Reserve Grade – Western Sydney Wanderers 4-0 Newcastle Jets
The Wanderers went into Round 10 as the only team still able to stop Hills United from claiming the Reserve Grade title, despite coming off a disappointing loss in the previous round. For Newcastle, a challenging season was hopefully heading for a change with some reinforcements joining the side. Fresh off a mid-season transfer from Hills United, Chris Holmes joined his new Jets teammates for the first time, donning the keeper’s jersey to free Jake Vidakovic up from some of his defensive responsibilities. This looked to be a great move from the kick-off, with Vidakovic controlling proceedings and taking on the Wanderers defense, particularly Jye Mokluk. Sweeping a solid pass out wide, a spinning Cooper Greenwood was desperately unlucky not to score, a miraculous save from Ben Keyte with the help of the post somehow preventing what looked like a certain goal.
Frustrated at having his keeper called into action to early, Mokluk roared up the middle of the court, a hefty challenge with a well-advanced Holmes not enough to stop him. Running the length of the court to snatch the lead, the Wanderers were awake and ready to respond once more. Learning how to play with new teammates can be a struggle, and the combination between Holmes and Vidakovic needing some work early on. A lack of communication appeared to be the culprit when Jaxon Taylor managed to sneak between the two defenders, picking off a pass, followed by another, earning a quickfire brace in a matter of minutes. It was a rough first half for the new-look Jets, but there were many promising signs when Vidakovic was able to link up with Boland and Greenwood.
Rumeth Herath took to the field for the second half, looking to give the Jets a different look, and this appeared to pay dividends as Vidakovic continued to look for him when he could, but a composed Mokluk looked to cover things with the help of Andy Waite, the keeper coming on in place of Ben Keyte. The changes continued to come for both sides, with Herath switching to goal keeper and Holmes having a break, and this looked to have stopped the momentum for both sides. The Wanderers continued to push, with a loose clearance falling to Waite late on. Taylor, realising the return pass from Waite was on target, left the ball to roll towards the post. Surprised by the decision, Herath and Vidakovic moved too late, the ball sliding in for the Wanderers’ fourth. The final exclamation point on a strong win, the Wanderers kept their chances alive for the title while consigning the Jets to another loss in a difficult season.
Match stats:
Western Sydney Wanderers 4 (Mokluk 2’, Taylor 12’ 17’, Waite 37’)
Newcastle Jets 0
Premier League – Newcastle Jets 5-0 Western Sydney Wanderers
The Newcastle Jets were given a boost ahead of their match with the Wanderers, awarded 3 points from their Round 3 match with Sydney FC after it was declared to be a forfeit. This meant that their Round 10 match represented a chance to momentarily reduce Hills United’s ladder lead to a single point. Along with this, captain Dimitri Liolio-Davis returned from an illness to bolster his side, his leadership crucial for the Jets in their title fight. His return was vital to the Jets opening passages of play, the Jets’ passing ripping through the Wanderers usual lineup, sending defenders looking left and right. Seck blasted the ball between defenders from the sideline only for Liolio-Davis to just mistime his run to the far post, but this wasn’t a costly miss. Moments later, some nice interplay between the three Jets outfielders saw Seck and Liolio-Davis combine together, a spinning pass from the wing finding Hastas for an expertly worked front of guard for a comfortable finish and a well-deserved lead.
The Jets passing continued to put the Wanderers under pressure for the next 12 minutes or so, but Wanderers continued to defend well as the half wore down. A little hesitation from Seck in his passing saw his power slightly lacking compared to its usual intensity, seeing him less willing to shoot, but this was more than made up for by Hastas and Liolio-Davis, along with keeper James Kim also keeping the attack going. A few battles between Kim and his brother Andrew from the Wanderers ensued, but James was able to stall for time on each opportunity. Eventually Liolio-Davis earned a hit-in from the sideline well into Wanderers territory. Attempting to shoot it between the defenders, the ball struck the rear of Andy Waite, rebounding into the goal and past a hapless Jordan Crane. A two goal lead was the reward the Jets deserved after their dominance, the Wanderers having defended desperately only to be undone by the slightest of mistakes.
To begin the second half, the Jets were once again dominating from the kick-off, working the ball upfield with ease and quickly transitioning into a sweeping passing move started by Seck. Another strong pass from Liolio-Davis once again found Hastas, another excellently placed shot giving the defence no chance to recover. The sheer pace of the goal was enough to leave the defenders shaking their heads, the Jets not letting the pressure fade for even a moment. Racing up the middle of the court, Liolio-Davis took on a covering Crane, leaving the Wanderer rattled after a heavy contact which evaded the referee’s whistle, a quick break in play needed to reposition Crane before play resumed. But this did little to slow down the Jets and Liolio-Davis, the captain launching a powerful shot at a gap between defenders, the force of the shot leaving them helpless to concede another own goal.
With the match well and truly decided, Newcastle were able to work towards finding a third goal for Hastas, and despite waiting until the final minute to grab it, Liolio-Davis found Hastas for another simple finish to really leave everyone certain that the Jets were coming for the title. Now it was over to Hills to fight back and keep their ladder lead. For the Wanderers, they were overcome by a hungry Newcastle side and would have plenty to think about before their next match. The gap at the top of the table reduced to a single point, the Jets would be keenly awaiting the results of the later match.
