No the Quarter Finals are, not the Semi's ;)

If anybody is following it. The FA Cup style knockout competition in NSW.

the semi finals are.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Waratah_Cup

The 2010 Waratah Cup ... formerly known as the ‘Waratah Cup’, and ‘TigerTurf Cup’

QFS tonight.

Tips?

Personally i think:

* Wolves
* Marconi
* Granville
* Blacktown.

anybody heading to any games??

Nah Marconi will win.

New coach, they are looking to get their season back on track and its at home; Cromer is currently the worst pitch I've seen - its a real leveler, so Marconi will be dragged down to Manly's level and they'll be beaten with experience...

Marconi have had a good season thus far in the Premier League, whilst Manly has had a shaky one to say the least. They've strung a few good wins here and there but this season have been far from convicing for mine.

If the pitch is as bad as you say, Manly may have a slight advantage, but do remember the golden rule - both teams have to play on it. Perhaps home advantage will come into play, and it is going to be a very very chilly night tonight, especially on the coast. I still think Marconi will win, probably not convicing, 2-1, or 1-0 for mine.

[quote=Heineken]
but I was trying to put a bit of reasoning behind my post as opposed to Minimalistix's indepth look at the match... ;)

Hahahahaha!!!

Manly have been struggling this season, Cromer is a piece of shit field, the grand stand though is top notch ;) Marconi play 'sexy' football, and despite hard days at work and having to travel far, they'll be okay. Speaking of which, I got a 6:30 kick off tomorrow at Richmond :-({|=

Four hugely anticipated clashes in the 2010 McDonald's Cup Quarter-Finals are set to take place on Wednesday June 9th.

Super League outfit Spirit FC have been drawn to take on NSW Premier League side South Coast Wolves at Christie Park. Jason Van Blerk’s men have been a tricky outfit especially at their home ground and will no doubt pose a threat to Trevor Morgan’s side with the winner earning a semi-final spot. Spirit FC are currently mid-table in the Super League as it has been and up and down season for them, however the likes of Leo Papanicolaou, Ben Gough, Tim Simpson, Daniel Cunningham and skipper Paul Nicolaou will certainly make it hard for the South Coast side. The Wolves will be banking on the striking expertise of their ace marksman Mark Picciolini who has scored seven goals in eleven NSW Premier League matches along with Tynan Diaz, Tayfun Buyukkopru, Jason Trifiro and keeper Brody Crane in securing a spot in the next phase of the Cup.

Cromer Park will play host to Manly United tackling Marconi Stallions in an all NSW Premier League affair. Manly United under the guidance of Player/Manager Craig Midgley have slowly turned the corner with a couple of good results in the competition but they will need to be at their very best when they take on the current NSW Premier League leaders. Former Sydney FC striker Chris Payne, ex-North Queensland Fury defender Beau Busch, skipper Joey Schirripa and attacker Robbie Cattanach will be marked men during the match their clash against the Stallions. Lee Sterrey’s men have been in fantastic form this season and will be pushing for that elusive semi-final berth. Made up of a number of promising youngsters such as Umut Tokdogan, Graziano Trimboli, Laurence Braude, Jarod Lum, Mitchell Malia and Giorgio Speranza, the club certainly has some bright prospects plying their trade with the former NSL giants.

Yet another interesting NSW Premier League duel will take place at Seymour Shaw Park when 2009 Cup winners Sutherland Sharks take on the Blacktown City FC. Billed as one of the biggest clashes in the four matches for a semi-final spot it will be Robbie Stanton versus Aytek Genc with both coaches looking at putting their squads closer to a Grand Final spot. The Sharks will rely heavily on the attacking presence of Panny Nikas as well as the in-form Ben Vidaic while the club will be led courageously by skipper George Souris who alongside Michael Robinson have formed a formidable combination at the back. Blacktown though have an extensive arsenal of their own in Tolgay Ozbey who along with the likes of Mitchell Long, Luke Roodenburg and Ante Deur will certainly turn this match up into a firecracker.

Finally at Garside Park, Super League side Granville Rage have been drawn to face 2010 McDonald’s Cup ‘giant-killers’ and State League One club Blacktown Spartans. The Spartans have already claimed the scalps of NSW Premier League sides Rockdale City Suns and more recently Sydney United and will be fighting at all costs in continuing their fantastic journey in the Cup. Midfield ace Reece Iredale, Todd Macrae and Glenn McPherson will loom as the Spartans’ biggest threats on the pitch. The Rage will be a very tough opponent who also held the honour of knocking out NSW Premier League side Sydney Olympic and more recently Super League side Northern Tigers but many fans will expect fireworks between the two. Rage’s experienced marksman Nenos Bobo will hold the key to the club’s chances of progressing along with the likes of Nathan Rivera and Patrick Cappucio.

The semi-finals for the McDonald’s Cup will be played on June 23.

McDonald’s Cup Quarter-Finals

Manly United v Marconi Stallions – Cromer Park

Spirit FC v South Coast Wolves – Christie Park

Granville Rage v Blacktown Spartans – Garside Park

Sutherland Sharks v Blacktown City FC – Seymour Shaw Park

*To be played on Wednesday June 9

-By Mark Stavroulakis

are you heading along to the game???

Four teams edge closer to McDonald’s Cup Final dream
09.06.10 23:54

Four Quarter-Final McDonald’s Cup matches were played on Wednesday evening as the tournament drew closer to the highly anticipated final as teams from the Premier League, Super League and State League One went to battle.

