South Coast Flame 1 Blacktown City 2
Blacktown City’s recent surge up the Football NSW GYL2 Under 18s ladder continued as they survived late pressure from South Coast Flame to ease into sixth place and into the chasing pack. A spectacular goal from midfielder Emily Jackson gave the visitors a half-time lead, and an outrageous strike from Lily Waterhouse looked to have wrapped up the points in the second half before Arika English set up a grandstand finish with a long-range free kick. Wild wind in the home team’s favour in the final five minutes couldn’t bring an equaliser, and an illness-ravaged City team took the three points back to North West Sydney.
An unusual Saturday morning timeslot for Blacktown City saw the Under 18s promoted to the grass surface adjacent to the main artificial pitch of Sir Ian Mclennan Park in Kembla Grange. South Coast Flame’s goalkeeper Spiridoula Spyrakis had kept City scoreless when the two teams met back in March and she was looking for another clean sheet, her two central defenders Lola Garcia and Emma Shallcross determined to help her repeat the feat. There was a chill in the air at kick off, Rosie Lewis providing the first attacking intent for the hosts as she raced down the left. Rachel Fry had City’s first foray into enemy territory, a sweet turn on the left wing, but the cross was blocked. Lewis raced down the left again, Mikayla Gadd seeing the ball out well.
The first chance for City came from an excellent interception by Jackson in midfield. She advanced, twisting and turning her way through the middle of the Flame team to unleash a fantastic shot that was still rising when Spyrakis plucked the ball out of the air with her fingertips. Amelia Porter was a constant outlet on the right for the home side, and the wind was playing its part, the cross-breeze making the ball hold up. English played a glorious ball through for Porter, but the ball ran away in the wind, and at the other end, a double one-two for Aurelia Smith almost saw her burst through on goal, but the final touch was too heavy.
Zoe Thompson played in Waterhouse on the right for a run at the Flame defence, but Addison Bailey recovered well to clear. Thompson was busy up front, holding the ball well, and she almost found Beth Lucas for a finish, but the ball just wouldn’t fall her way. Jackson turned into trouble in midfield, Caelin Rogers unable to find the killer pass, while at the other end Fry found Lucas, but Garcia was across smartly to get a foot in to avert the danger.
Visiting defender Gadd skipped past a challenge and raced from her own half, lining up a shot from distance, but Spyrakis was behind the shot. A fabulous move from Natalia Badrov, Amalia Harb and Naomi Hart eased open the City defence, but Angelica Conate was on the scene quickly to clear the danger. Porter then raided down the right, Emilie Chandran covering well to shield the ball out for a goal kick before being dumped to the ground for a free kick.
Thompson stole the ball on the left to cross and win a corner; she lifted the ball in that was flicked away. Courtney Kitching picked up the loose ball, fed Thompson who elected to find Lucas, but the bouncing ball was hacked away, City getting a head of steam. A fabulous passage of neat, crisp passing in midfield led to Jackson bursting through on one of her trademark Paul Gascoigne-style bursts. She checked back under heavy pressure as she reached the edge of the penalty area, took a touch to get the ball out of her feet and produced a quite sensational right-foot shot that sailed over Spyrakis into the net for the opening goal. Jackson was on the ground as her teammates enveloped her – what a goal!
Fry continued the assault, ploughing a lone furrow up the left to win a throw-in against all odds. Chandran then cut in from the left to unleash a right-foot shot that Spyrakis saved. Smith played in Lucas, but she was hesitant to get the shot away. Hannah Uren then intercepted a cross from Fry, the ball falling for Thompson who had a millisecond to to react, her shot scuffed wide. Harb tested City goalkeeper Courtney Mackenzie from distance with a stinging shot, before Smith received a ball from Chandran and played a tasty one-two with Thompson, the ball just too far from the busy midfielder. Lucas and Thompson combined, Fry getting the run of the ball to advance but Porter was quick to clear.
Jackson and Chandran worked their way up the left, Fry winning a corner; Thompson swung in another corner but the South Coast defence held firm. The half ended with Flame on the attack, Lewis skipping her way around Gadd, but the pacy defender raced back to fix the situation, the half-time whistle sounding to take the players back into the sheds.
