Bansktown City 0 Blacktown City 3
Blacktown City reignited their charge up the Football NSW Girls Youth League 2 Under 18s with a fantastic win at Jensen Park on Sunday, ending the contest with nine players in a game that delivered some incredible moments. Emily Jackson had the visitors ahead from a ghost corner in the first half, but the dismissal of captain Courtney Kitching threatened to alter the course of the game before the break. A missed penalty cost the hosts and Jackson went on to score two more, sealing a magnificent hat-trick with a thunderbolt from outside the area. On a day when the game could have slipped out of their grasp, a new tactical focus and smart decisions on and off the field gave Blacktown City a tremendous victory to kick-start their finals surge.
The magnificent surface of Jensen Park, tucked away in the industrial heart of Regents Park in Sydney’s West, was shining in the bright winter sun, perfect conditions for football. Visitors Blacktown City were straight on the offensive, Lily Waterhouse working an opening for Zoe Thompson, who thrashed a shot wide from distance. The visitors, still smarting from their no-show in the derby last weekend, looked determined and played with purpose, defenders Rachel Thompson and Mia Martin with their hands full early in the game. The hosts though had the first real chance of the game, Tiarna Allen prising apart the City defence with a through ball for Allegra Park, who rode a challenge and forced goalkeeper Courtney Mackenzie into a full-length save, Kitching clearing up the rebound.
The action came thick and fast. Emilie Chandran raced up the left and tucked a neat pass inside for Thompson, and when Waterhouse took over, her shot was blocked. The hard-running Sienna Bell was fouled on the left. Dominique Ashton’s ball in was recycled, and Jackson cut in from the right to prise open the Bankstown defence, Thompson clear, but goalkeeper Ivana Franulovic blocked the shot with a smart save. The lively Hannah Al Koudmani then skipped away on the left, only to be scythed down by an agricultural challenge from Kitching. The yellow card could easily have been a different colour, and when the free kick was arrowed in by set-piece specialist Thompson, Mackenzie could only watch the ball flash across her goal and wide of the far post.
A careless goal kick led to a cheap corner on the Bankstown right, Martin forcing a second corner as the ball popped out of the defensive pack, but the second corner was wasted. City sprung forward, Waterhouse forcing the ball off her defender and watching as the ball rolled all the way to the corner flag, hitting the pole and out for a throw-in. The assistant referee somehow decided that it was a corner, the referee didn’t pick up on the error, and City didn’t hesitate, the long corner by Ashton from the right beating the melee in front of goal, and Jackson was on hand at the far post to calmly volley a neat right-footed finish inside the far post for the opening goal. A gift from the refereeing team.
Martin unleashed another low shot in reply for the hosts, Mackenzie right behind it, and when Stephanie Whetters was fouled on the right, Al Koudmani’s ball in saw Mackenzie race out to claim the ball, collecting the studs of Claudia Janus for her trouble and left on the floor requiring treatment. The response had been swift from Bankstown, but they almost undid all their good work when a backpass was cleared by Franulovic straight to Thompson, but the City striker couldn’t shape her body quickly enough and the shot was well wide of the gaping goal.
Allen then weaved past two defenders on the left, but Aurelia Smith had read the danger, before Whetters and Park combined, but Ashton was there to clear. City counter attacked, Waterhouse romping from midfield to play in Thompson, who cut inside but dragged the shot wide of Franulovic’s goal. Waterhouse again was involved, this time combining with Angelica Conate and Thompson, but the through ball was just too far and Franulovic was out quickly to claim.
Allen found herself in space in the City box on the right, and shaped to shoot, but Kitching slid in with a fantastic challenge to concede the corner before she could pull the trigger. Rachel Fry completed the clearance from the corner, but City still looked a little vulnerable when playing out from the back, Clara Christopherson unlucky not to make something of an interception on the edge of the area.
City then conjured up a great chance. Jackson released Lara Green, racing up the right, and when she bore down on goal, the stinging shot was acrobatically saved by Franulovic, and the rebound looked to be a formality for Thompson until the boot of Sofia Chahine intervened to force the ball behind for a corner. This time the refereeing decision went against the visitors, a goal kick the result despite the protestations of the unimpressed Thompson.
A scrappy period of play saw Jackson looking for options in the box before being mugged, and Mikayla Gadd offered a foul throw on the right. The pivotal moment of the first half was to come though, and it was Park who grabbed the ball in midfield and set off unchallenged towards goal. Kitching stood in her way of a shot, and when the tricky midfielder swerved past the City defender, Kitching hauled her down, the referee not hesitating to award the penalty and brandished the second yellow and a red card to Kitching. She knew it was coming.
