St George FC 3 Blacktown City 1
Two goals down and only ten minutes on the clock, Blacktown City had every right to crumble to a humiliating defeat at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday in the Football NSW League One Women Under 20s. Goals from Alexia Saltirov and Alana Kozul had St George in the box seat, but a brilliant run and finish from Emily Jackson brought the visitors right back into the game. Despite chances for both teams, the game remained on a knife-edge until the dying moments when Charlotte McGhee pounced to kill the game off with a third St George goal.
A beautiful day in south Sydney gave us a chance to see the miserly defence of Blacktown City come up against one of the top teams in St George, at this fantastic venue. Any doubt that we were in for a good contest was dispelled immediately, the tenacious Sienna Bell in for a strong challenge to set the tone, and when Hayley Reynolds stole the ball on the left to give the St George defence something to think about, we had a game on our hands. Set-piece specialist Maiya Perdikaris gave us a taste of her dead ball skills, firing a corner right into the penalty area, but City goalkeeper Courtney Mackenzie rose well to claim the ball.
A moment that the Blacktown City defence will want to forget then saw Annabelle Gerard coolly control the ball and take a touch out of defence, only to be mugged by Kozul, and Saltirov finished low to Mackenzie’s right for a quick-fire opening goal. Almost immediately it was 2-0; an unusual drop ball by the referee ran away from Aurelia Smith and the ball was worked out to the right to Abbey-Rose Cryer. She delivered a low cross that was half cleared and returned with interest by Kozul, thumping the ball home for a second goal. The City players were shell-shocked, their meagre goals against column threatened with a blow-out.
Maya Harris then delivered a delightful cross to the near post, Kozul just putting the ball wide under very little pressure, and Christine Crnjak was tormenting the visitors on the left as St George went searching for more. The imposing Amy Bennett delivered pinpoint crosses and City scrambled well to keep the scoreline from increasing.
Issy Saunders then gave us a taste of her attacking instincts on the right, taking an early shot at goalkeeper Arabella Penfold, who dived spectacularly to her right to push away the snapshot. City then changed the complexion of the game; Reynolds played a smart ball out to the left to Jackson, who teased in her defender and bore down on goal. The finish under Penfold was exquisite and she wheeled away to take the congratulations of her teammates for a fantastic City goal. The home side were rocked, and it could have been level moments later as the visitors siezed the momentum. Reynolds embarked on a dazzling run, rounding the advancing Penfold on the edge of the area, before firing in a low shot. The last defender did brilliantly to stop the ball heading towards the empty net, but the ball popped up and hit her outstretched arm. City players and fans pleaded for a penalty, but the referee was unmoved, and there was conjecture around the stadium about the handball rules that seem to be refined with every season.
Crnjak and Lara Green were embroiled in a fabulous battle on the St George left, and the ball popped out of a challenge, with Samantha Cole going in with her player in a 50/50 challenge. A stomach-turning clash of knees and blood-curdling screams saw Cole in distress, and play was stopped for a good five minutes. A stretcher was called for but not required, and both teams regrouped to refocus. Unbelievably the free-kick went to St George despite heavy protestations from the Blacktown players, but it was easily dealt with.
Crnjak was causing problems for City, she outpaced Reynolds, not an easy thing to do, and Lucia Franulovic had to sweep up to concede the corner. A mis-directed back-header from Gerard almost proved costly soon after, but the offside flag came to her rescue. Franulovic was again the fixer as Smith was left in Crnjak’s wake, before Bennett and Maya Harris combined well down the right and Abby Duggan brought down Saltirov for yet another free kick.
Reynolds burst from defence as St George switched off for a moment, and she romped almost the whole length of the field before being marshalled into the corner. Saltirov then showed good skill to deliver a cross / shot that Mackenzie did well to claim. The game was ebbing and flowing like a cup final, and when Bell hassled her player out of possession, she held her pass before playing in Jackson on the left and she tested Penfold with a fierce shot that was well saved. The half ended with Bennett feeding Raegan Deeley, who showed great skill before encountering the brick wall of Franulovic. The whistle brought an entertaining first half to a close, and Blacktown City had clawed their way back into a contest that looked lost in the early stages.