Match stats:
Newcastle Jets 5 (Hastas 5’ 23’ 39’, Own Goal 19’ 32’)
Western Sydney Wanderers 0
Reserve Grade – Sydney FC 0-0 Hills United
After compelling victories in their Round 9 matches, with 9 goals between the two sides in their respective matches, this encounter between sky blue and yellow was shaping up to be a high-scoring encounter. The early stages of the match saw Matthew Mallows from Hills United controlling his troops, with Lachlan Ninham covering the goals and Ollie McPhail up front, while Sydney FC fielded a strong line-up featuring Joshua Ryan, Fletcher Ball and Cameron Moody in the outfield with Harry Simmons starting in goal. Neither team appeared willing to take the game on for the majority of the first half, with Hills controlling most of the territory, while the sky blues looked happy to defend and work their offence through counter attacks.
It was a scrappy affair as the match wore on, both sides being lured into several 2 on 1 free kicks, with these generating some chances only for strong defending to thwart them. Mallows looked to use McPhail as a target, but strong defending stopped from Ryan and Simmons was good enough to cover many chances for Hills. With time winding down in the first half, Sydney FC stretched their attacking wings a little more, with Ninham called more into action as the game went on. But neither side could find a breakthrough before half-time.
The second half saw Hills United and particularly Mallows getting more and more adventurous, but this primarily served to give Sydney FC more room to work. Ryan and Mallows got caught up in more and more battles, neither doing much more than eating up the remaining time in the match. With the time running out, Hills looked to try a few things to earn a winner by sending Ninham forward late on. McPhail took a more central defensive position, called into action immediately from a Ryan clearance. Charging onto the ball to send it forward, another block saw McPhail try again, but Ninham couldn’t fashion a shot out of the last real chance of the match. Mallows ensured his side maintained their unbeaten season by working field position, with both sides claiming a point in a match where neither side looked truly inspired.
Match stats:
Sydney FC 0
Hills United 0
Premier League – Hills United 2-0 Sydney FC
Both Hills United and Sydney FC faced tough challenges in the previous round, with Hills having a chess match of a game against the Newcastle Jets, prevailing narrowly, while the sky blues found themselves outplayed by a strong Wanderers outfit. If either side was hoping for a comfortable performance, this was not going to be the case. The sky blues were without regular starter Mitchell Albert, while the team in yellow were without Jacob Cross, meaning Fletcher Ball (Sydney FC) and Matthew Mallows (Hills United) took to the field in their place. A tight match in the last few encounters, Sydney FC looked to get the jump on the ladder leaders early. A kick-off routine between Joshua Ryan and Daniel O’Brien saw Karim drawn into the battle, but a determined Ryan won the battle. Working a loose ball towards the post, a charging Suffield moved into the box, shoving keeper Turnbull forwards and forcing the ball away with the aid of the post.
That scare in the opening minute of the match was enough to wake up the Hills United players, that warning sign reminding them that there was a match there to be won. Adjusting their formation slightly compared to previous weeks, Karim shifted into the centre while Suffield moved out to the wing, with Turnbull’s goal kick being flicked upfield by the new centre. Their passing quickly kicked into gear, working the ball down the other end and forcing Sydney into some goal kicks of their own. Harry Simmons in the sky blue goal continued to seek out Joshua Ryan early on, Ryan then looking to work the ball to either Ball or O’Brien, only for it to be sent back again and again. The pressure looked to be something they could withstand to begin with, but, determined to keep their opponents locked down, Mallows and Suffield tightly marked their opponents. Forcing Simmons to change sides, Mallows charged forwards onto the next goal kick, surprising Ryan as he connected to give Hills an early and probably deserved lead, despite it being an unlucky mistake from the sky blues.
Knowing how their opponents would respond, Hills continued to push and focus on their passing, and this continued to generate chances, even with the occasional pass being picked off by the energetic Sydney defence. If anything, their passing moves were too easy for the defence to read, with Ryan and Simmons well equipped to deal with the telegraphed shots. Karim continued to look for Suffield, a few shots to the far post gathered up by Ryan, but these set up Hills’ next big chance. Firing yet again from the sideline, instead of shooting to the post that Ryan was rushing to cover, Suffield instead directed a softer shot right where Ryan was, earning a well worked second for his team right before the break. Both sides saw yellow cards before the half-time break, with Mallows and O’Brien going into the book and giving each team plenty to reconsider at the break.
Hills United tweaked their defensive structures slightly before the second half, sending Suffield to O’Brien to attempt to protect Mallows, with this adjustment slowing both sides down. With Hills focused on maintaining their lead and Sydney FC looking to not fall further behind, the match slowed to a more methodical pace. Hills looked to pick their passes a little more, still generating chances but unable to sneak around the impressive Ryan. Not wanting to run the risk of going down to 3 men, Hills brought Lachlan Ninham on for the final 10 minutes, the introduction bringing a burst of energy onto the field. Suffield and Karim looked to seek Ninham out, Sydney hustling to prevent Ninham from getting a shot away despite a few good passes finding him. In the end, scores remained the same to end the match. The result saw the team in yellow regain their 4 point lead over Newcastle, while the sky blues continue to look for their first win, taking confidence from a much improved showing than the week before.
Match stats:
Hills United 2 (Mallows 10’, Suffield 18’)
Sydney FC 0