MLS > A-League...for now

Socceroos star Tim Cahill upset a few people today with his comment that a move to the Hyundai A-League would have been a “step backwards” for him after opting to join New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.

While some have taken his words to be a slight on the domestic game in Australia, Cahill is merely stating the obvious and MLS is currently a better option for a player in his position.

Major League Soccer came to fruition in 1993 and successfully piggybacked the 1994 World Cup which took place in America. The A-League’s first season was in 2004, more than a decade later, so MLS has a very comfortable head start in that regard.

In terms of quality, the standard of marquee players is currently higher in MLS. The likes of David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Robbie Keane, Alessandro Nesta and, of course, Cahill are, without being disrespectful, a much better calibre of player than the likes of Marcos Flores, Sergio Van Dijk, Fred and Shane Smeltz.

There is nothing wrong with that though, and the A-League will get to that level eventually, but at this stage there is a world of difference between the two groups.

MLS graduates also have a strong history of doing well at European clubs, although not necessarily first time round. Landon Donovan, Brad Friedel, Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey and DeMarcus Beasley all forged solid careers for themselves after cutting their teeth in MLS for a number of years.

The A-League, meanwhile, is currently exporting much younger players such as Mathew Leckie, Mitch Langerak, and now Curtis Good. Matt McKay is an example of a mature player who got a big break off the back his A-League performances but sadly it didn’t work out for him at Rangers.

The news of Mat Ryan’s trial at Tottenham Hotspur is very exciting though and it could be exactly what’s needed to kick start moves for established A-League players rather than just those with raw talent.

MLS has in the past successfully used its homegrown players for marketing purposes in a bid to attract more supporters, aided by the fact that many USA internationals were playing in the domestic league. This is an area in which the A-League is currently lacking, and the Socceroos' 2010 World Cup squad featured just two home based players (Eugene Galekovic and Jason Culina). The USA squad at World Cup in 2006 had 11 MLS-based players and, with that tournament coming a decade after the inaugural MLS season, it will be interesting to see how many A-League players make the Australian squad for Brazil 2014 (should they qualify of course).

The introduction of the Designated Player Rule in 2007 allowed MLS clubs to bring in ‘superstars’ outside of the salary cap and saw a shift in how the league was marketed.

Say what you want about David Beckham but his move to the LA Galaxy was a massive coup for the league, and was only made possible by the Designated Player Rule. Attendances for Galaxy home and away games increased, while replica shirts sold by their thousands.

We came close to witnessing such fanfare last year when Melbourne Victory signed Harry Kewell, and it is this sort of excitement that will help the league grow. The argument will now be made that if Kewell could come to the A-League then why couldn't Cahill, and while there is some merit to it, I believe that Cahill still has more to offer in a league that is currently better than our own.

The fact that MLS is in a position to pay transfer fees for players is also a big difference between the leagues which is often overlooked. In Cahill's situation, he was still contracted with Everton and the Red Bulls had to pay a reported £1 million to secure his services. Australian clubs are simply not in the position to do the same and are forced to rely on free transfers, or goodwill in the case of Brett Emerton who negotiated an early release from his Blackburn Rovers contract to join Sydeny FC last year.

Not everything in MLS is rosey though, and they have had their fair share of Gold Coast United-like expansion failures, particularly in the early days when the Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion were wound up due to poor attendances.

However the most recent additions to the league, including the three teams from Canada, have been a success thus far and look very much like being in it for the long haul.

The Seattle Sounders have been forced to increase the capacity of CenturyLink Field regularly since joining the league in 2009, with the stadium now taking up to 38,500 spectators for a home game.

The Portland Timbers also entered MLS that year and they sell out their Jeld-Wen Field for home games, with season tickets long gone in advance of the next campaign.

Some of the more established teams, like Chicago Fire for example, were able to construct a soccer-specific stadium off the back of their success. Their Toyota Park ground at Bridgeview is a world away from their old home at Soldier Field and has been a key factor in helping the club establish its own identity in a sports mad city.

Thankfully, we have now AAMI Park which is exactly the sort of venue needed to hold professional soccer in Australia.

Of course there is the obvious caveat in all this with America having a far greater population than Australia, and that cannot be ignored, but with the 2011 season seeing the highest average attendance across all teams in MLS history (17,872) they are successfully increasing interest in the game.

Thankfully the A-League is improving in this area too, with the 10,487 the average attendance for the 2011/12 season, up from 8393 the campaign before.

Ultimately, MLS has learnt from its mistakes throughout the years and built an excellent league. It is something that the A-League and its supporters should aspire to and to be currently lagging behind it is no disgrace, especially when the starting points for both came ten years after each other.

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QSL Wrap: Ten-man Miners go second

While the Brisbane Strikers all but wrapped up their second QSL premiership, the story of round nineteen unfolded at Stockland Park where Whitsunday displaced the reigning champions in second spot.


Brisbane Strikers 5 – 1 Gold Coast
(Thurtell 29’, 30’, 90+2’ Angus 66’ Sipi 83’) (Sheriff 49’)

Matt Thurtell’s twenty-sixth, seventh and eighth goals in as few as fifteen matches this season confirmed the Brisbane Strikers’ status as premiers-elect, opening a twelve-point gap at the top.

Travelling to Perry Park in full awareness of Brisbane’s free-scoring attack, Stars coach Simon Tanti would have been content to see his side trail by two at the break. And, when Bangaly Sheriff pulled one back shortly after the restart, the mid-season appointment would have been delighted with the obvious improvement in his troops’ performance. Indeed, it took until after the hour for the Strikers to restore their two-goal lead before later applying a more expected look to the scoreline.

It was Thurtell who had earlier freed the hosts from a tight opening half hour, firstly volleying in Lorenzo Sipi’s cross before chipping ‘keeper Luigi Cordova for a two-minute brace. League MVP contender Michael Angus was the man to restore Brisbane’s comfort zone following Sheriff’s 49th minute header, finishing off a smart move just beyond the hour. A well-taken Sipi goal, to add to his pair of assists on the night, was made even tougher for Gold Coast to swallow when Thurtell notched his hat-trick, and Brisbane’s fifth, in stoppage time.

The Stars will now see a return home against the QAS next weekend as a good opportunity to turn competitiveness into points, while the Strikers will be intent on stamping their dominance in a visit to newly-second Whitsunday.


FNQ Bulls 1 – 1 NQ Razorbacks
(Carroll 89’) (King 20’)

The return of 18-year-old defector Bronson Koppen failed to ignite Far North Queensland to victory at Borzi Park on Saturday with the home side saved only by Jamie Carroll’s last-gasp equaliser.

The Bulls, wearing a pink strip in support of women’s health, trailed the visitors for nearly seventy minutes after Alexander King’s opener twenty minutes into the North Queensland derby.

However, it was star striker Carroll who denied Koppen, a deadline-day transfer from the Bulls to the Razorbacks in search of more first-team opportunities, and his new teammates an upset win.

The disappointing result means a missed chance for Far North Queensland to go equal second and instead stay fourth, whereas the point keeps their rivals in touch with the top six.


Capricorn Cougars 3 – 2 Bundaberg Spirit
(Mozr 19’ Stross 37’ Waterland 47’) (Causer 13’ Leggett 55’)

Capricorn battled back from a goal down to see off Bundaberg and solidify their finals hopes in a tight home match on Sunday afternoon.

Stung by Elliott Causer’s surprise early opener, the Cougars fought back well to pile on three consecutive goals – enough to resign Luke Leggett’s 55th minute effort to a consolation.

Causer’s goal was initially cancelled out by impressive Czech import Rudi Mozr in the nineteenth minute before Tyler Stross and attacking sensation Sander Waterland secured the three points with goals either side of the break.

The win sees Capricorn move two points clear of North Queensland in the last finals spot, a position eight-placed Bundaberg are not without a hope of claiming as they sit six points off the pace but with a match in hand.


Sunshine Coast Fire 1 – 2 Whitsunday Miners
(Barlow 16’) (Bradford 41’ Hooper 58’)

Ten-man Whitsunday brokered a major shift in the title pecking order on Sunday afternoon, consigning Sunshine Coast to their third home loss in four matches and leapfrogging the reigning champions into second.

A 16th minute opener courtesy of livewire winger Alex Barlow was not enough for Fire to avoid defeat as Scottish-born defender Greig Henslee had a late penalty saved.

The Miners entered the match two points behind their hosts but held hope of a positive result in the face of Fire’s poor recent form at Stockland Park. Their task, however, was made all the more difficult as Michael Leslie was dismissed prior to half-time, only for goalscoring midfielder Clark Braford to flag the fightback by equalising just minutes later. The Miners then exacted revenge on the side that defeated them in the preliminary final of last season as they stole a winner through Corey Hooper midway through the second term.

