CAPITAL LEAGUE
MATCHDAY 6
Saturday 7th May
Queanbeyan City 4 (Daniel Crkovski (2), Danny Byrne, Nathan Walker) White Eagles 2 (Eric Bonnett, Thai Tran)
(Riverside Stadium)
By Jordan Selems
Queanbeyan City ended White Eagles 100% perfect start to the season with a 4-2 win in the clash of the titans at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday afternoon. City won the bragging rights in the ‘Balkan Derby’, and the three points, whilst Eagles will aim for revenge in the Westfield FFA Cup during the week.
Queanbeyan had a great start, holding some really good possession and moving the ball nicely. The first real chance of the game was when a foul was committed and Daniel Crkovski stepped up to whip in a beautiful free kick, which unfortunately had no one on the end of it. The Eagles hit straight back, with new recruit Pepe Varga, breaking free down the left, but his shot had too much on it and went over the cross bar. The Eagles had the better of the opportunities, with a beautiful ball smashed across the face of the goal but with no one on the other end of it.
The first goal went to Queanbeyan after a mistake in the backline left Crkovski one on one with the goalkeeper and he finished with a pearler in the bottom corner. The goal lifted Queanbeyan to another level, but the Eagles were not giving up and fought their way back into the game and were shortly after rewarded with a goal. Varga received the ball and, after a great turn, whipped it to the back post which was met by the head of Eric Bonnett to equal the scores at 1-1.
The game went back and forth with both teams missing several opportunities. The Eagles had the better of the chances late in the second half with a three on two at the back being squandered, but that didn’t matter as Brad Sawyer made a great run down the right wing and crossed a near perfect ball into the box. Poor Queanbeyan defence left Thai Tran with an open header that he finished neatly into the bottom corner. The Eagles went into the break with a 2-1 lead.
The second half started very much as the first half ended with both teams creating chances early but not able to apply the final touches. The Eagles applied the pressure, mounting several great chances but not capitalising. Queanbeyan did very much the same down the other end, missing a one-on-one with the keeper after another miss-communication at the back. With free kicks being a big source of chances created, this didn’t change in the second half with countless free kicks being whipped in the box only to be sent back out again by the defending team.
As the game heated up, so did the fouls - Queanbeyan winning a foul midway through the second half on the left wing near the corner flag. The ball was hit in the box to be met by the head of Danny Byrne who finished it easily. Momentum then switched, with Queanbeyan mounting attack after attack. It didn’t take long for City to get their third of the day after a great shot was saved by the keeper with the rebound being smashed into the roof of the net by Crkovski to give Queanbeyan the lead for the second time in the game.
Queanbeyan kept their dominance going and netted another one from another cross. This time it was hit home from Nathan Walker for the fourth goal to the home team, his fifth of the season. The Eagles tried to fight back, creating some chances in the dying minutes, but in the end Queanbeyan ran out victorious, ending the unbeaten run of five games for the White Eagles and moving Queanbeyan just that little bit closer to the top of the table.
Monday 2nd May
ANU FC 4 (Danny Krajacic (2), Jonathan Scott, Kynan Dodd (og)) O’Connor Knights 1 (Brett Forward)
(ANU Willows)
ANU FC closed the gap at the top of the table with a 4-1 win over O’Connor Knights at ANU Willows in midweek. The students, who are right on the coat-tails of the league leading White Eagles, were convincing winners as their movement on the synthetic proved too good for the Knights. Bret Forward did manage to score for the visiting team, his second goal of the season, but a double from ANU striker Danny Krajacic, moving him onto five for the season, coupled with a goal from Jonathan Scott and a Kynan Dodd own goal, saw the home team through with something to spare.
Saturday 7th May 2016
ANU FC 6 (Max Mottl (4), Jonathan Scott, Sam Carters) Weston-Molonglo FC 0
(ANU Willows)
An astonishing six-goal burst inside the opening half secured a comprehensive win for ANU FC against Weston-Molonglo FC as the students leapt to the top of the Capital League by a point above White Eagles. The Magpies had no answer to the blistering start of the ANU FC team on their home surface and with Max Mottl in unstoppable form, bagging four goals early on, the writing was on the wall for the visitors. Jonathan Scott and Sam Carters added to Mottl’s haul as ANU sealed the points. Weston-Molonglo improved immeasurably after the break but were unable to make any headway.
