Wollongong United were looking to make it six league wins from six when they travelled to Terry Reserve to face Albion Park White Eagles in a round 11 Illawarra Mercury Premier League on Saturday. The visitors however who took the lead in the 19^th minute when Nathan Elasi converted from the spot. The Eagles would level less than ten minutes later thanks to a Robert Delbanco header. However, neither side was able to find a second goal in a tense second half, with both teams ending with a point in a tight 1-1 draw.

Recent history between these two sides has been almost entirely one sided, with Wollongong United winning six of the last ten league matches between the two sides, with the Eagles sole victory coming in June 2017 when a late Yosuke Tashiro goal handed Albion Park the win. And much like recent history favoring United, it was the visitors who had the stronger start to the match, with the side having a real chance to take the lead in the 9^th minute when a cross into the box found Nathan Elasi, who then managed to head the ball onto an open Matthew McNab. However, McNab couldn’t connect his shot with the ball and the ball rolled out of play.

United would continue to press hard in the opening stages and found themselves almost taking the lead in the 15^th minute when McNab managed to fire off a volley just outside the box after receiving the ball from the far-left side of the field. While McNab’s effort was a great strike, the goal was not to be, the ball rocketing off the crossbar and flying out.

Finally, Wollongong United’s early attacking dominance would pay dividends when the side was awarded a penalty in the 19^th minute after a high foot in the box from Kane Wright connected with United’s Stephen Domenici. Nathan Elasi would step up to take the spot-kick and his effort to the right side of the net saw no opposition from Albion Park keeper Chris Fuentes Ramirez, who dove in the opposite direction, giving Wollongong United the lead.

But Albion Park were not going to give up the match after going a goal down, and in the 27^th minute the side would find themselves back on level terms. Hikaru Kawasakiya took the ball down the right side of the field and whipped in a perfectly positioned cross to a waiting Robert Delbanco, who managed to leap over the United defenders and fire off an effort with his head towards the bottom right corner of the United goal, which managed to work its way past United gloveman Sam Nastic and into the net to level the scores.

After being pegged back to level terms, Wollongong United resumed their campaign on the Albion Park goal and the side game agonizingly close to retaking the lead in the 43^rd minute when a great through ball from the United midfield found Matthew McNab through onto goal. However, McNab’s run was too fast for his own good, and he was met by a fantastic rushing stop from Albion Park’s Chris Fuentes Ramirez, diving to stop the attack and keep the White Eagles in the match.

United would have one last chance on the stroke of half-time when a chip shot from Stephen Domenici would manage to beat Fuentes Ramirez, but not Chris Nathaniel, the Albion Park captain heading clear the ball off the goal-line to ensure both sides entered the break level at 1-1.

With tensions beginning to rise in the second half, the game remained deadlocked. United almost regained the lead in the 50^th minute when a looping cross from Matt Gordon almost found an open Matthew McNab, but McNab was just unable to reach the ball before it rolled out past the Albion Park goal.

But while United were dominating the attacking chances, that did not stop Albion Park from creating great chances of their own, and the side would come very close to taking the lead in the 57^th minute when a great ball from Chris Gomez found Shayne Ardle, who then took a good run before firing off a shot at the United goal, forcing a fantastic save from Sam Nastic to tip the ball out over the crossbar.

United would have a great chance of their own in the 62^nd minute when a curling shot from distance off the boot of Matthew McNab would have surely sailed into the net had it not been for the athletic leaping save from Chris Fuentes Ramirez, who managed to get a hand to the effort and knock the ball over the bar.

The last real chance of the match fell to Albion Park ten minutes from full-time when a corner found the head of Kane Wright in the box, and his effort would fire towards the United goal. But this time it was United who was saved by the crossbar, with Wright’s effort ricocheting off the bar and keeping the scores level, neither side able to find a winning goal in the final ten minutes as their respective defences kicked things up a gear to ensure both sides got a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw.

The draw sees United’s recent winning streak come to an end, the side now sitting in third place on the ladder as we reach the halfway point in the season, potentially five points behind Bulli at the top of the ladder should Bulli beat Corrimal Rangers on Sunday afternoon. Only one point behind United sits Albion Park, five points ahead of fifth place and looking comfortable in the top five as the season hits the halfway mark.

Albion Park’s next challenge sees them travel to Crehan Park to take on Cringila Lions on Friday night, while Wollongong United will be travelling to Memorial Park to face Corrimal Rangers on Saturday as the run towards the finals begins to heat up.

Saturday 2 June 2018 at Terry Reserve.

Albion Park White Eagles – 1 (Delbanco 27’)

Wollongong United – 1 (Elasi 19’)

Albion Park White Eagles: Chris FUENTES RAMIREZ, Blake MCGINN, Luke DEBROT, Kane WRIGHT, Chris NATHANIEL, Shannon FIELDING, Robert DELBANCO, Kody MAUDE, Chris GOMEZ, Shayne ARDLE, Hikaru KAWASAKIYA

Subs: Jesse CASEY (GOMEZ 90’), Ferres AOUN (DEBROT 84’), Cody WEHMEYER (KAWASAKIYA 90’), Joel TINKER

Wollongong United: Maty BRENNAN, Ben BROOKS, Stephen DOMENICI, Nathan ELASI, Mark EVERY, Matt GORDON, Kazuto KUSHIDA, Matthew MCNAB, Sam MUNRO, Sam NASTIC, Jake LEIGHTON

Subs: Daisuke YUZAWA (DOMENICI 59’), Lachlan O’CONNOR (ELASI 78’), Zac MCLAREN, Jackson BROOKS, Ben WUNSCH

Referee – Blake HERBERT

Assistant Referees – Jay WAYPOLE and Jackson COCKS

Report by Cal Behrendt, on Twitter @CalBehrendt

Photo courtesy of Kiah Hufton