While their defence has been the second tightest in the league, Sunshine Coast have yet to flesh out a consistent goalscorer this season and will need to do so throughout the final rounds if they are to defend their championship. Whitsunday, meanwhile, will look to ride their high into a mouth-watering home fixture against Brisbane next week.

Queensland Academy of Sport – BYE

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VPL: Tighter than a fat guy in spandex

Top spot might be locked away and bottom spot is almost guaranteed but it is the spots in between that is making the Victorian Premier League as exciting as it was during last seasons run home. Ten points separate second and tenth with six games to go and if we can get a final day half as exciting as we did last season then everyone's a winner.


Hume City 3 (Hegarty 28'[pen] 69' Leech 55')
Heidelberg United 1 (Bonne 42')
Epping Soccer Stadium

Put a fork in them, they are done. Heidelberg with six games to play are 14 points from safety with only six points in the bank. Hume on the other hand are now one point adrift of the final five and are playing some good football. A good second half was all that was needed to get the points on Friday night.

Richmond 2 (Cahill 13' 23')
Oakleigh Cannons 3 (Honos 5' Zoric 33' Festerson 38')
Kevin Bartlett Reserve

A mid-week friendly against Melbourne Victory didn't hamper Oakleigh's run at the title as they defeated aspiring finalists Richmond on Friday night. The floodgates opened early with the Cannons scoring in the first five minutes in a match which had five goals at half time half time but unfortunately for the the neutral still only had five goals at the end.

Dandenong Thunder 3 (Sherbon 14' 22' Bowen 76')
Northcote City 1 (Bran 90' [OG])
George Andrews Reserve

Dandenong Thunder continued on their merry way with a convincing 3-1 win over finals contender Northcote. Luke Sherbon did what Luke Sherbon does best; scoring twice in the win. Dandenong remain six points clear on top and it will take something drastic for them to be toppled. Northcote are very much still in the hunt for a finals spot.

Southern Stars 2 (Harrhy 10' 68')
South Melbourne 3 (Fitzpatrick 46' [OG] Burton 90' Jacobs 90+4')
Kingston Heath Soccer Complex

Call the police, there's been a robbery. South Melbourne pulled of one of the great football heists on Saturday night as they scored twice in injury time to snatch and grab the points from Southern. News during the week that Jason Trifiro has signed up with new Hyundai A-League side Western Sydney is another shot in the arm for the VPL although it might hurt South Melbourne short term, as will the 11 week ban handed down to super striker Trent Rixon.

Moreland Zebras 1 (Skorich 47')
Green Gully Cavaliers 2 (Sanders 11, Ederaro 35')
Epping Soccer Stadium

Moreland Zebras only have themselves to blame for another poor loss on Sunday. Schoolboy mistakes is a term too kind for the Zebras defence as they coughed up the ball on two occasions and were made to pay by last season's Champions. Green Gully are still a point off second spot. The Zebras need points desperately if their Victorian Premier League adventure is going to continue next season.

Melbourne Knights 0
Bentleigh Greens 4 (Bulloch 38' Pain 45' D'Angelo 55' Batsis 75')
Knights Stadium

The Knights suffered their biggest defeat of the season with a 4-0 loss to the highly rated Bentleigh Greens at Knights Stadium on Sunday. The goals were shared around for the Greens as they consolidated their spot in the final five while pushing Melbourne four points short of a finals spot. I wouldn't have liked to be in the dressing room with coach 'Stabber' Marth after this one.

POS		TEAM	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1		Dandenong Thunder	16	11	3	2	33	9	24	36
2		Oakleigh Cannons	16	9	3	4	26	20	6	30
3		Green Gully Cavaliers	16	9	2	5	24	18	6	29
4		Bentleigh Greens	16	8	2	6	27	19	8	26
5		Northcote City	16	7	4	5	21	24	-3	25
6		Hume City	16	7	3	6	20	17	3	24
7		Richmond	16	5	6	5	20	19	1	21
8		South Melbourne	16	6	3	7	22	23	-1	21
9		Melbourne Knights	16	7	0	9	18	23	-5	21
10		Southern Stars	16	5	5	6	19	26	-7	20
11		Moreland Zebras	16	3	2	11	19	31	-12	11
12		Heidelberg United	16	1	3	12	17	37	-20	6

Goals
15 – Luke Sherbon, Dandenong Thunder
9 – Nate Foster, Dandenong Thunder
8 – Nicholas Hegarty, Hume City
7 – James Kalifatidis, Northcote City
7 – Mathew Sanders, Green Gully Cavaliers
7 – Mark Leech, Southern Stars
6 – Ricky Diaco, Oakleigh Cannons
6 – Scott Bulloch, Bentleigh Greens

Yellow Cards
5 – Steven Topalovic, Richmond
5 – Daniel Jones, Green Gully Cavaliers
5 – Brian Bran, Dandenong Thunder
5 – Jonathan Voulgaris, Northcote City
5 – Adam Zilic, Melbourne Knights
5 – Craig Sweeney, Melbourne Knights
5 – Saso Alexovski, Heidelberg United
5 – Isiyan Erdogan, Hume City
5 – Nicholas Marinos, Heidelberg United

Red Cards
3 – Richmond (Liam Cannell, Michael Ferrante, Mate Medjedovic)
3 – Southern Stars (Lean Williams, Ridvan Saglam, Halil Gur)
3 – South Melbourne (Thomas Matthews, Trent Rixon, Shaun Kelly)
3 – Melbourne Knights (Ben Surey, Timislav Uskok, Shaun Romein)
2 – Green Gully Cavaliers (Patricio Vargas, Mile Medjedovic)
1 – Heidelberg United (George Papadopoulos)

Round Seventeen Fixture
Bentleigh Greens v Dandenong Thunder, 8:15pm Fri 3 August, Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
Oakleigh Cannons v Southern Stars, 8:30pm Fri 3 August, Jack Edwards Reserve
Green Gully Cavaliers v Richmons, 3pm Sat 4 August, Green Gully Reserve
Northcote City v Moreland Zebras, 3pm Sat 4 August, John Cain Memorial Park
Heidelberg United v Melbourne Knights, 3pm Sun 5 August, Olympic Villiage
South Melbourne v Hume City, 5pm Sun 5 August, Lakeside Stadium

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Cahill brace leaves Richmond one short

Oakleigh Cannons were victorious with a 3-2 win over a gallant Richmond side that would feel unlucky not to at least have taken a point at Kevin Bartlett Reserve on Friday night.

By Peter Anastassi of Football Federation Victoria.

Despite the visitors taking the early lead, Richmond’s new signing Tom Cahill, scored two well taken goals in the first half but it was not enough to prevent Oakleigh from taking the three points with the winner coming off the head of its Danish midfielder Rasmus Festersen in the 68th minute.

Oakleigh got off to a brilliant start by taking the lead after Lambros Honos struck a well taken volley inside the six yard box in only the 5th minute after a neat cross from Ricky Diaco.

However, despite taking the lead, the home side would soon equalise. Richmond striker Tom Cahill, who has been a revelation since being recruited during the transfer window, scored the goal of the night. A free kick on the edge of the penalty box was curled superbly by Cahill to the top left hand corner of the goal.

Moments later Richmond would take the lead after a clever assist from Timmy Purcell found striker Tom Cahill one on one with the keeper. Cahill didn’t panic and calmly struck the ball past Oakleigh keeper Lewis Italiano and into the net in the 23rd minute.

The lead for the home side would be short lived with Oakleigh’s Rasmus Festersen outpacing the Richmond defence and delivering a dangerous cross into the box that was tapped in the goal by Goran Zoric in the 33rd minute.

The second half commenced positively for Oakleigh who could have claimed the lead in the 50th minute after a great strike from Lambros Honos that went marginally wide of the right post.

However, Oakleigh would soon capitalise on its dominant possession by taking the lead after a corner from Ricky Diaco met the head of Rasmus Festersen who directed past Richmond keeper Stjepan Gal.

Festersen, arguably the stand out for Oakleigh, nearly had a second goal after he raced past a tiring Richmond defence but his shot was well blocked at the right post by keeper Stjepan Gal.

Speaking after the game, Oakleigh Coach Bill Theodoropoulos could not hide his pleasure at taking the three points.
“We are delighted with the win; we still showed our quality. I think we were just the better team tonight, but in the first half Richmond gave it to us and got a couple goals and they will feel disappointed to lose at home as they have got some great results in the last five weeks.” he said.

