FOOTBALL WEST STATE LEAGUE
PREMIER DIVISION
Armadale (0) vs. Cockburn City (1)
Cockburn City recorded their first away victory of season 2007 as they took the three points from Armadale at Alfred Skeet today. The only goal of the game came from the boot of Jason Dos Santos as his low centre found its way into the net only five minutes before half time.
It was a masterful first 45 minutes from Scott Miller’s men and Armadale could count themselves lucky to still be in the match. The attacking trio of Josh Kamasz, Jason Dos Santos and Johnny Mirco were causing all sorts of problems for the Army and were ably supported by big Michael Mirco and the impressive Dom De Felice and Gio De Bartolo.
It took seven minutes for the game to get going; Kamasz hitting the upright with a low shot from 18 yards. Kamasz was again in the action minutes later, slicing a header over the bar after an inviting ball in from Dos Santos. Michael Mirco was the next to send his header wide after Kamasz played the ball across the box.
Referee Troy Miller was happy to let the game flow however a lengthy delay when Armadale keeper Cyril Sharrock went down with a hand injury saw both sides take a breather.
The Cockburn defensive trio of Liam Lilly, Shane Nunes and Godfrey were superbly marshalling the Armadale strike force before Dos Santos struck only five minutes before the break. Receiving a throw in on the right side with his back to goal, Dos Santos turned his man and smashed in a low centre from just inside the byline that deflected into the net with Kamasz and an Armadale defender in close proximity.
Whatever Billy Russell said to his troops at half time must have worked as his side came out more determined to make a game of it. An attacking trio of Bissit, Kingston and Howe were causing the Cockburn defence trouble for the first time in the match. Scott Paterson really should have hit the target for Armadale 15 minutes after the restart after being played through with a diagonal ball from Kingston, but he smashed his effort just past the upright with Pacella at full stretch.
Dos Santos trickery on the edge of the Army box saw him skip sideways and forwards past three defenders but was denied by a fantastic fingertip save from Sharrock.
Armadale were enjoying their best spell in the match and Kingston had an 18 yard volley parried wide by Pacella in his first save of the match. Cockburn weren’t enjoying anywhere near the same dominance as the first half but still had late chances to Nunes who headed over from a delightful De Felice free kick while Johnny Mirco rolled another effort wide.
The final moments could have resulted in a late Armadale goal however after a Paterson left foot curling free kick hit the upright and bounced wide. From the resulting cross back into the box, some last ditch scrambling from the Cockburn defenders saw the ball spill to Kingston whose diving effort was sliced horribly over the bar from six yards.
Cockburn coach Scott Miller was delighted to see his side take home their first away three points of the season. “We got our first away points, it was getting a bit hairy at the end there, we didn’t take advantage of the dominance in the first half where we should have had three or four really but in the end we are happy to take a 1-0,” said Miller.
“You knew Armadale were always going to come back. Billy and Tom always have a disciplined team and they threw everything at us and I am very proud of the defence standing up like that,” he said.
Armadale coach Billy Russell was disappointed to see his side walk away with nothing after their second half fight back. “First half was all Cockburn, we just defended well, made one slip up and they scored, second half I thought we deserved to get a draw, but overall they were the better team,” said Russell.
Football West Match Reporter – Ben Fitzpatrick
Fremantle Spirit (1) vs. Inglewood United (3)
Inglewood United bounced back into good form today with a 3-1 victory over Fremantle Spirit at the WA Spanish club.
In an entertaining match, it was the experience of the Inglewood players that was telling in what was a close match with numerous goal scoring opportunities.
It took just seven minutes for Inglewood to take the lead, with Dean Apelgren finishing well from inside the 18 yard box.
Both teams were playing attacking football, with crisp passing early on and the chances started to flow later in the half, however both keepers were found to be in good form.
Fremantle equalized just before half time with Jason Barrera, one of Fremantle’s best on the day, launching a 30 yard volley that must surely be one of the goals of the season.
The Inglewood lead was restored just after the interval, Bobby Despotovski, who was influential in a midfield role, took advantage of some sloppy defending and finished with all the class and experience people expect from him.
As Fremantle pushed forward for an equalizer, the defense was unlocked for a third time on 80 minutes, Kevin Griffiths finishing from close range.
The win was a much needed one for Inglewood keeping them in touch with the top half of the table, while for Fremantle, there are still signs that the young players can compete at this level.
Next week Inglewood has a chance to continue this momentum hosting Wanneroo, while Fremantle face the tough trip to Perth SC.
Football West reporter: Raymond Bohan
Western Knights (6) vs. Sorrento (2)
Western Knights produced a second half onslaught this afternoon to record an emphatic 6-2 victory against a gallant Sorrento at Nash Field. With the scores locked at 2-2 at half time, striker Stuart Montgomery scored a hat-trick after the break before Andrija Jukic put the icing on an outstanding come from behind win.
