The Youth Cup final between Tarrawanna and Wollongong United was the perfect curtain raiser for the BBC final with an entertaining game ending with the Blueys taking out the trophy. Four goals to Nick Tomasiello and another to Caleb Grace outplayed the strong Wollongong United outfit with the goals cancelling out an Andre Dias brace as the game ended 5-2 at JJ Kelly Park on Saturday afternoon.

Tarrawanna had slipped out of the top five in the league, with the team dropping down to eighth spot following four losses out of their last five games. Whereas for Wollongong United, they picked up the league title following their one-all draw with Port Kembla on the weekend. The Blueys beat Cringila, Coniston and Balgownie on their way to the final, conceding 0 goals in the process. Wollongong United accounted for Unanderra, Bulli and Helensburgh, scoring 17 goals in these games.

The action started immediately as Wollongong United were awarded a penalty in the opening 20 seconds of play when Emmanuel Kamara used his pace to chase a long ball, getting there before Blueys goalkeeper, Kaydin Harrison. The winger tipped the ball past him and was tripped just inside the area blowing the game wide open early on. Andre Dias made no mistake from the spot as he blasted his penalty into the top right, giving them the lead.

United held strong after scoring as they controlled the game inside the opening 10 minutes. With no threatening chances on goal, Tarrawanna almost pulled one back in the 12^th minute when Ben Learmonth tipped his header just over the bar.

Kamara looked more and more dangerous as the game went on, causing chaos up the right wing for United. In the 19^th minute, his drive past two defenders into the box was met with a cross that found the feet of Nick High on the volley. Although, the striker couldn’t adjust his feet as he sent the ball over. Then, just two minutes later, High was able to beat his player up the left before crossing to Kamara on the penalty spot. With his first-time shot a miss-kick, he was able to reposition himself for another on the rebound but was saved off the line by Tarrawanna’s Lachlan Donnelly, keeping the game at 1-0.

High was at the scene again when he found himself unmarked at the back-post off a corner but he could only angle his header wide of the goal.

In the 29^th minute, Nick Tomasiello almost created a goal all on his own when his turn and dribble across the 18-yard box was met with a shot with his right foot. The ball looked destined to find the net at the near post but bounced inches wide.

Despite the near miss, the Blueys’ fans would be cheering just one minute later when Tomasiello grabbed their equaliser. The striker ran onto a through-ball from Tyson Black that saw him beat a defender and calmly slot it in at the near post, drawing the game level.

The last chance of the first half fell to the Blueys when Rogan Lamey leaped the highest off a corner to see a header onto goal. But thankfully for United, Kamara was standing at the back post and was able to clear.

That was all the action of the first half.

Both teams came out firing to start the second half, with hardly anything separating them so far. The first chance of the new half came for United in the 53^rd minute when Dias’ long free-kick into the box was met with the head of Jonah Kalmanidis. Jumping higher than the rest, the centre-back failed to angle his header downwards as it floated onto the roof of the net.

But then in the 60^th minute, the game leant the way of the Blueys. After soaking in the pressure of three consecutive corners, Tarrawanna broke on the counter. It was a four on three when Joel Perry sent Black through into the box. After a clever leave of a rolling ball getting him past a sliding defender, the winger was unselfish as he squared it to Tomasiello waiting wide-open in the box. He made no mistake of the finish, striking it under the body of a recovering Zak Bedelovski in goal, giving them the lead for the first time.

After conceding, United would almost hit back instantly when they went on an attack of their own just one minute later. It was the surging run of High up the left that opened up space in the box to find Elisseo Chidodi on the penalty spot. With no one around him and potentially an equaliser at stake, the midfielder could only regret his shot as it flew over the bar.

It would prove very costly for United as the Blueys were able to make the most of the miss and go down the other end and grab their third. It was Tomasiello at the scene again when he charged-down a United clearance that put him through on goal. He was able to get there before an onrushing Bedelovski as he toed it past him looking for a tap-in. But the outstretched arm of the goalkeeper clipped the striker inside the box that saw referee, Brodie Merchant show no hesitation as he awarded the second penalty of the game. Tomasiello stepped up to take, placing it in the right hand side of the goal to pick up his hat-trick.

With the confidence and momentum, Tarrawanna dominated the middle part of the second half, offering very little chances for United to break through on their goal. They were happy to sit back and hold the ball as the game steadied going into the final 15 minutes.

Although, it suddenly sprung back into life as the Blueys picked up their fourth and fifth goals inside three minutes to all but seal the trophy. In the 77^th minute, some space opened up for Donnelly to attack the left hand side before delivering a low driven cross back into the box. With a scuffed clearance falling to the feet of Caleb Grace, he made no mistake and buried it into the roof of the net.

Then in the 80^th minute, Tomasiello showed why he is first-grade quality when he sent through on goal yet again. This time, he beat his defend with a silky turn before unleashing a powerful left-footed effort to find the top left hand corner of the near post, making it his fourth of the afternoon and the Blueys’ fifth.

Despite being four goals down going into the final five minutes, United wouldn’t give up until the final whistle. They posed more attacking chances and could have pulled one back when the ball fell to Kamara in the box following a goalkeeper fumble. But his shot on the volley would only rise over the bar.

Although they did pull one back in the 88^th minute when Ryan Akhurst threatened a shot on several occasions around the edge of the box before shooting and winning his team a penalty when the ball struck a Tarrawanna arm. Dias stepped up to take again, and it was the same outcome as the defender picked out the side netting to grab a mere consolation goal for United.

Even as the game went into stoppages, United wouldn’t stop trying. They almost snuck one in when Samuel Adnum’s header was saved off the line before firing his follow-up effort over the bar.

In the end, four second-half Tarrawanna goals sealed the Youth Cup in impressive fashion finishing their season on a high.

 

Saturday 10 August at JJ Kelly Park.

Tarrawanna Blueys FC: 5 (TOMASIELLO 30’ 60’ 62’ 80’, GRACE 77’)

Wollongong United: 2 (DIAS 2’ 88’)

 

Line-Ups:

Tarrawanna Blueys: Kaydin HARRISON, Jake ATWELL, Rogan LAMEY, Christian CABO, Lachlan DONNELLY, Toby DRAIN, Tyson BLACK, Ben LEARMONTH, Caleb BRACE, Nick TOMASIELLO, Joel PERRY.

Subs: Adam CHICARO, Max ALLAN, David CHICARO, Jacob BOSEVSKI, Blake BURKINSHAW, Josh KIS.

 

Wollongong United: Zak BEDELOVSKI, Lee HANSEN, Ryan AKHURST, Jonah KALMANIDIS, Andre DIAS, Daniel CHICHARO, James STOJANOSKI, Elisseo CHIODI, Emmanuel KAMARA, Nick HIGH, Thomas DARJANI.

Subs: Justin MITREVSKI, Kyah JOVANOVSKI, Michael GIRHDI, Michael MENDES, Samuel ADNUM, Daniel CARELLA.

*Interchange Rule Applied.

 

Referee: Brodie MERCHANT.

Assistant Referees: Ethan ZVARGULIS and Lachlan MCRAE.

Sideline Referee: Brendan Fotheringham.

 

Report by Nathan Turner, on Twitter @nathanturner23_

Photo courtesy of Pedro Garcia