At Seymour Shaw Park, 2009 Cup winners Sutherland Sharks were dumped out of the tournament by a tough Blacktown City FC outfit 2-0. A double from pragmatic marksman Tolgay Ozbey, both coming in the first half and his second coming from the spot-kick gave Aytek Genc’s men the vital victory over Robbie Stanton’s men.

There was a five goal thriller at Cromer Park as the Marconi Stallions edged out Manly United 3-2 in what were very chilly conditions on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Things started brightly for the away side as Alex Canak scored in the 8th minute before youngster Laurence Braude added a second in the 18th minute. Manly struck back however and scored two before half-time thanks to a classy double by Chris Payne. Lee Sterrey’s men had the last laugh and scored via Nahuel Arrarte with nine minutes remaining sending the Fairfield based side into the Semi-Finals of the McDonald’s Cup.

At Christie Park Super League outfit Spirit FC showed they meant business as they knocked off NSW Premier League side South Coast Wolves 2-0. Defender Daniel Cunningham scored via the spot-kick in the 14th minute before Ben Gough added Spirit FC’s second in the 59th minute to earn a spot in the McDonald’s Cup Semi-Final.

Finally at Garside Park, State League One ‘giant killers’ Blacktown Spartans continued its fairytale run in the McDonald’s Cup after ousting a ten-man Super League Granville Rage side 3-1. Reece Iredale continued his good goalscoring form in the Cup as he opened the scoring in the 3rd minute. The home side grabbed an equaliser in the 50th minute via the spot-kick from Pat Cappuccio but the Spartans flexed their muscles and showed why they have knocked out the likes of the Rockdale City Suns and Sydney United when Glenn McPherson notched up a brace to gift the away side a precious victory.

Full reports on all four matches will appear on the Football NSW website (located in the McDonald’s Cup section) shortly.

Football NSW will conduct the official 2010 McDonald’s Cup Semi-Final draw very soon, stay tuned.

McDonald’s Cup Quarter Finals Results

Sutherland Sharks 0 v Blacktown City FC 2

Granville Rage 1 v Blacktown Spartans 3

Manly United 2 v Marconi Stallions 3

Spirit FC 2 v South Coast Wolves 0

-By Mark Stavroulakis

The Blacktown Spartans continued their fairytale McDonald’s Cup campaign after a 3-1 win over Granville Rage on Wednesday night.

The State League One side, who had already knocked out NSW Premier League heavyweights Rockdale City and Sydney United, added the Super League club to their list of tournament triumphs on the way to booking a semi final berth.

Wednesday night’s victory at Garside Park created history for Blacktown, who had never ventured past the quarter final phase of the tournament in their previous attempts.

Despite the dream run, not even the most optimistic Spartan could have predicted the outcome of the opening minutes against Granville.

Blacktown stunned the home-side when they hit the lead after just 2’ minutes courtesy of Reece Iredale. The number 9 capitalised on a loose ball and drilled his shot past Jason Holmes to give the visitors an early confidence boost.

The Spartans should have doubled their lead moments later when Glenn McPherson charged forward and worked his way around the keeper, but the number 11 failed to find the net from close-range.

Nenos Bobo had an opportunity to equalise for Granville when he went one-on-one with Spartans goalkeeper Carlos Salidarre, but the advancing keeper pulled off a brilliant save to deny the Rage their opener.

Frederick Graham was also causing havoc up front, but squandered a golden chance in front of goal after turning his defender.

The referees were under scrutiny from the home fans after several infringements were called against Granville, but a lack of discipline soon cost the Rage.

Joe Cartisano, who received his first yellow card for lashing out at the linesman in the 32’ minute, was given an early mark after a mistimed challenge on Joseph Awola.

Restricted to just 10 men, the Rage continued to push forward, but Bobo failed to make the most of his opportunity, again firing off target.

After a forgettable first-half, the Rage were given a shot in the arm when they were awarded a penalty after 50’ minutes.

A David Harding through ball sent Bobo into the penalty-area, but instead of thwarting the Granville raid, Salidarre was yellow carded for bringing down the striker in the box.

Pasqualino Cappucio was given the responsibility of equalising, and made no mistake from the spot to level at 1-1 after 50’ minutes.

Despite playing with just 10-men, the Rage were dominating their opposition mid way through the second half, but Bobo wasn’t having a happy night in front of goal.

McPherson wasn’t having the same problem at the other end, converting his chance in the 71’ minute.

The number 11 found some space down the left flank, and with his first touch, slotted his shot past Holmes at the near post to give the Spartans a 2-1 lead after 71’ minutes.

The Spartans soon ended any hope of a Granville comeback, taking an insurmountable 3-1 lead when McPherson tapped home at the far post after Holmes deflected a shot from the opposite side of the field.

In unusual circumstances, the Spartans lost their keeper after he received his second yellow card, but it meant very little to the context of the match, as Blacktown held on to claim a memorable 3-1 victory.

Granville coach Nick Porrecca refused to talk to Football NSW after his side’s lost, but in the opposition sheds, Blacktown coach Ben de Haan was elated with his team’s performance.

“I’m very happy for the boys,” he said.

“I couldn’t be happier.”

