St George 1 Blacktown City 1
An entertaining contest at the famous Barton Park on Sunday, filled with excitement and controversy, saw Blacktown City run table-topping St George all the way and emerge with a hard-fought point to keep their finals hopes alive. The league’s meanest defence was breached in the first minute when Sienna Bell coolly slotted home for the visitors, and the scores were level at half-time when Anna Simotas took advantage of a defensive giveaway to finish well. A tense battle brought no further goals but plenty of ire towards the referee from all corners of the stadium as both teams had good opportunities to seal the win. This was premium entertainment from the Football NSW GYL 2 Under 18s, and City continue to give themselves every chance of sneaking into the top four as the season hurtles to its conclusion.
An unusual 12:35 kick off time had passed and the teams were nowhere near ready to go on a beautiful, sunny winter’s day in South Sydney. A swift coin toss and the teams out of their huddles, Blacktown City wasted no time in showing just why they have entered the market for a top-four spot, and they had the early advantage in the first minute. Aurelia Smith received a ball inside from Lara Green on the left and a precision through-ball inside the defender released the hard-running Bell, who opened up her body and passed the ball into the net for an incredible early goal for the visitors, goalkeeper Arabella Penfold given no chance. It was the start that Blacktown needed, but they were immediately on the back foot.
Josey Riley played a superb ball out to the right to Eyerus Hillman, who flashed a cross to the back post for the in-rushing Eve Hunter, but goalkeeper Courtney Mackenzie made a reaction save to push the ball around the post from point-blank range, a quite astonishing save. The St George central defensive partnership of Jasmine Sidoti and Lauren Bisnette had to be on high alert again when Zoe Thompson lifted a ball over for Bell, this time Penfold quick to react and pounce on the through ball.
Bell was in the thick of the action. Her persistence won a free kick on the right, and soon after she was harshly adjudged to have fouled her defender after being played in by Green, her no-holds-barred approach not warming her to the man in the middle. St George were fizzing up front, and Hillman broke up the right, Emilie Chandran smartly across to force the corner. Chandran then embarked on an epic run up the left, racing onto Green’s pass, and when the ball was recycled back through Green to Emily Jackson, the City midfielder burst through on one of her trademark runs, but the shot was well held by Penfold.
Thompson and Green combined on the left again, Green racing through to clip a cross to the far post, and Penfold did well to field the ball, faced with the ever-willing Bell. City were struggling with their throw-ins on the right, coughing up possession too often, but Courtney Kitching was alert to the danger when Riley threatened to break through. Sidoti’s corner was dangerous, there was no challenge at the near post and the ball fell for Hunter, back to goal, but she hooked the ball harmlessly over the bar.
Bell was awarded a cheap free kick outside the area on the City right, Dominique Ashton lifted the ball in where Jackson had found a yard, but her swipe didn’t connect, the ball falling for Rachel Fry but the ball was deflected into the arms of Penfold and St George had survived a testing moment.
The hosts should have equalised when Kitching was caught in possession, Riley raced clear but Mackenzie saved the shot with her knees, Riley forced wide, and the resulting cross found no one, a real let off for Blacktown, and a warning sign that they could not be complacent in possession at the back. Thompson then broke upfield, Smith unable to find the pass, and when she turned back, her stray ball saw Hunter slip a clever ball through for Riley, clean through, but again Mackenzie was equal to it and turned the ball away for a corner. The corner from Simotas was expertly dealt with by Mackenzie, City relying heavily on their supremely-relaxed goalkeeper to maintain their slender lead.
Bell lunged in from behind on her defender, fortunate to escape a yellow card, before Hunter released Riley again, Kitching quickly across to calmly clear under pressure. The warning signs weren’t heeded by the City defence, and when Ashton emerged from defence and played a pass straight to Simotas, the St George striker skipped away and lashed a shot inside Mackenzie’s post for the simplest of equalisers. Mikayla Gadd was caught with the ball soon after, St George quickly turning the screw, and Hunter found Hillman on the right, the first-time cross bundled wide by Riley at the near post, with Kitching applying the pressure.
A brief moment of respite for the overrun City midfield saw Bell race onto a miscontrolled ball by Sidoti, but this time her shot on the run following an exquisite piece of control was scuffed along the ground and Penfold had no problem fielding the ball. The pressure continued on the City goal however, and the chances came with it.
Hunter raced away on the right only for Chandran to slide in and make the perfect tackle to concede another corner. Sidoti’s corner saw Hunter leap onto Mackenzie’s back as Kitching cleared, and when Hunter crossed to the far post from the left, Riley laid the ball back for Chloe Ryan, but the shot was blazed over the bar. The continuous pressure would surely pay off, and when Kitching bundled her player over in a dangerous position on the edge of the box, Ryan stepped up to expertly curl the ball over the wall, but Mackenzie showed exceptional handling to grab the solid shot out of the air.
Hunter went in late on Mackenzie as she advanced to collect a long ball, earning a yellow card from the referee, but Hunter was away again soon after, Kitching gifting possession again outside her own penalty area, but goalkeeper Mackenzie made a good save. St George were firmly in the box seat, City unable to get any meaningful possession in midfield, and when Kitching was mugged trying to play out from the back, Chandran made an incredible last-ditch tackle, the partisan home crowd baying for a penalty when in fact it was a meticulously-timed interception.