Theodoropoulos had high praise for his new Danish midfielder, Rasmus Festersen, who scored the winner and also helped assist with Oakleigh’s crucial equaliser.

“It’s his first start in Australia and he was brilliant. The biggest issue with these boys coming over is to get together and play with the rest of the boys and his first start was brilliant tonight.” he said.

Meanwhile, Richmond Coach Michael Chatzitrifonos conceded his side was outclassed in the second half by a superior side on the night.

“Obviously we came into the game with full confidence and had a good run of late and we certainly approached the game with a positive mindset. In the first half we were 2-1 up and had the better of the play but I thought Oakleigh were by far the better side in the second half and they were deserved winners.” he said.

In the next round, Oakleigh host Southern Stars on Friday night and Richmond travel to Green Gully on Saturday.

Image Credit: Anita Milas.

Richmond: Stjepan GAL, Erhan KARAHAN, Andrew VIOLA, Liam CANNELL, Timmy PURCELL, (87` Josh KWEIFIO-OKAI), Tom CAHILL, Kyle JORYEFF (`56 Mate ETEROVIC), Daniel VISEVIC, Sam SHEPHERD, Hamlet ARMENIAN (76` Nick KROUSORIATIS), Scott MUIRHEAD

Unused subs: Johnny STAHL, Michael FARNHAM,

Goals: Cahill (13`, 23`)

Yellow Cards: Cannell (40`)

Oakleigh Cannons: Lewis ITALIANO, James CUMMINGS, Jeremy WALKER, Casper ANDERSEN, Luke WALKER, Ricky DIACO (` 90+3 Billy LIOLIOS), Lambros HONOS (71` Evan CHRISTODOULOU), Rasmus FESTERSEN, Goran ZORIC (84` Zac WALKER), Aristidis DRAKOS, Hayden DOYLE
Unused Subs: Patrick SATORIE, Samuel MITCHINSON

Goals: Honos (5`), Zoric (33`), Festersen (68`)

Yellow Cards: Nil

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QSL: Strikers Firming For Premiership

Brisbane Strikers have moved one step closer to the Queensland State League premiership with a 5-1 defeat of Gold Coast at Perry Park on Saturday night, extending the capital city club's winning streak to six games and maintaining their unbeaten home record this season.

Striker Matt Thurtell notched up his fourth hat-trick of the season, and twenty-eighth goal of the campaign, while midfielder Michael Angus and wing back Lorenzo chipped in with a goal apiece for the home side.

The visitor’s goal came courtesy of first half substitute Bangaly Sheriff, whose night ended on a sour note after he was sent off for a second bookable offence five minutes from full time.

Despite the one-sided scoreline the match was still a hard fought contest throughout. The opening twenty-five minutes in particular resembling a true arm wrestle as both teams sought to impose their physical presence on the other.

The league-leading Strikers usual free-flowing passing game was noticeably rusty following last week’s bye, while the cellar-dwelling Gold Coast were desperate to make amends for a disappointing season both on and off the pitch.

Gold Coast wingers Rafael Agudelo and Daniel Bina proved threatening down both flanks early on, but a groin injury to the left-sided Agudelo saw him replaced by Sheriff in the 27^th minute. This forced a reshuffle of the midfield and Brisban epounced upon the ensuing disorganisation to notch up two goals in as many minutes.

The opener came via Chay Hews’ defence splitting through-ball to Sippi, who he’d spotted on a marauding run down the right. Sippi’s cross was met by the heavily marked Thurtell in the centre of the box, the striker displaying strength belying his size to get to the ball first and poke it home on the volley.

The second came after Greg King picked off a wayward pass at the back. King quickly fed the ball to Thurtell, who, demonstrating a curious mix of composure and quick-thinking, lulled Gold Coast custodian Luigi Cordova off his line before lobbing the ball from an acute angle into the crook at the far post.

The goals proved a wake-up call for Gold Coast, and although they once again looked to threaten, they were unable to create a clear-cut scoring chance; their forward forays repeatedly denied by a combination of th ewell organised Strikers back four and the linesman’s offside flag.

The visitors had to wait until four minutes after the restart to claw a goal back; the substitute Sheriff doing well to rise high above the traffic to meet a deep corner kick with his head, turning it in at the near post.

The game now finely poised, the contest began to see-saw once again. And while Strikers had the best of the field position, Gold Coast were dangerous on the counter attack through Bina and target man Daniel Gecic.

Eventually it was Brisbane that scored the next goal on 67 minutes, setting the tone for the rest of the contest.

Sippi, now playing in a more advanced position, dribbled infield from the right then slid a pass across the top of the penalty area. Chris di Sipio cleverly ran over the ball, allowing it to find the unmarked Michael Angus whose well-taken shot curved and dipped past the diving Cordova.

In the 82^nd minute Angus returned the favour; the midfielder playing a pin-point cross-field pass to Sippi who took the ball at full pace before placing a neat shot under the advancing Cordova for the Strikers fourth.

With the result beyond doubt and the fifty-fifty decisions going against them, Gold Coast then lost their composure; a clearly frustrated Sheriff received two yellow cards in the space of five minutes, leaving the visitors a man down.

Brisbane would rub salt into the wound in the final minute of added time. A free kick by King found di Sipio unmarked at the top of the area, and although his shot was blocked by Cordova, the rebound fell to Thurtell, who converted from a near-impossible angle to seal his hat-trick.

After the match, Strikers coach David Large pointed out that despite the score line the performance wasn’t up to standard.

“I certainly don’t think we played our best game tonight. We looked rusty,” Large said.

“Gold Coast were very physical, they were in our faces, and we probably didn’t deal with it as well as we should’ve done.”

Large was once again full of praise for Thurtell though.

“When we talk about Matt we always talk about his scoring goals. I think we need to recognise the work he does off the ball, the work he does bringing other players in. He does a tremendous job doing that.”

Gold Coast coach Simon Tanti, who only took the reigns at the club six weeks ago, stated his disappointment in the result but not the commitment of his young players.

“I don’t think we deserved to lose 5-1. The team worked very hard today and it’s a lack of concentration for ninety minutes that hurts us each week,” Tanti asserted.

“Unfortunately when you play against a quality side there’s no room for error."

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Brisbane Premier League: Round 20

A full complement of matches was welcomed by BPL fans across Brisbane, who certainly weren’t disappointed by a string of high-quality encounters. Redlands got the ball rolling with a hard-fought win over Rochedale on Friday night, before Wolves, Power and North Star recorded victories on Saturday. Easts and UQ shut each other out in the first goalless draw in over a month and only the third of the season. Lions and Capalaba also shared the spoils in the final game of the weekend, after Brisbane City comfortably beat cellar-dwellers Souths.


Redlands United 3:2 Rochedale Rovers
(Fyfe ’53, ’83; Meredith ’76) (Duimpies ’50; Tabulo ’78)

Redlands United sprung right into contention for the premiers title, with a heart-stopping late win over visitors Rochedale in a thrilling five-goal second-half.

Both sides enjoyed chances in a lively first 45, but a finishing touch was lacking. The same could not be said for the second half, with Keenan Duimpies opening the scoring for Rovers from the spot just five minutes after the restart. It was a well-deserved reward after Rochedale dominated early proceedings in the second period, but soon Redlands hit back. Referee Allan Milliner returned the favour as he pointed to the spot at the other end, Graham Fyfe making light work of the penalty. The Devils rode a wave of momentum and their persistence paid off when Rhys Meredith bedazzled the Rovers defence and found the roof of the net from the edge of the area. But just as Redlands had done in the first half, Rochedale found an instant reply, Carl Tabulo emulating Meredith’s spectacular thunderbolt, this time from Reuben Way’s cross. With a thrilling last ten minutes in stall, Redlands substitute Jheison Macuace took matters into his own hands and his bursting run earned his side another penalty. Graham Fyfe calmly converted to seal a momentous night for the Redlands faithful.

The win sees the Devils tied up on 37 points with Rochedale, with both sides trailing Wolves by four.


Wolves FC 6:1 Taringa Rovers
(Mikula ’21, ’53, ’72; Clulow ’24; Torzsok ’63; Romano ’76) (Biggins ’80)

Wolves FC took full advantage of Rochedale’s loss on Friday night to open up, be it temporarily, a four-point lead from the chasing pack by smashing a hapless Taringa engulfed in relegation fears.

