South East Phoenix 0 Blacktown City 5
Blacktown City’s Football NSW League One Women’s Under 20s season lifted off in spectacular fashion at Ison Park in South Nowra as Emily Jackson’s five-star performance led them to a handsome win against hosts South East Phoenix. Leading 2-0 at the break, Jackson having a hand in goals from Nicola Ciocca and Hayley Reynolds, the result was secured thanks to Jackson’s close-range finish and then embellished by two fabulous finishes from Niamh Nolan and Issy Saunders. Another clean sheet, three points secured, this was the perfect away day and it rewarded the fans for this, their longest away trip of the season.
Not a cloud in the sky, and any doubts about whether this game would go ahead after the downpour over the previous two days were cast aside, and Blacktown City had a task on their hands to emulate their slender 2-0 win from earlier in the season. Phoenix changed ends to take advantage of the slope in the second half, giving their visitors the opportunity to use that advantage in the first half. A cagey opening as City got used to playing on grass, play was held up for a minute as Brianna Tinney was caught in an accidental off-the-ball collision chasing for a through ball, but any concern was allayed when the striker was seen laughing and smiling with the Blacktown physio and was good to continue.
Aurelia Smith was to be a busy player in the first half, and it was her ball that fed Hayley Reynolds on the right to whip in a cross that goalkeeper Millie White did well to grab, but from the ensuing goal kick routine with defender Rachel Jervis, Sienna Bell intercepted and played in Tinney to tee up Reynolds and the shot was smashed over. That was a warning to the home team, and a free kick from the City left tested the defence almost immediately, Reynolds controlling the ball in from Annabelle Gerard, and Smith rifling a shot high and wide when well placed. Tully Williams and Rhianna Duff were having their work cut out containing the lively Blacktoan wingers, but Phoenix showed their own attacking intent when Allie Moffat spun away from Gerard to shoot, goalkeeper Emma Kociper making a comfortable save at her near post.
Blacktown were crisp in their passing and moved the ball around well. Smith raced down the right on the overlap to centre, but White smothered the cross, then Jackson slotted a delightful ball through for Reynolds but again the cross was too close to White in the Phoenix goal. Reynolds managed to give us a comedic air kick, squealing in frustration as the bounce deceived her, but City continued to press, this time Jackson finding the space on the right and fizzing in a cross shot that had White clutching at air as the ball sailed wide of the goal. Bell stole the ball in the middle of the park as the home team struggled to clear their lines, but her ball through for Nolan had just too much on it.
A weak clearance from White was picked up by Jackson on the edge of the area, and she fed Tinney but the shot was straight at the Phoenix goalkeeper, Lara Green marauded down the left but couldn’t get the ball in after teasing her defender, and Bell combined with Nolan out on the left but the ball sent her too wide to get a cross in. Reynolds combined with Jackson and Smith but the final ball was too far, before Lily Thompson put her mark on the game by flattening Zara Clegg on the touchline, Bell watching on with a nod of approval.
Ruby Connor and Reynolds fought for a ball as the intensity went up a notch, and when Bell gave away possession in the middle of the park, Moffat broke, but couldn’t get the shot on target. The game was in the balance, Phoenix showing that any slip would be pounced upon, Moffat and Lina Hennequin showing good skill up the right to gain territory, but the delivery just wasn’t there.
City turned the screw. Bell played a sensational ball out to Reynolds on the right and her instant ball in found Tinney unmarked in the area, but she blazed over the bar. Jackson and Reynolds then won a corner, giving Jackson the opportunity to test the defence from a set piece. When Bell was brought down by Grace Donnelly on the left, Gerard’s ball was headed on by Reynolds, Jackson picked up the ball on the right side of the penalty area and fed Smith, but her shot was charged down and the ball spun past the post. Smith then battled to win the ball on the right and fired in a cross; Green got a touch to send the ball goalwards, but the ball was cleared for a corner. The heads went up for the corner, and when Ciocca found herself in space on the penalty spot, she made no mistake smashing the ball home to open the scoring. The relief from the visitors’ bench was obvious.
The upbeat tempo of the City attack continued, Tinney ploughing into a tackle with Jervis, before a free kick was fired in by Gerard, skipping off the unpredictable surface into White, who held the ball well with two City attackers following the shot in like hungry vultures. A potentially controversial moment then saw Gerard pick out Jackson with a raking ball, and her cross was forced home by Tinney, but the ball had been deemed to go out for a goal kick before the cross, the City players incensed, but the assistant referee getting it right. Jackson and Smith played a tasty one-two for Jackson to fire over the bar, before City struck again. Play was going nowhere down the left when Nolan switched play with a fabulous ball. Jackson controlled and skipped to the byline, smashed in a cross that White got her fingertips to, but Reynolds was coming in behind her and slotted the ball into the net for a superb second goal.
City ended the half looking for more goals to drive home the advantage, this time Tinney wrestling control in the penalty area before firing a shot across the face of goal, Green unable to connect at the far post. This had been as solid a performance as any this season from Blacktown City. Had the players done enough though to score enough goals to weather the impending change of ends? This would be a test of their mettle, an opportunity to see what these players are really made of.
