Tarrawanna have returned to the winners’ circle after two weeks out thanks to a 5-0 thumping of fellow top five challenger Albion Park White Eagles at Terry Reserve on Saturday afternoon. The Blueys dominated the opening half, with a brace from Benjamin Spruce and goals from Stephen Lloyd and Rick Goodchild helping the visitors to a handy 4-0 lead at the break. In a much tighter second half, neither side were able to alter the score until Tarrawanna substitute Cody Waller found the back of the net in stoppage time to hand the Blueys their largest victory of their campaign to date.

Tarrawanna entered the match hoping to shake off an unwanted record against Albion Park, with the Blueys having not beaten the side in the league since August 2014 and it appeared that Albion Park were looking to return to that dynamic early in the match, with the hosts having a golden chance to take the lead in the 7^th minute after a long through ball from Cameron Morgan found Valentino Merxhushi unmarked on the edge of the box. Merxhushi quickly moved into a one-on-one chance against Tarrawanna keeper Kaydin Harrison and the Albion Park player was able to round the young keeper but unable to find the back of the net, with his shot rolling just to the right of the Blueys goalpost.

However, it was the visiting side who struck the opening goal, with Tarrawanna’s Benjamin Spruce managing to get onto the end of a loose ball after Sam Munro forced the ball loose from the grip of Albion Park’s Robert Delbanco in the 19^th minute. Spruce made no mistake with the shot, burying the ball into the bottom-right corner and handing the Blueys the lead.

Spruce picked up his second strike of the match nine minutes later after a centered ball from Keisuke Hayashi rolled out to the Blueys player after going through a scramble in the Albion Park box. Spruce managed to fire the ball through the gathered crowd in the box and into the bottom-left corner, doubling the advantage for the Blueys.

With the White Eagles stunned by Spruce’s brace, the side pushed forward in search of a way back into the match and the side came close to pulling a goal back in the 37^th minute when the side was awarded a free kick in a dangerous area. Albion Park’s Cameron Morgan stepped up and fired off a curling kick that forced a top-drawer save from Tarrawanna shot stopper Kaydin Harrison, clutching onto the ball and ensuring that the Blueys maintained their two-goal buffer.

But two minutes later Tarrawanna picked up their third goal of the afternoon after the side was awarded a free kick on the right-hand side of the field. Keisuke Hayashi stepped up and floated in a ball that managed to get pushed along to Stephen Lloyd, who was able to rise above the Albion Park defence and nod the ball into the top of the net and extending the visitors’ lead.

Although Albion Park managed to reverse a similar situation a few weeks earlier against Corrimal, Tarrawanna ensured a tougher task by finding the back of the net for the fourth time of the afternoon in the 43^rd minute after Stephen Lloyd was brought down in the box by Albion Park’s Shannon Fielding. Rick Goodchild stepped up to the spot for the Blueys and sent the side into the half-time break with a four-goal lead after his penalty pushed past Albion Park keeper Brad Jardine and dug itself into the bottom-left corner.

With the side needing goals to pull back into the match, the hosts came out firing in the second half with Cameron Morgan coming dangerously close to pulling a goal back for Albion Park in the 53^rd minute after his shot beat Tarrawanna keeper Kaydin Harrison but not the Blueys’ left upright, rocketing off the post and back into the grateful arms of Harrison.

Albion Park continued to push during the second period of play but often lacked a strong final ball, with the side struggling to create many more meaningful chances until the 84^th minute when a Cameron Morgan free kick came close to nabbing a goal for the hosts, only for Blueys shot-stopper Kaydin Harrison to tip the ball around the left-hand post with an athletic save.

As the match entered its final moments, Tarrawanna were able to exploit Albion Park’s attacking pressure to pick up their fifth of the afternoon in the 91^st minute after a quick long ball out of the Tarrawanna midfield was picked up by substitute Cody Waller within the Albion Park half. Waller was able to push himself into a one-on-one chance against Albion Park custodian Brad Jardine and find the back of the net, with his chance sliding past Jardine and finding the bottom left corner to secure the victory and give Tarrawanna a huge 5-0 victory.

The victory moves the Blueys into 3^rd place on the ladder, with the side currently level on points and goal difference with Wollongong United and only behind the side on virtue of goals scored. Peter Willis’ side will hope to keep their momentum rolling when they host Corrimal Rangers next Saturday at Tarrawanna Oval.

Meanwhile, Albion Park drop to fifth as a result of the defeat, but the side could fall outside the top five if Corrimal win or draw against South Coast United when the two sides face off at Memorial Park on Sunday. The White Eagles will be hoping to return to winning ways next Saturday when the side travels to Ray Robinson Field to face a Fernhill side who downed Coniston in a 2-1 victory at JJ Kelly Park on Saturday.

Saturday 18 May 2019 at Terry Reserve, Albion Park

Albion Park White Eagles – 0

Tarrawanna SC – 5 (Spruce 19’, 28’, S. Lloyd 39’, Goodchild 43’, Waller 90’)

Albion Park White Eagles: Brad JARDINE, Blake MCGINN, Naomichi ARAKI, Shannon FIELDING, Valentino MERXHUSHI, Ethan KAMBISIOS, Robert DELBANCO, Joel BEATTIE, Chris GOMEZ, Kyle SENIOR, Cameron MORGAN

Subs: Eiki FUKUSHIGE (MERXHUSHI 11’), Yuki UNO (GOMEZ 45’), Luke DEBROT (KAMBISIOS 74’), Cody WEHMEYER, Jacob HUFTON

Tarrawanna SC: Kaydin HARRISON, Matthew NAYLOR, Haydyn LLOYD, Corey HORNER, Benjamin SPRUCE, Mitchell FERRARO, Keisuke HAYASHI, Sam MUNRO, Stephen LLOYD, Rick GOODCHILD, Jacob FRYDAY

Subs: Cody WALLER (S. LLOYD 77’), Daniel CHAPMAN (NAYLOR 82’), Liam UNICOMB, Benjamin LEARMONTH (HAYASHI 89’), Lachlan O’BREE

Referee – Bobby MAZEVSKI

Assistant Referees – Jacob ZIPPARO and Jay WALPOLE

Report by Cal Behrendt, on Twitter @CalBehrendt

Photo courtesy of Kiah Hufton