a surging run of form prior to the Easter break, the Newcastle Jets went into their matchup with the Western Sydney Wanderers looking to extend their win streak to 4 matches ahead of the Club Championship title defence. Up against them was a Wanderers outfit fresh off a solid victory against their cross town rivals and beefing up their squad with the addition of Luke Alderton. The New Zealand captain joins the side ahead of the Club Championships and adds some impressive firepower to the red and black, but working the newcomer into the squad would be a focus for them ahead of the tournament.
The Jets were fortunate for not having to make changes for the previous stretch of the season, and this lack of change meant they were able to continue their form from the first whistle. Starting with their customary passing setup featuring Ryan Seck at the pivot and Chris Hastas and Dimitri Liolio-Davis on the wings, the Jets were instantly able to put the Wanderers under pressure. With their impressive passing, Newcastle soon earned some set-piece opportunities which, with the power and accuracy of Liolio-Davis resulted in a high-powered cross from the captain to fly across the defence into the lap of an eagerly waiting Seck. The lead was no shock to anyone watching, with the Jets still the dominant force of the last month. Still this didn’t stop the Wanderers from pressing forward, managing to send Andrew Kim forwards and into the Newcastle box, only for the defence to slide efficiently and keep him out. The Wanderers shuffled the deck to get Alderton involved in the action, the Kiwi instantly having an impact and changing the emphasis, but the score remained 1-0 at the break.
The continual changes from the Wanderers seemed to halt their momentum after the break, but the growth in familiarity of the squad was something they hoped would pay dividends in the future. For the Newcastle side, this benefit was all too plain to see. With barely 5 minutes of the second half gone, Hastas took the ball from the sideline with Seck lurking near post to distract the defence. Hitting with deceptive power, Hastas had the ball sliding across to Liolio-Davis for a composed finish at the far post. The two goal lead was one that was justly deserved as the red and black fought hard but to no avail. With the result seemingly confirmed, Jye Mokluk had a shift as keeper for the final stages of the match. This made little difference, as a simple Jets’ passing move saw Hastas swing the ball from one wing to Liolio-Davis at centre who then swung it down to Seck for a sharp finish at the far post, sealing the deal.
The Jets gave Vidakovic a run in the final 8 minutes, needing his input in the upcoming week and knowing they had the 3 points in the bag. Eventually the Wanderers found Alderton slashing his way down the wing and rounding the Newcastle keeper out on the wing, having forced him to commit to stretching outside the box. Alderton shot in behind the keeper, the post preventing the initial shot, but Keyte cleaned up the mess to punch the ball home. Despite the loss, the red and black gained some valuable knowledge about their team prior to next week, with Alderton clearly a valuable addition. While this made their match difficult, it was a sacrifice needed to ensure a positive Club Championship. For the Newcastle Jets, this was a handy tune-up before what is sure to be a tough Club Championship title defence for the in-form side.
Match stats:
Newcastle Jets 3 (Seck 6’ 32’, Liolio-Davis 25’)
Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (Keyte 35’)