http://www.nswpl.com.au/index.php?id=554&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=3513&tx_ttnews[backPid]=537&cHash=db5e5fa1c7Marconi remain unbeaten with victory over the Sharks
28.03.10 10:57
Sutherland Sharks skipper George Souris shown in action against the Marconi Stallions in their round 5 clash on Saturday
Marconi Stallions continued their unbeaten run with a single goal win against Sutherland Sharks at Seymour Shaw Park.
Matthew Gordon’s shot past Nathan Denham in the first-half, with an attempt that wasn’t hit cleanly, was enough to veer away from the home goalkeeper and into the back of the net to secure the points for the Stallions.
The left foot shot came off the outside of the foot but was always curling beyond the despairing dive of Denham into the shot-stopper’s top right-hand corner in what must be an early contender for goal of the season and most worthy of winning any game, although it wasn’t all going Marconi’s way as Sutherland had four chances to take the lead prior to the goal.
In only the 2’ minute Yianni Fragogiannis sent over a cross that Chris Price was unable to reach quickly followed by George Souris pumping the ball wide to Fragogiannis who slipped the ball to Jimmy Bakis on the right only to see Stephen McConologue flick the ball past the post in the best of the side’s goal scoring opportunities.
Denham was called into action to palm the ball around the post from the impressive Jared Lum, though nothing came of the resulting corner shortly after Gordon’s goal.
Despite the Stallions taking the lead, from that point on it appeared all the Sharks as the chances came thick and fast with Stallions goalkeeper James Chronopoulos twice forced into save in quick succession from headers by Price and Neil Jablonksi as the home-side searched for the equaliser.
Lum, Gordon, Chris Nunes and Nahuel Arrarte provided the better moments for the Stallions attack and both Brenton Rhodes and Adel El Jamal were strong at the back leaving the Sharks to snatch at many a half-chance they couldn’t put away as the half finished with Marconi one goal to the good.
The visitors started the second period brighter with Lum going close before Michael Robinson, truly finding some excellent form this season to date, cleared off the line from an Umut Tokdogan effort before the Sharks started to spark again when Nick Stavroulakis played a neat one-two with Blake Powell only to scuff the shot.
Marconi looked composed in their style of play and put plenty of bodies behind the ball yet they were still found wanting on occasion and can certainly thank Chronopoulos for preserving the lead in the 65’ minute when Bakis fired in another cross from the right that Price met superbly and correctly headed downward, but somehow the Stallions custodian managed not only to get down quickly to the ball from almost point-blank range, but also to smother the danger.
Marconi came back with a couple of half chances themselves from distance before El Jamal found himself in the book for a scything tackle on Price as this pulsating game ran its course.
Price was again unlucky when another header, this time from the cross of substitute Ben Vidaic, came to nought although a worse moment was to come for the Sharks midfielder when Powell fired back across the goalmouth to find Price in space and an open net, but in keeping with the night, the ball bobbled just as he was about to tap it home and the opportunity drifted away toward the touchline with the player and crowd holding their collective heads in hands as much in disbelief than anything else.
Sutherland forced Marconi into a few scary moments for the remaining minutes to hold on to the points which on any other night they may not have got, yet tonight they probably deserved.
Coach Robbie Stanton said of the Sharks afterwards:
“Our execution was poor tonight and we didn’t always play the best option into the box and we need to be more efficient plus show more mobility and determination.
“Those are the areas we need to show a great deal of improvement on at the moment and also in our finishing of course but it takes a good side to come to Seymour Shaw and get the points and Marconi showed tonight they certainly are that.
“They played smart and got the points and I can’t really have any complaint about that, they deserved it.”
The enigmatic Lee Sterrey commented:
“I think we went off the rails after the first 15’ minutes or so and lost our shape a little and the last 20’ minutes from us was poor.
“We had no support going forward but we managed to get in-front with a goal and Chronopoulos was terrific out there and a lot of credit must go to not just the player but our goalkeeping coach Jose. He has put the younger lads through some tricky training and that is paying off as you could see tonight.
“We’ve got some good young lads at the club coming through so it might be difficult for me to change the line-up when our other players come back if we keep up this momentum but hopefully Matthew Hall (former Sharks player) will be available next week although Jimmy McGowan came back to the squad and had to have a plate screwed into an unfortunate foot injury so to come here and take the points away is something any coach would settle for because it’s never easy to do that here.”
Sutherland Sharks were victorious in the Grade-20 match, defeating the Stallions 2-1.
Match Stats
Sutherland Sharks 0
Marconi Stallions 1 (Matthew Gordon 17’)
Saturday, 27th March, 2010
Seymour Shaw, Miranda
Referee: Ryan Shepherd
Assistant Referees: Sarah Ho and Bachar Allam
Crowd: 1500 Approx.
Sutherland Sharks: 1.Nathan Denham; 2.George Souris, 4.Michael Robinson, 6.Chris Price, 7.Jim Bakis, 8.Blake Powell, 10.Stephen McConologue (9.Ben Vidaic 76’), 11.Ben Spruce, 12.Neil Jablonski, 14.Nick Stavroulakis, 22.Yianni Fragogiannis
Substitutes Not Used: 16.James Lawrence, 31.Hussein Jasli, 36.Tyson Rhodes, 24.Jack Duncan
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil
Marconi Stallions: 22.James Chronopoulos; 2.Brenton Rhodes, 4.Umut Tokdogan (25.Dominic Trimboli 76), 5.Adel Eljamal, 9.Erick Anabalon, 11.Matthew Gordon (34.Nathan Jagelman 76’), 18.Jared Lum, 23.Christopher Nunes, 26.Nahuel Arrarte, 31.Mitchell Malia (39.Sean O’Connell 90’), 42.Giorgio Speranza
Substitutes Not Used: 21.Jose Bello, 38.Daniel Petkovski
Yellow Cards: Eljamal 69’, Speranza 90’
Red Cards: Nil
Player Ratings:
3 – James Chronopoulos (MS)
2 – Matthew Gordon (MS)
1 – Michael Robinson (SS)
-By Micky Brock