Jackson and Thompson got the secnod half underway with some exquisite triangles in midfield, the visitors looking to assert their autority on the game, and Thompson released Waterhouse on the right who raced to the byline, cut back a cross, and Spyrakis awkwardly sent the ball behind for a corner. Kitching met the corner with a meaty header, but the ball was sent well over the bar. Smith and Lucas combined to tee up Jackson for another long-range effort, but Spyrakis was right behind the shot. Lara Green and Lucas linked up to play in Smith for a long-range speculator that curled well wide, and City looked in command.
An athletic reach by Kitching saw her get a head to a long through-ball to divert the ball back to Mackenzie, but the City goalkeeper was under heavy pressure and had two attempts to grab the loose ball before pouncing on it to smother the half-chance. Waterhouse was busy on the right, racing back to concede a corner after Lewis and Harb had combined, and the game descended into a scruffy midfield slog as passes started to go astray in the swirling wind. A handball gave City a free kick on the right, Kitching launched a long ball in, but the cool head of Garcia got Flame out of trouble. Badrov then played in Rogers at the other end, but the ball ran away for a goal kick.
Lucas had a surge up the left, beating her defender to win a corner. Dominique Ashton’s corner was headed away, but only to Waterhouse on the edge of the area, who passed up the chance to fire in a first-time shot and was overcome by the Flame defence trying to work the opening for a more controlled shot on goal.
South Coast Flame pressed, Chandran doing very well to steal a ball inside her own penalty area before being fouled. A superb move from City though nearly paid dividends as Evdokia Papafilopoulos found Waterhouse on the right and her first-time cross was just ahead of the rampaging Smith who had burst through from midfield. City were finding good positions up front, but continually turned into trouble instead of finding a quick pass. Papafilopoulos fed Thompson but the shot was easy for Spyrakis, and Green tried to play Thompson through but the ball was just out of reach.
Great hassling by Thompson as she dropped into midfield to seek possession saw her play a ball through on the right for Waterhouse. The in-form winger took the opportunity to launch a long ball into the danger zone, but with a stroke of luck and genius, she emulated the Matildas and Kaitlyn Torpey by watching her cross-shot sail over Spyrakis and into the net for 2-0.
Thompson was struggling by now, as the sickness that ravaged the City team over the past week came to the fore, and Mackenzie had to be alert to race out and clear when a simple long ball looked to have prised open the defence. The roar of the wind coming over the top of the hill changed the conditions significantly, Hart’s long-range effort sailing over with the swirling gusts.
A moment of calm by Smith allowed her to slot a delightful ball through for Green, who raced into the penalty area, but couldn’t find any direction or power in the shot as the defence closed in. Harb found herself in an advanced position, Chandran marshalling her expertly; a foul on Fry eased the pressure as the possession and impetus turned in Flame’s favour. City were battling well, Waterhouse fouling Uren. Rogers then turned sweetly inside Gadd before falling into Jackson, the referee somehow adjudging that the City midfielder had fouled her player. The visiting fans were up in arms at the award, the free kick given on the edge of the area. Up stepped captain English, whose curling effort sent Mackenzie diving, but the shot was just too strong and the hands of the City goalkeeper weren’t enough to keep the ball out.
There was time for Kitching to foil a further Flame raid on the right, as City wobbled in the final throes of the game, but the final whistle sounded and the relieved City players shook hands with their valiant opponents in what had been an absorbing contest.
There was no energy for a team song, the sickness that had sapped the players during the past seven days leaving them with nothing left in the tank. Given the conditions, the health status of the squad and the disorienting Saturday morning kick-off, this was a tremendous result for City and revenge was exacted on South Coast Flame after the first round defeat at Landen Stadium. Blacktown are now in sixth place in the ladder after four straight wins, going into two massive games in the next two weeks. Firstly, they entertain runaway leaders Hills United on Sunday, before heading to Pluim Park midweek to take on Central Coast Mariners on Origin night. Flame travel to Bankstown next weekend looking to get their season back on track after two straight defeats. Anything could happen in this marvellous football league as we approach the final third of the season.
Many thanks for reading. Blacktown City are bringing a lot of joy at the moment and I urge you to keep supporting the team as they take on two of the league’s heavyweights. If you see any mistakes, anything that doesn’t seem right, let me know and it will be changed. See you next week for a blockbuster!