JJ Kelly Park saw a tense match as Coniston FC hosted Thirroul Thunder FC in a WGC Cranes District League Round 16 match. Neither side was entering the match with a win behind their sails, with Coniston going down 1-0 to Oak Flats and Thirroul losing out 4-0 to ladder leaders Fernhill during round 15. However, both sides had something to play for going into the match, with Thirroul looking to make up ground on 2nd placed Warilla and Coniston were looking to solidify their place in the top five.

The opening stages went all the way of the visitors, with Thirroul creating numerous breaks along the wings, however, Coniston also had their fair share of early chances, with striker Dinko Terzic providing just enough pressure on the Thunder defence that keeper Joshua Williams was forced to pull off a few early saves.

Yet it was the Thunder who had the most convincing chance of the early stage of the match, with striker Corey Haines-Grose being denied by the post after a fantastic buildup by Thirroul, which saw Adam Townson sneaking past the Coniston defence and providing a lovely centre ball.

Thirroul would go one better around the 26-minute mark, with another clever play down the wings, which saw Haines-Grose smartly release a through ball to Townson, who again provided another inch perfect ball. This time it was Adam Ward who was at the receiving end of the pass, and with a sliding tap, the ball managed to just sneak around Coniston keeper Cristofer Fuentes Ramirez and roll into the right corner of the net.

After going a goal down, Coniston began to push more and this very nearly paid off dividends just minutes later, as a fantastic volley outside the box from Dinko Terzic forced an even greater save from keeper Joshua Williams, who managed to tip the ball away for a corner. It was this next corner that forced a short stop in play, after Williams collided with Coniston defender Andrew Nanos during an attempt to clear the ball from the box. The collision luckily didn’t cause any injury to Nanos or Williams, but the short break gave Thirroul enough time to scramble their defence to stop Coniston from walking into the half-time break with an even game on their hands.

The second half saw Coniston going straight out of the gate to push for an equalising goal, with forward Franco Ledesma coming off for Joshua De Gouveia and this change sparked a great fightback from Coniston, who were now managing to split the Thirroul defence with ease. However, Coniston continued to lack in the final third, with too many chances going begging thanks to a continued plan of shooting outside the box, which often went flying over keeper Joshua Williams’ head.

Thirroul would have two fantastic chances early in the second half, with both times Corey Haines-Grose failing to find the net after some fantastic build up, however, Haines-Grose was only denied the second time after a fantastic save from Fuentes Ramirez, who made a sprawling save against Haines-Grose’s free kick.

As the game wound down, Thirroul shut off its attack by parking the bus in order to secure a vital win. For the last fifteen minutes, Coniston dominated play, creating chance after chance, but the same issue that plagued them early in the match also plagued them here, with chances going begging because of a misplaced pass or an attempt at a spectacular shot.

Coniston did have the best chance of the second half, with Bradley Moreira just shooting wide after a great buildup from Dinko Terzic and Joshua De Gouveia, but keeper Joshua Williams was never truly troubled in the second half, as the Thirroul defence held out long enough to secure a slim 1-0 win.

The Thunder’s win sees them come within one point of second placed Warilla, who dropped crucial points in a 2-1 loss to Wests Illawarra at Unanderra Oval. With Thirroul facing a trip down to 8th placed Kiama next round, the team will no doubt be happy to have a bit of breathing room in the top three ahead of the potentially tricky away tie.

For Coniston, the defeat continues their up and down season. They sit a single point above sixth placed Oak Flats and four points adrift of Helensburgh in fourth. Coniston will face last-placed Bellambi next round at JJ Kelly Park, with Bellambi being dealt one of their worst losses of the season, a 7-0 thumping at the hands of Fernhill.

Coniston FC - 0

Thirroul Thunder FC – 1 (Ward 26’)

Saturday the 8th of July, 2017 at JJ Kelly Park.

Coniston FC – Cristofer Fuentes Ramirez, Rory Evans, Andrew Nanos, Ryan Vandenberg, Matthew Cuda, Bradley Moreira, Christian Plakias, Franc Pierro, Franco Ledesma, Dinko Terzic, Jimmy Barrios

Subs – Frank Gaudiosi, Vasko Mitkovski, Djordje Uzelac, Patrik Susnja (on for Barrios), Joshua De Gouveia (on for Ledesma)

Coach – Wally Alarcon

Thirroul Thunder FC – Joshua Williams, Daniel Bond, Corey Haines-Grose, James Hutton, Shayne Mulholland, James Townson, Adam Ward, Todd Davidson, Bradley Strudwick, Nathan Mucci, Joshua Bond

Subs – Oscar Pruks (on for Mulholland), Tyler Snelgrove (on for Townson), Alan Maddock, Robert Gyngell, Sanjaya Agalewatte

Coach – Garth Bowley

Referee – Atesh Maharaj

Assistant Referees – Gareth Jenkins, Graeme Charker

Report by Cal Behrendt, on Twitter @CalBehrendt