A late first-half goal by Yusuke Ueda was the only thing to separate Port Kembla and Wollongong Olympic in this Round 7 clash of the Illawarra Mercury Premier League at Wetherall Park. Both sides showed strong defensive performances but it was Olympic who would come away with the three points with a well-fought 1-0 win.

The opening 20 minutes saw both teams pressure the opposing defensive lines but would not pose any threatening chances on goal. Target-man Yusuke Ueda was quiet in this period by some pre-planned tactics from Port Kembla which gave very minimal chances for the striker to score.

It wasn’t until the 22^nd minute where either team would come close to scoring. A John Martinoski free-kick saw a left footed curled cross aiming for the back post. Allowing a bounce, Port Kembla could only watch and hope as Ueda air-swung in an awkward position followed by a late shot by Brendan Fordham just missing the target.

Just a few minutes later, Port Kembla would see their first real opportunity fall inches away as Joey Lavelle found the ball at his feet 20 yards out from goal. A left-footed placement shot was bound for the bottom corner but a stray Olympic foot deflected it just wide of the post.

An injury to Port Kembla striker, Sandy Lowcock, forced him from the field. This would only spark something within the home-side as they looked to break the deadlock. A long throw-in by right back, Brooklyn Frkovic was missed by Lowcock’s substitute, Jack Lombo but would work out for the better as it fell kindly to Fabian Iacovelli. Controlling the ball and turning the defender inside-out, Iacovelli would only see his shot roll comfortably for Olympic keeper, Hayden Durose.

Olympic would then launch their own attack through fullback, Hayden Lloyd. A lobbed pass over to Ueda on the edge of the box would see his headed flick-on almost find the surging run from Kijiro Hori. A desperate tackle and clearance by Port defender, Kyle Senior would see the visitors frustrated from the missed opportunity.

But there were no frustrated heads for Olympic as only two minutes later they grabbed the first goal of the game. A switch of play saw the ball travel over to Lloyd. An accurate pass into the path of Ueda saw him tuck his first time finish into the side netting. A classic strikers goal to see him score his seventh of the season.

As the game went into stoppage-time, Port pushed for one last attack. An equaliser almost came only two minutes after Olympics’ goal. Ben Zucco found himself in space on the left hand side before chipping a ball over to an oncoming Lombo. A bouncing ball made it awkward for the substitute but a half volley shot was denied by Durose who rushed off of his line to save. The teams would go into the sheds with Port Kembla trailing Wollongong Olympic, 1-0.

The second-half showed more intensity from both sides. It was only three minutes into the half where Port would almost equalise. Zucco retrieved the ball just in from the sideline in Olympics’ defensive third. The midfielder put on some fancy footwork and found himself getting past several defenders before curling a left foot shot at goal. An awkward one for Durose would see him punch it straight into the path of Iacovelli, but a last-grasp tackle from Lloyd saw Olympic clear their lines.

In the 51^st minute, Senior brought down Martinoski 30 yards from goal, a free-kick that almost resulted in Olympic doubling their lead. Hori would step up and see his shot swerve towards the goal. Port goalkeeper, Brad Jardine, could only punch it away back into the possession of Olympic. A wide ball sent out to Vaughan Patterson would see a series of shots and clinching goal line saves. Firstly, Ueda would try to tap in a Patterson cross from six yards, saved by Jardine. A powered shot from Hori from 12 yards saw a remarkable goal line clearance by Port captain, William Mobbs. The follow up failed to find an Olympic player, allowing Port to escape the scramble in the box.

Port Kembla’s defensive line were constantly aware of a floating Ueda. Good communication between Senior and Frkovic, would stop a long ball from Martinoski trying to pick out the striker. With Senior winning the ball and Frkovic delivering a pass out to a wide-open Jason Perez, Port looked to snatch an equaliser through a quick counter-attack. It would almost finish with a killer blow, but Zucco would fail to capitalise on his teammates powerful play as his shot sailed over the bar.

With five minutes left, Port Kembla almost grabbed that elusive goal if it weren’t for an outstanding fingertip save by Durose. A free-kick on the right side saw Perez whip a ball into a dangerous position into the box. A crowded jump ended up coming off the head of Frkovic on its way into the back of the net. However, a last second reflex save by Durose tipped it over the crossbar and out for a corner. The corner was comfortably cleared by the Olympic defence.

The pressure continued for Olympic when Fordham went down with what looked to be a hamstring injury. But having already made the three substitutes, Olympic finished the game with 10-men holding onto any last ditch efforts from Port Kembla.

In the end, Port Kembla would fall just short of a draw as Wollongong Olympic finished 1-0 winners away from home.

After seven rounds of the competition, Port Kembla sit just outside the top half of the table on 10 points. Wollongong Olympic move to equal top with Bulli having only lost one game this season.

Next week Port Kembla take on Fernhill following an impressive 1-0 win over Cringila. A win for Port could see them jump the Foxes on the ladder and edge closer into the top 5. For Olympic, they host 3^rd place White Eagles who sit just one point below. A high-table clash could produce a quality match-up.

 

Sunday 6^th May at Wetherall Park

Port Kembla FC: 0

Wollongong Olympic: 1 (UEDA 45’)

 

Line-ups:

Port Kembla FC: Brad JARDINE, Brooklyn FRKOVIC, William MOBBS, Kyle SENIOR, Carlo STELLA, Justin CARIO, Jason PEREZ, Ben ZUCCO, Sandy LOWCOCK, Joey LAVELLE, Fabian IACOVELLI

Subs: Nobi MOCHIZUKI (ZUCCO 90’), Tony MUSSEMICCI, Naru KATO (LAVELLE 66’), Jack LOMBO (LOWCOCK 37’), Daniel FARINA

 

Wollongong Olympic: Hayden DUROSE, Hayden LLOYD, Jake DUCZYNSKI, Jack Keating, Shun TOKUNO, David HORTAS, Brendan FORDHAM, Vaughan PATTERSON, Kojiro HORI, Yusuke UEDA, John Martinoski

Subs: Lukas STERGIOU (MARTINOSKI 81’), Jack BALMFORTH (HORI 70’), Luke FOSTER (TOKUNO 66’), Christian CABO, Christian PRETTO

 

Referee: Bobby MAZEVSKI

Assistant Referees: Rob SINDEVSKI and Brodie MURRELL

 

Report by Nathan Turner, on Twitter @nathanturner23_

Photo courtesy of Port Kembla FC