Skipper Paul Mikula got the show on the road after twenty minutes, rising high to head Wolves in front. Barely three minutes later, Trent Clulow doubled their lead from a deflected shot. Rovers steadied the ship and rode out the remainder of the first half dominated by the home side – a glimpse of things to come. Within ten minutes of the restart, Mikula grabbed his second goal and header to cap off a mesmerising passing move. Thomas Torzsok taunted the Rovers defence all night and got his just reward with a twenty-yard blast from the left flank to make it 4-0. Four soon became five when Clulow was brought down in the area, Mikula collecting his hat-trick from the penalty spot. When goals rain in at Carmichael Park it’s hard to put an end to it and Claudio Romano further embarrassed the visitors with a neat poke home. Somehow Taringa held their heads high and grabbed a consolation through a Matt Biggins header late on to spoil Marko Radovanovic’s clean sheet.

Wolves are undoubtedly title favourites after this display, while Taringa need to put the loss behind them before a tough home encounter with high-flying Redlands.


Peninsula Power 2:1 Olympic FC
(Hurlin ’56, ’90+2) (Panic ’47) 


Richard Hurlin stole the limelight with a late winner for Peninsula as his brace kept Power’s premiers title dream alive and oversaw an Olympic side in danger of missing out on the top six. 


The visitors enjoyed the better of the first half, as Danny Byrne spurned a handful of good chances, the offside flag undoing Olympic’s good work on more than one occasion. But they didn’t have to wait long, Byrne’s precision through-ball finding Alex Panic, who coolly chipped Jake Reesby to give Olympic the lead. The goal woke Power from a slumber and Richard Hurlin soon produced a speculative effort from thirty-yards out, curling a long-range strike into Jerrad Tyson’s near-post. But it was nothing compared to what was to come from the normally left-footed operator. As Power surged forward, enjoying momentum and the majority of possession, they could not break through a resolute Olympic defence who looked to be happy to settle for a point. With stoppage time running out, Power had one last chance from a 25-yard free-kick. Up stepped Hurlin to curl a Beckham-like winner to the delight of a boisterous home crowd. 


Power’s win cut Wolves’ lead at the top to just a point, although Sam Saif’s men have a game in hand, while Olympic’s involvement in the finals now looks unlikely. 




North Pine 3:4 North Star 
(Macintyre ’55; Doyle ’60; Keune ’66) (R. Brownlie ’17; Previtera ’39; Fairgrieve ’58; Backstrom ’80) 


North Star fought off a desperate North Pine side to grab all three points on the road in a Saturday night relegation battle six-pointer. 


Star cruised to a two-goal first half lead, as Royce Brownlie and Liam Previtera took their chances among a disjointed Gorillas defence. But Pine looked a rejuvenated side after the break and it showed when James Macintyre’s goal ten minutes into the restart brought them back into the game. Star’s response was even quicker, James Fairgrieve restoring the two-goal deficit three minutes later. The rollercoaster was in full swing, as barely two minutes passed before Nicholas Doyle again pulled one back for Pine. Their efforts were rewarded when Jason Keune completed the comeback six minutes later, as the proceedings braced the crowd for a grandstand finish. It came, but not from whom the home support was hoping, as Matthew Backstrom nailed home North Star’s winner with ten minutes remaining. 


The gutsy win lifts Star out of danger for the time being, while North Pine remain second from bottom with season-saving games quickly running out. 




Eastern Suburbs 0:0 University of Queensland 


A resolute defensive display by UQ shut out Easts’ chance to move into third on the table and prepare a late jolt at the premiers plate. 


As expected, Easts dominated the majority of possession and the few chances in the game went to the home side. A lackluster first half produced little to get the crowd off their feet, as UQ displayed a high-class of organisation and concentration at the back. The best chances of the match fell late, as an Easts side desperate for the win surged forward in numbers. First, Ryan Stenhouse struck the crossbar from long-range. Apai Ukuno then found himself one-on-one with Tim Allen but the Uni custodian was up to it. Ukuno then hit the woodwork himself, Brendan Lewandowski unable to beat Allen on the rebound, leaving the game locked up after ninety minutes. 


The gutsy performance leaves UQ hovering above the drop zone, while Easts have to contain themselves with fifth spot for now. 




Brisbane City 4:1 Souths United
(Shepherd ’10, ’21; Murray ’25; Schipke ’90) (Symons ’58) 


Brisbane City kept their finals push alive with a comprehensive victory at home to relegation-bound Souths.


An early brace from Andrew Shepherd got the Azzuri started and Antonio Murray soon made it three in what looked like a scoreline that could get out of hand for the visitors. To Souths’ credit, they regrouped and tightened up in defence to see off the first half 0-3 down, when it might have been a lot worse. The visitors even found a goal through Yianni Symons in the 58th minute to put credibility to the scoresheet. City knew the job was done and contained the remainder of the game, Thomas Schipke adding a fourth late on. 


City sit one place and three points outside the top six, although with a game in hand over sixth Lions. Souths’ season goes from bad to worse as they must prepare for life in Division One. 




Lions FC 1:1 Capalaba 
(Hay ’78) (Drewek ’89) 


A late Joel Drewek equaliser salvaged a point for visiting Capalaba to keep their finals dream alive and deny Lions a stranglehold on a top six spot. 


A dour first half came to a close with both sides scoreless and giving nothing away in the back third of the park. As the second half wore on, the match opened up and both teams had chances to convert go astray. That was, until the 78th minute, when a brain-snap from Capalaba ‘keeper Tom Carroll saw him race well out of his box to clear when in little danger, only he sliced his clearance and hopelessly chased a opportunistic shot from Brett Hay that slowly approached the open net and finally trickled in. But the narrow scoreline proved too difficult to contain and the Bulldogs’ Joel Drewek unleashed a spectacular thirty-yard bottom-corner winner to the despair of his former coach Graham Ross – now at the helm of Lions. 


The point leaves Capalaba trailing Lions by four points, with both teams facing a decisive month as they fight for a finals spot.

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Extend the A-League season, alleviate boredom

Does the Hyundai A-League have the longest, most boring offseason in world football? It certainly can’t be far off.

The season is currently on ice, leaving fans bored.

The 2011/12 Grand Final took place on April 22 and, with the competition’s eighth season not getting underway until October 5, we’ll have had just under six months without competitive action.

Brisbane Roar’s last gasp, and controversial, win over Perth Glory in that aforementioned showpiece got the juices flowing amongst more than just the fans of those clubs. Like the final before it, another cracker between the Roar and Central Coast Mariners, the nation stood up and took note of football. It was on the front and back pages of newspapers across the country and the subject of many discussions over a pint or at the work water cooler.

Sadly though, most of that positivity and momentum disappears when you have a gap of a whopping 165 days between fixtures. With other codes playing during that period, casual supporters are easily distracted and in many cases go back to square one in terms of interest and passion for the A-League.

Without meaning to be condescending towards state league clubs, Melbourne Victory against Oakleigh Cannons or Brisbane Roar taking on Brisbane Olympic isn’t the most exciting of prospects, yet fans do their best to get up for these games because for a long time it’s the only football fix they get.

Even the ‘glamour’ friendlies have dried up this year, with no Premier League clubs or even a Celtic or LA Galaxy type outfit coming to Australia for a kick about.

So what’s the solution?

Well there have been a number of ideas put forward, including a preseason competition similar to the NAB Cup in AFL. Another option is an FFA Cup which would take place throughout the regular season and include state league teams from across the country.

However, the simplest and easiest solution as far as I’m concerned is to add another round of games; have each team play each other four times as opposed to the current three.

Perth Glory captain Jacob Burns last week publicly expressed his desire for the league to expand its calendar, and believes players benefit far more from competitive hit outs than countless friendlies.

“A 27-round season plus finals football is not long enough. If we want to improve our football we have to extend it,” he said.

“We currently have 20 weeks of pre-season and by the end of that we're absolutely dying to play games for actual points.”

He’s spot on, and our young players would benefit from playing a similar amount of games to the leagues which they aspire to eventually play in.

Off the pitch, things have gotten so mundane that the biggest story doing the rounds right now is of a hoax triallist who made a mug out of Adelaide United.

Captivating stuff it certainly isn’t.

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Brisbane Roar run rings around Olympic

Brisbane Roar kicked off their preseason campaign on Tuesday night with an impressive 5-0 win against Brisbane Premier League side Olympic FC at Goodwin Park, Yeronga.

Credit: Brisbane Roar

A second half hat-trick from star striker Besart Berisha did the bulk of the damage for Roar, who fielded a different line-up for each of the match’s forty minute halves.

The A-League side ably demonstrated that the off-season break and a change of manager has done little to dull their cutting edge style as they fell back into their high-tempo passing game with noticeable ease against their part-time opposition.