After losing their last two matches, the Knights were looking to get their season back on track with three points but it was Sorrento who looked the better in the early stages dominating possession. The home side settled though and it was only desperate defending from the visitors which denied the Knights in the opening thirty minutes.
Exciting talent Andrija Jukic broke the drought just after the half hour mark when a ricocheted shot fell to the feet of the midfielder, who easily converted from close range. Minutes later Sorrento was level following a bizarre decision by the referee to award a penalty after a collision between Jared Love, a Sorrento teammate and a Knights defender. Gary Lynn stepped up to the spot and scored to level the ties.
The Seagulls looked in control after the goal and on 41 minutes they took the lead when Gary Boyle curled a wonderful shot past a stranded Tommi Tomich from 25 yards. Within a minute though, the Knights equalized when a dazzling run from Jukic through the box set up substitute Andrew Jennings who shot past Sorrento goalkeeper Anthony Cochrane to lock scores up before the whistle.
After the break, it was the home side dominating and they could have had the lead twice but both Jon Higgins and David Price were denied by the post. They eventually were in front on 61 minutes when Stuart Montgomery scored the first of his three goals after Jennings effort was saved by the feet of Cochrane and Montgomery cleaned up, finishing comfortably into the empty net. Five minutes later, Montgomery had his second after lively substitute Jennings earned his side a penalty after being fouled by goalkeeper Cochrane.
Sorrento continued to fight hard for a result despite the two goal deficit however their hopes were hindered when midfielder Glen Thomas was given a straight red card following two disgraceful unsportsmanlike incidents. Second half substitute Matt Allen hit the post for the third time in the match when he arrived on the field but it was striker Montgomery who added the fifth when a third penalty for the day was awarded following a handball.
Andrija Jukic finished the contest with the goal of the day, weaving through the Sorrento defence before unleashing a powerful shot into the bottom corner to cap off his delightful double.
The Knights will take plenty of confidence when they travel to Dalmatinac Park next weekend for an eagerly anticipated battle against Cockburn City.
Football West Match Reporter – Beau Crompton
FOOTBALL WEST STATE LEAGUE
Division One
Match of the Week
Morley-Windmills (1) vs. Mandurah City (3)
Mandurah City recorded an important and hard-fought 3-1 away victory against Morley-Windmills this afternoon at Wotton Reserve in the Football West State First Division.
After a tight opening midfielder Jordan Rhodes put the visitors ahead in the 19th minute by neatly chipping over the goalkeeper from 15 yards.
Morley came agonizingly close to scoring in the 28th minute when Remo McCann neatly played across to Brad Hassell from the right wing but the former Perth Glory midfielder missed horribly from six yards.
Mandurah earned a penalty in the 35th minute when Graeme Matthews was brought down inside the penalty box. Rhodes took the spot-kick but his shot was straight at the Morley goalkeeper and was saved. The rebound fell to Andy Brown who knocked wide when he should have scored.
The home side lifted after the half-time interval and Andy Bowyer nearly scored for them with a fiercely curling free-kick from 25 yards, but the shot was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Mike Green. Green was forced into action once again in the 60th minute when Scott McIlroy shot on the volley from the edge of the box, but Green was up to it once again and saved beautifully.
There was nothing Green could do one minute later when McIlroy was the first to reach a spilled ball from the corner following the previous shot. McIlroy shot from eight yards, and after a moment of confusion the referee ruled a goal, drawing Windmills level at 1-1.
Matthews caught Morley on the break in the 63rd minute and scored after picking the ball up from just inside halfway and running it into the penalty box before slamming home.
Shane Crampton secured the points for City in the 67th minute when ‘keeper Chris Ramsey spilt a cross straight to Crampton, who scored into the open goals from 12 yards. Mandurah were content to hold onto the points from that point on, but McCann still had a golden chance to salvage some pride for Windmills in the 78th minute when he shot over from close range after the ball was cut back to him.
Morley-Windmills coach Brad Hassell was satisfied with the performance but disappointed with the result. “Our performance was good, we’ve not been too lucky this season but we’ve kept working hard. Fair play to them though, we put the ball in the back of the net and we didn’t,” he said.
Mandurah City coach Stuart Currie was happy to get a victory against tough opposition. “At the end of the day it was three points, we didn’t play particularly well today but we grinded it out,” said Currie.
“We’ve got a lot of niggling injuries at the moment and some of them needed a bit of a rest but we’ve got a big squad and that helped us out today with the players we brought in. Overall it was a good three points and we’re going to go home happy, but we know we can play better.”