While he was pleased to progress through to the semi finals, de Haan conceded his side still had room to improve:

“Our past games against Sydney United and Rockdale were good football games, but tonight we were a bit scrappy,” he said.

But can the Spartans go all the way?

“It all depends on what happens on the night,” de Haan said.

“We’ve just been taking it one match a time, enjoying it and trying to set up for the weekend.”

Match Stats

Granville Rage 1 (Cappuccio 50’)

Blacktown Spartans 3 (R.Iredale 3’, McPherson 71’, 78’)

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Garside Park

Referee: Andrew Best

Assistant Referees: Lance Morton and Steven Nguien

Crowd: 100

Granville Rage: 1.J.Holmes; 5.M.Islas (16.C.Hedge 74’), 6.J.Cartisano, 7.D.Harding, 9.K.Holbrook (21.K.Appiah-Kubi 84’), 10.F.Graham (8.P.Pyliotis 79’), 11.N.Bobo, 13.D.Carrozza, 14.C.Bottalico, 17.N.Rivera, 18.P.Cappuccio

Substitutes Not Used: 2.J.Ekehov, 22.C.Morley

Yellow Cards: Bottalico 23’, Cappuccio 25’, Islas 28’, Cartisano 32’ + 35’, Graham 45’+2’, Holmes 65’

Red Cards: Cartisano 35’

Blacktown Spartans: 1.C.Saliadarre; 2.F.Omankoy (8.R.Wilson 70’), 3.J.Awola, 5.L.Wright, 6.M.Hubbard, 9.R.Iredale (10.M.McCaffery 70’), 11.G.McPherson (15.K.Romero 82’), 16.L.Infanti, 17.J.Canessa (7.M.Todd 54’), 18.A Vizzari, 4.S.Zahra

Substitutes Not Used: 14.K.Falanga

Yellow Cards: Vizzari 55’, Salidarre 50’+85’

Red Cards: Salidarre 85’

-By Michael Chammas

At Christie Park, Super League outfit Spirit FC showed they meant business as they knocked off NSW Premier League side South Coast Wolves 2-0.

Defender Daniel Cunningham scored first, via a controversial but well taken penalty, in the 14’ minute before Ben Gough added Spirit FC's second goal in the 59’ minute to earn a spot in the McDonald’s Cup Semi-Final.

South Coast Wolves had reached the quarter-final following good wins over Bonnyrigg and Bankstown City but couldn't carry that form into this game, and without former Port Kembla marksman Mark Picciolini , experienced Tynan Diaz, and regular goalkeeper Brody Crane, they looked underdone.

Spirit FC had admittedly lowlier challengers earlier in the Cup in teams like Camden Tigers and Gwawley Bay but tonight they looked just that much sharper, and kept their shape so much better than a few days earlier when they surrendered to Macarthur Rams in the Super League.

In front of a small and somewhat chilled crowd the game was played at a cracking pace early on with South Coast Wolves making the running - Jason Trifiro first to take a chance. It wasn't until the 6’ minute that Spirit got forward and won a free-kick and Leonardo Papanicolaou got on the end of it, sending his shot wide on the right.

Spirit started to get going and in the 9’ minute Papanicolaou got up on the left, crossing to Ben Gough in the area but the goal-poacher scrambled his shot, blasting it over the crossbar.

In the 14’ minute Papanicolaou received a ball out of defence and made a weaving run through into the penalty-area before being shouldered off the ball. Referee Peddie consulted his assistant and pointed to the spot. Cries from the Wolves fans for an offside and for fair-charge drifted away in the breeze.

Penalty specialist Daniel Cunningham stepped up and slotted it easily past Wolves 'keeper on the night, Nikodin Matic. 1-0

Akwasi Agyei forced Matic to parry his shot in the 22’ minute, while 3’ minutes later hard working Andres Gomez forced Spirit custodian Murray Nelson to dive to smother his shot.

South Coast's attack was being marshalled so well by the Spirit defence that they were forced to shoot from distance, and Andrew Paine and Gomez hardly troubled Nelson.

In the 39’ minute a sublime ball out of defence by Spirit's wily Adam Peatey sent Ben Gough on his way but an equally good piece of defending by Nick Littler in the area had him in his pocket.

Just before the half-time whistle an unexpected ball into the area found Gough free but surprised he rushed and skied his shot.

After the break the game opened up even more but with Spirit's disciplined play still in force. After three chances in succession were blocked, Ben Gough sent the home-side further ahead when he leapt at the ball after Matic dropped a cheeky lob from Papanicolaou, and knocked it past the sprawling 'keeper.

Papanicolaou was running riot down the left side and the Wolves didn't seem to have an answer to him after they substituted Nick Littler.

South Coast still sought their share of the spoils however and in the 76’ minute a well crafted move ended with a shot that tested Murray Nelson, who could only dive to his left to parry - but the ball fell to Spirit captain Paul Nicolaou who cleared.

4’ minutes later good lead-up work by Tayfun Buyukkopru ended with former Fernill Fox Andrew Paine slamming his hard shot into a defender.

Just before he was substituted Papanicolaou hit an angled shot from the left but this time Nikodin Matic spread himself well and smothered the chance.

A last chance for a consolation goal for Wolves was lost when Buyukkopru blasted a shot over the crossbar after a surging run in the 87’ minute.

Spirit FC, now await drawing of their opponent and whether they retain their home ground advantage, run into the semi final on Wednesday 23 June.

