Blacktown City 1 Blacktown Spartans 1
A collective off-day for Blacktown City in the Football NSW Girls Youth League 2 Under 18s derailed their finals hopes in a must-win derby encounter at Landen Stadium on Sunday. Zoe Thompson struck late in the first half for City to ease the tension, but a strike from Issabella Narayan midway through the second period turned the game in Spartans’ favour and the game was on a knife-edge until the very end, both teams spurning opportunities to snatch the points. This was a wake-up call for Blacktown City; two consecutive 1-1 draws, completely contrasting in quality and style, sees any slim hopes of making the finals at the end of the season now hang by a fraying thread.
Derby day at Landen Stadium, and City went into this game on the back of three strong results and brimming with confidence. Spartans lined up with Elizabeth Bello in goal, behind a strong central defensive partnership of Aoife Murdock and Aaliyah Hsieh, hoping to quell the attacking threat of Thompson and Sienna Bell. City made the first move, Emily Jackson threading a ball through for Thompson, but the slick surface was taking no prisoners and the ball ran away, but when Bell was wrestled to the ground on the right, City had an early free kick in a dangerous position.
Courtney Kitching lifted in a teasing cross, Jackson and Aurelia Smith battled for the ball in front of Bello, but Hsieh miraculously cleared the ball with her outstretched foot, the referee even missing the clearance and awarding the goal kick to Spartans. City continued to push and when Hsieh was played a hospital ball into her midriff after Bell had hassled well, Thompson was in the clear but scuffed her shot badly and Bello made easy work of a glorious chance.
Spartans were reduced to long-range efforts, Lucy Silk powering in a shot from distance, but Courtney Mackenzie was there to field the speculative effort. Lara Green then released Thompson on the left, who tricked her way past her defender, but saw the ball roll into touch as she homed in on goal. Green then stepped inside and unleashed a powerful shot that Bello pushed away for a corner to a roar from the main stand. Rachel Fry’s corner saw Jackson rise with a header, but Bello was there once more to take the loose ball. Green then played a precision through ball for the on-rushing Mikayla Gadd, but the cross was straight at Bello. City were being wasteful in what was a surprisingly low-quality first ten minutes of football.
Ava-Rose Lewis then smashed in a long-range effort for Spartans that Mackenzie easily dealt with, before Kitching was almost caught in possession by Scarlet Deeb, but recovered to sweep the ball away. Green’s pace on the left was continuing to cause problems for the visitors, but it was Emilie Chandran, racing from defence to provide the overlap, who set up the next chance on the left, the ball finding its way through to Jackson, who lined up a shot from outside the area, but Bello was right behind the shot. Green then raced down the left with no support, so won the corner off the defender; again the referee ruled against the corner, and the frustration began to boil in the City ranks.
Seconds later, a rushed clearance from Murdock gave City that corner they had expected, Thompson swinging in the corner kick, but Spartans cleared and were on the counter attack. Angelica Conate sold Chandran into danger with an under-hit back pass and the speedy Mackenzie Clifford-Farrell got there first, only to make a complete hash of the chance, hastily firing wide under no pressure. A sign of danger, and danger that needed to be heeded.
With a trademark burst, Jackson romped through the middle after skipping past a tackle, the quick ball through to Bell was just behind her and the attack broke down. Green picked up the ball on the left and skipped inside only to be upended on the edge of the area. Dominique Ashton was straight off the bench to take the free kick, and fired a curling shot over the wall, but Bello reached high to tip the ball over the bar for a corner. Ashton’s corner made it all the way through for Gadd at the far post, but her shot was weak and Spartans cleared their lines.
A strong challenge by Green saw the ball find Jackson, who advanced and shot from long-range, Bello palming the ball wide for another corner. The short corner was played back to Ashton who was offside, a wasted opportunity and another sign that this was going to be a tough day at the office for City.
An improvised flick by Thompson allowed Bell to challenge with Bello, but the keeper did well under pressure and required treatment after hitting the ground hard. An exquisite piece of control by Conate then allowed her to get a shot in, but Bello was alert to the danger. City kept up the pressure; another burst from midfield by Jackson saw her slip in Fry on the right and the long cross to the far post gave Green time to control the ball, but Bello grabbed the ball before she could get the shot in, another decisive piece of goalkeeping from the Spartans shot-stopper.
The pressure was mounting. Green was fouled on the left. Ashton hoisted in the free kick, and Chandran won the corner. Ashton’s corner again found Gadd at the far post, but she couldn’t send the ball goalwards, instead the ball falling for Jackson who rifled in a shot that Bello saved.
Silk powered in a shot from distance for Spartans as they finally found some space, but City countered, Jackson spraying the ball right for Thompson who controlled on the edge of the area and took time to curl a shot to the far post, where Bello did well to touch the ball away for a corner. Ashton’s corner saw Kitching rise highest but the ball found its way back out to Thompson, who connected well and sent a low shot through the crowd and into the net for 1-0. The deadlock was broken. The relief was palpable.
The warning shouts from the main stand for City to concentrate weren’t heeded though, and from the kick off, Amy Roesler was through on the left side of the penalty area. She kept the ball in and crossed, Ashton’s clearance falling straight to Aria Mitiades, who leaned back and blazed over from close-range. What a let-off for City, and Spartans were again on the attack, Roesler free again on the left, but Kitching was across well to put the ball behind for a corner. Leila Khattab’s corner saw Mackenzie rise but not get much on the ball, and Murdock’s twisting header was well off target.
