The round 2 encounter between Oak Flats Falcons and Warilla Wanderers was played out on a sunbathed Keith Bond Oval in front of a healthy District League crowd. Oak Flats have started the season in superb fashion by producing a comeback victory over Berkeley in round 1 and causing an upset away to Thirroul in the Bert Bampton Cup. This match was the first competitive outing for the Wanderers apart from the Fraternity Cup with the wet weather causing havoc to their fixture list.

In the opening exchanges, there was little between the two sides with the play focussed in the middle of the park. The first genuine chance came for Warilla in the 9th minute when Bojan Caric was played through on goal. As he entered Oak Flats' penalty area he dinked the onrushing keeper, Benjamin Wunsch but the cheeky attempt was lapped up by a retreating Falcon to clear away.

10 minutes later, Oak Flats had their first big opportunity when Joshua DeGouveia laid the ball off to Michael Wilson. Wilson now 1 on 1 with the Warilla keeper fired towards the near post but Valon Rizvani produced a solid save.

A few cycles of play later, Oak Flats turned the ball over in the middle of the park allowing for a 3 on 3 counter attack. Luke Everingham drove towards the goal and decided to shoot from 20 metres out. His goal-bound shot was acrobatically saved by Wunsch, pushing the ball around his left post.

In the 29th minute, Warilla created an audacious chance when Kaine Good chipped the ball into the Falcon’s box, Caric controlled the ball with his chest and then juggled it up with his knee before putting in a right-foot volley that flew centimetres over the crossbar. Such skill was deserving of a goal.

A ponderous first half nearly saw a goal 3 minutes from the interval when Wilson again found himself 1 on 1 with Rizvani, this time Wilson opted for power over precision but the Warilla custodian managed a strong block, forcing the ball out for a corner.

With no goals on the scoreboard at halftime, both coaches would have felt they were unlucky not to be in the lead. Warilla shaded the game in terms of the territorial tussle however Oak Flats had come the closest through the 2 chances for Wilson.

Oak Flats started the second half strong, forcing a number of corners but they were unable to truly test Rizvani. The deadlock was broken in the 56th minute when Oak Flats were awarded a penalty. Nathan Pegler put in a clumsy challenge on winger, Jay Mason. DeGouveia stood up to the penalty mark and dispatched the kick just to the right of Rizvani. The keeper was able to get a hand on the strike but he could not prevent the shot from flying into the top of the net.

Just six minutes later, Warilla conceded another penalty when DeGouveia was on the ground inside the penalty box after a tussle with Pegler, as the Falcon’s striker tried to get back to his feet he was hacked back to the ground by the Wanderer who had attempted to clear the ball. Another clumsy challenge. DeGouveia stepped up and dispatched the penalty again, this time into the keeper’s top right corner. Again Rizvani was able to get a hand on it.

The match began to get heated with a couple of bookings for Warilla players but it kicked them into life and for the next 15 minutes they pressed Oak Flats higher up the field. In the 73rd minute, this paid off when Oak Flats put in a poor clearance that found the feet of Caric just outside the box, his low drive finding the bottom left corner, giving the Wanderers a lifeline. There was a slight deflection off a Falcon on the way through.

With 5 minutes to go Warilla completed their sensational comeback via another poor Oak Flats clearance from a Warilla corner. The ball bounced 20 metres out from the Oak Flats’ goal and Warilla’s left full back, Toni Anastoski unleashed a cracking half volley that collided with the upright and the crossbar on the way into the net. 2-2 and the Warilla faithful were in raptures.

In the dying stages, both sides had half chances to gain a winner but as the final whistle blew, the teams were level at 2 apiece - a fair reflection on the afternoon’s proceedings.

Next up for Oak Flats is an away trip to title contenders, Fernhill after they had a resounding 5-0 victory over Helensburgh. This match kicks off next Saturday at 3 pm.

As for Warilla, they have a hectic schedule, playing Fernhill in the Bert Bampton Cup on Tuesday night at 8:30 pm before their round 3 fixture at home to Thirroul at 3 pm next Saturday. They go on to play their rescheduled round 1 fixture on Tuesday the 11th of April, a long away trip to Helensburgh with a 8:30 pm kickoff. When asked about the busy fixture list, Warilla boss, Barney King believes it is a great opportunity to utilise his squad even hinting at the prospect of Warilla’s youth graders getting a run out.

 

You can listen to the post match interviews here - https://soundcloud.com/dylaneloiarvela/post-match-interviews-after-warilla-steal-a-point-against-oak-flats

 

Oak Flats Falcons - 2 (2 DeGouveia 56’ pen, 63’ pen)

Warilla Wanderers - 2 (Caric 75’, Anastoski 85’)

 

Saturday April 1st 2017 at Keith Bond Oval, Oak Flats

Oak Flats Falcons - Benjamin Wunsch, Stephen Jovanovski, Matthew Cesta, Benton Lloyd, Jamie Stevenson, Jarryd Vinton, Daniel Munilla, Ross Graham, Jay Mason, Joshua DeGouveia, Michael Wilson

Subs - Ryan Franks (on for Mason), Christopher Murdzevski (on for Graham), Christian Cappetta (on for Wilson), Liam Day

Coach - Mark Vinton

 

Warilla Wanderers - Valon Rizvani, Jordan Nolan, Mark Marinell, Toni Anastoski, Nathan Pegler, Luke Everingham, Kaine Good, Martin Castell, Bojan Caric, Javier Ovando, Jamie Young

Subs - Nicholas Del Turco, Tim White, Reece McIntosh, Adrian Montelbano, Blake Pussell

Coach - Barney King

 

Referee - Greg Reid

Assistant Referees - Keelum Harrison and Thomas Ahling

 

Report and photo by Dylan Arvela on Twitter @dylaneloiarvela