Wollongong United 1-0 Dapto Dandaloo Fury

 

Wollongong United were crowned Illawarra Mercury Premier League Grand Final Champions for 2015 thanks to a Matt Floro goal in the 105^thminute. Kota Kawase won the award for Man of the Match as part of a Wollongong United defence that had to work hard all afternoon to keep out a determined Dapto Dandaloo strikeforce.

United coach Oliver Vrtkovski singled out his defenders in his post-match comments: “Dapto Dandaloo came out very hungry for this today and we had to be resilient defensively across the park.’

‘I had a good feeling about how the boys prepared for today. They were mentally prepared and physically prepared. They knew what they were up for, they knew what it would take to win a Grand Final. We took the opportunity and our commitment, desire and hunger meant that we kept the ball out of the net at our end. Chances mean nothing if they don’t cross that line.”

The Fury’s hunger was apparent from the word go. In the fifth minute already they hit the woodwork when Alvin Ceccoli fired a fierce header against the crossbar from a Sam Munro cross.

But in a goalless first half, United were by no means backs to the wall. Klime Sekutkoski saw his right foot shot pass just wide of the post, and Sekutkoski again forced a fingertip save from Mitchell Blowes after good work from Johnny Martinoski.

As neither side seemed able to break the deadlock, tensions built both among the 2,400 spectators and on the pitch. Yellow cards were shown, adding to the pressure on defenders in particular not to commit any further cardable offences.

Robbie Shields, who had had a quiet first half playing against his former team-mates, suddenly sparked into life in the 70^th minute. First, he made space for himself with a quick turn on the edge of the area and unleashed a right foot shot that skimmed the bar on its way for a goal kick. Then, he was blocked by the excellent Billy Tsovolos as he poised to shoot a minute later.

This was the Fury’s best period in normal time. Ceccoli had a flick-on taken at the second attempt by a busy Jordan Nikolovski in the United goal; Vaughan Patterson just failed to get a touch on a free-kick that swung in dangerously; and then Mitchell del Turco, in front of an open goal, tried to tap the ball in instead of blasting it, giving Nikolovski time somehow to get back across his goal and keep the ball out.

As the game neared the end of the 90 minutes, Dapto Dandaloo still looked the more likely to score. David Hartas fired in a cross from the right, but neither Shields nor del Turco could get a touch on it, and it was Nikolovski again who denied Shields when the striker went on a solo run.

Two minutes into added time United almost got the winner, when Karouna Michael’s header was tipped onto the bar by Blowes.

Wollongong’s actual winner came on the stroke of half time in Extra Time, when Moto Kinjo fired the ball in from the right and Matt Floro steadied himself before planting the ball firmly into the back of the net.

The final 15 minutes saw a Fury onslaught on United’s goal. First Ceccoli fired over, then substitute Mason Versi saw his header taken by Nikolovski, before the unlucky del Turco had his effort saved at point blank by a now overworked Nikolovski in the United goal.

As the final whistle neared, there was pinball in the United penalty area, with nobody able to get a clear shot on goal, though the ball was about to cross the line when Kinjo got a leg there to keep it at bay. And as the seconds drifted away, even Ceccoli, with another precision pass into the box couldn’t open up the United defence, as Patterson’s header was once again taken by Nikolovski.

United held on for a famous victory, meaning last season’s Grand Final winners will have to make do, for 2015, with the Premier League Title and the Fraternity Cup. For United coach Vrtkovski, this is the second Wollongong United side he has steered to Grand Final honours after taking the Youth Grade to victory in 2014. Today’s win is United’s second piece of silverware in 2015, having also beaten Dapto Dandaloo in the Bert Bampton Cup earlier this season. 

Story by Simon Duffin and Photo courtesy of Pedro Garcia.