Reserve Grade – Newcastle Jets 0-0 Sydney FC
After a goalless draw in their previous match against the undefeated Hills United, Sydney FC were looking forward to their encounter with the Newcastle Jets to start their run towards the end of the season. A difficult season for the Jets had seen Jake Vidakovic given control of a developing side, but this has given young players like Cooper Greenwood a chance to grow with a view to the future. With Ryan Seck filling in as goal keeper to start the match, a strong defensive foundation would give his team mates something to build from. For Sydney, Marthy Anax donned the keeper’s jersey behind a midfield trio of Joshua Ryan, Harry Simmons and Fletcher Ball.
It was a cautious start for both sides, with the sky blues pressing forwards but not seeming able to find the right angles to get a shot in. Vidakovic was able to thwart the efforts of Ryan in particular, nullifying him in the battles and giving Seck the chance to clear. At the same time, the Jets found themselves not able to press too far forwards, Anax able to watch from the back with no real risk initially. Both sides looked to stretch a little more, with Ryan picking out Ball from time to time, the young powerhouse looking to be aggressive, but his finishing wasn’t there this time. Seck was in the right place all the time, blocking off the conventional route to goal as the sky blues found themselves unable to breach the defence.
Halftime came and went with Rumeth Herath coming onto the field for the Jets, while Mitchell Albert and Daniel O’Brien took their spots aside Ball as both teams looked to adjust. It appeared that the Sydney side had found the advantage but still, the goal simply wasn’t wide enough for them to find the winner. Albert especially looked to lift the intensity with his long-range shooting and firm passing, but the combination of Seck and Vidakovic was simply too strong today. Despite the sky blues having the advantage in terms of shots, a few real chances just couldn’t be converted into goals, with a draw probably fair for both teams in this battle between defence and attack.
Match stats:
Newcastle Jets 0
Sydney FC 0
Premier League – Newcastle Jets 3-0 Sydney FC
As the season moved into the final third, the Newcastle Jets had found form at the right time of the year. With their successful APFA Club Championship campaign the catalyst for their improved results, the Jets were now in prime position to chase down the ladder-leading Hills United. A win against the sky blues would cut their deficit to a single point, but the young and energetic side would be difficult to break down. As had become their trademark over the last month or so, the Jets flew out of the blocks quickly, with Ryan Seck playing pivot expertly for captain Dimitri Liolio-Davis and Chris Hastas, while James Kim ensured the ball remained in sky blue territory. Harry Simmons in the Sydney FC goal was going to have a busy day, and he was called into action alongside reinforcements in the shape of Mitchell Albert and Joshua Ryan, with Daniel O’Brien looking to take advantage of any clearances coming his way.
The Jets peppered the sky blue defence heavily for the opening few moments, and it looked as if the Sydney FC defence could hold firm to begin with. But it soon became apparent that the way the Newcastle players moved the ball would become too difficult to withstand before long. Eventually Seck found Liolio-Davis out wide, the Jets’ captain’s ball proving too hot to handle for Simmons, the sky blue keeper unable to do anything but turn the ball into his own goal. It was just reward for the Jets who had controlled things from the outset, and once comfortable, they could bring Jake Vidakovic on to join in on the action. Still, the sky blues began to make moves of their own, working the ball into safer spaces, the match still in the Jets’ favour as halftime approached. Some more confident defending saw Sydney see out the remaining time without going further behind while also giving James Kim something to think about, Daniel O’Brien looking to put him under pressure.
Following the half-time break, Newcastle continued where they had begun the first half. Swinging the ball from side to side, Liolio-Davis played the ball over to Seck in the centre, the young pivot finding Vidakovic at the far post for a tap in to double their lead. While the sky blues continued to press with more intensity, it was a composed Seck who nullified their attempts with relative ease, even faced with flurries of pressure from Ryan, Albert and O’Brien. A couple of longer shots saw Kim having to watch them roll wide, his goal kicks a rare moment of reprieve for the sky blues’ youngsters and a chance to attack the other side. Still their shots just couldn’t find a gap between Seck and Kim, and occasionally Liolio-Davis.
Deciding to change things once more, the Jets brought Hastas back into the match, the break setting up the Jets once more. Instantly involved, Hastas was able to find Seck in space who found his captain for another lovely goal. Credit had to go to Sydney FC for refusing to give up, working deep into the second half to find a response, but it just wasn’t to be. The Jets looked inevitable in their charge towards the top of the table, closing in to a single point behind Hills United. The Sydney side would continue their search for their first win of the season with a derby next weekend. For the Jets, a virtual grand final match-up with Hills United next round would prove pivotal in their title challenge, the final time the two sides would face each other in 2022!
Match stats:
Newcastle Jets 3 (Own Goal 4’, Vidakovic 21’, Liolio-Davis 31’)
Sydney FC 0
Reserve Grade –Hills United 2-0 Western Sydney Wanderers
After their impressive winning streak was broken by Sydney FC last weekend a draw was all that could be earned, Hills United found themselves with a chance to seal the reserve grade title this weekend. Coming up against them was the only team capable of denying them the title, the Wanderers. Having toiled away and battled to find themselves in second place, the red and black duo of Jye Mokluk and Jaxon Taylor had support from Jesse Ezzy up front, and the early exchanges saw the pair linking up nicely to control field position. In their way was Matthew Mallows and a trio of young players including the impressive Lachlan Ninham in goal, Ollie McPhail and debutant Finn O’Donovan, all only just 12 years old. But it was the senior player in Mallows who marshalled his troops expertly, making sure the defensive structures were in place.
