Reserve Grade – Hills United 1-0 Newcastle Jets
The Hills United reserve grade side went into their clash with the Newcastle Jets feeling relieved after locking up the title in round 11. A dominant season from Matthew Mallows, coordinating his attack and defence saw the Hills side a difficult one to break down. The Newcastle Jets’ season had been a difficult one with several absences, but this had given many players a chance to get involved, this streak continuing with the addition of Steve Webb this round. An experienced powerchair sportsman with international experience in powerchair hockey, it was a boost for the Jets to have him on the court. Being thrust into the deep end, Webb looked to link up with Cooper Greenwood and Molly Boland on the wings from the outset, putting Mallows and his young team mates under pressure immediately.
The combination of Mallows and Lachlan Ninham continued to work together well in defence, thwarting the early pressure as Hills tried to figure out where to strike against an aggressive Newcastle outfit. Each time the Hills team would manage to clear the ball, it would come back for another surge, with a few shots from Webb just edging outside the posts. Eventually Mallows was able to work things upfield patiently, seeking out Finn O’Donovan and Ollie McPhail from the sideline if they were open, but the Newcastle defensive pairing of Webb and Ryan Seck were able to withstand most of the Hills efforts on goal. The half finished with both sides having had some chances but none quite coming to more than goal kicks so far.
The second half saw Rumeth Herath join the action for the Jets as Webb took the goal keeper’s jersey. While this was a strong move to improve the Newcastle defence, it meant that Mallows was better able to control the field position battle and win more attempts to pass from the sidelines. After a sustained period of pressure, Mallows had a few repeat attempts, one nearly squeezing between Webb and Herath. A couple of attempts across the top of the box just couldn’t be found by his team mates. Finally, with the angle just perfect for his effort, Mallows took a shot between the defenders from the sideline, squeezing the ball inside the far post for the winning goal. It was sure to be a moment of brilliance that decided this match with killer chances few and far between. Hills United come out on top in an entertaining encounter.
Match stats:
Hills United 1 (Mallows 31’)
Newcastle Jets 0
Premier League – Hills United 3-0 Newcastle Jets
Coming off a disappointing loss to a spirited Western Sydney Wanderers outfit last time out, Hills United were up against a surging Newcastle Jets in what had shaped up as a potential virtual grand final. With their convincing win over a tenacious Sydney FC to close the gap at the top of the table to a single point, it looked as if the Jets were peaking at just the right time of the season. The ever reliable James Kim was absent for the Jets, giving Rumeth Herath a chance to fit into the Premier League side, with captain Dimitri Liolio-Davis donning the keeper’s jersey for his side. Hills United once again had the services of Josh Merkas, the Poweroos’ pivot linking up with Karim and Cross from the outset, with the team in yellow looking to reduce their changes this time. The chopping and changing affected their momentum last time out, giving the Wanderers the chance to get their teeth into the match.
Right from the outset, it was Hills looking to dominate a Jets side focusing on the duo of Ryan Seck and Chris Hastas. Initially Seck and Hastas were good enough to pick off the Hills passes, but unable to capitalise on their intercepts thanks to effective work from Merkas and Chris Turnbull. The opening 5 minutes were a battle of sideline plays in the middle of the court as each side worked to make their passes stick. Slowly but surely, Hills and the combination of Merkas and Karim worked to ease their way down the sideline and generate space as their triangle formation began to work. Surging to find that opening goal, Karim found himself in space down the left wing. Feinting and faking a few times, Seck came forwards away from the post only for Karim to spin the opposite way and smash a shot just inside the post for the lead. Having found their breakthrough, Hills brought Suffield on to see out the remainder of the half. With their passing now making an impact, the yellow team drew the Jets into a couple of errors, with a 2 on 1 infringement near the box giving them a chance to double the lead. Merkas found Suffield near the post, before a back and forth between Karim and Suffield saw the newly introduced man tucking the ball just inside the post behind a reversing Liolio-Davis.
The second half gave a chance for Newcastle to come out of the blocks strongly, Liolio-Davis pushing up into midfield for the opening sequence. The initial passage saw the ball flowing from side to side, highlighted by a hard spin from the captain which was only just covered. Having to fight to resist the efforts of a crafty Jets side, Hastas sneaking into dangerous spaces and Seck loitering for the chance to cross, Hills eventually weathered the storm to make their way upfield once again. Cross made way for Suffield once more, the departing player having helped withstand the Jets assault to allow the rest to clean up and confirm the result. Merkas quickly took a free kick near the centre circle, finding Suffield out wide before the defence had time to set. A first time shot was too fast for a charging Liolio-Davis, leaving Hills in a commanding position which they maintained until the end of the match. Some composed rotations brought about thanks to some excellent Jets passing saw Hills having to scramble late on, but the damage was already done.
Regaining their 4 point buffer, Hills United go into the final few rounds after the long weekend break in the driver’s seat in the chase for the title. Still, with matches to come against the Wanderers for the team in yellow, the Jets would be hoping for them to stumble at the final hurdle. Newcastle would still believe they were a chance, their goal now to return to winning ways and put the pressure onto their opponents once more.