Match Stats

Spirit FC 2 (Daniel Cunningham 14' pen, Ben Gough 59')

South Coast Wolves 0

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Christie Park, Marsfield
Referee: Kevin Peddie
Assistant Referees: Leigh Pigram and Adam Coombes
Crowd: 50

Spirit FC: 1. Murray Nelson; 18.Tom Lovell, 2.Daniel Cunningham, 4.Paul Nicholaou (C), 20.Scott Wright, 6.Matt Peatey, 8.Josh De Kelly, 15.Akwasi Agyei (14.Ashley Balcomb 54'), 12.Adam Peatey (17.Evan Daglis 84'), 10.Leonardo Papanicolaou (19.Peter Cejka 88'), 7.Ben Gough (9.Tim Simpson 78')
Substitutes Not Used: 3.Lachlan Harte
Yellow Cards: Adam Peatey 73', Peter Cejka 89'
Red Cards: Nil

South Coast Wolves: 40.Nikodin Matic;12.Alex Mansueto, 4.Nick Littler (7.Andrew Keep 56'), 5.Nick McInerney (3.Greg Valic 51'), 14.Andres Gomez, 15.Chris Nathaniel, 8.Tayfun Buyukkopru, 10.Jason Trifiro, 11.Andrew Paine, 12.Jared Fish, 13.Sean van Rooyen
Substitutes Not Used: 1. Brody Crane, 6.Lisandro Berbis
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil

-By Chris Dunkerley

Blacktown City FC advanced to the McDonald’s Cup semi-final following a 2-0 defeat of Sutherland Sharks at Seymour Shaw on Wednesday night.

Blacktown City FC should have taken the lead in the opening minute when Tolgay Ozbey got in behind the Sharks defence after a misplaced pass, and slipped the ball back to Luke Roodenburg who, from 8-yards out and the goal gaping, slipped a left foot shot curling around the post.

The Sharks had their first opportunity moments later when Jimmy Lawrence was put through on the right of goal before blasting waywardly over from the edge of the box in a very open attacking period at the start of the half.

Ben Spruce cleared off the line as the makeshift defence of Yianni Fragogiannis, Paul Kohler, playing the George Souris role, Michael Robinson and Ben Spruce were posed plenty of early questions but always came up with the answers as Blacktown took the game to Sutherland with gusto. Their passing game was a joy to behold as the home side settled into their rhythm and soaked up the early pressure.

In the 18’ minute though, it was that man Ozbey who opened the scoring when unlocking the Sharks defence with a rasping drive beyond the reach of Nathan Denham after cutting in from the left.

It stung the Sharks into action with Travis Major called upon to clear off the line as Blacktown added gritty defence to their stylish play as both teams fought for control of the midfield in a very entertaining match.

The Sharks responded with Jimmy Bakis sending over a corner into the path of Neil Jablonski, captain for the night, who volleyed on target, stinging the hands of Matt Ryan who managed to hold the ball in a crowded area as a succession of Bakis corners continued to cause havoc in the Blacktown defence.

Kohler had to clear off the line when Ante Deur shot from just inside the box as the end-to-end action continued to excite the meager crowd but the striker soon found himself on the end of a caution from referee Kurt Ahms in the 27’ minute.

Ozbey switched wings and began to give Fragogiannis a torrid time. Ozbey sent in some telling crosses that no-one was able to capitalise on as the Sharks left gaps at the back in going forward as they searched for the equaliser.

Spruce surged into the box only to be thwarted by a gaggle of defenders but Blacktown went straight up field and were awarded a penalty when Ozbey was brought down inside the box with a push from Spruce. Ozbey calmly slotted home with the last kick of the half to give the visitors a two goal buffer at the interval. Spruce was shown a yellow card but not for the penalty as both Robinson and Fragogiannis were in cover, but for dissent after the event.

Sutherland began the second period full of purpose and when Fragogiannis went past his marker and fired toward goal it was too hot for ‘keeper Ryan to handle. The ball spilt to Lawrence who saw it late but managed to get something behind the ball but lacking in power and straight at the ‘keeper it was an easy take.

Blacktown, knowing Sutherland no option but to attack, sat deeper in defence to draw them forward and utilise their pace on the flanks and through the middle to hit on the break although the tactic appeared shaky on several occasions as Sutherland pressed them back further than was comfortable however the home team couldn’t find a way through for all their probing and opportunity.

Misha Hardwick and Todd Halloran replaced McConologue and Lawrence respectively in the 62’ minute for the Sharks as they looked to change the point of attack and both were quickly into the action with Hardwick unlucky to get the ball in the net when Ryan spread himself to block away for a corner that Bakis took and was met by the head of Chris Price but again Ryan saved point blank although he didn’t know too much about it.

With 68’ minutes on the clock another Bakis corner eventually found its way out to Kohler who thunder a shot in from 25-yards that cannoned back into play off the post and you got the impression this wasn’t going to be the Sharks night as for once Ryan was rooted to the spot and well beaten.

A plethora of chances came the way of Sutherland they would normally have buried and resolute defending ensured if they were to get anything from this game it was going to be earned the hard way but it wasn’t to be as a magnificent goal and a penalty decided a hotly contested McDonald’s Cup quarter final match.

Blacktown City coach Aytek Genc said after:

“It was a good result tonight as a few of the lads were a little worried about the surface as they were carrying niggling injuries but we could have been a few more up in the first-half with the percentage of play we had.

