2016 NPL NSW Men’s 2 Finals – Week 1 Review
Due to not being able to purchase tickets to the Sydney United v Bonnyrigg Preliminary Final, I had some free time last weekend. With both of last weekend’s NPL NSW 2 Finals games being played at my local ground, Lily’s Football Centre, this was an opportunity that was too good to pass up, especially with free admission.
The 2016 NPL NSW 2 Finals Series began on Saturday night, with 4th place Marconi Stallions playing against 5th place Mounties Wanderers. The game started evenly, with both teams having trouble with high balls into the box. This would be a recurring theme throughout the game.
After needing a goal-line clearance to keep the scores level, Mounties won a corner just after the half-hour mark. In the resulting goalmouth scramble the ball was bundled in by former Australian youth international Wade Oostendorp. Both teams then created further chances but were unable to capitalise, so the score was 1-0 to Mounties at half time.
Marconi were slightly unlucky to be behind at the break, and they would turn the game around in the first 20 minutes of the second half. Nine minutes after the restart Marko Jesic put in a beautiful right wing cross, and Sean Rooney headed in to make it 1-1. About 10 minutes after Rooney’s goal, Marconi took the lead. Mirjan Pavlovic did well to back heel a corner into the six yard box, and Christopher Godoy Bascur headed the ball into the top corner.
Despite this, Mounties were far from being out of the contest, and they equalised with eight minutes left. After a dangerous ball was whipped in from the right, Matthew West lost his marker and headed in to make it 2-2.
The game was set for extra time, and as players began to tire spaces opened up for attacking players from both sides. Unfortunately for Marconi, Marko Jesic was having an off night. He had already missed two good chances in normal time, and early in extra time he missed an open goal after good work from Pavlovic. However, with so much space to work with Marconi were always going to create more chances. In the 103rd minute Sean Rooney grabbed his second goal of the game after getting on the end of a through ball, and it was 3-2 to Marconi.
Their lead didn’t last long as Mounties would make another comeback. Another good cross, this time from the left flank, found Matthew West unmarked again. The tall striker scored with another header to make it 3-3. It got even better for them with five minutes left when the Marconi keeper was unable to hold a shot from the edge of the box, Josh Viera tapping in from six yards to make it 4-3 to Mounties.
This wasn’t the end of the drama. In the dying minutes Mounties almost scored an own goal with a mis-timed clearance. From the resulting corner they needed their second goal-line clearance of the game to preserve their lead.
A couple of minutes later the ref ended the game and Marconi’s season. Marconi were unlucky to lose after scoring three goals and leading in extra time, but Mounties were rewarded for their ability to keep going until the final whistle.
Marconi 3 (Rooney 54’ 103’, Godoy Bascur 65’)
Mounties 4 (Oostendorp 31’, West 82’ 105’, Viera 115’)
The second NPL NSW 2 Finals game of the weekend was on Sunday afternoon, featuring 3rd placed Bankstown City Lions and Mt Druitt Town Rangers, who finished the league season in 6th position.
Both teams seemed determined to go out and attack their opponents, and there were early goals as a result. In the sixth minute, Bankstown City opened the scoring through Gerard Ouffoue, the big striker tapping in from close range after a low cross evaded the Rangers defence. Mt Druitt hit back six minutes later, Abraham Majok side-footing home from six yards after getting on the end of a cutback from the right flank.
Despite good chances falling to Rangers striker Kuag Reec and Lions midfielder Dean Bereveskos, the first half ended with the score at 1-1. As with the previous night’s game between Marconi and Mounties, you got the sense that there would be more goals in the second half.
Early in the second half Mt Druitt hit the front for the first time. Rangers left back Brian Griffin-Colls scored the goal of the weekend, finding the top corner from 35 yards out. After this both sides continued to create chances, with both Abraham Majok and Gerard Ouffoue going close to getting on the scoresheet again.
Bankstown City then began to dominate the game, pushing Mt Druitt back onto the edge of their own box. However, Rangers are always dangerous on the counter thanks to their pace up front, and they would strike again.
With just over 15 minutes left a long pass from the Rangers defence found Kuag Reec. The Mt Druitt striker dribbled past a defender and then shot low past the keeper to make it 3-1 to Rangers. This goal seemed to take all of the momentum away from Bankstown City, who could only threaten sporadically in the closing stages of the game. In the end, Mt Druitt were able to hold on reasonably comfortably and book their place in Week 2 of the NPL NSW Men’s 2 Finals.
Bankstown City 1 (Ouffoue 6’)
Mt Druitt 3 (Majok 12’, Griffin-Colls 49’, Reec 73’)
Eric Subijano
@eric_subijano