Football West Match Reporter – Jacob Kagi
PREMIER DIVISION
Armadale (0) vs. Cockburn City (1)
Cockburn City recorded their first away victory of season 2007 as they took the three points from Armadale at Alfred Skeet today. The only goal of the game came from the boot of Jason Dos Santos as his low centre found its way into the net only five minutes before half time.
It was a masterful first 45 minutes from Scott Miller’s men and Armadale could count themselves lucky to still be in the match. The attacking trio of Josh Kamasz, Jason Dos Santos and Johnny Mirco were causing all sorts of problems for the Army and were ably supported by big Michael Mirco and the impressive Dom De Felice and Gio De Bartolo.
It took seven minutes for the game to get going; Kamasz hitting the upright with a low shot from 18 yards. Kamasz was again in the action minutes later, slicing a header over the bar after an inviting ball in from Dos Santos. Michael Mirco was the next to send his header wide after Kamasz played the ball across the box.
Referee Troy Miller was happy to let the game flow however a lengthy delay when Armadale keeper Cyril Sharrock went down with a hand injury saw both sides take a breather.
The Cockburn defensive trio of Liam Lilly, Shane Nunes and Godfrey were superbly marshalling the Armadale strike force before Dos Santos struck only five minutes before the break. Receiving a throw in on the right side with his back to goal, Dos Santos turned his man and smashed in a low centre from just inside the byline that deflected into the net with Kamasz and an Armadale defender in close proximity.
Whatever Billy Russell said to his troops at half time must have worked as his side came out more determined to make a game of it. An attacking trio of Bissit, Kingston and Howe were causing the Cockburn defence trouble for the first time in the match. Scott Paterson really should have hit the target for Armadale 15 minutes after the restart after being played through with a diagonal ball from Kingston, but he smashed his effort just past the upright with Pacella at full stretch.
Dos Santos trickery on the edge of the Army box saw him skip sideways and forwards past three defenders but was denied by a fantastic fingertip save from Sharrock.
Armadale were enjoying their best spell in the match and Kingston had an 18 yard volley parried wide by Pacella in his first save of the match. Cockburn weren’t enjoying anywhere near the same dominance as the first half but still had late chances to Nunes who headed over from a delightful De Felice free kick while Johnny Mirco rolled another effort wide.
The final moments could have resulted in a late Armadale goal however after a Paterson left foot curling free kick hit the upright and bounced wide. From the resulting cross back into the box, some last ditch scrambling from the Cockburn defenders saw the ball spill to Kingston whose diving effort was sliced horribly over the bar from six yards.
Cockburn coach Scott Miller was delighted to see his side take home their first away three points of the season. “We got our first away points, it was getting a bit hairy at the end there, we didn’t take advantage of the dominance in the first half where we should have had three or four really but in the end we are happy to take a 1-0,” said Miller.
“You knew Armadale were always going to come back. Billy and Tom always have a disciplined team and they threw everything at us and I am very proud of the defence standing up like that,” he said.
Armadale coach Billy Russell was disappointed to see his side walk away with nothing after their second half fight back. “First half was all Cockburn, we just defended well, made one slip up and they scored, second half I thought we deserved to get a draw, but overall they were the better team,” said Russell.
Football West Match Reporter – Ben Fitzpatrick
Fremantle Spirit (1) vs. Inglewood United (3)
Inglewood United bounced back into good form today with a 3-1 victory over Fremantle Spirit at the WA Spanish club.
In an entertaining match, it was the experience of the Inglewood players that was telling in what was a close match with numerous goal scoring opportunities.
It took just seven minutes for Inglewood to take the lead, with Dean Apelgren finishing well from inside the 18 yard box.
Both teams were playing attacking football, with crisp passing early on and the chances started to flow later in the half, however both keepers were found to be in good form.
Fremantle equalized just before half time with Jason Barrera, one of Fremantle’s best on the day, launching a 30 yard volley that must surely be one of the goals of the season.
The Inglewood lead was restored just after the interval, Bobby Despotovski, who was influential in a midfield role, took advantage of some sloppy defending and finished with all the class and experience people expect from him.
As Fremantle pushed forward for an equalizer, the defense was unlocked for a third time on 80 minutes, Kevin Griffiths finishing from close range.
The win was a much needed one for Inglewood keeping them in touch with the top half of the table, while for Fremantle, there are still signs that the young players can compete at this level.
Next week Inglewood has a chance to continue this momentum hosting Wanneroo, while Fremantle face the tough trip to Perth SC.
Football West reporter: Raymond Bohan
Western Knights (6) vs. Sorrento (2)
Western Knights produced a second half onslaught this afternoon to record an emphatic 6-2 victory against a gallant Sorrento at Nash Field. With the scores locked at 2-2 at half time, striker Stuart Montgomery scored a hat-trick after the break before Andrija Jukic put the icing on an outstanding come from behind win.
