Robbie Shields grabbed his first hat-trick of the season with the last kick of the game as Kemblawarra Fury saw off a strong challenge from Premier League new boys Picton Rangers on Sunday. Fury captain Alvin Ceccoli also got his name on the scoresheet for the second week in a row.

Daniel Goodhew’s second half penalty for Picton was the visitors’ only reward in a match that was far closer than the final score of 4-1 suggests.

The opening exchanges were scrappy as both sides took time to settle on a bumpy pitch. Neither keeper was called into action until the 15^th minute, when Brad Jones in the Picton goal was suddenly forced to reach for Fabian Iacovelli’s dipping shot from outside the area. He tipped it over for a corner, but was immediately tested again, when Ceccoli fired in a shot from the corner, which was cleared off the line, with full-back Tyson Rhodes waiting to tap in the rebound. But Jones’s quick reactions kept the Fury out for now.

Moments later, Jones was busy again. This time it was a Iacovelli cross, which Matthew McNab cleverly stepped over, leaving it for Sam Munro to have a shot on goal. But again Jones was good enough.

At the other end, Ben Roberts was the Picton target man, and he was starting to find chinks in the Fury defensive line. First Jack Taseski sent a through ball into space, but it was just beyond the reach of Roberts; then Picton captain Aiden Matthews threaded the ball through the gap into Roberts’ path for a shot which tested Fury keeper David Poeira for the first time in the game.

In open play, Picton were marking tightly, giving the Fury forwards no time on the ball, and putting in some crunching tackles to show they had little fear of the IPL league leaders. Nicholas Mugridge was showing he is just as tough at the back as he is going forward, and Scott Miranda was tireless in the tackles (though he was to pick up a yellow card later in the game, as fatigue led him to mistime one challenge completely).

It was no surprise that it took a set-piece for the home side to break the deadlock just past the half hour mark.

David Hartas won a free kick 30 yards out, which Shane Murray swung into the area. Shields met the ball with the sweetest of curling headers which flew into the net by the far post to give Fury the lead.

Confidence grew in the Fury camp but Picton’s perseverance kept them going into the break. It was Iacovelli who came closest to increasing the home side’s lead, just before the half time whistle, sending in another long-range effort that forced Jones to tip the ball over yet again.

As the second half got underway, the game could have gone either way, with Mugridge and Roberts looking particularly lively for the visitors, as Picton pressed for an equaliser.

But ten minutes into the second stanza it was another set-piece that almost saw the Fury double their lead. Again it was Murray sending in a perfectly weighted free kick, with Ceccoli waiting at the far post, only to watch his header bounce onto the crossbar and away for a goal-kick.

Three goals in as many minutes then transformed this match and set the Fury on the path to victory.

In the 67^th minute, Iacovelli sent a cross in from the right which Shields met at the far post with a thunderous volley which flew straight against the arm of Mugridge, winding the Picton defender in the process. The referee pointed to the spot.

Jones got down to stop Ceccoli’s penalty, but the Fury captain was quickest to react and smashed the ball home at the second attempt.

Barely 90 seconds later, it was handball at the other end, Goodhew stepping up to convert the spot kick and give his side hope.

But hope was shortlived, as virtually straight from the restart, Shields grabbed his second, pouncing on a lucky rebound and slotting the ball home to make it 3-1.

The fireworks continued, though, as moments later it was Picton who almost got another goal back. In a congested area, there was a bit of pinball going on for a few seconds before Brenton Rhodes got the vital boot on the ball the clear it off the line.

Down at the other end, Murray almost set up Shields for his hat-trick, but Jones was good enough not only to save the shot but also set up a counterattack, which saw Connor Dymond bring out Poeira’s best save of the game. As the action raced from end-to-end, it was then Fury forward McNab’s chance. He sprinted clear of his marker and rounded the keeper, with an open goal to aim for, but he fired his shot right across the face of the goal and saw it brush just wide of the upright.

With ten minutes to go, the game’s frenetic pace finally showed signs of dropping. Dale Nicol got his body in the way and seemed to have denied Shields his hat-trick with five minutes to go.

But Shields was to have the final say with that last kick of the game, as he received the ball in space ten yards out and unleashed an unstoppable strike that flew into the net for 4-1. As Shields performed his cartwheel celebration, the referee called time on proceedings and the Fury had forced their seventh successive victory of the IPL season.

Picton coach Brett Morley thought the result didn’t reflect the balance of play: “We created enough chances to give them a good game today, and we never gave up. But they made their own luck a couple of times and we paid the price.”

Fury coach Luke Maguire was pleased with the result but less so his side’s performance: “We took our chances well today, which is pleasing, but we didn’t play too well. That was also down to Picton’s organisation and the scoreline didn’t reflect the way the game was played overall.”

Shields’s three goals today take his IPL tally for the season to eight, tying for the lead with Wollongong Olympic’s Yusuke Ueda in the race for the Golden Boot. Shields’ team-mate McNab is just behind on seven goals, so there’s a healthy rivalry in the Fury changing room, which will not make it any easier for the Fury’s next opponents, South Coast United.

Kemblawarra Fury – 4 (Shields 31’, 70’, 90+2’, Ceccoli 67’)

Picton Rangers – 1 (Goodhew, pen. 69’)

Sunday 15 May 2016

Albert Butler Memorial Park

Referee: Bobby Mazevski

Assistant referees: Caleb Blanch, David Zuzic

Kemblawarra Fury: David Poeira, Lachlan O’Connor, Tyson Rhodes, Shane Murray (Ryan Suttle 81’), Brenton Rhodes, David Hartas, Fabian Iacovelli, Alvin Ceccoli, Matthew McNab (Sang Ho Lee 77’), Robbie Shields, Sam Munro (Carter Madden 81’) (sub not used: David Zufic)

Picton Rangers: Brad Jones, Ben Realph, Dale Nicol, Daniel Goodhew, Nicholas Mugridge, Aiden Matthews, Jack Taseski, Connor Dymond, Dayne Morley, Scott Miranda (Chris Sheerin 81’), Ben Roberts (subs not used: Jesse Howard, Michael Takacs, Dragan Ackov, William McLeod)

Report by Simon Duffin

Photo: Pedro Garcia (library archive)