Many of those in attendance were eager to catch their first glimpse of the Roar’s new Korean signing Dong-Hyun Do and the left-sided winger didn’t disappoint. His jinking runs and clever flicks indicate he will prove a handful for opposition defenders come the season proper.

Roar predictably dominated the match from the outset and it was Do that almost opened the scoring barely five minutes into the match. After showing a sharp turn of pace to swoop on an errant pass at the back, Do wrong-footed a scrambling defender before unleashing a well-struck shot that was superbly saved by outstretched Olympic keeper, and Roar youth squad member, James Eccles.

Roar’s midfield, including fan favourites Thomas Broich and Erik Paartalu, proved a constant threat throughout the first half however despite some impressive build-up play the final pass eluded the defending A-League champions.

Meanwhile, Olympic rarely threatened during the opening stanza, the home side relying on hopeful long balls that were easily cleaned up by a Roar defence led by club captain Matt Smith.

It took just over half an hour for the Roar pressure to be converted into the opening goal. A well-placed cross from Do on the left, which followed a series of passes with Jack Hingert and Paartalu, was headed home powerfully by the late-surging George Lambadarides.

More opportunities followed, with Roar trying to exploit the pace of Kofi Danning down the right flank but the floodgates refused to open and the Hyundai A-League club failed to add to their tally before the halftime break.

Despite a wholesale change of personnel, the second stanza was more of the same for Roar, only this time the lethal finishing of Berisha saw the weight of possession and field position count on the scoreboard.

It took last season’s A-League Golden Boot winner a touch over five minutes to open his account and double the Roar’s lead. After taking possession just outside the box, Berisha waltzed through the heart of Olympic’s defence, stepping and shuffling past three defenders, before placing a shot in the bottom right hand corner of the net.

Two minutes later, Berisha doubled his personal tally. After his pass was blocked, the Albanian international latched on to the rebound, skipping past two defenders as he dribbled from the left hand side to near the penalty spot, before once again slotting his shot in the bottom right hand corner.

Not long after, Olympic FC had their best and only real chance of the night. Substitute striker Callum Yap rose high to meet a curling free-kick delivered from the right, but his header looped just over the crossbar.

As the half wore on Roar continued to assert their dominance down both flanks; Corey Brown and Nick Fitzgerald combined particularly well down the left, while Ivan Franjic and Ben Halloran showed the first glimpses of a burgeoning partnership down the right.

It was an all-too-familiar exchange of quick passes that resulted in the Roar extending their lead to four goals after seventy minutes. Halloran and Henrique working well to play through Franjic, whose squared ball for Berisha was clumsily put into his own net by Olympic defender Mark Fisk.

However, Fisk went someway to redeeming himself barely a minute later. The defender’s determination to make amends for the earlier error seeing him athletically clear a Berisha header off the line to the delight of the outnumbered Olympic faithful who’d had little to cheer all evening.

Berisha wouldn’t be denied his hat-trick twice though. A sublime Henrique pass six minutes from full-time split the backline and unleashed the insatiable striker who delicately dinked the ball over the advancing keeper to close out the night’s result.

Speaking after the match, Roar manager Rado Vidosic stated his satisfaction with the win.

“We used (the match) as a conditioning session more than anything but it was great to be out in Brisbane promoting our brand of football and introducing our new players.”

“The crowd tonight was fantastic,” he added.

Brisbane Roar will head back to the training paddock for the next fortnight before continuing their pre-season fixtures against an Ipswich Select XI on August 12 in Ipswich.

Meanwhile, Olympic FC will continue their Brisbane Premier League season this weekend in a mid-table home clash against North Pine.

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QSL Wrap: Sunshine Coast back on track

The Queensland State League resumed in round eighteen following last week’s weather-affected cancellations as all four home sides did their favouritism justice while no match produced fewer than three goals.


Whitsunday Miners 4 – 2 Gold Coast
(Van Moolenbroek 27’, 43’, 59’ Oldring 42’) (Bina 61’ Kallis 81’)

Whitsunday Miners extended their unbeaten run to four matches with a comfortable victory over Gold Coast at Virgin Australia Stadium on Saturday.

Michael van Moolenbroek was again the star of the show for the Miners, firing his season tally to seventeen with a hat-trick inside an hour.

Predictably, it was van Moolenbroek who got the first of Whitsunday’s four for the night, before he followed Matt Oldring's goal with a second on the night to give the home side an expected 3-0 lead at half-time. The star attacker completed his treble on the hour before consolations from Stars pair Daniel Bina and Blake Kallis somewhat salvaged the scoreline for the visitors. Those twin strikes rounded out the scoring for a 4-2 win in favour of the comfortably fourth-placed Miners.

Whitsunday now face a huge fixture away to Sunshine Coast next week where they can potentially jump into second, while Gold Coast must deal with the toughest task in the QSL as they meet the Strikers at Perry Park.


FNQ Bulls 3 – 0 Bundaberg Spirit
(Bird 19’ Hurney 43’ Carroll 57’)

Far North Queensland produced a professional performance on Saturday to dispose of Bundaberg Spirit and keep pace in the race for second.

The Bulls will have been glad to confirm the important result following a tough week which saw the departures of returned star Wayne Srhoj, who could only make two outings for the Cairns club, and youngsters Bronson Koppen and Peter McGrath.

Nathan Bird got the hosts on track in the 19th minute before Spirit made them wait until two minutes from the interval for a second via Glenn Hurney, which was added to after the break when Jamie Carroll netted his eleventh of the campaign.

The three points keeps Far North Queensland ahead of Whitsunday in third on goal difference and two points from Sunshine Coast in second, an enviable situation for eighth-placed Bundaberg who lead only Gold Coast.


Queensland Academy of Sport 5 – 3 NQ Razorbacks
(Riis 15’, 18’, 37’ Borrello 13’ 89’) (Koppen pen 21’ Richardson 28’ Crowley 56’)

Starring performances from QAS attackers Josh Riis and Brandon Borrello helped their side to a hard-fought 5-3 win over North Queensland on Sunday.

The Razorbacks remarkably recovered from, firstly, three goals down in just the 18th minute, and from 4-2 at the break, to twice draw within a goal, but could ultimately not manufacture an equaliser.

The opening twenty minutes were a clinic in attacking from Riis and Borrello as they combined to tear apart the Razorbacks defence set the Academy for a seemingly simple afternoon. The visitors, however, responded with a pair of quick goals to shake the match into a contest, before Riis slammed home his hat-trick to give the hosts a 4-2 lead at the break. Jacob Crowley again hit back for the visitors shortly after the break but, despite the hitting crossbar, their resolve was broken when Borrello produced a sublime finish late in proceedings to end the rollercoaster at 5-3 and snap the QAS’ four-match losing streak.

The Razorbacks will hope to stay in the mid-table scramble when they travel to Cairns next week while the QAS, already holding a game in hand and three points on the teams directly below, are scheduled the bye.


Sunshine Coast Fire 4 – 1 Capricorn Cougars
(Knight 42’ Cronk 44’ Blackman 57’ Bechar 64’) (Waterland pen 6’)

Sunshine Coast shot to a morale-boosting victory over Capricorn on Sunday, recovering from a goal down to score twice either side of the break.

Owing to a dip in form, the bye and a fixture cancellation, Fire had tasted victory just once in the six weeks prior to round eighteen’s fixture, making star Cougars striker Sander Waterland’s penalty six minutes into the contest all the more worrying for the reigning champions.

It wasn’t until just before half-time that coach Richard Hudson could breath a sigh of relief as his side struck twice in quick succession to head to the changerooms buoyant about the turnaround. Further goals from centre-forward Shaun Blackman and winger Nicolas Bechar further improved the mood around Stockland Park as the victory meant while Brisbane’s imposing lead in first remained at ten points, Fire’s two-point gap in second also stayed intact.

A result which initially appeared to have great promise for Capricorn now has them fully requiring of a home win against Bundaberg next weekend as they look to stay in the top six.

Brisbane Strikers – BYE

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QSL: QAS prevail in eight-goal rollercoaster

Attackers Josh Riis and Brandon Borrello combined for five goals on Sunday to help the Queensland Academy of Sport survive two North Queensland fightbacks in a 5-3 classic at Meakin Park.

The Razorbacks twice pulled back to within a goal despite trailing 3-0 inside twenty minutes and 4-2 at half-time, testing the fortitude of a QAS outfit without a point in four matches.

A tight encounter was to be expected between two sides level on points in mid-table, making the QAS’ flying start all the more unexpected as the youngsters – without four first-team regulars – reversed their slow-starting form by hitting a stunned Razorbacks with three quick strikes.