A rally from the visitors then, as the first half drew to a close. This had been a scrappy game with little in the way of attacking imagination and endeavour, but the scoreline reflected the dominance but profligacy of the home team in front of goal.
The Spartans players stayed out in the dugout for half-time, no time to waste in reinforcing the fact that this game was definitely not out of reach, but City were back on the attack immediately. Chandran and Thompson combined on the left, Murdock up highest to clear the cross away. Evdokia Papafilopoulos and Conate then combined to steal the ball from a goal kick, Thompson having to dig out the shot from under her feet which was well off target. Bell then ploughed through the back of Murdock, somehow winning the throw-in, but when the ball went up the other end, Ashton rolled the ball back to Mackenzie, who sliced her clearance. The ball spun into the path of Deeb, but Mackenzie raced across to block the shot as the City defence raced to cover the empty goal. A momentous let-off for the home side, and Spartans were turning the tide.
Khattab swung in a corner, the ball popped out to Clifford-Farrell who slashed the ball wide of goal. Clifford-Farrell again used her lightning pace to win a corner off Ashton on the right, Khattab’s corner came out to Eade, who screwed a shot that fell to Clifford-Farrell, Chandran having to usher the ball away under heavy pressure. Spartans had the initiative, City couldn’t find a way out, and when they tried to counter attack, Ashton’s simple ball to Chandran on the burst was behind her. That allowed Spartans to break, Eade playing the ball in for Narayan, who was suddenly clean through with City all at sea, and she finished low past Mackenzie for a deserved equaliser.
Papafilopoulos raced after a booming clearance by Green as City were stirred into action, and she won a corner on the right. Ashton’s corner to the near post fell for Sarah De Sousa, running away from goal, who was crudely taken out by Bello from behind, right in front of the referee, but the man in the middle was unmoved. The subsequent corner by Ashton was teasing at the far post, but there was no one to supply the finish.
City were starting to boss the game again, this was a proper derby now, and when Jackson raced through the midfield and off-loaded to Papafilopoulos, they had a great chance. For some reason, the City striker hesitated and decided not to take a touch, which sent her wide, narrowing the angle and the shot was easy pickings for Bello, who was by now brimming with confidence. Frustration was simmering for the home team. Jackson then played in Thompson, but Bello was out smartly to save. De Sousa battled well and got two bites at the cherry to get in her shot, but the Spartans defence closed down the effort, and when Green intercepted and fed Thompson, hands were on heads as the shot was sliced wide of goal.
Conate joined the attack and fired in a shot from distance which Bello saved. Green stepped inside from the left and when her through ball was cleared by Bello, Jackson picked up the loose ball and fired on goal, Bello recovering well to make the save. Another non-corner award for City had Fry pleading with the referee after her defender had clearly kicked the ball out, and by now Jackson was trying to do it all herself, this time beating three players with brilliant poise and balance before being held up by Murdock on the edge of the area.
It was now or never for City, but the conviction just wasn’t there from the home team. Jackson played Green through, cutting in from the left to beat the last defender, but Bello raced out to save at her feet, the ball cannoning back off Green for a goal kick. Bell then won the ball in midfield, fed the ball to Thompson in front of goal, with time and space; her shot was parried by Bello, right into the path of Fry with the goal at her mercy, but Bello got across and smothered the shot against all odds, the Spartans bench erupting in joy at the miracle save.
City had to be careful at the other end, Chandran diffusing a potential counter attack well, and when Green hooked in a looping cross from the left, Bello gathered with Thompson lurking. The City fans held their breath when Deeb sent a shot goalwards, the ball dipping onto the roof of the net, and when Clifford-Farrell found space in the area, Ashton had to be alert to force the ball away from Mackenzie’s goal. Jackson won the ball in midfield as the last minute approached. She surged goalwards, upended by Murdock on the edge of the area. This was the chance. We’d seen Ashton go close in the first half from the same position. This time though, with seconds left on the clock, all composure was long gone and the shot was high and wide, any chance of three points gone, but this had been an exciting end to an otherwise tense and scrappy affair.
The City players knew they had wasted a golden opportunity to keep the pressure on for a berth in the finals; an afternoon of frustration was contrasted by the plucky Spartans’ never-say-die attitude that almost earned them a surprise win, and for the visiting players let go by City after their championship-winning Under 16s exploits, this was especially sweet.
An inquest into this performance will no doubt follow. City got what they deserved for an unconvincing display where their usually telepathic communication was scrambled and their season-long attacking bluntness and propensity to defensive giveaways was fully on show. If last week’s 1-1 draw at St George was the chalk, today’s 1-1 draw at home to Blacktown Spartans was definitely the cheese; there was clearly disquiet on the sidelines as well as frustration on the field and in the stands, and difficult questions will need to be asked following this disappointing result.
Onwards we go to a cracker next week, as Blacktown City head to Jensen Park to take on Bankstown City; a big week on the training field will be needed to lift the team for a tough assignment, while for Blacktown Spartans, the visit of Hills United will be another massive test of their resolve. The thrills and spills continue in this exciting league as we get down to the final six rounds of an enthralling season. See you on Sunday!
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