City seemed to have weathered the storm. Thompson flicked a ball over to Bell but Sidoti cleared, and when Evdokia Papafilopoulos was bundled to the ground with her first touch in front of the benches, there were shakes of the head when the officials waved away the free kick. The first half came to an end with City back on the attack, and it was Thompson racing up the left; she cut in and bore down on goal, but trying to shape onto her right foot gave the defender enough time to steal the ball and the chance was gone. All square at the break, this had been terrific viewing for the crowd in the main stand of this pristine new stadium, City hanging on after bossing the game earlier on.
The miskick from Ashton from kick off thankfully wasn’t a prelude to the second half, and when Green hassled to win the ball back, Thompson unleashed a snapshot that was well saved by Penfold. Another mystery free kick was awarded to City on the left, Ashton pumping a long ball into the penalty area, and when Smith challenged, she was penalised for the foul. The scrappy start to the second half continued as Green took a heavy touch on the left, the ball just rolling out of play, and when Bell was pushed in the back, Ashton’s free kick was easily dealt with by the unyielding St George rearguard.
There was clear annoyance in the St George team at the number of fouls being signalled by the referee, but City were battling for everything, Bell continuing her all-action performance. St George threatened on the right, Hillman swinging in a ball from the right for Fotini Rezitis, but Kitching did well to intercept.
Bell raced away on the right, trying her best to keep the ball in, but the officials made the call that the ball was out, patience levels running thin with both teams. When Bell did manage to get a cross in from the right, Lauren Wells got a foot to the ball, sending it high towards goal, and Penfold had to be alert with Papafilopoulos lurking.
Sidoti shaped to take a free kick on the right. She opted to play in Ryan on the right wing, whose cross was well fielded by Mackenzie. A cross from the right by Hillman was then helped away only to Wells, who powered a shot well wide. Hunter almost had Riley through again, but the City defence held firm, and Ryan’s cross was helped away by Kitching for another corner. The pressure was mounting, and when Ryan’s corner went all the way through to Wells, the shot was well saved by Mackenzie. Ashton was forced to conceded a corner as City cotinued to scrap, Ryan again finding the six-yard box with the corner, but when Green was fouled, there was respite for the visitors and they could regroup.
When Bell raced after a long ball, Penfold sprinted from her goal to clear, colliding with Bell who had given up the chase. The referee had no intention of awarding anything, but as the home crowd and the home players cried murder, Bell was unbelievably shown the yellow card. Quite baffling was the award of the throw-in to City as a result. Chandran’s attempt at telepathy saw Green realise her intentions to dart on to her throw-in, the cross unable to find a City player in the area, and hands were over faces on the St George bench again when Green was awarded a generous free kick to break up play.
The wind had picked up in City’s favour, the corner flags blowing towards the St George goal, but when Smith was pulled up for another difficult-to-see foul, the referee showed the pleading City midfielder the yellow card and sent her to the sideline for a five-minute sin bin for asking what the foul was for. It was backs to the wall now for the beleaguered Blacktown, down to ten players, and Ryan raced up the right to win a corner as Kitching stretched every sinew to cut out the cross. Simotas then had a glorious chance, but Kitching blocked the shot brilliantly, and Green then slipped past her defender and raced up the left to win a corner to ease the pressure. Ashton’s corner was dangerous, but Penfold was commanding and claimed the ball well under pressure from Jackson.
City now replenished following the five minutes with a player down, they went on the attack. Jackson burst up the middle, showing intricate control to glide past three defenders before being held up, and Thompson won a free kick in the middle, Kitching frantically back-tracking after going up for the set-piece, a precious point requiring protection in the final moments. A long throw in from former City player Riley made for nervous moments as the clocked ticked towards the end, but another completely nonsensical free kick, awarded to Fry on the left, was a fitting way to end the game, a draw the right result, but the frustration shown by both teams and both sets of coaches very much on display as the players shook hands at full time.
This had been a very tough encounter, league leaders St George dethroned by dropping two points against Blacktown City, and on another day they could have made their pressure pay in the latter stages of the first half. Two top-class saves by Courtney Mackenzie kept the visitors in the game, and there were half chances for both teams to snatch all three points in a very entertaining game.
SD Raiders’ loss to Banskstown saw City up to fifth, while Nepean’s washed out game sees them a point ahead in fourth. St George are part of a three-team mini-league to see who wins the premiership, but this will be a blow to them as Hills reclaim top spot again. St George can really blow the title race open as they take on Central Coast Mariners next weekend, while Blacktown City entertain Blacktown Spartans in the big derby game at Landen Stadium on Sunday. We look forward to seeing you all there.
Nineteen games down, seven to go. This is getting exciting. City are on the up. Thanks for reading this far, I hope you’ve enjoyed this unparalleled coverage of Football NSW’s Girls Youth League Division 2; if there are any mistakes, mistaken identity or simply incorrect facts, let’s work together to get it right and drop me a line. And sharing, commenting or liking the social media post where you joined this match report will allow others to find us too. Thanks for those who do so every week, keep up the good work!