The magnificent cevapi rolls were sizzling away in the canteen at half-time, and the sun was beating down strongly as the players re-emerged for the second half. The visitors started strongly. Jackson won a corner from nothing, closing down her defender in the corner. Franulovic was brought down, Saltirov in the book, and Franulovic took a cheeky free-kick with the ball still moving, Duggan played in Reynolds but the cross was cleared by the fuming St George defence.
The visitors put together some fabulous moves, Duggan and Reynolds combining on the right in front of the benches, but the game was soon to turn in St George’s favour. Deeley raced into the corner but was shepherded out wide, Crnjak burned her way down the left but her cross was poor, before Kozul swept a looping shot high towards goal that Mackenzie tipped away for a corner.
City were showing good fight, Reynolds and Duggan in with fierce challenges, Duggan showing us her MMA moves to concede another free kick. A free kick from Perdikaris then brought a glorious chance for the hosts, Hannah Kim heading wide. Jackson was fouled in the middle of the park, Saunders opting to fire on goal, a high shot that Penfold was very confident of going wide despite the ball just whistling past the post.
Saunders almost had some luck charging down Penfold, before St George fashioned a brilliant move, Nicola Ciocca the last player to make a fabuous tackle with the home attacker bundling through a number of tackles. The inch-perfect corner saw the City defence part to allow Bennett a free header on goal, but somehow she headed over with the net ready to burst.
Cryer threatened to wriggle through, but Gerard remained strong to make a telling interception and the pressure was all from the home team. All of a sudden though, Saunders controlled a ball in the centre circle, surrounded by white shirts, but played a superb ball through for Jackson. The scorer of the City goal took a touch and flashed a shot just wide, a good opportunity to double her tally in a similar position, this time on the right.
Demi Kandylas was proving to be a slippery customer on the St George left. She eked a series of cheap fouls from the referee, Duggan left wondering what she’d done to send her opponent to the floor. Saunders won a corner, but again the corners were lacking purpose, the delivery good but the execution in the penalty area poor.
When Gerard cleared up a St George attack, she played the ball to Mackenzie, but the goalkeeper got the ball stuck under her feet and the ball out was way too short. She made amends diving at the attacker’s feet to concede a corner and City escaped. Kandylas then skipped around Lily Thompson, but Mackenzie made the save look easy. Could the visitors profit from the missed chances at the other end and steal a point?
The chance did come – Bell was again the instigator with her incessant hassling, and the ball was worked out to the right to Reynolds. She delivered a superb cross, but the ball skipped up onto the knees of the advancing Mel Napoli and Penfold made the save. The excitement was rising, both teams watching the clock. Kandylas continued to probe down the left and McGhee turned smartly but her shot went harmlessly wide. Reynolds chased a ball up the right and was wheezing at the end of it, City putting in maximum effort until the end.
It was heart-breaking then when St George snatched the decisive third goal. Kandylas burst through on the left and delivered a ball to the far post. The ball was helped back in and McGhee was there to fire the ball past the helpless Mackenzie for 3-1. The celebrations showed the relief from the home side, and there was barely time for any more action before the final whistle brough this absorbing contest to its conclusion.
St George will wonder how they didn’t score more goals, given their superior possession and passing statistics, but the visitors made it hard for them, recovering from a shaky start to give the high-flying hosts a fright. We await news of Sam Cole’s knee injury, but it is feared that she may not be available for next Sunday’s Blacktown City home game with Camden Tigers at Landen Stadium. Well done to Courtney Mackenzie in goal for a solid display, and Emily Jackson for a superb goal as City showed flashes of what they can do as a liberated attacking force.
St George travel to Bankstown for a tough test next week as the first round of fixtures draws to a close. We’re almost half way through the season and we look forward to seeing more goals and more excitement as the season continues. Find all the action you need right here on your favourite weekly football read.
Thanks for reading. If you click from social media to find this, please like and share or drop a comment. Did we get some names wrong? Let me know! The sun glare was so bad! Did you like the photos, give me your feedback. Let’s go City!