Electric winger Brandon Borello was the brightest spark early for the hosts, scoring the first of the afternoon by twisting his marker on the right of the penalty area, cutting inside and firing a laser-like left-footed effort beyond the stretch of NQ ‘keeper Kieran Gonzales and into the far corner.

That opener was greeted by an air of responsibility from the Academy as they seemed determined not to let the early advantage slip. Borrello set the example in this respect, following his solo effort three minutes later by dropping into space and feeding an inch-perfect reverse pass through the Razorbacks defence for Josh Riis to receive and finish coolly. The stunning blitz was not yet over, though, as Borrello tormented fullback Caleb Hobson once more, skipping around the defender and sliding a pass across goal for attacking accomplice Riis to tap-in his second and the QAS’ third in the space of five minutes.

At 3-0 at just the eighteen-minute mark, and with last week’s 6-1 home thumping at the hands of Brisbane fresh in the memory, North Queensland set about reducing both the scoreline and coach Ken Mitchell’s discontent.

When the ball was willed into the QAS penalty area, the Razorbacks were handed a penalty from virtually nothing as defenders and attackers alike slid in to conclude a goalmouth scramble. Bronson Koppen stepped up and converted from the spot to reduce the deficit to two – and notch the game’s fourth goal in twenty-one minutes. It was a start.

And, when a free-kick in the visitors favour was awarded on the edge of the Academy’s penalty area, the Razorbacks unlocked a seemingly secure match. Tall centre-back Ben Richardson took charge and displayed great skill, dipping his shot over the wall and into the bottom near-side corner to cut the hosts’ lead to a single goal. By now it seemed as though any attack was destined to end in a goal, a thought which was again supported eight minutes from the break.

Having seen their three-goal lead reduced to a lone strike, the Academy hit back through a familiar threat as Riis, already sitting on a brace, pounced on a loose ball outside the North Queensland area and struck a sweet first-time effort into the top-left corner to complete his hat-trick and, owing to a great reactionary save from the QAS ‘keeper Vincenzo Napuri, the first-half’s scoring.

The opening stanza’s goal glut could not have been fairly expected to be reproduced in the second-half, but while the first ten minutes were an expectedly quieter affair than the end-to-end forty-five which preceded them, the Razorbacks soon ensured a restless afternoon for their opposition.

A North Queensland attack just shy of the hour seemed to be lacking the width to further trouble the QAS defence until perseverance and a neat interchange of touches around Reece Edmonds freed lively winger Jacob Crowley to sidefoot home from six yards.

Crowley then came close to an equaliser moments later when his close-range shot was well blocked by Napuri, before a fifteen-minute lull was brought to an end when Koppen powered a header onto the crossbar and Jae Eurell’s acrobatic follow-up was blocked in the goalmouth.

The failure to seize that opportunity for a leveller perhaps took an emotional toll on the Razorbacks as QAS captain Jack Bladen fired over with the Academy’s first sight on goal for an extended period. Brandon Borrello, just edging out Riis as the match’s star, followed that warning by sealing the result with the goal of the day. In the final minute of normal time, the clinical attacker was released deep into the North Queensland area via a one-two and, with glorious nonchalance, dinked a delicate finish over the advancing Gonzales for a worthy winner.

That goal capped the afternoon’s scoring at eight goals with a final 5-3 scoreline in favour of the home outfit, whose goals all came courtesy of attacking duo Josh Riis and Brandon Borrello. The victory means the QAS have gained a handy break on North Queensland, moving three points clear in mid-table with a game in hand.

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VPL: Everything fine and Dandy again

Normal programming has resumed in the Victorian Premier League with Dandenong Thunder back on the winner list with a 4-0 victory over Moreland. At the other end it looks like 2012 might be the final season before Heidelberg hits the cutting room floor as they remain bolted to the bottom. In the middle only six points separate third from ninth.


Bentleigh Greens 1 (Wallace 83')
Hume City 1 (Leech 18')
Kingston Heath Soccer Complex

Bentleigh managed to keep themselves inside the top five and keep Hume City out when the two sides shared the points on Friday evening. Hume opened the scoring through Mark Leech but were unable to hold on with Wayne Wallace slotting home the equaliser seven minutes from time.



Oakleigh Cannons 1 (Drakos 71')
Green Gully Cavaliers 1 (Sanders 45'Pen)
Jack Edwards Reserve

The points were shared in the rematch of last season's Grand final at Jack Edwards Reserve. Green Gully were gifted the lead right on half time with a penalty, but didn't do enough to keep the Cannons at bay. The point didn't help either sides chance of catching leaders Dandenong and left them both vulnerable for the chasing pack.


South Melbourne 1 (Rixon 83')
Richmond 3 (Armenian 68' 90', Cahill 78')
Lakeside Stadium

Richmond took all three points from the genuine six pointer against a disappointing South Melbourne. Newly signed Hamlet Armenian helped his new side with a double whilst South Melbourne blew their chances when Trent Rixon was red carded not long after teammate Shaun Kelly had been shown a second yellow. The win is Richmond's third on the trot and catapults them up to 6th; consigning South Melbourne to 10th.

Northcote City 3 (Lujic 63, 75, 81)
Melbourne Knights 2 (Sweeney 74' Talajic 93')
John Cain Memorial Park

Northcote City gave themselves a big finals boost with a win over Melbourne Knights on Saturday. In a battle which saw all five goals scored in the last half hour, City were able to hold on and bridge the gap to second and third places who could only manage a point each. Milos Lujic was the hero for Northcote with a hat trick.

Dandenong Thunder 4 (Sherbon 4' 41' 89'Pen, Kearney 14')
Moreland Zebras 1 (Recchia 51'Pen)
George Andrews Reserve

The Thunder put themselves back on the rails with a decisive 4-1 win over the struggling Zebras. Luke Sherbon again put his name in lights with another hat-trick. Dandy find themselves six points clear again after 2nd and 3rd played out a draw.

Heidelberg United 2 (Sarkies 6`Pen, Davidson 75`)
Southern Stars 2 (Kearney 23`Pen, Harrhy 51`)
Olympic Village

Heidelberg United blew their chance to gain three valuable points with a draw at home to promoted Southern Stars. A sixth minute penalty to Kristian Sarkies was just the tonic the Warriors needed to start their slow grind out of the bottom but it wasn't enough to keep the Stars down. Southern, although 9th, are only three points out of a finals spot and must fancy themselves to at least challenge for that spot in the run home

POS		TEAM	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1		Dandenong Thunder	15	10	3	2	30	8	22	33
2		Oakleigh Cannons	15	8	3	4	23	18	5	27
3		Green Gully Cavaliers	15	8	2	5	22	17	5	26
4		Northcote City	15	7	4	4	20	21	-1	25
5		Bentleigh Greens	15	7	2	6	23	19	4	23
6		Richmond	15	5	6	4	18	16	2	21
7		Hume City	15	6	3	6	17	16	1	21
8		Melbourne Knights	15	7	0	8	18	19	-1	21
9		Southern Stars	15	5	5	5	17	23	-6	20
10		South Melbourne	15	5	3	7	19	21	-2	18
11		Moreland Zebras	15	3	2	10	18	29	-11	11
12		Heidelberg United	15	1	3	11	16	34	-18	6

Goals
13 – Luke Sherbon, Dandenong Thunder
8 – Nate Foster, Dandenong Thunder
7 – James Kalifatidis, Northcote City
6 – Nicholas Hegarty, Hume City
6 – Ricky Diaco, Oakleigh Cannons
6 – Mathew Sanders, Green Gully Cavaliers
6 – Mark Leech, Southern Stars

Yellow Cards
5 – Steven Topalovic, Richmond
5 – Daniel Jones, Green Gully Cavaliers
5 – Brian Bran, Dandenong Thunder
5 – Jonathan Voulgaris, Northcote City
5 – Adam Zilic, Melbourne Knights
5 – Craig Sweeney, Melbourne Knights
5 – Saso Alexovski, Heidelberg United
5 – Isiyan Erdogan, Hume City

Red Cards
3 – Richmond (Liam Cannell, Michael Ferrante, Mate Medjedovic)
3 – Southern Stars (Lean Williams, Ridvan Saglam, Halil Gur)
3 – South Melbourne (Thomas Matthews, Trent Rixon, Shaun Kelly)
2 – Green Gully Cavaliers (Patricio Vargas, Mile Medjedovic)
2 – Melbourne Knights (Ben Surey, Timislav Uskok)
1 – Heidelberg United (George Papadopoulos)

Round Sixteen Fixture
Hume City v Heidelberg United, 8:30pm Fri 27 July, Epping Soccer Stadium
Richmond v Oakleigh Cannons, 8:30pm Fri 27 July, Kevin Bartlett Reserve
Dandenong Thunder v Northcote City, 7pm Sat 28 July, George Andrews Reserve
Southern Stars v South Melbourne, 7pm Sat 28 July, Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
Moreland Zebras v Green Gully Cavaliers, 3pm Sun 29 July, Epping Soccer Stadium
Melbourne Knights v Bentleigh Greens, 3pm Sun 29 July, Knights Stadium

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Bentleigh pinches late point against Hume

Bentleigh Greens have come from behind to draw 1-1 with Hume City at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex after Wayne Wallace’s 83rd minute goal cancelled out Mark Leech’s opener.

