A superb free kick from Shane Murray five minutes from time took Kemblawarra Fury back to the top of the Illawarra Mercury Premier League with two Rounds of the regular season remaining.

South Coast United fought hard and were a good match for the league leaders for much of the match. Gong Jun Lee equalised from the penalty spot shortly after Matthew McNab had given the Fury the lead early in the second half. Liam Unicomb saw a late effort tipped onto the woodwork by David Poeira, but the Fury held on to take the three points.

Both sides were missing key players as the game kicked off in bright sunshine at Albert Butler Memorial Park.

Robbie Shields’ efforts to win back the IPL Golden Boot took a knock as injury forced him to watch from the sidelines after Ben McDonald had gone three goals ahead of the Fury forward with another strike for Bulli yesterday.

Meanwhile, United player coach Greg Valic counted himself out with flu symptoms, though he was in good voice calling the shots from the touchline and should be back for the final rounds of the season.

Mate Nimac has returned to the United back line in recent weeks, though, and the visitors also welcomed back Denis Stojic.

In the opening half, United gave as good as they got, with chances coming at both ends.

Cameron Morgan and McNab had early efforts for the Fury, while Tommy Skara and Dinko Terzic both tested Poeira in the opening minutes of the match.

The first real chance fell to the visitors in the 12^th minute, though. Oliver Carrasco sent a long ball down the left. Unicomb used his usual turn of speed to pick the ball up and drive it into the area where Lee raced in to shoot, forcing Poeira to save with his feet and keep the scores level.

Five minutes later down the other end the home side should have taken the lead. Murray turned his defender and powered in a shot which Chris Lazarevski could only parry straight into the path of Cameron Morgan. The Fury forward had to react fast and got his shot in, but it thundered against the woodwork with the open goal ahead of him.

Terzic was looking dangerous for United. He almost set up Aden Wade on the half hour mark, but was also not afraid to have a go himself, sending a 25 yard punt just wide of the upright, though Poeira probably had it covered.

Meanwhile Lazarevski was justifying his recall to United’s starting line up to deny first McNab and then had to keep out a looping back header from his own defender as the ball dropped dangerously towards the target. And Lazarevski had to be at his best to deny Nathan Jagelman whose header flew goalwards as the clock ticked towards half time.

It was United who almost nicked the lead in the 45^th minute, though. First Poeira tipped away a curling shot from Terzic and then Unicomb turned inside the area from the resulting corner and sent in a left foot shot that must have stung Poeira’s hands as the Fury keeper kept it out to keep the game goalless at the break.

Fury coach Luke Maguire brought on Lachlan O’Connor after the break and pushed Jagelman forward. The switch immediately paid dividends, as Jagelman fired in a shot from the left which Lazarevski could only palm right into the path of McNab who doesn’t miss from that position. The Fury forward drilled the ball home for his twelfth goal of the IPL season.

But United didn’t let the goal dim their spirit and the end-to-end action continued. Unicomb had two shots blocked before Lazarevski had to get down low to keep Jagelman out at the other end.

And then out of nothing, the Fury conceded a penalty when Alvin Ceccoli was judged to have fouled Yuki Kiyohara on the edge of the area. Lee stepped up and drove the spot kick home for the equaliser in the 55^th minute.

The home side responded by lifting their own game a notch. Sam Munro got fired up first, forcing a fingertip save out of Lazarevski. Then it was Fabian Iacovelli, whose shot Lazarevski took at the second attempt. And then Iacovelli tried to play provider, sending the ball square towards Jagelman, with Lazarevski forced to be quick to prevent the Fury front man from shooting.

With the game in the balance, but Fury starting to look on top, Valic made changes of his own, bringing on Robbie Brown up front to replace Lee with some fresh legs. But it was Unicomb again who forced Poeira to come out bravely and take the ball at the United striker’s feet before he could pull the trigger.

With ten minutes remaining Murray twice hit the woodwork, with Lazarevski’s hand getting a touch onto the shots to steer them clear and keep the scores level. Those efforts felt like target practice for the Fury midfielder when his side won a free kick 25 yards out with five minutes remaining.

Murray curled the free kick round the wall and into the net at the near post to give his side the lead in the 85^th minute.

Unicomb also hit the woodwork late on as Poeira made a reflex save from close in, and Valic brought on Ricky Bertakis for a final push in the dying minutes of the game. But it was too late to make any difference and the Fury held on for the three points.

After the game, United coach Valic said it had been a good game of football: “It was end-to-end football and pretty even in the first half. We made a mistake to let them in soon after the break, our keeper kept us in it after we scored but then they got a good free kick late on to steal it.”

Maguire was full of praise for Jagelman, who was instrumental in both Fury goals: “He’s done a job for us up front a few times this season and I thought he had a great second half.”

Looking ahead to the final two rounds of the regular season, Maguire acknowledged the Fury would be up against two teams who may still be challenging for the last Finals spot (Wollongong United and Port Kembla), “so they will be a test for us, and if we win the title, we’ll have earned it.”

 

Kemblawarra Fury – 2 (McNab 47’, Murray 85’)

South Coast United FC – 1 (Jun Lee pen 55’)

Sunday 14 August 2016 - Albert Butler Memorial Park

Referee: Tony Bosevski

Assistant referees: Caleb Blanch, Will Whitehouse

Kemblawarra Fury: David Poeira, Nathan Jagelman, Tyson Rhodes, Shane Murray, Brenton Rhodes, David Hartas, Fabian Iacovelli, Alvin Ceccoli, Matthew McNab, Cameron Morgan (Lachlan O’Connor 45’), Sam Munro (subs not used: Josh Mears, Kyle Kirkland, David Zufic)

South Coast United: Chris Lazarevski, Lee Gilroy, Aden Wade, Mate Nimac, Dinko Terzic, Tommy Skara (Ricky Bertakis 86’), Oliver Carrasco, Gong Jun Lee (Robbie Brown 72’), Liam Unicomb, Denis Stojic, Yuki Kiyohara (subs not used: Anton Batur, Gerrard Stevens)

Report by Simon Duffin

Photo by Pedro Garcia (library archive)