“They came at us strongly in the second-half and pushed us back but it was a determined back line and we handled the pressure well particularly when we dropped Roodenburg back into midfield but it was a very tough game and I have to be happy with the result.

“We’ll look forward to the semi-final but before then it’s a case of back to business in the Premier League.”

Sharks boss Robbie Stanton commented:

“I though we did okay.

“We had good field possession but two mistakes has cost us two goals tonight.

“We’ve got to start turning our possession into goals as that is lacking at the moment but now we are out of the cup we have our league position to look to and we know it will be hard work to get a Top 5 finish but we’ll battle on and see where we end up.

“I had seven players out there tonight at different times who are 20-years old or under so I wanted to look at a few things tonight and I saw what I needed to and we can move on from there.”

Match Stats

Sutherland Sharks 0

Blacktown City FC 2 (Ozbey 18’,45’ (pen))

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Seymour Shaw Park

Referee: Kurt Ahms

Assistant Referees: Lance Greenshields, Darren Richards

Fourth Official: Simon Templar

Sutherland Sharks: 1.Nathan DENHAM; 4.Michael ROBINSON, 6.Chris PRICE (31.Hussein JASLI 70’), 7.Jim BAKIS, 8.Blake POWELL, 10.Stephen McCONOLOGUE (30.Misha HARDWICK 62’), 11.Ben SPRUCE, 12.Neil JABLONSKI, 16.Jim LAWRENCE (40.Todd HALLORAN 62’), 20.Paul KOHLER, 22.Yianni FRAGOGIANNIS

Substitutes Not Used: 9.Ben VIDAIC, 24.Jack DUNCAN

Yellow Cards: Spruce 45’

Red Cards: Nil

Blacktown City FC: 20.Matt RYAN; 4.Mirko JURILJ, 5.Luka DUKIC, 7.Luke ROODENBURG, 13.Lachlan CAHILL (9.Kain RASTALL 66’), 16.Ante DEUR, 17.Joel CHIANESE, 18.Travis MAJOR (6.Matt PRESSELLO 84’), 19.Tolgay OZBEY (8.Chris BEDZO 81’), 22.Zac CAIRNCROSS (15.David TALEVSKI 88’), 23.Luke AUSTIN

Substitutes Not Used: 1.Matt NEMES

Yellow Cards: Deur 27’, Major 79’

Red Cards: Nil

-By Micky Brock

Marconi Stallions galloped into the semi-finals of the McDonald's Cup after a thrilling 3-2 win over Manly United at Cromer Park on Wednesday night.

Lee Sterrey's youthful outfit withstood a rampant home side, who came out of the blocks at a million miles an hour. However it was the Stallions who took the lead on 8' minutes.

Breaking from a Manly corner, Jared Lum pinged a brilliant ball into the path of Alex Canak, who squeezed his shot under Brad Swancott.

Jimmy Oates almost put Manly on level terms 5' minutes later but was denied twice by an alert Jose Bello Amigo.

18' minutes in, Marconi went two up when Laurence Braude nipped in at the far post.

Braude caught the eye all evening as the former Central Coast Mariners youth player forced home a pinpoint Matt Gordon cross.

Manly refused to buckle and played their way back into the contest midway through the first-half.

Chris Payne, who caused Marconi continual problems with his blinding pace, rifled home from twenty-yards, with an effort that won't be forgotten by the brave few who battled the cold in the Lucas Neill grandstand.

Braude should have restored the Stallions two goal buffer seconds later but shot wide with the goal at his mercy.

2' minutes after the break Payne grabbed his second after being played in by Luke Casserly.

The home team dominated the rest of the match, until a sucker punch from Marconi after 81' minutes ensured a happy trip back to Sydney's west.

Nahuel Arrarte forced home from the edge of the area, aided by a deflection from Pascal Julliard.

Manly pushed for a third goal to push the contest in extra time but in the end came up short.

Stallions boss Lee Sterrey was elated his troops got the job done:

“It wasn't an easy task, travelling to the northern beaches midweek to take on Manly, who always give a good account of themselves,” he said.

“We fielded a young team and took our chances.

“Once they came back to 2-2 I thought we were a bit defensive, whoever got that third goal was always going to win, thankfully it was us."

His counterpart Craig Midgley was understandably shattered moments after the final whistle:

“I made of point of telling the lads football can be a cruel game if you aren't clinical in front of goal,” he said.

“The character we showed to come from two goals down impressed me, and I felt the winner was very harsh given we were controlling the game.

“The effort was there, we just have to focus on the league now.”