The icy wind was picking up as the second half started, and it was refreshing to see City continuing where they left off in the first half. Thompson threaded a lovely ball out to Green who fed Nolan on the left, and her cross in was on a plate for Tinney, but she bundled the ball wide from right in front, the assistant referee having already flagged for offside in the build-up to spare her blushes. Bell then played in Green, always eager to beat a player up the left, but she couldn’t get the cross in, and when Nolan played in Green again, her swift cross for Reynolds was dealt with by White at the near post. Phoenix broke upfield, Hennequin to Moffat, but Ciocca was there to deal with the danger.
A free kick for City in the centre of the park was lofted in by Gerard towards Ciocca, and when she couldn’t get a touch to it, White had been wrong-footed and the ball bounced goalwards, a miracle clearance off the line seeing the ball somehow bounce around the post and Phoenix had escaped a disastrous moment. The resulting corner was fired in by Jackson, Gerard and Ciocca almost getting in each other’s way and White made a smart save right in front.
A harsh yellow card to Bell then saw her walking a tightrope with the referee, Lauren Trenerry quick to hit the turf to win the free kick. And it was Trenerry herself who fired in the set piece, the ball just clearing the cross bar with the home fans off their seats. Smith then found space on the right and fed Tinney; her spin past her defender was effortless, and the shot was well saved by White. Bell then raced up the field to free Tinney on the left, and her firm cross was spilled by White, but the ball was hacked away and Phoenix survived. The expected second-half turnaround had not materialised, and City continued to do all the running in search of another goal.
Jackson was brought down on the right, Gerard’s ball in from the free-kick easily cleared, and Jackson again found herself in attack on the right soon after, rifling a ball just over the bar from an acute angle. Saunders and Bell then combined to free Nolan, but again the ball was just too firm, the overcompensation for playing on the long grass just not in the right range.
The game was still alive as a contest. Gerard uncharacteristically gave a ball straight to an opponent, won it back, then gave it away again. Bell tripped her opponent, receiving a final warning from the referee, but coach Jake Gomez gambled and kept the combative midfielder on as the game reached boiling point. Bell raced away with the ball from a challenge soon after to release Reynolds, the ball bouncing for a corner. A change in corner takers saw Saunders swing a ball into the six-yard box, where Ciocca had tracked the ball all the way, but her header was just over the bar and a good chance was missed.
Saunders let rip with a snapshot from distance that stung the palms of White in the Phoenix goal, and Thompson advanced to feed Reynolds, again a corner the result for City’s endeavour up the right. Saunders lifted another dangerous corner into the area, and this time a scramble saw the ball drop invitingly for Jackson, and she swept the ball into the net giving White no chance, and City had their third goal, with still 20 minutes remaining.
There was barely time to take a breath before City were on the attack again. Jackson, who had been industrious and energetic all game, played a sensational ball through the gap to the on-rushing Nolan. The tricky winger looked full of confidence as she advanced from the left and squeezed the shot past White, who got a hand to it, and the ball struck the post and nestled into the back of the net, City adding to their total within a minute. This was uncharted territory for City, and they made scoring goals look easy.
Fantastic work by Jackson then saw Asha Eveniss fire in a shot that was well saved down low by White. Nolan intercepted a goal kick that Saunders was unlucky not to keep in, and Abby Duggan found space on the right, playing a neat one-two with Jackson to win another corner.
At the other end, Duggan was robbed by the imposing Trenerry, who then skipped past Gerard to place a shot just past the post, City’s search for an impressive eighth clean sheet of the season in danger.
Reynolds then found space on the right, racing onto a glorious pass from Eveniss, and drilled in a shot from an acute angle that White tipped around the post with a wonder save, the referee not acknowledging the save and awarding the goal kick to the home team. We had seen a reinvigorated attack today from the visitors, but the icing on the cake came from Saunders. She picked up the ball midway into the Phoenix half, and seemed seven-foot tall as she raced at the defence. A touch one side of her defender, she raced around the other side to collect the ball and advanced on goal, firing in a superb shot past White to score a brilliant fifth goal, at the same time showing us exactly what City should have been doing in the first half of the season when results went against them thanks to missed opportunties from identical situations.
We even saw an injection of youth into the side as the clock ticked towards the ninety, Zoe Thompson and Emilie Chandran introduced to stir the team into looking for more goals. Nolan kept the ball in to feed Lily Thompson, and she played in her namesake Zoe, White making a great save to prevent a sixth goal, and when Zoe Thompson cut in from the right, she fired a shot on goal that was tipped over by White. The final whistle sounded, and City had handed their opponent a heavy defeat, something that has been brewing for some time at Blacktown.
Blacktown City were excellent today. They made the journey to Nowra thoroughly worthwhile, showing that they have some expert finishers in the team, as well as continuing to shut out their opponents in a wonderfully controlled performance. The noise from the changing rooms after the game showed just how much this meant to the players as the victory chant echoed through the stadium. A quite wonderful away day for Blacktown City and one that we hope to see again before the end of the season.
Phoenix welcome Central Coast Mariners to Ison Park midweek following the Gosford club’s bizarre 4-0 home defeat on the weekend, before welcoming Camden Tigers next Sunday. City travel to Inter Lions looking to build on this win, and looking to make a late charge up the table in search of a top half finish. Stay tuned for more drama as this exciting season continues.
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