Reserve Grade –Sydney FC 0-0 Hills United
After being recently crowned Reserve Grade champions for 2022, Hills United were glad to welcome Samir Eshani back onto the court. Returning from an international wheelchair badminton tournament and a bout of illness, Eshani’s leadership was a bonus for the league winners. The introduction of Finn O’Donovan and Ollie McPhail was a youthful progression for the side, along with the ever improving and reliable Lachlan Ninham, so having Eshani and Matthew Mallows to lead the younger players was just what was needed. For Sydney FC, Joshua Ryan took the central role, guiding the likes of Riley Brown and Cameron Moody through the midfield, while the constantly improving Marthy Anax once again took her place between the posts. After not conceding for 3 rounds consecutively, the sky blues had found a stretch of defensive form which would be pleasing to see for their coaching staff.
Despite all the positives, neither team started the match with much intensity, and it wasn’t long before Ryan and Mallows began dicing against each other in duels in midfield. With each player attempting to pass out of the tussle, the ball simply couldn’t reach their wingers with enough pace to make a difference. Each time it looked like someone had found an angle, the ball was either put into touch, or the hustle of the defence managed the troubles. A surprisingly quiet Hills side found themselves in trouble when a charging Ryan drew the referee’s whistle for a 2 on 1, but a composed defence managed the danger. A potentially damaging corner kick fizzled into nothing, but the early signs were positive for the sky blues. Bringing Eshani forwards was a sign of their intent, but a composed Anax was good enough to cover the angles they looked to make.
The second half saw both Daniel O’Brien on the wing and Mitchell Albert in the centre look to change the narrative, while Hills gave O’Donovan a chance out wide. With both teams now having targets on their wings displaying more energy, the game opened up considerably. Now the keepers were forced into making saves, including one long shot from Albert which rolled on target, needing Ninham to be alert. Anax had to keep focused as the match wore on, but an excellent effort from the sky blues saw yet another clean sheet secured for the team. For Hills, while not matching their highs of the season, they could be glad to earn a point from a tough encounter.
Match stats:
Sydney FC 0
Hills United 0
Premier League – Hills United 2-0 Sydney FC
Coming off a crucial win over the Newcastle Jets in the previous round, Hills United faced the challenging prospect of an enthusiastic Sydney FC side still searching for their first win of the season. The previous two encounters had seen the team in yellow prevail with 2 goal victories, but they were made to work for their results in each match. The equation was simple for Hills United. Claim two wins in their final three matches and they would clinch their second consecutive NSWPFA Premier League title regardless of what the Newcastle Jets would do to end their season. Hills returned to their original starting line-up of Abdullah Karim and Jacob Cross on the wings, with Chris Suffield manning the centre and Chris Turnbull providing support as keeper, while the sky blues once again started with Joshua Ryan and Daniel O’Brien up front, supported by Mitchell Albert in the middle, with Fletcher Ball donning the keeper’s jersey.
It was a composed start for Hills despite the Sydney team flying out of the blocks from the kick-off, something the Hills players often found themselves facing with this matchup. Seeing off the initial danger posed by Ryan, Suffield was able to feed the ball forward for Karim to surge forwards with patient intent. Soon it was Hills on the attack, with Cross firing the ball across the box for Suffield from a hit in. The screen from Karim gave Suffield time to strike, but a charging Albert was good enough to cover the post and earning a goal kick. Defending goal kicks had become a strength of the Hills side of late, with Cross and Karim looking to keep the sky blues on the defensive, and this was a good strategy as it generated more chances. Cross was in fine form, his passing finding Suffield out wide with ease, but once more Albert, with the aid of the post this time was able to somehow keep the ball out and retain level pegging. Still, the building pressure from Hills was slowly working away, and the next shot came across the goal, perhaps a sign of things to come. Finally, with time winding down in the first half, Albert’s efforts to cover the far post gave Suffield his opening, directing Cross’ pass back across goal for what was a hard-fought but probably deserved lead.
The halftime messages given by the coaching staff, both sides kept their starting line-ups for the second half. With Hills having the kick-off, the intent would be to put the sky blues under continued pressure and hopefully extend their lead. The Suffield-Karim combination saw a focus on working down the right wing, but the final passes were not quite there, leading to the yellow team leaving the sky blues with deep hit-ins early on. The Hills side were rewarded for their pressure, with the younger side being drawn into a few 2 on 1 infringements, a deeper one followed up by one in an attacking position. With Karim camped on the goal line, Cross fired it at his team mate looking for a glancing ball to find the goal. Ball made the save, but a well-positioned Karim was able to block the clearance with the back of his chair, doubling their advantage and giving the sky blues plenty of work to do over the final 10 minutes.
Despite going further behind, it was clear to see that the Sydney FC players didn’t let their heads drop and surged forwards. Like Hills subjected their opponents to in the first half, the sky blues earned repeat goal kicks, and even a corner kick from a bobbling ball Suffield could only turn behind to protect his keeper. Deflected out of danger by the defence, Karim worked the ball up the wing and to safety. Ryan was smartly reading Hills’ attempts from Suffield to find Karim out wide, giving their opponents plenty to think about, but a composed effort saw the clock run down and Hills claiming another crucial three points. Consistent effort from the sky blues made this a tough encounter, but not scoring goals meant it was always going to be difficult going. With two rounds to go, both sides have plenty to play for as the season comes to a close.