Match Stats

Manly United 2 (Chris Payne 24', 47')

Marconi Stallions 3 (Alex Canak 8', Laurence Braude 18', Nahuel Arrarte 81')

Wednesday 9 June, 2010,

Cromer Park, Dee Why

Referee: Ryan Shepheard

Assistant Referees: Paul Faithfull and Matt Colquhoun

Manly United FC: 1.Brad SWANCOTT; 3.Roberto HAMAD (19.Brad GROVES 86'), 5.Pascal JULLIARD, 6.Luke CASSERLY (8.Keith SHEVLIN 62'), 11.Adam FOTI, 14.Matt SIM (13.Mitch MACEDO 83'), 16.Joey SCHIRRIPA, 17.Jimmy OATES, 22.Joey GIBBS, 23.Chris PAYNE, 24.Beau BUSCH

Substitutes Not Used: 18.Alex HUNT, 21.Chris GALLO

Yellow Cards: Joey Schirripa 44'

Red Cards: Nil

Marconi Stallions: 21.Jose Bello AMIGO; 2.Brenton RHODES, 4.Umut TOKDOGAN (5.Adel ELJAMAL 74'), 8.Alex CANAK, 10.Graziano TRIMBOLI (39.Sean O'CONNELL 74'), 11.Matt GORDON (31.Mitch MALLIA 45'), 17.Laurence BRAUDE, 18.Jared LUM (34.Nathan JAGELMAN 45'), 23.Chris NUNES, 26.Nahuel ARRARTE, 42.Giorgio SPERANZA

Substitutes Not Used: 1.James CHRONOPOULOS

Yellow Cards: Nil

Red Cards: Nil

McDonald’s Cup Semi-Finals announced
11.06.10 10:52



The official 2010 McDonald’s Cup Semi-Final fixtures were announced at Football NSW headquarters at Glenwood on Friday morning with two intriguing fixtures set to take place on June 22nd and June 23rd.

At Lily Homes Stadium, Blacktown City FC have drawn to play against Super League outfit Spirit FC on Tuesday June 22nd. Aytek Genc’s side has run into some great form during the course of the season and will be all guns blazing s they tackle Jason Van Blerk’s Spirit FC side. Blacktown’s opponents have had an up and down season thus far in the Super League but have showed that they can mix it with the best after dumping NSW Premier League club South Coast Wolves out of the Cup during their Quarter-Final encounter at Christie Park. Skipper Paul Nicolaou will hope to rally his troops and look for the likes of keeper Murray Nelson, defender Daniel Cunningham, key strikers Leo Papanicolaou and Ben Gough and ex-Blacktown City FC player Akwasi Agyei to fire against their Premier League opponents. Spirit FC are also looking towards banking on showing the same effort they displayed in the 2009 Super League Grand-Final when they defeated Parramatta Eagles on penalties. For Blacktown, Genc had Tolgay Ozbey to thank for his brace in their 2-0 hard fought victory over Sutherland Sharks during their Quarter-Final clash but will also have the likes of Luke Roodenburg, Kain Rastall, Joel Chianese and Ante Deur all hungry in wanting to capture their first silverware for 2010.

On Wednesday June 23rd, consistent NSW Premier League side Marconi Stallions face a tricky task in playing at Francis Park when they take on the McDonald’s Cup ‘giant killers’ and State League One outfit Blacktown Spartans. It has been a memorable year thus far for Spartans coach Ben de Haan who has seen his fully committed squad defeat the likes of Rockdale City Suns, Sydney United and more recently Granville Rage earning them a tie against one of the NSW Premier League’s in-form teams. Glenn McPherson will again be looked at as the main target after his two goal haul in the Quarter-Finals while bustling midfielder Reece Iredale and former NSW Thunder Futsal stars Lachlan Wright and Adrian Vizzari will also be on the radar. Meanwhile for Lee Sterrey’s squad the experience of Nahuel Arrarte showed when he scored the winner in their thrilling Quarter-Final win over Manly United while the likes of Alex Canak, Matt Gordon, James Chronopoulos and Laurence Braude will look towards giving their bit in earning a McDonald’s Cup Final spot set to take place on Sunday July 11 at Lily Homes Stadium.

McDonald’s Cup Semi-Final Fixtures

Tuesday June 22nd

Blacktown City FC v Spirit FC – Lily Homes Stadium – 7.30pm

Wednesday June 23rd

Blacktown Spartans v Marconi Stallions – Francis Park – 7.30pm

-By Mark Stavroulakis

Yeah, it's looking like that.

Blacktown City will easily put away Northern Spirit

Just thought I'd mention that Spirit FC is not Northern Spirit:lol: Northern Spirit were dissolved in 2004 after the demise of the NSL.

Isn't it basically just the same, just under a New name. They're still based in the same sort of Area, play there home games out of Maquarie Park instead of North Sydney Ova

McDonald’s Cup Semi-Finals this week
22.06.10 10:52



The 2010 McDonald's Cup Semi-Finals are ready to go as two matches take centre stage on Tuesday 22nd June and Wednesday 23rd June.

At Lily Homes Stadium, Blacktown City FC have drawn to play against Super League outfit Spirit FC on Tuesday June 22nd. Aytek Genc’s side has run into some great form during the course of the season and will be all guns blazing s they tackle Spirit FC side. Blacktown’s opponents have had an up and down season thus far in the Super League but have showed that they can mix it with the best after dumping NSW Premier League club South Coast Wolves out of the Cup during their Quarter-Final encounter at Christie Park. Skipper Paul Nicolaou will hope to rally his troops and look for the likes of keeper Murray Nelson, defender Daniel Cunningham, key strikers Leo Papanicolaou and Ben Gough and ex-Blacktown City FC player Akwasi Agyei to fire against their Premier League opponents. Spirit FC are also looking towards banking on showing the same effort they displayed in the 2009 Super League Grand-Final when they defeated Parramatta Eagles on penalties. For Blacktown, Genc had Tolgay Ozbey to thank for his brace in their 2-0 hard fought victory over Sutherland Sharks during their Quarter-Final clash but will also have the likes of Luke Roodenburg, Kain Rastall, Joel Chianese and Ante Deur all hungry in wanting to capture their first silverware for 2010.

