Match of the Week

Bellambi Rosellas 1 – 3 Bulli FC

A brace from Ben McDonald helped Bulli overcome a slow start to run over the top of Bellambi at Elizabeth Park on Saturday.

After being on the back foot for the opening ten minutes, Bellambi took a surprise lead when Nathan Sutcliffe found the back of the net in just the 11^th minute after the Bulli defence made a hash if clearing the ball on three occasions.
Despite the setback, Bulli continued to dominate possession but in took another 15 minutes to get back on level terms and it was under rather fortunate circumstances at that.
Wide on the touchline and almost on the goal-line, Dean Heffernan hooked the ball high into the Rosella’s penalty area where Alex Makin in the Bellambi goal and three defenders were waiting for the ball to carry over the bye line in the wind. Unbelievably, that didn’t happen in the tricky conditions and when the ball came down almost on the goal-line, Makin couldn’t control his fisted clearance and only succeeded in palming the ball into the back of his own net.

The Illawarra Mercury Premier League leaders were able to hit the front when Ben McDonald converted right on the stroke of half time. After a sweeping move, which saw Heffernan make another surging run up the left side and finish with a quality ball into the danger zone ended with McDonald’s sweet volley from the edge of the six yard box.

The second half was a mirror image of the first with the visitors enjoying a monopoly of possession and creating a glut of chances for the League leaders to extend their lead.  Bellambi to their credit ‘never gave up the ghost’ and kept on plugging away with some resolute defending which restricted Bulli to just the one goal during the second ‘45’ from the boot of McDonald mid-way through the period.

Rest of the Round

Dapto Dandaloo Fury 3 – 0 Albion Park White Eagles

Dapto Dandaloo were able to bounce back from their shock 5-0 loss to Bulli last weekend with a solid 3-0 win over Albion Park at Dandaloo Sports Ground on Sunday.

The Fury went in front a half hour into the game when early substitute Fabian Iacovelli was on hand to score his third goal of the season. The home side managed to hold onto the slim lead until the half time whistle.

It took until the 76^th minute for the game to get its second goal when Fury striker Shaun McRae was able to double the Dapto Dandaloo lead. Trinidad & Tobago striker Bradley Welch was able to put the game to bed with the team’s third goal in the 92nd minute to round out the win.

South Coast United 1 – 1 Woonona Sharks

A last minute goal from Adam Di Pietro sealed a vital 1-1 draw for Woonona against South Coast United at McLennan Park on Saturday.

A competitive affair saw both sides have difficulty breaking down each other’s defence with the first goal arriving late in the opening half. Mate Nimac was able to guide the ball into the back of the net in the 37th to ensure South Coast United took a 1-0 lead into half time.

South Coast did their best to extend their lead in the second half but Woonona’s resilient defence kept them at bay. The defensive efforts paid dividends for the Sharks when Di Pietro scored in the 89th minute to earn a draw for the club. This was the second week in a row that the Sharkies have grabbed a point from the dying embers of the game.

Fernhill 1 – 1 Cringila Lions

Fernhill earned an important 1-1 draw with Cringila at Ray Robinson Park on Saturday. The result brings last placed Fernhill within a point of Bellambi as the two sides’ battle to avoid finishing bottom of the table and in the dreaded relegation spot.

David Dieudonne gave Cringila an early with his first goal of the season in the 4th minute of the game. The Lions were able to hold onto the slim lead into half time.

The lead didn’t last long into the second half, however, as Andy Keep was on hand to score his sixth of the season and tie things up for Fernhill in the 55th minute. The two teams battled out the remainder of the game with neither able to find a winner on the day although both sides would rue some missed golden opportunities.

Wollongong United 0 – 0 Tarrawanna Blueys

Wollongong United and the Tarrawanna Blueys played out a 0-0 draw at Macedonia Park on Saturday.

Two of the Illawarra Mercury Premier League’s better teams were unable to find the back of the net on the day as honours were left even at the final whistle.

Wollongong Olympic 0 – 1 Port Kembla

A first half wonder strike from Mitchell Scazzariello was enough for Port Kembla to earn a 1-0 win over Wollongong Olympic at the PCYC on Saturday. You can read the full match report here.