By Yessar Daou of Football Federation Victoria.

Due to a State Cup fixture during the week, the Kingston Heath turf seemed slightly tarnished, and in need of a makeover.

The state of the playing surface failed however to take away what was an enthralling Friday night encounter.

Bentleigh welcomed back last year’s top scorer Ryan De Vries for his first match of the season, while the visitors were still without star forward Richie Cardozo.

In what was a cagey opening, neither team were able to put many passes together with both sides clumsy in possession.

Ultimately, the match was a game of two contrasting halves, and it was the visitors who had the bragging rights in the first 45.

Leech, who had just signed from VPL rivals Southern Stars, was a constant menace during the first half and when he finally took one of his chances, he gave Hume the lead they deserved; in the process scoring his second in as many weeks.

The Hume midfield was pressing high up the pitch, and the pressure eventually told off in the 18th minute.

A clever ball was played in the mobile Leech’s feet, before he turned and shot as his effort deflected off Aron Wilford and past Lawrence Thomas in goals.

Hume continued to press on in search of a second, with Jose Guerrero passing up a decent chance to score before Nick Hegarty mirrored his young team mate.

Bentleigh did threaten at times before the half ended, with Scott Bulloch and Jukic looking lively, however the back four of Hume and in particular Jarryd Barnes were impressive in nullifying the influence of Bentleigh wingers Ryan De Vries and Connor Pain as the half ended 1-0 to the visitors.

The home team came out the second half a revived outfit, and skipper Wayne Wallace should have had two goals in as many minutes.

His first chance came after great work from Pain down the left, who crossed it to his skipper who then turned but fired just wide of Chris Oldfield’s far post.

Seemingly immediately from the goal kick, Wallace was at it again.

This time full-back Dominic D’Angelo was providing an avenue to goals, and his cross met Wallace on the head six yards out, but the former Sunshine Georgies midfielder somehow put his effort wide.

The home side continued to waste opportunities in front of goal, and looked unable to capitalise on their second half dominance.

Wallace looked as though he had a curse on himself, as he had yet another effort saved by Chris Oldfield, before great build up play almost was rewarded through a stunning Luke Pilkington effort.

However, as time began to expire, it looked as though Bentleigh had wasted their chance to snatch a point, in scenes similar to their loss two weeks ago to Richmond.

Cue captain fantastic who was able to salvage a point for his side with just seven minutes remaining.

After beating Jarryd Barnes to the by line, Pain was able to cut the ball back to place it on a platter for Wallace inside the six yard box to smash past Oldfield.

The relief was there for all to see on the Bentleigh contingents faces as memories of their shock loss two weeks ago turned into a distance memory.

As the final whistle blew, each manager had to be content with sharing the spoils.

Post-match, neither was disheartened with Hume coach Lou Acevski believing it was a fair result.

“First half we were the better team, second half they were the better team. I think we could have killed the game off in the first half, but they could have won it in the end.”

Acevski however, did lament the amount of injuries to come out of the match.

“Barnes was alright in the end, but Guerrero got injured and Howard Fondyke got injured, it just adds to Richie Cardozo and Archie Tomic who are on the sidelines.”

His counterpart John Anastasiadis bemoaned his side’s wasted opportunities.

“I think the first half was evenly balanced, but the second half was one way traffic again.

“It was the same old story for us; we have full possession and create a hand full of chances but we have got to score goals.

“Goals win you the game, if you don’t do that you won’t win games.”

He was also less than convinced that his side’s spot in the top five was safe.

“I don’t think any team in the five can say they are safe.

“There is no way in the world any team is secure at the moment; it’s just such an open league no one knows what can happen.”

BENTLEIGH GREENS: Lawrence THOMAS, Nicholas CURTIS, Wayne WALLACE, Ryan DE VRIES (Evan BATSIS 72’), Scott BULLOCH (Luke O’DEA 74’), Connor PAIN, Aron WILFORD, Jack WEBSTER, Dominic D’ANGELO, Andrija JUKIC (Paulo RETRE 45’), Luke PILKINGTON.

UNUSED SUBS: Nicholas ANSELL, Christopher DAVIES.

Yellow Cards: Wallace (89’)

Goals: Wallace (83’)

HUME CITY: Chris OLDFIELD, Ben HARRISON, Isiyan ERDOGAN (Cem CIL 63’), Steven PACE, Jose GUERRERO (Ryan BALDACHINO 69’), Nick HEGARTY, Jarryd BARNES, Zoran PETREVSKI, Phillip RICCOBENE, Howard FONDYKE (Serdar PIR 86’), Mark LEECH.

UNUSED SUBS: David CHICK, Martin JOHN

Yellow Cards: Erdogan (59’)

Goals: Leech (18’)

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Brisbane Premier League: Round 18

A rain-soaked weekend in Brisbane meant only three games went ahead as scheduled. Saturday’s double match-up saw City and Capalaba record comfortable victories over Taringa and North Pine respectively. Sunday’s only kick-off was a much-hyped clash between 5th Easts and 6th Olympic, with the loser all but out of contention for the minor premiership.



Taringa Rovers 1-3 Brisbane City
(Yu ’50) (Murray ’37 ’43 ’58)

An inspiring Antonio Murray hat-trick propelled City past Taringa and within a point of the top six.

The hosts looked promising early on but after missing a few chances and having a strong penalty claim waved away by the referee, it was the Azzurri who struck first. Antonio Murray and Jared Austin combined brilliantly in the final third for the former to head home with less than ten minutes remaining in the first period. Murray soon doubled both City’s tally and his own when he gathered an under-hit back pass by Stewart Simons and made light work of some woeful defending to round and beat Schon Hansen.

Taringa were back in the contest within five minutes of the restart as Harun Omerovic rounded City custodian Aurelio Berson and crossed for substitute Yu Maeda to tap home. But the hosts’ celebrations and hopes were short-lived as eight minutes later Austin found Murray who once again calmly and expertly put the ball away into the top corner for his hat-trick.

It was a much needed victory for City, who with a game in hand on sixth-placed Olympic can now look to break into the top six when they play bottom side Souths next week. Any top six hopes are all but over for Taringa and they must now concentrate on avoiding a relegation battle.


Capalaba 4-2 North Pine
(Schiavo ‘3 ’31 ’45 Brattan ’45) (Coffey ’56 ’79p)

A scintillating Antony Schiavo hat-trick brought the house down at John Fredericks Park, dragging strugglers North Pine along for the ride.

On the day local icon Geoff Hurford played his 100th game for the Bulldogs, youngster Schiavo stole the limelight kicking off his tally as early as the third minute. A quick free kick from Jaspal Benning caught Pine ‘keeper Sam Nickolls off guard and Schiavo pounced on the rebound. Just after the half hour mark, Capalaba continued to convert their domination onto the scoreboard; doubling their advantage as Schiavo tapped in off a low-cross by Joel Drewek.

Just as it looked Pine were going to get a breather only two down at half-time, Schiavo and Zak Brattan produced a killer phase of play. First Schiavo headed in his hat-trick off a Brattan cross and shortly after he returned the favour for his former Brisbane Roar National Youth League teammate.

With the pressure seemingly lifted off their shoulders, the visitors opened up and restored pride to the scoreline in the second period. Shane Coffey bagged a double, firstly latching onto a loose ball to power home and then converting a late penalty.

Three points keeps Capalaba right in the mix for a top six spot, while the Gorillas remain second from bottom.


Olympic FC 1-4 Eastern Suburbs
(Panic ’66) (Horan ’19 Lewandowski ’36 Stenhouse ’45p La Spina ’89)

Easts opened up what might prove to be a decisive five-point gap between fifth and sixth on the ladder, trouncing hosts Olympic in this week’s ‘six-pointer’.

With only two points separating the sides and the loser all but dropping out of minor premiership contention, the stakes were high in front of a healthy crowd at Goodwin Park but the local faithful were soon silenced when Daniel Horan opened the scoring within twenty minutes. It got from bad to worse for Olympic, as first Brendan Lewandowski and then Ryan Stenhouse all but sealed the game for a hungrier Tigers side.