On Wednesday June 23rd, consistent NSW Premier League side Marconi Stallions face a tricky task in playing at Francis Park when they take on the McDonald’s Cup ‘giant killers’ and State League One outfit Blacktown Spartans. It has been a memorable year thus far for Spartans coach Ben de Haan who has seen his fully committed squad defeat the likes of Rockdale City Suns, Sydney United and more recently Granville Rage earning them a tie against one of the NSW Premier League’s in-form teams. Glenn McPherson will again be looked at as the main target after his two goal haul in the Quarter-Finals while bustling midfielder Reece Iredale and former NSW Thunder Futsal stars Lachlan Wright and Adrian Vizzari will also be on the radar. Meanwhile for Lee Sterrey’s squad the experience of Nahuel Arrarte showed when he scored the winner in their thrilling Quarter-Final win over Manly United while the likes of Alex Canak, Matt Gordon, James Chronopoulos and Laurence Braude will look towards giving their bit in earning a McDonald’s Cup Final spot set to take place on Sunday July 11 at Lily Homes Stadium.

McDonald’s Cup Semi-Final Fixtures

Tuesday June 22nd

Blacktown City FC v Spirit FC – Lily Homes Stadium – 7.30pm

Wednesday June 23rd

Blacktown Spartans v Marconi Stallions – Francis Park – 7.30pm

-By Mark Stavroulakis

Ideally i'd love to see a non premier league final.

he upsets continued in the McDonald’s Cup as Blacktown City FC were defeated 3-2 by Spirit FC on Tuesday night at Lily Homes Stadium.

The win has booked Spirit into the Grand-Final of the Cup, proving the quality of the NSW Super League competition is high.

The semi-final kicked off with an early flurry of goals. To the surprise of many, although not those who have seen the amount of upsets in the McDonald’s Cup this season, Spirit were the first to score.

In the 7’ minute, Brendan Griffin played the ball through traffic on the edge of the penalty-area onto the feet of Leo Papanicolaou who turned and laid the ball back through the traffic to Adam Peatey who had time to touch the ball and set for his shot. Peatey placed the ball around Matt Ryan in the Blacktown goal, and just inside the post, into the back of the net. It was a superb strike along the slippery surface and confirmed Papanicolaou’s confidence in his teammate when he played the ball back into what seemed a worse position than his own.

3’ minutes later and Blacktown were back on level terms as Joel Chianese in the middle of the park played the ball out to the right to Travis Major. Major went on a strong run down the right flank and once he hit the goal line he tricked his opponent and put in a good cross to the far side of the target. Tolgay Ozbey was able to retrieve the ball, drive to the target from the left and then fire home the ball. The effort packed such a punch that it put a hole into the side netting.

Spirit FC was not done, though. In the 17’ minute Luka Dukic back-heeled the ball out of danger, or so it had seemed, however Griffin sprinted from the middle of the park to claim the loose ball and took a quick snap shot. The ball came off Griffin’s boot and went the wrong side of the post.

In the 26’ minute Papanicolaou was denied by a correct offside flag as Peatey put a brilliant through ball down the middle of the park. 2’ minutes later Joel Chianese was also denied as Tolgay Ozbey laid the ball back from the right and Chianese looked to have thumped the ball home only for a last second dive from Murray Nelson which saw him palm the ball away from danger.

This should have been a warning for the visitors but was one they failed to heed as in the 29’ minute Blacktown City scored a second goal. A Blacktown player had been crunched in midfield but referee Andrew Best showed great judgment in playing the advantage, with the ball being played through to Ante Deur. Deur fired the ball home from a small angle but Nelson made himself big enough to deny the talented Blacktown player. Unfortunately for Nelson’s team the ball only deflected away and the first to pounce on the loose ball was Chianese who slotted it home at the far post to give his Blacktown City side the lead.

The play was then constantly interrupted due in part to the slippery conditions and also thanks to poor tackling from both sides. The last chance of the first-half looked to have fallen to Spirit in the 39’ minute as S Wright put in a free-kick to Papanicolaou on the edge of the area but as he turned on the ball the defence combined to squeeze him off the ball and clear the ball away from danger.

Blacktown started the stronger team in the second period and this dominance was almost consummated with a goal. Joel Chianese took a shot from distance that came off the goalkeeper and fell into the path of Deur just metres from the goal. However, as he slid in to hit it, the defence managed to recover and deflect the shot the wrong side of the far post and to the relative safety of a corner.

In the 55’ minute Papanicolaou proved himself to be more of a thorn in the side of his opponents. The Blacktown defence gave the ball away cheaply and the Spirit striker was sent goalwards by a team mate. He skipped past two defenders on his run and despite the attention of a third was able to slide the ball goalwards, back across the body of Matt Ryan. Ryan, however, was able to dive full stretch and stop the progression of the ball in a fantastic save to deny his opponents an equaliser.

The next thing to deny Spirit an equaliser was the post as in the 62’ minute. Substitute Evan Daglis took a shot from the middle of the park that beat Matt Ryan but cannoned off the post. It landed in the path of Adam Peatey who found himself in a great position but like so many others this season he was denied by a great one on one save from Ryan.

Finally Papanicolaou lived up to his threats in the 70’ minute as he beat the offside trap and chipped an advancing Matt Ryan to score the equaliser for Spirit.