Narrabundah 4 (Kenny MacDonald (3, 1 pen), Adrian Russell) Tuggeranong United 1 (Kris Robertson)
(Narrabundah 2-1)
A hat-trick from striker Kenny MacDonald helped Narrabundah to a 4-1 win over Tuggeranong United at Narrabundah Oval on Saturday afternoon. The clash between the two teams looking for a first win of the season couldn’t have started better for the hosts as they took the lead inside ten seconds as MacDonald fired a fierce left foot drive across the goalkeeper. The rangy front man was at it again from the penalty spot in the second half to restore the Bulls lead after Tuggeranong had equalised through Kris Robertson. And MacDonald completed his treble with a left foot drive that crept under the Tuggeranong goalkeeper. Adrian Russell completed the scoring with a few minutes to go as the Bulls claimed a first win of the 2016 season.
Canberra Olympic 4 (Richard Santiago, Nick Mihailakis, Matt Atkins, Oliver Wiederkehr) O’Connor Knights 0
(Kaleen Enclosed)
Canberra Olympic appears to be finding their feet as they recorded a second win of the season as they trounced O’Connor Knights 4-0 at Kaleen Enclosed. Olympic always appeared to have too much in the final third for the visiting Knights and goals from Richard Santiago, his fourth of the season, Nick Mihailakis, Matt Atkins and Oliver Wiederkehr proved too much for O’Connor. Olympic moves up to fourth on the ladder within touching distance of those above them. The Knights meanwhile are aiming for an upturn in form sooner, rather than later.
TABLE
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
1 | ANU FC | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 5 | +14 | 16 |
2 | White Eagles | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 8 | +8 | 15 |
3 | Queanbeyan City | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 9 | +13 | 13 |
4 | Canberra Olympic | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 10 | +5 | 9 |
5 | Weston-Molonglo FC | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 19 | -11 | 7 |
6 | Narrabundah | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 13 | -4 | 5 |
7 | O’Connor Knights | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 19 | -10 | 3 |
8 | Tuggeranong United | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 23 | -16 | 0 |
LEADING SCORERS
6 Daniel CRKOVSKI (Queanbeyan City)
5 Danny KRAJACIC (ANU FC), Nathan WALKER (Queanbeyan City)
4 Max MOTTL, Jonathan SCOTT (ANU FC), Richard SANTIAGO (Canberra Olympic), Kenny MACDONALD (Narrabundah), Kris ROBERTSON (Tuggeranong United), Thai TRAN (White Eagles)
3 Olaide YINKA-KEHINDE (ANU FC), Nick MIHAILAKIS (Canberra Olympic), Hassan KAMARA (O’Connor Knights), Nik NOVESKI (Queanbeyan City), Eoin DEVANEY, Pepe VARGA (White Eagles), Own GOALS
2 Sam CARTERS (ANU FC), Matt ATKINS, Jeremy HEGARTY, Oliver WIEDERKEHR (Canberra Olympic), Liam BOYLE (Narrabundah), Brett FORWARD (O’Connor Knights), Danny BYRNE, Mat RYAN, Mark WALKER (Queanbeyan City), Danny BABIC (Weston-Molonglo FC)
1 Daniel FOUAD, Dave MCCARRON (Canberra Olympic), Osazuwa AKIOYA, Shane HAIDUK, Adrian RUSSELL (Narrabundah), Robert GRIFFITHS, Brandon HAWKER, Daniel JADRIC, Dene MCHUGH (O’Connor Knights), Zach KNIGHT, Dragan STEGNJAIC (Queanbeyan City), Carl HYNES, Sean MURPHY, Ciaran RAYMENT (Tuggeranong United), Josh PENDER, Kian PRAMMER, Pete SPILLER, Brant TAYLOR, Andy WOODS, Harrison WRIGHT (Weston-Molonglo FC), Eric BONNETT, Bruno COLUCCIELLO, Marc O’NEILL, Milan SANTRAC, Michael STRAMANDANOLI (White Eagles)