Port Kembla F.C have chalked up their first victory for season 2016 in emphatic style, with a crushing 7-1 victory against South Coast United at Wetherall Park on Sunday afternoon.

It was a memorable top grade debut for Port Kembla’s 18 year old striker Sandy Lowcock who struck home four goals, as Port Kembla rushed in 7 goals in the second half against 10 men after they were initially down 1 nil.

South Coast United anchored to the bottom of the Premier League table opened the scoring with an impressive strike from Liam Unicomb in the 7th minute.

United’s Aden Wade powered the ball into the penalty area from the right wing, and a deflection off the Port Kembla defence allowed Unicomb to take one touch, then power the ball between the goal-keeper and right post for the opening goal.

Port Kembla enjoyed majority of the territory in the early stages of the first half, constantly threatening the South Coast goals through aerial raids targeting Justin Potter.

In the 18th minute, a corner found Justin Potter lurking at the far post who directed the ball to the top left corner forcing a strong save by South Coast goalkeeper Jason Bleakley.

The combination between Wade and Unicomb on the right sideline continued to look ominous for South Coast United, with a poor connection wasting a potential opportunity for South Coast to double their early lead in the 25th minute.

In the middle stages of the first half, it appeared the ball was magnetized to the South Coast goals as Port Kembla continued to pepper shot after shot as Bleakley continued to bat the threats away.

South Coast United absorbed the consistent Port Kembla pressure and took a 1-0 lead into the half time break.

In the 52nd minute Port Kembla constant pressure on the South Coast United goals was finally rewarded.

A ball into the 6 yard box was battled away by goalkeeper Jason Bleakley, as Port Kembla’s defender Peter Richardson won the foot race to the loose ball and planted a lovely left foot strike into the unguarded goal.

Port Kembla did not take their foot off the accelerator, doubling their goal tally only 6 minutes later, in the 58th minute.

An attacking raid down the right sideline finished with debutant Lowcock powering the ball across the face of the keeper for his first Premier League goal and to trigger a 2-1 lead for the home side.

In the 71st minute, South Coast goalkeeper Jason Bleakley roared out of the penalty area and a mis-timed and reckless challenge on the Port striker made the decision easy for the match officials, who marched Bleakley with a red card which well and truly opened up the fixture.

Replacement goalkeeper Chris Lazareski was subbed straight in response to the red, but it did not make much difference for the South Coast United defence during the final stages of the match.

In the 75th minute Lowcock scored his second, racing onto a through ball to calmly slot the finish to the left post and bring the score to 3-1.

Six minutes later, Lowcock chalked up an assist as he threaded a ball through for substitute Takao Teramoto who calmly sized up the situation and finished to take the scores to 4-1.

Lowcock charged at the goals in the 83rd minute, with deflections off the South Coast defence unable to deter the young striker to power the ball home for his hat-trick.

Port Kembla’s Teramoto showcased his speed onto a through ball as he slotted his second goal past the keeper only minutes later.

The goalscoring blitz finished in the 89th minute. Lowcock dazzled with his fourth for the afternoon, dribbling the ball towards the goals from the right sideline and as defenders held off him he gorgeously struck the ball off his left foot across the face of goals to bring the final score of the afternoon to 7-1.

There was no harder initiation possible for South Coast United’s Greg Valic for his first game coaching the club.

“Once Bleakley got sent off, they picked us apart. They are fitter than us and what you see is the result of that, the final score,” Valic said.

“We need to get our defensive shape sorted, be solid defensively. Thats what we were known for back in the day, a good, solid defensive team. I would like to go back to clubs thinking of us that way.”

Port Kembla coach Stuart Beedie was full of praise regarding the efforts of his young striker Lowcock.

“I knew it was only a matter of time until he was going to get into the team, but was not expecting him to come and do that,” Beedie said.

“It was just a case of if he can take it to the next level, and he showed today he can.”

It doesn't get any easier for South Coast United as they travel to Balls Paddock next Saturday afternoon to challenge the early table leaders Bulli F.C. for their first points of the year.

Port Kembla will seek to consolidate their winning form by travelling to Macedonia Park next Saturday afternoon also to battle Wollongong United.

In the earlier Youth Grade fixture, Port Kembla won 4-2 against South Coast United.

 

Port Kembla F.C - 7 (Richardson 52’, Lowcock 58’, 75’, 83’, 89’, Teramoto 80’, 85’)

South Coast United - 1 (Unicomb 6’)

 

Sunday 24 April 2016

Wetherall Park

 

Referee: Blake Herbert

Assistant Referees: Gareth Jenkins & Mitchell Thorpe

 

Port Kembla F.C: Farina, Richardson, Mobbs, Vinton, Stella, Potter, Scazzaaielo, Nikolovski (Morgan 77’) , Lowcock, Lavalle (Woodiwiss), Hardy (Teramoto 74’)

Subs not used: Volkanovski, Frank

Yellow Cards: Lavalle 45’

Red Cards:

 

South Coast United: Bleakley, Wade, Brown (Bertakis 65’), Nimac, Hemda, Carrasco, Solevski (Lavareski 71’), Pierro (Lee 75’), Unicomb, Stojic, Curnow

Subs not used: Batur, Terzic

Yellow Cards: Carrasco 24’, Wade 45’

Red Cards: Bleakley 71’

 

Report by Daniel McGookin

Photo by Pedro Garcia