Three second half goals saw Warilla Wanderers win through to the Quarter Finals of the Bert Bampton Cup on Sunday afternoon. The 5-2 defeat for WGC Cranes District League leaders Corrimal Rangers was their first defeat in competitive football since the early stages of the pre-season Fraternity Cup back in early March.

A tight first half saw the two sides go in to the break at 2-2, with a brace for Corrimal top scorer Mark Picciolini twice pegging back the home side, who scored through Adam White and Chad Keating. But Warilla dominated the second half of this clash between the two District League pacesetters, with goals from Luke Greathead and Bojan Caric as well as a second for Keating making the difference between the two teams.

Speaking after the game, Warilla coach Barney King was delighted with the result: “After a disappointing day yesterday (defeat to University), we had a chance for quick redemption today, so I reverted back to a formation we know well and it paid off. If it had not been for Mitchell Blowes, we’d have had a few more, too. I have a great squad here and my biggest problem is keeping them all happy, so I need to keep rotating players to keep them involved.”

Blowes was busy in the Corrimal goal from the outset. Just five minutes into the match, he got a touch on a fine right foot shot from Caric to keep the ball out as it headed for the far corner. A minute later he was outwitted by White’s corner, though, as it curled in under the bar to give Warilla an early lead.

Corrimal responded quickly and had drawn level by the eighth minute. New boy Jack Balmforth started the move, finding James Walker out on the right. Walker sent over a perfectly-placed cross for Picciolini who had time to pick his spot with a firm header for the equaliser.

There was a scare for the home side when central defender James Goldsmith sent a back header into the path of Picciolini, but Bradley Hunter in the Wanderers’ goal saved Goldsmith’s blushes on this occasion. Other than that, Warilla’s defence was well-organised against a side that has scored almost four goals a game in the District League this season.

And down at the other end, Warilla were building chances one by one. Just past the half hour mark, they were rewarded with a solo effort by Keating who saw a loose ball fly his way on the edge of the area and unleashed a left-footed half volley that gave Blowes no chance.

Moments later, Blowes made a double save to keep out first a thunderbolt free kick from Greathead and then a point-blank effort from Caric on the rebound.

In the 37^th minute Balmforth broke clear of his marker and burst into the area, but chose to lay the ball off instead of going for goal himself, with nobody there to pick up his pass.

Just before the break, though, Corrimal did get even again. This time Balmforth who forced a parried save from Hunter, but the ball flew straight to Picciolini who does not miss from six yards out and the Corrimal top scorer duly dispatched the ball into the back of the net to send the sides in 2-2 at half time.

It was Warilla who came out fighting in the second half and within three minutes the Wanderers had hit the front for the third time, Keating again excelling at finishing as he chipped the keeper from a wide angle to restore the home side’s lead.

Less than ten minutes later, Warilla had stretched their lead to two. This time captain Greathead stepped up to fire a free kick from 20 yards towards goal, beating an unlucky Blowes with a heavy deflection off the wall.

When Picciolini was taken off with a slight knock just before the hour mark, Corrimal lost their main source of firepower, and rarely threatened the Warilla goal again.

Instead, it was the Wanderers who always looked more likely to score. When Warilla substitute Javier Ovando pounced on a parried save, it was Gavin O’Brien who got his body in the way to clear off the line and keep the scores at 4-2.

Colin Walker had been on the field for less than a minute when he brought out another save from Blowes, and the Corrimal keeper got down yet again to keep out Caric seconds later.

But with ten minutes to go Caric finally got the better of Blowes as he powered a right foot shot into the back of the net after good ball control inside the area.

Stewart Robertson looked lively for the Wanderers, coming on as a substitute late on as Warilla continued to press for more. He almost set up Caric again, but Blowes once again got the better of the Warilla centre forward. And then in the dying moments of the match he almost nicked a sixth for Warilla as he burst forward to meet Keating’s cross, but he couldn’t control the ball and this was an easy take for Blowes, keeping the score to 5-2 at the final whistle.

Corrimal coach Tony Dulevski admitted that Warilla had wanted the win more on the day: “At half time we were playing well, but they came out for the second half hungrier than us and deserved to win it. I’m just disappointed with how many goals we conceded, which is a first this season.”

In the earlier Youth Grade fixture, Thirroul Thunder edged out Warilla Wanderers 1-0 courtesy of substitite Nelson Reid.

 

Warilla Wanderers – 5 (White 6’, Keating 32’, 48’, Greathead 55’, Caric 81’)

Corrimal Rangers – 2 (Picciolini 8’, 45’)

Sunday 22 May 2016

King Mickey Park

Referee: Blake Herbert

Assistant Referees: Jarred Higgins, Bradley Moreira

Warilla Wanderers: Bradley Hunter, Nicholas del Turco (Stewart Robertson 88’), Martin Castelli, John Hagenaar, Jason Goldsmith, Luke Everingham (Colin Walker 66’), Adam White, Chad Keating, Bojan Caric, Chris Smith (Javier Ovando 57’), Luke Greathead (subs not used: Adrian Montalbano, Blake Pusell)

Corrimal Rangers: Mitchell Blowes, Matthew Cuda, Vasko Mitkovski, Nathan Belsito, Gavin O’Brien, Christian Plakiakis, James Walker, Jacob Miller, Mark Picciolini (Oneday Afangbedzi 56’), Jack Balmforth, Domenic Magill (Lorri Mandredi 58’) (subs not used: David Bescos, Paul Guido)

 

Report by Simon Duffin

Photo: Pedro Garcia (Archive)