A first half hat-trick for Riku Iwauchi steered Albion Park White Eagles to victory over Kemblawarra Fury on Sunday afternoon. There were goals too for Mitch Del Turco and Vaughan Patterson in a White Eagles performance that would make them a danger for any side in the Illawarra Premier League.

Fabian Iacovelli scored the Fury’s only goal in a defeat which leaves Bulli at the top of the ladder after Round 16, and the Fury looking over their shoulders at both the White Eagles and Wollongong Olympic in third and fourth.

The next games could be vital for both teams, as Albion Park take on Wollongong United on Tuesday in a Round 11 catch-up, while the Fury travel to Olympic next weekend.

The White Eagles were flying as soon as the referee blew his whistle to start this match and they’d brought with them a sizeable crowd to cheer them on.

The visitors were ahead as early as the eighth minute. Peter Prandalos won possession near the half way line and fed the ball through to Shohei Okuno, who turned quickly and laid it off to Iwauchi who slotted home from ten yards out.

It was the kind of move the Fury are used to inflicting on their opponents, but it was a sign of things to come on an afternoon when the White Eagles were soaring high. For a time, Brenton Rhodes and Alvin Ceccoli looked composed in the Fury back line, but in the 23rd minute the White Eagles found a way through again and doubled their lead.

This time it was Vaughan Patterson who charged the ball down and found Okuno. Albion Park’s top scorer may not have added to his goal tally in this match, but he was involved in virtually every attack and provided the through ball again, finding del Turco on the edge of the area. The former Fury forward beat his marker for pace and fired the ball past a helpless David Poeira in the Fury goal to give the visitors a two goal lead.

That second goal appeared to wake the home side up and for a few short minutes they looked as if they’d get back into the game.

Just three minutes after the White Eagles’ second goal, the Fury got one back. Cameron Morgan played a clever back heel through to Iacovelli, who showed a turn of pace himself, powering past challenges into the area and picking his spot with an excellent right foot.

Suddenly the White Eagles were on the back foot. Morgan fired a shot just wide of the upright, Nathan Jagelman forced a finger-tip save out of Bryce Daenell in the Albion Park goal, and Ceccoli sent a trademark far post header flying inches over the bar.

But then the tide turned again. Kotaro Higashi and Okuno linked up superbly before Okuno’s shot was deflected away for a corner. And by the 38th minute, it was 3-1.

Okuno again set up the goal, cleverly switching play from half way, finding another former Fury stalwart Ryan Suttle down the right. Suttle sent in a cross and in the blink of an eye, Iwauchi had dispatched it for his second of the afternoon.

Moments later, he almost nabbed his hat-trick, but Rhodes got his body in the way to block his goalbound shot. Iwauchi was not to be denied for long, though. With just seconds to go to half time, he once again turned his defender inside the area and blasted the ball home for a superb hat-trick and an emphatic lead for the visitors of 1-4 at the break.

Most spectators were probably expecting a Fury fightback in the second half, but it never materialised.

Just a minute after the restart, Okuno sent a free kick flying inches wide of the post with Poeira beaten, and then Higashi set up Okuno again but the White Eagles midfielder was not to add to his 12 goal haul for the season today.

The IPL’s other 12 goal scorer, Robbie Shields, was tireless in his efforts to keep his side in this game. He was gifted a poor clearance ten minutes into the second stanza and made space to shoot, but Daenell was good enough to keep the ball out and maintain the White Eagles’ three goal cushion.

But still the visitors seemed hungry for more. Compatriots Okuno, Higashi and Iwauchi began playing to the crowd, taunting the Fury defence with quick fire passes and possession football. But this was not all for show.

In the 64th minute, it was Okuno and Higashi again who set up the move for Patterson – yet another former Fury player - to finish things off with a superb header into the top corner. 5-1 to the visitors.

Iwauchi and Okuno were substituted to great applause from the stand, and the White Eagles switched their tactics for the last fifteen to twenty minutes.

With Brian Montanari now the targetman, Albion Park tried the more direct approach, with the long ball through the middle. Robert Delbanco sent Montanari through one on one with Poeira, but this time the Fury keeper got down low to save bravely from the White Eagles substitute.
For a while Higashi was looking lonely without his compatriots to play off, but then he too sent a ball through for Montanari. No flag was raised and Montanari bore down on Poeira who did well again to block.

And in the dying moments of the game, even defender Mark Every came up to try to get in on the act. With his back to goal, he managed to tee himself up a volley on the turn, but Poeira again took the shot well to keep the score at 1-5 when the final whistle blew.

White Eagles coach Jeff Allport was smiling after the game: “There’s a lot of confidence in the dressing room there. The Japanese boys are fantastic but the great thing is we are all linking in together. Keeping possession like that tires our opponents and we can’t wait to play on the turf at WIN Stadium because that will suit our style perfectly. We need to keep our feet on the ground, though, with another tough game to come on Tuesday.”

Fury coach Luke Maguire acknowledged his side were poor today: “Credit to Albion Park, who played well, and their imports were outstanding, but we were poor in all aspects. We have a massive game next week and need to work hard in training to come back and hopefully get a result in that one.”



Kemblawarra Fury – 1 (Iacovelli 26’)
Albion Park White Eagles – 5 (Iwauchi 8’, 38’, 45’, Del Turco 23’, Patterson 64’)

Sunday 10 July 2016
Albert Butler Memorial Park

Referee: Bobby Mazevski
Assistant referees: Caleb Blanch, Daniel Zuzic

Kemblawarra Fury: David Poeira, Lachlan O’Connor, Nathan Jagelman (Matthew McNab 57’), Shane Murray, Brenton Rhodes, David Hartas, Fabian Iacovelli (Kyle Kirkland 70’), Alvin Cecccoli, Robbie Shields, Cameron Morgan, Sam Munro (subs not used: Josh Mears, David Zufic)

Albion Park White Eagles: Bryce Daenell, Ryan Suttle, Mark Every, Shannon Fielding, Peter Prandalos, Vaughan Patterson, Riku Iwauchi (Jack Balmforth 70’), Robert Delbanco, Mitch Del Turco (Brian Montanari 76’), Shohei Okuno (Darren Jones 78’), Kotaro Higashi (sub not used: Djordjie Uzelac)

Report by Simon Duffin
Photo courtesy of Kiah Hufton