After losing their last two matches, the Knights were looking to get their season back on track with three points but it was Sorrento who looked the better in the early stages dominating possession. The home side settled though and it was only desperate defending from the visitors which denied the Knights in the opening thirty minutes.
Exciting talent Andrija Jukic broke the drought just after the half hour mark when a ricocheted shot fell to the feet of the midfielder, who easily converted from close range. Minutes later Sorrento was level following a bizarre decision by the referee to award a penalty after a collision between Jared Love, a Sorrento teammate and a Knights defender. Gary Lynn stepped up to the spot and scored to level the ties.
The Seagulls looked in control after the goal and on 41 minutes they took the lead when Gary Boyle curled a wonderful shot past a stranded Tommi Tomich from 25 yards. Within a minute though, the Knights equalized when a dazzling run from Jukic through the box set up substitute Andrew Jennings who shot past Sorrento goalkeeper Anthony Cochrane to lock scores up before the whistle.
After the break, it was the home side dominating and they could have had the lead twice but both Jon Higgins and David Price were denied by the post. They eventually were in front on 61 minutes when Stuart Montgomery scored the first of his three goals after Jennings effort was saved by the feet of Cochrane and Montgomery cleaned up, finishing comfortably into the empty net. Five minutes later, Montgomery had his second after lively substitute Jennings earned his side a penalty after being fouled by goalkeeper Cochrane.
Sorrento continued to fight hard for a result despite the two goal deficit however their hopes were hindered when midfielder Glen Thomas was given a straight red card following two disgraceful unsportsmanlike incidents. Second half substitute Matt Allen hit the post for the third time in the match when he arrived on the field but it was striker Montgomery who added the fifth when a third penalty for the day was awarded following a handball.
Andrija Jukic finished the contest with the goal of the day, weaving through the Sorrento defence before unleashing a powerful shot into the bottom corner to cap off his delightful double.
The Knights will take plenty of confidence when they travel to Dalmatinac Park next weekend for an eagerly anticipated battle against Cockburn City.
Football West Match Reporter – Beau Crompton
FOOTBALL WEST STATE LEAGUE
Division One
Match of the Week
Morley-Windmills (1) vs. Mandurah City (3)
Mandurah City recorded an important and hard-fought 3-1 away victory against Morley-Windmills this afternoon at Wotton Reserve in the Football West State First Division.
After a tight opening midfielder Jordan Rhodes put the visitors ahead in the 19th minute by neatly chipping over the goalkeeper from 15 yards.
Morley came agonizingly close to scoring in the 28th minute when Remo McCann neatly played across to Brad Hassell from the right wing but the former Perth Glory midfielder missed horribly from six yards.
Mandurah earned a penalty in the 35th minute when Graeme Matthews was brought down inside the penalty box. Rhodes took the spot-kick but his shot was straight at the Morley goalkeeper and was saved. The rebound fell to Andy Brown who knocked wide when he should have scored.
The home side lifted after the half-time interval and Andy Bowyer nearly scored for them with a fiercely curling free-kick from 25 yards, but the shot was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Mike Green. Green was forced into action once again in the 60th minute when Scott McIlroy shot on the volley from the edge of the box, but Green was up to it once again and saved beautifully.
There was nothing Green could do one minute later when McIlroy was the first to reach a spilled ball from the corner following the previous shot. McIlroy shot from eight yards, and after a moment of confusion the referee ruled a goal, drawing Windmills level at 1-1.
Matthews caught Morley on the break in the 63rd minute and scored after picking the ball up from just inside halfway and running it into the penalty box before slamming home.
Shane Crampton secured the points for City in the 67th minute when ‘keeper Chris Ramsey spilt a cross straight to Crampton, who scored into the open goals from 12 yards. Mandurah were content to hold onto the points from that point on, but McCann still had a golden chance to salvage some pride for Windmills in the 78th minute when he shot over from close range after the ball was cut back to him.
Morley-Windmills coach Brad Hassell was satisfied with the performance but disappointed with the result. “Our performance was good, we’ve not been too lucky this season but we’ve kept working hard. Fair play to them though, we put the ball in the back of the net and we didn’t,” he said.
Mandurah City coach Stuart Currie was happy to get a victory against tough opposition. “At the end of the day it was three points, we didn’t play particularly well today but we grinded it out,” said Currie.
“We’ve got a lot of niggling injuries at the moment and some of them needed a bit of a rest but we’ve got a big squad and that helped us out today with the players we brought in. Overall it was a good three points and we’re going to go home happy, but we know we can play better.”
Football West Match Reporter – Jacob Kagi
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