E.C.U. Joondalup ended Swan IC’s fine start to the season with a 3-2 victory at the ECU University Arena. The home side was 3-0 up after 40 minutes with goals from Ian McMurray, Tommy Amphlett and Scott Bushby. The Swans recovered with Damian Scali scoring just before half time from the spot and he added a second late on, but the home side held on for the points.

In other games Mandurah City’s fine start to the season continued when they hammered Western Knights 5-1 at Nash Field. On target for City were Phil O’Callaghan 2, Andy Brown 2 and Shane Crampton, with Anthony Fearon scoring the Knights consolation goal.

Perth SC won 5-2 against Fremantle Spirit at Dorrien Gardens. The visitors led twice with goals from Cisco Jorquere and Callum Roberts, but David Onoforo 2, Andreas Oliveira, Andrija Jukic and Matthew Danskin gave Perth the win.

Cockburn City fought back from 2-0 down with ten men to draw 2-2 against Stirling Lions at Dalmatinac Park. An own goal by City’s Jason Godfrey and Phil Arnold had given the visitors a 2-0 half time lead, and City had Shane McNally sent off. But late goals from Dominic de Felice and Giovanni de Bartolo gave the home side a share of the spoils.


Match Reports

Sorrento 3 Inglewood United 2

Todd Harnwell rescued three points for Sorrento in injury time as Inglewood United thought they had stolen a point with a dramatic equalizer at the death at Percy Doyle Reserve.

In a frenetic last five minutes, Inglewood’s Mladen Kovacevic fired home from 10 yards after Sorrento couldn’t clear a deep free kick to tie the game at 2-2 with only minutes to play. However the visitors didn’t count on Harnwell to put the Gulls back in front only minutes later as he stabbed home Scott Bulloch's fizzing low effort that Oliver Taseski could only palm into the strikers path.

The inform Bobby Despotovski had given Inglewood a surprise lead after only three minutes on the clock, Kevin Griffiths chipping across the box for Despotovski to power a fantastic header into the top corner from 15 yards.

The goal stunned the home side and Lee Bamber’s men continued to have the ascendancy in the early stages and were pressing to extend their lead.

Sorrento full back Michael Ord was bizarrely yellow carded for attempting to swap the ball during a throw in by referee Ton Klaver, with the local Sorrento fans finding their voices early on in the contest.

Sorrento’s first meaningful attack on Taseski’s goal produced the equalizer on 18 minutes, Scott Bulloch whipping in a cross from the left side that was not dealt with by the Inglewood defence, the dangerous Harnwell was first to react to fire into the net.

Sorrento were now full of confidence and were beginning to stamp their authority on the game and it took only four more minutes for the Gulls to hit the lead after a terrific piece of team play.

Ord started the move down the right side, nutmegging the defender with a fine pass to Scott Neville who powered into the box and fired a low ball into the danger zone for Montgomery to stab home from close range.

The second half was all Sorrento in the early stages as Inglewood failed to create any headway against the solid Gulls backline of McDonald, Ord and Kilkelly.

Bulloch forced a full length save from Taseski thanks to a 20 yard pile driver before Neville attempted a more refined approach, however his neat shimmy and curling shot went just the wrong side of the upright.

With 10 minutes to go Inglewood could have had an equalizer after Danny Kovacevic worked his way into the box following a throw in, his low centre from the byline found Griffiths but his shot from six yards was straight at the keeper.

Inglewood were desperate for a goal and Despotovski curled a free kick inches wide before Kovacevic turned up with the goal that the visitors thought would give them a share of the spoils.

But as the clock ticked over into injury time, Bulloch attacked the defence and his low cross shot was too hot for Taseski to handle as Harnwell pounced to send the home fans happy and consolidate their position at the top of the Football West Premier League.

Match Reporter: Ben Fitzpatrick


Western Knights 1 Mandurah City 5

League newcomers Mandurah City have sent an ominous warning to its rivals with a commanding 5-1 victory over the Western Knights. In a dominate performance, Mandurah are now nearing top spot on the premier league table after winning three of their first four matches in the top flight.

The match started in perfect conditions and Mandurah City attacked from the outset with Jeff Bright making an early attacking run down the left for Mandurah only to spray the cross over the bar.

Phil O’Callaghan backed up only moments later when he burst through the Knights defence putting Mandurah 1 nil up with only the goal keeper to beat from point blank range on the 10th minute.

The big striker O’Callaghan continued to provide a nuisance in the centre of defence with his creativity continually setting up chances for Mandurah.