Match stats:
Hills United 3 (Karim 8’, Suffield 16’ 34’)
Newcastle Jets 0
Reserve Grade – Western Sydney Wanderers 0-0 Sydney FC
Second place for the NSWPFA Reserve Grade competition for 2022 is still up for grabs, and a result in the derby between the two Sydney sides would go a long way towards either side claiming the position. 5 points was the difference between the two sides with 4 matches to go, with the red and black holding the advantage over the sky blues. It was a different starting line-up for the Sydney FC side, with Marthy Anax getting the start in goals alongside Fletcher Ball in the middle and Harry Simmons and Cameron Moody on the wings. For the Wanderers, Steve Shadlow started in goals with Jye Mokluk, Jaxon Taylor and Jesse Ezzy in midfield. This was an aggressive lineup from the Wanderers, but it failed to pay dividends early. Taylor was picked out a few times, but strong defending from Ball was crucial in staving this off. Instead the ball went the other way, the sky blues hitting the ball up the court, thanks in particular to Simmons. To be fair, neither side had much in the way of chances in the opening half, the ball seemingly stuck in midfield. Each keeper had to deal with a few slow shots, but these were comfortably worked away.
The sky blues looked to make some changes to shift the momentum in their favor, with the likes of Joshua Ryan and Daniel O’Brien coming onto the field in different shifts to wrestle the ball upfield. But it was a composed combination of Mokluk and Shadlow who were able to calmly clear the pressure the sky blues posed. For the neutral spectator, the match wasn’t one that was the most action packed, with both sides negating their opponents’ strengths and unable to pounce on their weaknesses. Neither side found that crucial strike, unable to use their power to break through. A point apiece would be a fair result for both sides, letting the battle for second place continue a little longer. With a Wanderers win and anything less than the same for the sky blues in their next matches, second place would be red and black, but a crucial 120 minutes of football remains for each side to decide this result.
Match stats:
Western Sydney Wanderers 0
Sydney FC 0
Premier League – Western Sydney Wanderers 2-0 Sydney FC
A Sydney derby was always a match you could expect the red and black Wanderers to be up for the fight, with the sky blues sure to put up a strong effort of their own in return. Still seeking their first win of the season, Sydney FC sent out a strong lineup featuring Joshua Ryan in the middle, flanked by Daniel O’Brien and Fletcher Ball, while Harry Simmons covered the back. Making his second consecutive start for the Wanderers, Jye Mokluk lined up alongside Ben Keyte on the wing, with Jordan Crane and Andy Waite set up behind them as usual. With their strong form in recent weeks, the Wanderers looked to start strong and aim for another composed performance. But as has been the case for most of the season, Sydney FC came out of the blocks strong to put the Wanderers under pressure from the outset. Ryan’s aggression had become a trademark for the sky blues, taking on the Wanderers midfield and seeking out O’Brien and Ball, but all to no avail to begin with.
As the match wore on, Crane looked to get into the match more and more, expanding his passing range to send Keyte and Mokluk forward more and more adventurously. Crane has been one of the more prolific passers in terms of setting his team mates up to score, and he looked to make this match a similar occasion. But the sky blues angled defence from sideline hit ins gave the red and black a different look to what other teams presented. Simmons being further across his goal meant that he was able to cramp Keyte and Mokluk when Crane attempted to cross the ball from the sideline. The Wanderers were able to control things for the most part, save for the sky blues looking to attack on the rebound. Waite was tested a few times by the sky blue wingers from time to time, but the first half wound down with scores still level.
Much like the Wanderers last match against Hills, the longer both sides remained level, the more likely it was for an upset to occur. Mokluk was the beneficiary last time out, scoring the winning goal with an aggressive attack, but he so far hadn’t found the same chance this match just yet. It was clear that with each shot cut off by the defence that the Wanderers were getting a little more nervous, the Sydney FC players getting more vocal each time they defended another chance. But Crane continued to plug away, hitting more and more balls forward until he found that one opening. With barely 5 minutes remaining, Crane blocked off a Sydney clearance, the ball rebounding forwards to a waiting Mokluk, the striker able to poke the ball home before the defence could turn and chase. Perhaps a lucky goal, the lead was one the Wanderers deserved after all their hard work.
The sky blues were disappointed by conceding so late, the distraction along with the Wanderers newly found momentum contributing to a quick-fire second goal soon after. Keyte took advantage and sprinted down the wing, cutting the ball back to Crane who then fired a scything pass to the far post for a once again proactive Mokluk, tapping in his second for the match and sealing the result. The result sees the Wanderers close in to 4 points behind second place, and still a mathematical chance of taking out the title if results went their way. Next week’s encounter with the Newcastle Jets was sure to be vital in deciding the final standings. For the sky blues, three more chances remain for them to find a victory, but the learnings from a challenging season would set them in good stead for the future. With an average age in the early teens, the sky blues would be a force to be reckoned with in the near future.
Match stats:
Western Sydney Wanderers 2 (Mokluk 34’ 37’)
Sydney FC 0