Match stats:
Hills United 2 (Suffield 18‘, Karim 28’)
Sydney FC 0
Reserve Grade – Western Sydney Wanderers 1-0 Newcastle Jets
The Western Sydney Wanderers had the chance to lock up second place in the NSWPFA Reserve Grade season for 2022, with a draw from the sky blues in the earlier match meaning a win for the red and black would secure the runners up position. With the red and black needing some reinforcements for the match, newly-returned Steve Webb took to the court for the Wanderers between the posts. Their midfield saw Jye Mokluk take up his usual position in the middle with Jaxon Taylor and Jesse Ezzy on the wings. For Newcastle, the combination of Rumeth Herath in goals and Jake Vidakovic in the centre of midfield were supported by Molly Boland and Cooper Greenwood on the wings. With so much on the line, a hyper-aggressive Mokluk looked to find his team mates with booming passes, or if not his team mates, to simply work the ball upfield as quickly as possible. In recent weeks, Mokluk had been one of the Wanderers’ stand-out performers, and his connection with Taylor was a winning one.
The ever crafty winger is definitely a player who finds himself in difficult places for defenders to adjust to. With a powerful cross into a dangerous area, Mokluk found Taylor for the perfect connection on the front of his guard, a shot cutting between defenders to give the Wanderers a lead they had deserved from the outset. One team was more aggressive than the other and that was the team who had the ascendancy. Going behind seemed to be the switch that triggered the Jets into action, with Vidakovic managing to slow down Mokluk by taking better positions in the centre of midfield. With Mokluk’s attempts to clear the ball upfield being repelled, it was only a matter of time before Vidakovic was able to challenge the Wanderers in the battles and work the ball upfield in his own way. Still, with Webb covering for the adventurous Mokluk, the red and black closed out the first half in the lead.
The even nature of the match continued into the second half, with one on one battles taking up the majority of proceedings for both sides. The introduction of Chris Holmes gave the Jets another passing option for Vidakovic, and soon the Newcastle side were able to counter the Wanderers’ efforts more effectively. With both sides making the right defensive adjustments, both goal keepers were able to cover for their team mates effectively. Neither team was able to generate enough pressure late on, but for the red and black, that was the perfect outcome. Sealing second place was a strong achievement for a team who has had to fight through adversity throughout their season. Newcastle would take solace from being able to challenge their opponents, with both teams looking to end the season strongly.
Match stats:
Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (Taylor 10’)
Newcastle Jets 0
Premier League – Newcastle Jets 1-0 Western Sydney Wanderers
With their rivals, Hills United, taking an important victory in the earlier match, the Newcastle Jets knew that it was essential for them to secure a victory to give them a chance at the title. The gap at the top of the table had stretched out to 7 points ahead of the Jets’ match with the Wanderers, so with two matches remaining after this one, it was imperative that the Jets take something from the match. With both teams having to field different line-ups due to the absence of Kim brothers Andrew and James with illness, Newcastle captain Dimitri Liolio-Davis wore the keeper’s jersey, backing up a midfield of Ryan Seck at pivot and Chris Hastas and Jake Vidakovic on the wings. For the Wanderers, Andy Waite manned the goals while Jordan Crane and Ben Keyte controlled the midfield with Jye Mokluk operating as a wide striker.
The Newcastle side knew they had to push for the result, and it was a composed and controlled approach that saw the Jets work upfield through Seck and Hastas. Their efficient combination saw the red and black under pressure from the outset. With Mokluk sitting so far upfield, Crane and Keyte were forced to do a lot more work than expected. A distinct lack of talk from both sides made for interesting viewing for the neutral observer, with the gaps appearing in an adventurous Wanderers outfit, leaving Waite exposed at the back. This only encouraged Liolio-Davis to press higher upfield, going on runs of his own when given the chance. Hastas or Seck were always there to cover in these moments, the Jets taking the field position battle in their stride. Using the sideline hit-ins to create a four-man offence, Liolio-Davis was the passing pivot playing deep and sweeping the ball to either wing when given the chance. With the time running down in the first half, Crane was drawn deeper into the box, giving the Jets a chance to strike from a corner. With Seck firing the ball towards the top of the box, his captain charged forward, slamming the ball between defenders. Waite could only send the ball against Crane, unable to keep it out and giving the Newcastle side a well-deserved lead before half-time.
With the lead they needed coming just before the break, the Jets were able to adopt a more conservative approach in the second half. Still, a single goal advantage was never going to be the safest situation to be in. Managing the field position battle expertly, Seck and Hastas were clever in knowing when to pass and when to challenge their opponents in the battle. It simply appeared that the Wanderers had nothing in their arsenal that would harm the Jets today, unable to find Mokluk and get him involved in the match. Each time Crane or Keyte would work the ball upfield, Liolio-Davis was there to cut it off and feed his team mates and keep the pressure away from his own goal. The Wanderers continued to plug away, their most impressive attacking movements coming when Waite would dribble out of danger, his surging runs giving the red and black their more impressive motions, but the Jets were not going to lose this one. This was highlighted by Liolio-Davis shutting down Waite and turning him back as time wore down.
The final whistle would be a relief for the Jets, sealing what was one of the more confident and composed defensive displays of their season. A crucial three points was enough to give them a real fighting chance ahead of matches against Sydney FC. Keeping the pressure on Hills United was all the Jets could do and this would keep their title battle going for one more round at least. The Wanderers would go away slightly disappointed with their efforts, but they had the chance to make things uncomfortable for Hills in the final two rounds of the season. With the pressure continuing to mount, the Newcastle Jets put in a composed and confident performance with the season nearing its end. A 4-point deficit meant their fate was not entirely in their own hands, but there was still plenty to play for with 80 minutes remaining in the season.
Match stats:
Newcastle Jets 1 (Liolio-Davis 16’)
Western Sydney Wanderers 0