On the 19th minute the Knights drew level with a clinical finish from Anthony Fearon inside the box leaving the keeper with no chance. With the scores locked up at one all both teams kept pushing looking for the advantage heading into the break

A Keith Brown free kick set up an unmarked O’Callaghan at the back post only to miss the target with his header. Moments later O’Callaghan made amends after Daniel Micevski made an error when trying to clear the ball. Micevski didn’t get enough on the clearing header and O’Callaghan pounced lobbing it over the advancing keeper to give Mandurah a 2 nil lead in the 30th minute.

Mandurah were a goal up going into the break but it should have been more considering they controlled most of the first half.

The second half was only 20 seconds old when O’Callaghan setup his captain for Mandurahs third goal with a neat pass playing Brown into the box with only the keeper to beat.

Next week Western Knights take on league leaders Sorrento away. While Mandurah travels to Francis Street to take on Swan IC.

Reporter Clint Thomas

ECU Joondalup 3 Swan IC 2

E.C.U. Joondalup ended league leaders Swan IC’s unbeaten start to the season with a 3-2 victory in round four of the Football West Premier Division at the E.C.U. University Arena. The home side was strolling at 3-0 after 41 minutes with goals from Ian McMurray, Tommy Amphlett and Scott Bushby. The Swans hit back with Damian Scali scoring twice but E.C.U. hung on for the points.

Willie McNally’s side opened brightly and were close on four minutes, Darren Broxton’s free kick headed inches wide by Craig Simpson. The onslaught continued with Amphlett a constant threat down the right. His darting run and cross on 20 minutes found Tommy Jones whose shot on the turn was tipped around the post by Cory Hugo.

It was all hand to the pumps for the Swans defence and their first chance came on 26 minutes, Robert Monterosso’s cross from the right headed just wide by John Mansaray.


However the opening goal came for the home side on 28 minutes, Jon Higgins made space down the left, his cut back from the bye line found the unmarked McMurray who headed into the top corner from six-yards.

It was a deserved lead to E.C.U. and they were rewarded again 60 seconds later. Amphlett’s volley from 20-yards beat Cory Hugo at his near post to double his sides lead.

The Swans pressed forward looking to get back into the game, David Perich sent Alex Cocking clear on 35 minutes but a superb covering tackle from Anthony Jones saved the day.

Moments later Perich carved his way through four defenders only to be brought down by Simpson in the box, referee Hugh Best waved away the Swans appeal for a penalty.

E.C.U. still looked dangerous on the break and they made it 3-0 on 41 minutes. Amphlett was the architect again; he beat two Swans defenders out on the right before crossing to Bushby who scored from close-range.

But sixty seconds later the Swans were back in the game, a long ball sent Cocking clear and the youngster was brought down by Tommi Tomich and referee Best pointed to the spot. Scali kept his nerve and sent Tomich the wrong way to make it 3-1.

The Swans were pressing late in the half and went within inches of a second on the stroke of half time. A free kick on the edge of the box from Perich crashed down off the crossbar on to the line and was cleared by a grateful Martin Ashworth.

Higgins fired wide for the hosts in the opening minutes of the second half and Perich’s long-range shot was off target for the Swans as both sides pressed. Higgins was involved again on 70 minutes he combined with second half substitute Craig Young, whose shot was superbly saved by Cory Hugo.

It was game on moments later when the visitors reduced the lead, a great run and cross from the left by Brendan Knox on 71 minutes found the unmarked Scali who fired low past Tomich from close-range.

Both sides went close in the final 15 minutes but the best chance fell to the Swans in injury-time. An in-direct free kick was awarded in the box by the referee as the Swans appealed for a penalty. Perich had his shot blocked by the E.C.U. wall and his follow up cross was claimed by Tomich.

There was still time, seven minutes extra time to be precise, Higgins goal bound shot was blocked by Aaron Cole and second half substitute Karl Breen found Knox wide his cross to a packed penalty box was claimed by Tomich, to the relief of the home supporters.



E.C.U. coach McNally was delighted with the victory. “I thought we played well today and deserved the win. We gave away a couple of sloppy goals which put under pressure but it was a great victory,” said McNally.

