Hungry Sharks feast on young Wanderers

22 July , 2023 By Football NSW

Match Highlights - https://fb.watch/lZAZhIjrDV/

Sutherland Sharks piled more pressure on the Western Sydney Wanderers’ survival in the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition thanks to a well earned 2-0 victory at Seymour Shaw Park on a chilly Saturday evening.

Sharks defender Nathan Grimaldi got the party started at the Shire with a well taken header in the first-half before Jonty Busch iced the match in the second as Panny Nikas’ troops celebrated a good win at home.

Wanderers looked to their youthful pace in the early stages of the match against the experienced and mean defensive unit of the Sharks and found it tough to impose themselves but were determined not to be there just to make up the numbers.

Jordan Roberts won the ball from Anthony Pantazopoulos in the 13th minute on the edge of the Wanderers area but the defender managed to regain his position and charge down the Sharks’ full-back’s effort and win a goal-kick. It was fantastic defence but an early let off for the visitors after slack defence allowed the opportunity.

After a succession of corners, the ball came to Aidan Simmons 25-yards out and with fantastic technique, his first time volley whistled narrowly over the bar.

All attempts created thus far were of the half-chance variety and it was the visitors who were having the better of them in being the more adventurous whilst the Sharks looked to work the ball out from the back in a more measured style, something that would pay off before the break.

Mitch Stamatellis headed wide from a Chris Lindsay free-kick but the battle of attrition remained with little goalmouth action in a very spirited performance from the teams with neither prepared to concede the first goal of the evening.

But it was from a Lindsay corner to the back stick that found a towering Grimaldi in the 40th minute to head powerfully home to brighten the gathered faithfuls night. The Centre-Back was simply too big, too strong, and untracked as he made his way into the area.

Sutherland had been slowly asserting themselves into the match and the well worked routine was perfectly executed and it was they who went to the sheds one goal to the good.

Marcus Younis replaced seasoned A-League and new recruit Dylan Pierias for the visitors, but it was George Antonis who tested the gloves of Marko Bulic as the Wanderers sought to level the match.

It proved to be a short-lived reprieve as the Sharks sprang into life and were soon pressing for a second which duly arrived via Busch in the 54’ minute that, although not entirely putting the game to bed, certainly increased the buffer. His weaving run through a sea of Wanderers’ defenders was mesmerising before firing home.

And he should have had his second minutes later when the ball came in from the right but his shot from the edge of the area was somehow deflected out for a corner in another piece of wonderful defending from the visitors.

Tensions were running high and a goalmouth melee saw both Stamatellis and Oscar Priestman enter the referee’s notebook with a little under twenty-five minutes to play.

A flurry of frustrating blocks, headers and goal-line clearances kept the lead from being halved as the visitors did everything but find the back of the net before Nathaniel Blair fired a free-kick over the woodwork with a quarter of an hour to play.

The Sharks were content to sit back and preserve the scoreline but looked to hit on the break however, the loss of Grimaldi late on only added to strengthen the decision albeit Younis saw his effort come back off the post late on in what would have secured a consolation goal.

It was a tough and physical encounter that left Western Sydney Wanders coach, Adrian Christiansen, although not pleased with the result, to comment afterwards.

“I think we were good between the boxes but our final third decisions were not so,” he said.

“We created the better of the chances throughout the match, but we couldn’t take them and they (Sutherland) did and that’s why they won 2-0.

“We needed to defend better, and we didn’t do so in our 18-yard box and got punished for it.

“I’m pleased with the fight, determination and character this young side is showing as they want to remain in this division, we want to remain in the league, and they are fighting hard to maintain that status.”

“The game was decided on a couple of moments,” stated Sharks’ coach Panni Nikas before continuing.

“Luckily for us we got on the end of a quality set-play that we’ve worked on to open the scoring.

“It gave us the impetus to go on and we said at the break that we needed to push forward, we mustn’t hold back and the second goal gave us that bit of breathing room.

“We knew they would come out strong after the break, similar to the way they started the match, but we knew that if we hold back and absorb that pressure that this isn’t the way we want to play and needed to take the initiative.

“Of course it’s a satisfying win, albeit very tough at the end, but we kept to the structure we’ve been trying to adopt since the start of the season and tonight we saw that in place and working.

“A tough game overall but pleased with the way in which the boys handled it.”

Match Stats

Sutherland Sharks 2 (Nathan Grimaldi 40’, Jonty Busch 54’)

Western Sydney Wanderers 0

Seymour Shaw Park, Miranda

Saturday 22nd July, 2023

Referee: Sam Kelly

Assistants: Matt Staples and Matthew Harris

Fourth: James Makris

Sutherland Sharks: 1. Marko Bulic, 2 Takahide Umebachi, 3.Jordan Roberts (7. Jay McGowan 74’), 4. Mitch Stamatellis, 5. Jesse Photi (9. Hamish Lamberton 88’), 6. Brodie Clarkson, 8. Alex Brown, 10. Antonis Martis (21. Luke Sauer 74’), 14. Chris Lindsay, 15. Nathan Grimaldi (25. Oliver Randazzo 81’), 91. Jonty Busch

Subs not used: 29. Samuel Smith, 32 Levi Sciurugia

Yellow Cards: Brodie Clarkson 45’, Mitch Stamatellis 66’, Hamish Lamberton 90+4’

Red Cards:

Western Sydney Wanderers: 1. Jack Gibson, 2. Anthony Pantazopoulos, 4. Teng Kuol, 6. Oscar Priestman, 7. Jarrod Carluccio, 9. Nathaniel Blair, 10. Alexander Badolato, 11. Zac Sapsford (21. Adam Bugarija 72’), 14. George Antonis, 23. Dylan Pierias (13. Marcus Younis 46’), 31. Aidan Simmons

Subs not used: 22. Jesse Cameron, 25. Ryley Holllingdale, 26. Sunday Yuna, 30. William Kinghan

Yellow Cards:  Aidan Simmons 25’, Nathaniel Blair 57’, Oscar Priestman 66’

Red Cards:

Player Ratings

3 – Jonty Busch (SS)

2 – Nathan Grimalsi (SS)

1 – Oscar Priestman (WSW)

By NPL NSW Men’s Reporter Micky Brock