The ever-reliable Alex Panic proved his worth once again with a well taken goal for Olympic in the second half, but by then the match had well and truly slipped away from them. It got even worse for the home side, when Dominic La Spina banged in a fourth on the stroke of full-time.

The Tigers will arguably be the happiest side after this weekend, going a long way to booking themselves a spot in the finals with a chin-dropping display.

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Hyundai A-League season transfers 2012/2013

The most up to date list of transfers for the upcoming season of the Hyundai A-League. 2012/2013 is shaping up to be a good one, with Gold Coast United's disbanding seeing their former players filter across the league. Newcastle have signed the greatest number of newcomers, more so even than the fledgling West Sydney Wanderers. This exhaustive list will be updated as new signings and transfers are announced.

PLAYER TRANSFERS

Adelaide United
In:
Jake Barker-Daish (Gold Coast United)
Daniel Bowles (Gold Coast United)
Marcelo Carrusca (San Martín de San Juan)
Teeboy Kamara (Promoted from Youth Team)
Evan Kostopoulos (Sydney FC Youth)

Out:
Mark Birighitti (Newcastle Jets)
Spase Dilevski (Melbourne Victory)
Evgeniy Levchenko (Released)
Daniel Mullen (Dalian Aerbin, China)
Ricardo da Silva (Adelaide City - SA Super League)
Francisco Usucar (Técnico Universitario, Ecuador)


Brisbane Roar
In:
Matt Acton (Promoted from Youth Team)
Nikolas Fitzgerald (Promoted from Youth Team)
Ben Halloran (Gold Coast United)
Do Dong-Hyun (First club - signed straight from High School, South Korea)

Out:
Kofi Danning (CS Visé, Belgium)
Sayed Mohamed Adnan (Released)
Issey Nakajima Farran (AEK Larnaca, Cyprus)
Matt Mundy (Rochedale Rovers - Brisbane Premier League)
Andrew Redmayne (Melbourne Heart)

Central Coast Mariners
In:
Zac Anderson (Gold Coast United)
Anthony Caceres (Promoted from Youth Team)
Mitchell Duke (Promoted from Youth Team)
James Oates (Promoted from Youth Team)
Mile Sterjovski (Dalian Aerbin, China)

Out:
Mustafa Amini (loan expired; returns to Borussia Dortmund, Germany)
Sam Gallagher (Melbourne Victory)
Stuart Muslialik (Released)
Daniel Porter (Retired)
John Sutton (loan expired; returns to Hearts FC, Scotland)
Alex Wilkinson (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, South Korea)


Melbourne Victory
In:
Jonathan Bru (Moreirense, Portugal)
Spase Dilevski (Adelaide United)
Guilherme Finkler (Criciúma, Brazil)
Marcos Flores (Henan Jianye FC, China)
Sam Gallagher (Central Coast Mariners)
Theodore Markelis (Vicenza, Italy)
Mark Milligan (JEF United Ichihara Chiba, Japan)
Adama Traoré (Gold Coast United)

Out:
Grant Brebner (Moreland Zebras - Victorian Premier League)
Ante Covic (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Fabio (Sydney FC)
Carlos Hernandez (Prayag United, India)
Matthew Kemp (Retired)
Harry Kewell (Released)
Ubay Luzardo (Released)
Rogrigo Vargas (Green Gully Cavaliers - Victorian Premier League)

Melbourne Heart
In:
Patrick Gerhardt (FK Željezničar, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Steven Gray (Oakleigh Cannons - Victorian Premier League)
Dylan Macallister (Gold Coast United)
Golgol Mebrahtu (Gold Coast United)
Andrew Redmayne (Brisbane Roar)
Josip Tadić (Lechia Gdańsk, Poland)
David Vranković (Bonnyrigg White Eagles)

Out:
Eli Babalj (Red Star Belgrade, Serbia)
Craig Goodwin (Newcastle Jets)
Curtis Good (Newcastle United, England)
Kamal Ibrahim (Heidelberg United - Victorian Premier League)
Maycon (Pahang, Malaysia)
Nikola Roganovic (Green Gully Cavaliers - Victorian Premier League)
Kristian Sarkies (Heidelberg United - Victorian Premier League)
Wayne Srhoj (Released)
Alex Terra (Daejeon Citizen, South Korea)
Rutger Worm (Willem II, Netherlands)
Adrian Zahra (Perth Glory)
Brendan Hamill (Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, Korea)


Newcastle Jets
In:
Mark Birighitti (Adelaide United)
James Brown (Gold Coast United)
Josh Brilliante (Gold Coast United)
Connor Chapman (Promoted from Youth Team)
Mitch Cooper (Gold Coast United)
Craig Goodwin (Melbourne Heart)
Josh Mitchell (Perth Glory)
Scott Neville (Perth Glory)
Mitchell Oxborrow (Australian Institute or Sport)
Bernardo Ribeiro (K.F. Skënderbeu Korçë, Albania)
Dominik Ritter (FC Winterthur, Switzerland)
Adam Taggart (Perth Glory)

Out:
Ali Abbas (Sydney FC)
Jeremy Brockie (Wellington Phoenix)
Tarek Elrich (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Labinot Haliti (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Francis Jeffers (Free Agent)
Matt Nash (Parramatta FC - NSW Premier League)
Chris Payne (Manly United - NSW Premier League)
Mario Simic (Sydney United - NSW Premier League)
Byun Sung-Hwan (Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, South Korea)
Nikolai Topor-Stanley (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Kasey Wehrman (Released)


Perth Glory
In:
Chris Harold (Gold Coast United)
Scott Jamieson (Sydney FC)
Ndumba Makeche (Promoted from Youth Team)
Brandon O'Neill (Promoted from Youth Team)
Michael Thwaite (Gold Coast United)
Nick Ward (Wellington Phoenix)
Adrian Zahra (Melbourne Heart)

Out:
Tommy Amphlett (ECU Joondalup - WA State League)
Andrezinho (Released)
Chris Coyne (Released)
Todd Howarth (Released)
Josh Mitchell (Newcastle Jets)
Scott Neville (Newcastle Jets)
Victor Sikora (Retired)
Adam Taggart (Newcastle Jets)


Sydney FC
In:
Ali Abbas (Newcastle Jets)
Fabio (Melbourne Victory)
Hagi Gligor (Promoted from Youth Team)
Adam Griffiths (Hangzhou Greentown, China)
Vedran Janjetović (Sydney United - NSW Premier League)
Krunoslav Lovrek (Qingdao Jonoon F.C., China)
Mitch Mallia (Promoted from Youth Team)
Daniel Petkovski (Promoted from Youth Team)
Yairo Yau (Sporting San Miguelito, Panama - on loan)

Out:
Michael Beauchamp (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Mark Bridge (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Bruno Cazarine (Released)
Shannon Cole (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Jamie Coyne (Sriwijaya, Indonesia)
Scott Jamieson (Perth Glory)
Karol Kisel (Slavia Prague, Czech Republic)
Juho Mäkelä (HJK, Finland)
Liam Reddy (Released)


Wellington Phoenix
In:
Jeremy Brockie (Newcastle Jets)
Glen Moss (Gold Coast United)
Benjamin Totori (Koloale, Solomon Islands)

Michael Boxall (Vancouver Whitecaps, United States of America)

Out:
Tim Brown (Retired)
Daniel (Released)
Brent Griffiths (Heidelberg United - Victorian Premier League)
Nick Tsattalios (Sutherland Sharks - NSW Premier League)
Nick Ward (Perth Glory)
Tony Warner (Released)


Western Sydney Wanderers
In:
Kwabena Appiah-Kubi (Central Coast Mariners Youth)
Michael Beauchamp (Sydney FC)
Mark Bridge (Sydney FC)
Reece Caira (Aston Villa, England)
Shannon Cole (Sydney FC)
Ante Covic (Melbourne Victory)
Tarek Elrich (Newcastle Jets)
Labinot Haliti (Newcastle Jets)
Tahj Minniecon (Gold Coast United)
Aaron Mooy (St. Mirren, Scotland)
Nikolai Topor-Stanley (Newcastle Jets)
Jason Trifiro (South Melbourne, Victorian Premier League)
Jerrad Tyson (Gold Coast United)

Out:
n/a

MANAGERIAL CHANGES

John Aloisi - Melbourne Heart
Ian Crook - Sydney FC
Tony Popovic - Western Sydney Wanderers
Ange Postecoglou - Melbourne Victory
Rado Vidosic - Brisbane Roar

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