Teams
E.C.U. Joondalup – GK Tomich, Higgins, Simpson, Blackmore, A. Jones, Amphlett, Bushby, Broxton, Ashworth, McMurray, T. Jones (Young 64)
Subs not used – Koroma, Durkin, Donlevy

Swan IC – GK C. Hugo, J. Hugo, McNally, Cole, Knox, Scali, Mansaray (Mahady 89), Perich, Ando, Monterosso (Mason 40), Cocking (Brean 83)
Subs not used – Sutton

Referee – Hugh Best

Reporter - Peter Simcox


Cockburn City 2 Stirling Lions 2

A late comeback from 10-man Cockburn City saw them drawing 2-2 with Stirling Lions at Dalmatinac Park on Saturday. The Lions dominated possession and chances, but Cockburn produced a late performance to salvage the point.

The match opened in high tempo, with both sides seeming aggressive and determined to win.

But it was the Lions who were one up after just six minutes, when Cockburn defender Andrew Godfrey somehow managed to put a cross from the left into his own net.

The Lions continued to pressure after the early goal and got their reward in the 12th minute. Striker Phil Arnold slotted home the second from inside the penalty area after lackluster defending by the Cockburn defence.

After the second goal, the Lions seemed in total control of the game. Resolute defending from Captain Darko Ilomanoski and Michael Pugliese left a frustrated Cockburn side attempting long range efforts.

Matters were made worse for Cockburn in the 32nd minute, when Shane McNally was sent off for foul language. The Lions continued to pressure until the end of the half with big chances falling to Steve Porter and Mark Redshaw, but the score remained 0-2 at half time.

The first big chance in the second half fell to Arnold in the 53rd minute, but Cockburn goalie Dejan Aleksic made a stunning save. Minutes later Redshaw showed neat footwork and good balance to dribble past two defenders, but his shot hit the crossbar.



In the 61st minute Arnold was forced to leave the pitch with an injury, following a stern tackle. This was a blow for the Lions as Arnold had created all sorts of trouble for the Cockburn defence with his pace and stellar technique.

With the Lions seemingly in control, Cockburn managed to pull one back in the 81st minute. Dom De Felice popped up to apply the finishing touches to a well crafted Cockburn move. A minute later substitute Gio De Bartolo almost scored the equaliser, but the ball whiskered over the crossbar.

But in the 85th minute the score was leveled when De Bartolo made amends to cap another good move by Cockburn with a cool finish past goalie Phil Straker.

The crowd saw a highly dramatic finish to the match with chances falling to both teams, but it ended 2-2.

Stirling Lions coach Michael Lyons was not happy with the draw.
“2-0 is a strange score line, you need another one to finish them off. We didn’t manage that.
“To be honest, we were by far the better side. But, we didn’t get the points, which we should have. We just have to work harder,” said Lyons.

Cockburn City coach Mirko Jelicic admitted his side was fortunate.
“We were happy with the point, but overall our performance wasn’t good enough. If you look at the 90 minutes, the Lions have probably deserved the three points.
“But I can’t bag the players for their effort. It’s hard to play with ten men. So, for their effort, they’ve deserved a point,” Jelicic said.

Reporter - Peder Qvale

Perth SC 5 Fremantle Spirit 2

Perth SC has returned to winning ways with a comfortable 5-2 victory over Fremantle Spirit at Dorrien Gardens on Saturday afternoon. David Onoforo was twice on the score sheet along with Andreas Oliviera, Andrija Jukic and Matt Danskin as the home side rebounded positively after last week’s thumping at the hands of Swan I.C.

However, it seemed as though Perth’s bad luck would continue into this week’s game as captain Robbie Puca was carried off in the opening seconds after a freak knee injury. The game had barely started when Puca’s knee seemed to twist after a sharp turn in the center circle.

He was replaced by Andrija Jukic who went on to create the game’s first real chance in the sixth minute. After great work down the left from Todd Howarth, Jukic struck a fierce right footed shot from 20 yards which flew just wide of the Fremantle goal.

Perth dominated possession from that point onwards but lacked the killer instinct where it counted – in the final third.


Fremantle’s Callum Roberts almost showed them how it was done on 27 minutes. Lluellen Bake’s slicing through-ball found Roberts who outpaced the Perth defence but shot just wide of Gareth Deeg’s far post.

The home side continued to dominate, but were eventually made to pay on 38 minutes when Michael Icanovski rashly brought down Cisco Jorquere in the penalty area. The big right-back was cautioned and watched on as Jorquere dusted himself down and calmly slotted his penalty kick to the right of Deeg.

Perth was determined not to go into half-time behind and their determination was rewarded in the 45th minute. Matt Danskin’s speedy run down the right was brought to a halt by Simon Elton-Bott who obstructed his opponent in the penalty area.

Referee Joe Fusari had no hesitation in pointing to the spot from which Andreas Oliveira scored for Perth to level the scores 1-1 at the break.