Fending off another Wanderers attack, Mallows saw a gap and went for it as he cleared the ball, chasing down his hard work and challenging Mokluk who couldn’t keep up. With an empty net ahead, Mallows took the offered goal and set his team on the way to the title. With Ezzy having some difficulties with his equipment, Ben Keyte took to the court to bolster his team’s hopes, but the resulting passage of play saw Mallows strike once more. With the Wanderers structure not quite set, the Hills’ star latched onto another clearance, sending it firing up the court and the ball being chased down by an eager Ollie McPhail. With too much pace on the ball for the defence of his team mates, Mallows doubled his teams’ and his personal tally to set them into a commanding position not even 10 minutes into the deciding match of the season.
When the dust settled, the Wanderers were more able to set themselves up, with Mokluk shifting his focus to sit a little deeper and working to his strengths a little more. Long balls up the field were seeking out Taylor when possible, but Mallows fought to make that more difficult for his opponents by working the ball wide. It was a stalemate from that point onwards, with Hills taking their time to set up in attack to soak up time, but not taking too many risks on the other side of the ball. Even after halftime, nothing appeared to change from either side. Mallows occasionally found space to pass to McPhail and O’Donovan, but their shots were either not forceful enough to beat the defence or rebounded clear, while Taylor on the other side was well covered by Ninham. With time winding down, Hills soaked up the dying moments while the red and black appeared to have run out of weapons and chances. The result sees Hills United take the Reserve Grade title with 4 rounds remaining, their dominant season being rewarded in the best way. For the Wanderers, second place still remained to be claimed, with the derby against the sky blues next weekend vital in this contest.
Match stats:
Hills United 2 (Mallows 3’ 7’)
Western Sydney Wanderers 0
Premier League – Western Sydney Wanderers 1-0 Hills United
The pressure was firmly on for Hills United after the Newcastle Jets tightened the gap at the top of the NSWPFA Premier League table to a single point, so their encounter with the Wanderers gained even more significance. Hills were also reinforced this round by Australian Poweroos star Josh Merkas, the pivot looking to link up with other possible international team mates also in the Hills squad. For the Wanderers, the match was a chance to spoil the party and remind their opponents that there was still work to be done. With Andy Waite in goals and supported by Jordan Crane, the Australian squad hopefuls were also joined by Ben Keyte and Jye Mokluk, the side having worked hard to claim third place in the nation recently. Hills fielded their usual starting line-up to withstand the opening few minutes, with Chris Suffield looking to feed Abdullah Karim and Jacob Cross up front, also having to assist Chris Turnbull in defence.
The opening passage saw the ball played forwards by Karim, rounding his defender before seeking out Suffield behind him, only for Waite and Crane to intervene. Back on their heels, the Hills players were forced to defend, seeing off the danger posed by an eager Keyte. With the early pressure from each side taken away, Merkas joined the fray in the centre. His introduction didn’t provide an initial spark, his unfamiliarity with his team mates taking a few minutes to disappear before the ball was moving about with more intent and effort. Cross and Suffield traded places as the half wore on and the field position began to fall into their favour. But the calmness of Waite saw him close down any shot falling towards him, while Crane was able to feed his forwards with collected passes, sending any clearances upfield. Karim was able to find space out wide, but smart defending saw the Hills passing cut down. Still, as the half wore on, Hills looked to be the team who was wanting to pass more and more, the Wanderers counter-attack not making much of a dent so far. One final chance in the half fell to Karim in the centre, a long-range shot blasted towards the far post only for a desperate Merkas unable to track it down, only able to glance it off the outside of the post.
Reaching half-time without conceding was an important milestone for the red and black, giving them hope that one single goal could be enough to snatch an important three points. They were well and truly in the match now, confident their defence was there to repel any shots from their opponents. And that one chance fell to Mokluk early in the first half, the Wanderers’ forward beating Karim in the initial battle. Fighting back, Karim battled back towards his own box, Mokluk turning him around in a hefty challenge to find an opening to attack Turnbull. With a one on one chance, Mokluk bullied the ball into the goal for a shock lead. Unhappy and disappointed to go behind, Hills looked to regroup and quickly, going behind looking to be the impetus for a more determined effort. A rapid flowing passing move saw Karim get the ball on the wing from Merkas, a flashy shot crashing into the post before being fed back out to Merkas. A few more passes from all outfielders looked to send the defence from side to side, with Merkas looking to capitalise with a hard shot, only for that too to strike the far post. Suffield came back on for Cross, instantly finding a chance from a set piece hit in, Merkas’ pass slicing through the defence thanks to a Karim block only for Suffield to hit the post as well.
The shots continued to flow, but as the seconds ticked away it looked more and more likely that the Wanderers would hold on. Hills’ desperation was not the right answer though, with reckless shots and mistimed passes gaining a cheer from their opponents. A final play saw Karim look for a quick play from the sideline, but the ball simply crashed into Merkas, a lack of communication meaning there was no final chance for Suffield out wide. The result was an impressive smash-and-grab effort for the Wanderers to claim a massive 3 points from their rivals. Hills United struggled to find the breakthrough they craved, a new line-up not gelling quite quickly enough to find a response this time. Round 12 would be the final encounter between the Newcastle Jets and Hills United for 2022, the match shaping up as a grand final of sorts. More twists and turns are sure to come as the season nears its climax, and the final 4 rounds will surely have more of the same!
Match stats:
Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (Mokluk 22’)
Hills United 0