Al Koudmani must have been watching the Euros; despite her confidence in placing the ball on the spot, the subsequent penalty was horrible, Mackenzie guessing correctly and remaining in the middle as the ball was almost rolled apologetically to her. Al Koudmani couldn’t believe it, Mackenzie grasped the ball tightly as the City bench rejoiced. Thompson was moved into the centre of defence to cope with the deficit, and a swift City substitution broke up the impetus as Bankstown looked to turn the screw before half time. The whistle for half time had the crowd looking at each other and cooing; this would be a very interesting second period, and a massive test of Blacktown City’s resolve.
Needless to say, City were cautious as the second half unfolded. They sat back with a block of midfielders as their lone forward did the work of two players; it was fascinating to watch. Thompson made a great block at the near post and Ashton completed the clearance after Al Koudmani had kept the ball in on the right. Mackenzie had to come out confidently to claim the ball ahead of Whetters, and City started to regain their confidence, ekeing out free kicks to slow the game down, and trying to keep possession despite the lack of outlets upfield.
Fry battled on the right but couldn’t break through, Green raced away up the left and delivered a tempting cross, but Evdokia Papafilopoulos couldn’t get on the end of it; the ball returned to Green and she almost forced the shot goalwards but the Bankstown defence held firm.
The lively Park raced up the right but Ashton cleared, and all of a sudden the light wind turned into a stiff breeze in City’s favour. Mackenzie had to be alert again to race out and clear, this time the clearance shanked high into the air and Thompson had to complete the job. Green then slid a ball in to Jackson in space, who aimed for Fry, racing into the corner. A smart bit of play from the wily winger won a corner for the visitors.
Ashton’s corner found Fry unmarked, but she completely missed the ball, Jackson collected on the edge of the area, the ball deflected up into the air, and when she was first to react to the ball, she took a deft touch to the left and fired in a low shot. The shot took a wicked deflection and picked up some serious top-spin, and when the ball bounced, it curled around the stranded Franulovic and inside the far post for a most unusual goal, but a goal that gave Blacktown City breathing space coming into the final quarter of the game.
More was to come from the visitors, and this compact stadium was treated to one of the goals of the season. City were patient in their build-up. Conate created space and found Fry, who played the ball back inside and on to Jackson, completely unmarked in the centre of midfield. We’ve seen some great hits this season from the fleet-footed midfield maestro, but this was something else, as she unleashed from 25 yards, the ball sailing over the out-stretched hand of Franulovic and into the top right-hand corner, a missile and an incredible strike to complete a brilliant hat-trick.
City had a three-goal advantage, despite playing with ten, but they still had a lot more work to do. Al Koudmani got to the byline and lifted in a teasing cross, and Mackenzie rose highest to claim to applause from her teammates. Another corner from Al Koudmani saw Mackenzie repeat the feat, growing in confidence with every take. Thompson broke from defence and threatened to run all the way through, just running the ball too far ahead of herself as the defence opened up.
Park then played a delightful ball inside Chandran for Al Koudmani, and when the cross was delivered into the six-yard box, Gadd did well to clear under heavy pressure. Smith then did well to intercept and was held back. Ashton lined up the free kick, and with the wind at her back, fired in a shot that just cleared the bar.
There was still time for more action, as Ashton sliced a ball behind for a corner, but as City broke from the clearance, Bell held the ball up well to feed Smith but the through ball was just too strong for the hard-working Sarah De Sousa on the burst. Thompson then found herself in an advanced position, and when her attempted through ball for De Sousa came back to her, she smashed in a deflected shot that sent Franulovic across her goal to touch the ball around the post, another great save.
Bankstown felt that one goal might lead to two and laid siege on the City goal. A surge by Park was well cut out by Jackson, Park again got free on the right to fire in a cross that Janus couldn’t steer towards goal, and Allen turned sweetly in the box to fire a shot goalwards, Mackenzie making a terrific save to her right to snatch the ball out of the air.
Waterhouse did brilliantly to win a throw-in on the right to win some seconds, but she was damaged in a challenge moments later, the ball eventually played out by Thompson to allow her to get treatment. Forced off the field, and Blacktown down to nine, City were prevented from bringing on the fresh legs of Abby Hambly due to the last-ten-minute single-sub rule in force, but there was so little time, and the final whistle brought an enthralling game to a close, with both teams exhausted from an afternoon of hard-running.
City were magnificent today. Courtney Mackenzie made two crucial saves, Courtney Kitching made a fabulous goal-saving challenge before succumbing to a second yellow card, Sienna Bell struck fear into her opponents, and Emily Jackson served up a hat-trick from the top drawer. There were top performances across the board, and the City team of last week’s meek draw with Blacktown Spartans was nowhere to be seen.
We now enter a pivotal week. Central Coast Mariners face SD Raiders midweek, weather-permitting of course, before the Mariners visit Landen Stadium and SD Raiders travel to sixth-placed Nepean FC. It’s a three-horse race for the title and a three-horse race for fourth place. Anything could happen between now and the end of the season, and if Blacktown City can put together performances like this one in their final five games, the sky is the limit. See you on Sunday.
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