Perth continued to dominate possession in the second half but could only resort to long range shooting – nothing which troubled Dane McBride in the Fremantle goal.

On the hour they were again made to pay. Callum Roberts scrambled home from David Araya’s in-swinging corner to give Spirit a shock 2-1 lead.

It looked to be the turning point of the game as Perth began to put their foot down. David Onoforo started the comeback heading home unmarked from the goalline in the 66th minute from Antonio Naglieri’s corner. Less than a minute later substitute Jukic stole the ball from Fremantle’s defence and coolly chipped home Perth’s third for a 3-2 lead.

It looked like Jukic’s goal would be enough as Fremantle rarely threatened late on but Matt Danskin added a fourth in the 88th minute following good build-up work involving Naglieri and Onoforo. The winger skillfully slotting the ball home, underneath the advancing McBride.

The best was left until last as Onoforo grabbed a deserved second goal in stoppage time. After collecting a loose ball 25 yards out from goal, Onoforo unleashed a stunning left-footed drive which cannoned in off the crossbar to add further polish to the score line and leave the spectators with something to remember.

Teams
Perth: Gareth Deeg, Gianfranco Circati, Michael Icanovski, Todd Howarth, Matt Danskin, Robbie Puca (Andrija Jukic 3), David Onoforo, Andreas Oliveira, David Price, Antonio Naglieri, Greg Sharland.
Subs not used: Simon Madaschi, Genaveo Human, Simon Wilson, Michael Black.

Fremantle Spirit: Dane McBride, Tom Straker, Cisco Jorquere (Kuppusamy 77), Adrian McBride, David Araya, Ben Kelly, Simon Elton-Bott, Callum Roberts, Jason Barrera, Lluellen Bake, Lee Hallums.
Subs not used: Jake Sacco, Luke Doyle, Tsiaplias.
Referee: Joe Fusari.

Floreat Athena 1 Armadale 0

Floreat Athena chalked up their second win of the campaign by seeing off a resilient Armadale 1-0 under lights at Litis Stadium. A sensational late goal from Brad Scott was all that separated the sides on the on a night when the single goal margin in no way reflected Floreat’s dominance.

Armadale attempted to unsettle their hosts with a typically physical approach, however, Floreat weren’t about to be persuaded from playing controlled, attacking football. Good lead-up work produced chances on goal for Scott, Adam Bachiller, Garrin Collins and Rafeal Insurralde but all went unconverted.

Perhaps the best opening came the way of Mikulic who latched on to Insurralde’s brilliant diagonal pass only to send his first time shot wide with Cyril Sharrock exposed.

Armadale’s solitary opportunity came on the counter attack when Stefan Smiljanic’s cross was met by a diving Jason Goodwin header which was expertly tipped around the post by Vas Vujacic.

There was barely a moments rest for Andy Bowyer and Daryl Platten who worked overtime as Floreat desperately sought the lead after the turnaround. Mikulic thought he’d got the breakthrough by volleying into the top corner from 12-metres but celebrations were cut short by an offside flag.

John Migas clipped a free-kick just high of the crossbar after being felled on the top of the 18-yard box. Their persistence was finally rewarded in the 75th minute when substitute Miki Vujacic sent in a firm cross that was met by a classy volley by Scott, which curled inside the far post.

There was still plenty of time for Floreat to make the game safe but neither, Collins, Scott nor Mikulic could benefit from a handful of late chances.

Report Courtesy of www.footballwa.net

PREMIER DIVISION FIXTURES

Saturday, 10 May 2008
03:00PM Swan IC v Mandurah City at Francis Street
03:00PM Fremantle SC v ECU Joondalup at The Spanish Club
03:00PM Stirling Lions v Floreat Athena at Macedonia Park
03:00PM Inglewood United v Cockburn City at the Clipsal Stadium
03:00PM Sorrento v Western Knights at Percy Doyle Reserve
07:30PM Armadale v Perth Soccer Club at Alfred Skeet Oval



FIRST DIVISION FIXTURES

Saturday, 10 May 2008

03:00 PM Forrestfield United v Rockingham City at HARTFLD PARK
03:00 PM Morley-Windmills v Canning City at WOTTON RESERVE, A
03:00 PM Gosnells City v Balcatta at Walter Padbury Reserve
03:00PM Queens Park v Ashfield at Coker Park
03:00PM South West Phoenix v Dianella White Eagles at Westrac Stadium
03:00 PM Wanneroo City v Bayswater City at Kingsway Reserve