In what could easily be a potential finals matchup, Warilla made the trip to JJ Kelly Park to face Coniston in a crucial Round 21 match in the District League. The match was one of huge importance for Coniston, with the hosts sitting in fifth spot with just two matches left to play. A 1-0 win over Berkeley in Round 20 meant they held a two-point buffer over fellow rivals Oak Flats, and with a win over Warilla as well as an Oak Flats loss to Wests Illawarra would mean the side secures the final spot in the playoffs with a match to spare. For Warilla, this match was simply one of preparation for the finals, with the side already secured their spot. A 1-1 draw against Minor Champions Fernhill last round was a great result for the side, who sits ahead of third placed Thirroul on goal difference, but a win for the Wanderers would mean they could potentially secure second place after this round.

The game got off to a riveting start, with Warilla going a goal up within the opening six minutes. A solid clearance out of the Wanderers backline fell to Kaine Good, who found himself in a large amount of space in the Coniston half. Good used this space to take a few steps and fire off a extremely well placed chip from around twenty yards out, which went over keeper Cristofer Fuentes Ramirez’s head and into the back of the net. Warilla would nearly double their advantage just five minutes later when some great linking play between Bojan Caric and Ben Ellul almost lead to a simple shot in the box, but thankfully for Coniston, the ball was cleared by Christian Plakias.

However, despite the early goal, tensions would continue to build in the opening stages, with both sides attempting to get on top of the other through a more physical style of play. This would boil to a head twenty minutes into the match when a fight broke out between Warilla’s Ben Ellul and Coniston’s Matthew Cuda after a heated tackle. Referee Atesh Maharaj was quick to defuse the situation, dismissing Ellul and booking Cuda for the incident.

With Warilla down to just ten men, Coniston found themselves able to push more as the first half drew towards its close. Jimmy Barrios had a solid chance to level the scores after a loose ball snuck out of the Warilla backline, but his shot went just wide of the post. Moments later, some great play allowed Adrian Nikolovski to fire off a bicycle kick towards Warilla keeper Valon Rizvani, but his efforts also went just wide of the Wanderers post, allowing Warilla to hold a slender 1-0 lead at the break.

The second half once again saw Coniston attempting to push forward and utilize the numerical advantage and this almost paid off immediately in the second half as just three minutes into the half, Nikolovski placed an inch-perfect pass into the Warilla box, where it met the feet of Jimmy Barrios. However, Barrios miskicked his attempt and the ball went well wide of the goal. Another five minutes later and Coniston would again have a golden chance to level the score, with another cross from Nikolovski going straight down the throat of keeper Valon Rizvani, but a fumble from the Warilla keeper lead to a follow -up shot from Christian Plakias, whose shot went very far to the side of the goal.

However, Coniston would be rewarded for their continued efforts in the 60^th minute, with a great ball from the Coniston midfield finding the feet of substitute James Stewart, who came on as a half-time replacement for Savo Sekulic. Stewart was able to beat his man and then slotted the ball through keeper Rizvani’s legs and into the back of the net to level the score for the home side.

The goal caused the Wanderers to sit up and take notice, and the next ten minutes was mostly spent in the Coniston half, with a few chances from the Wanderers failing to find the net or forcing Coniston keeper Cristofer Fuentes Ramirez into making a great save. Yet it was Coniston who would come closest in the middle of the second half, with a great free kick from Jimmy Barrios forcing Valon Rizvani into making a top-drawer save to keep his side in the mix.

Warilla themselves would have a great chance to go one up just a minute later, with some individual brilliance on the part of Bojan Caric. Caric received the ball just outside the Coniston box, and was able to beat three Coniston defenders with some fantastic technical skill, but his final shot was lacking and resulted in a simple save by Ramirez.

With just minutes left to play, Warilla manager Barney King took out Jamie Young and Bojan Caric, replacing them with Jeremy Lopez and Adam White respectively, and this move would cause some late dramatics as Warilla was able to make one last attack down the right-hand side of the Coniston half. White was able to hold up the ball near the corner post before sending a cross into the middle, where it was met by none other than the head of Lopez, whose shot beat keeper Cristofer Fuentes Ramirez and hit the top of the net, giving Warilla a late lead in truly dramatic fashion. Coniston was unable to find a late equalizer and the Wanderers managed to escape with a win despite being a man down for the majority of the match.

Warilla’s win means the side has a two-point lead over third place Thirroul, who struggled to a 2-2 draw with wooden spooners Bellambi. However, the side could still drop to fourth depending how the final round after Helensburgh downed University 1-0 to move within three points of the Wanderers. As things sit, Warilla will secure second place with a point or more against Kiama next round, unless Thirroul beat Wests Illawarra and there is a huge swing in goal difference.

However, for Coniston, the situation looks significantly bleaker. The side has dropped to sixth place after the round results, thanks to Oak Flats defeating Wests Illawarra 6-1 to storm into fifth place. With only a one-point lead, Oak Flats will need to defeat University to secure a spot in the finals, but a draw or loss for the Falcons opens things up for Coniston to sneak back into the finals, provided they get a result against minor premiers Fernhill, who seem to still be in celebration mode after claiming the title as they drew 1-1 with Balgownie this round. But for Coniston, it seems their fate is now out of their hands.

Coniston FC – 1 (Stewart 60’)

Warilla Wanderers – 2 (Good 6’, Lopez 90’)

Saturday the 19^th of August 2017 at JJ Kelly Park.

Coniston FC – Cristofer Fuentes Ramirez, Andrew Nanos, James Petreski, Vasko Mitkovski, Matthew Cuda, Savo Sekulic, Christian Plakias, Franc Pierro, Adrian Nikolovski, Dinko Terzic, Jimmy Barrios

Subs – James Stewart (on for Sekulic), Matthew Tschentscher (on for Plakias), Djordje Uzelac, Frank Gaudiosi

Coach – Wally Alarcon

Warilla Wanderers – Valon Rizvani, Nicholas Del Turco, Nathan Pegler, Jordan Nolan, Jason Goldsmith, Luke Everingham, Ben Ellul, Kaine Good, Bojan Caric, Javier Ovando, Jamie Young

Subs – Adrian Montalbano, Jeremy Lopez (on for Young), Daniel Atkins, Adam White (on for Caric), Blake Pusell

Coach – Barney King

Referee – Atesh Maharaj

Assistant Referees – Rob Sindevski, Max Vercoe

Report by Cal Behrendt, on Twitter @CalBehrendt