The game then ebbed and flowed and in the 78’ minute it looked as if Blacktown would re-take the lead as a corner was not cleared and Luke Austin thundered the ball straight at the target only to be headed off the line brilliantly by the desperate Spirit FC defence.

With 10’ minutes to go Zac Cairncross went on a good run through the middle of the park but he could not keep his shot under the cross bar. However the good lead up play of Blacktown was coming to nothing, the shots were well off target and the Spirit side were still a major threat.

Disaster nearly stuck Blacktown in the 86’ minute when Mirko Jurilj played the ball back to Matt Ryan who completely miskicked the clearance and Griffin tried to steal the loose ball and score the winner. However the ball spun away from him and Blacktown cleaned up the mess in time.

For Spirit it marked a small period of domination after Blacktown had had so much of the ball but they could not take advantage of this with a shot on goal.

Right on full-time Daglis earned a free-kick on the right corner of the D to earn Spirit their final chance of normal time. However, Matthew Peatey could only curl his shot over the wall but straight into the hands of Ryan.

The early parts of extra-time did not see any shots on target although there were opportunities to take shots created with both defences able to counter these efforts. The offside flag denied Spirit a half chance and keeper Nelson outran substitute Bernie Ibini to the ball to stop a chance for Blacktown.

In the 111’ minute Travis Major put a seemingly harmless ball across the goal line but Paul Nicoloau almost turned the ball into the back of his own net with Nelson having to dive low at the last second once more to deny Blacktown taking an unusual lead. Then, in the 113’ minute, Ozbey went down and the referee awarded a free-kick right on the edge of the area, although some of the home fans were calling for a penalty. The resultant attempt was off target from Ozbey.

The Spirit defence stood strong at the back as Blacktown tried to attack once more in the second-half of extra time. Blacktown also showed they were no fools in defence either, with strong tackling and excellent marshalling of their opponents.

In the 114’ minute substitute and former Blacktown player Akwasi Agyei was given a great chance but his shot in front of an empty goal went agonisingly wide. There was not to be too much anguish for the Spirit FC bench though, as in the 116’ minute Spirit did take the lead. A free-kick was conceded outside the area and captain Nicoloau lined up to take it. Keeping it along the ground he seemed to place, rather than shoot, the ball into the far corner, beating Ryan and giving Spirit what would be the winning goal.

Right on full-time Papanicolaou broke through once more but this time Jurilj showed all his experience in preventing him from scoring and getting the ball away from danger. However for Blacktown there were to be no more chances up front and Spirit had engineered an historic win.

Aytec Genc was once again disappointed with the performance of his Blacktown City side.

“Defensively we were poor tonight, we did silly things at times. We just were not good enough once again. At the moment we are simply not good enough.”

Spirit FC assistant Steve Appleby was delighted, especially after the difficult week at has been at the club.

“It has been a stressful week but the boys were up for it tonight and you could see the commitment out there on the park tonight.

“Blacktown are a good side but tonight we just wanted it that bit more. Leo (Papanicolaou) was superb tonight up front but I can’t go past our midfield, their work rate was incredible. We now have to get back on track in the league and take one game at a time but tonight was fantastic for our club.”

Match Stats

Blacktown City FC 2 (T Ozbey 10’ J Chianese 29’)

Spirit FC 3 (A Peatey 7’ Papanicolaou 70’ Nicoloau 116’) After extra time

(Blacktown City FC 2 Spirit FC 2 at full time)

McDonalds Cup Semi Final

Tuesday 22nd June, 2010

Lily Homes Stadium

Referee: Andrew Best

Assistant Referees: Adam Coombes and Steve Nguyen

Crowd: 100

Blacktown City FC: 20.Matt RYAN; 4.Mirko JURILJ, 5.Luka DUKIC (6.Matt PRESSELLO 90’), 7.Luke ROODENBERG, (8.Chris BEDZO 112’) 9.Kain RASTALL (12.Bernie IBINI 96’), 16.Ante DEUR, (13.Lachlan CAHILL 59’), 17.Joel CHIANESE, 18.Travis MAJOR, 19.Tolgay OZBEY, 22.Zac CAIRNCROSS, 23.Luke AUSTIN

Substitutes Not Used: 1.Matt NEMES

Yellow Cards: Cairncross 30’, Chianese 65’, Cahill 79’, Austin 89’

Red Cards: Nil

Spirit FC: 1.Murray NELSON; 3.Lachlan HARTE, 2.Daniel CUNNINGHAM, 4.Paul NICOLOAU, 20.Scott WRIGHT, 6.Matthew PEATEY, 14.Mike IRWIN, 12.Brendan GRIFFIN (15.Akwasi AGYEI 96’), 9.Adam PEATEY, 8.Joshua DEKELLY (17.Evan DAGLIS 24’) (16.Grant MAUNDREL 100’), 10.Leonardo PAPANICOLAOU

Substitutes Not Used: 5.Nicholas TRIMBLE, 51.James IRWIN

Yellow Cards: Harte 75’

Red Cards: Nil

-By Stuart Jones

Well, the results of the first game are in.

Blacktown City Demons: 2
Spirit FC: 3

:d

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http://www.nswpl.com.au/index.php?id=554&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=4043&tx_ttnews[backPid]=537&cHash=af6c5a1e03

Marconi won 2-1.