The Football Sack

Ch7 broadcast football: Prepare your fallout shelter

The end is surely nigh. Ready the tin food and recycled water machine. Channel Seven have again secured the rights to broadcast football. This time the marquee matches of Manchester United vs A-League All Stars and Melbourne Victory vs Liverpool coming up in July. But will the station executives try to stifle the code a second time around? Probably not.

Seven have paid an estimated $2 million for the rights to the two matches, so it's doubtful their intentions are anything negative. Opinion on social media is well and truly divided over the announcement however, and fans have reason to be weary of this particular free-to-air network covering their sport.

See the second frame to this comic. From Agaki Bautista's Sack Attack, the A-League webcomic

Back in 2002 Seven owned the rights to the National Soccer League (as well as for the Socceroos). For supporters it meant a time of frustration, as the league was stifled by lack of coverage. It was then reported in 2005 that Steven Wise, former executive at Channel Seven's defunct pay television channel C7, admitted in an email to sabotaging football's media coverage:

"We have secured the soccer rights and suffocated the sport, much to the chagrin of its supporters (by giving AFL games preference)".

The last time a marquee club football match was broadcast on free-to-air was when LA Galaxy played Sydney FC at ANZ Stadium. Channel Ten were the beneficiaries in this instance and they appealed to the masses by largely focusing on David Beckham throughout the match in what was surely a precurser for Fox Sports 'Hero Cam'.

There is need for Channel Seven to provide a more balanced broadcast of the game, and the amount of stars appearing in the All Stars match will at least force that issue. Commentary-wise though the Seven team is made up almost entirely of AFL focused reporters, and listening to Bruce McAvaney or Dennis Cometti call football is a strange prospect to say the least.

For the conspiracy theorists, notice in the press release the complete lack of mention of the word 'football' from CEO of the Seven Network, Tim Worner:

“Manchester United and Liverpool are two of the biggest brands in world sport and we are really pleased to be delivering their matches live to Australians everywhere and on every device. These are going to be huge events. They sold out straight away and we expect a big audience to be engaged before, during and after the games.

“Big, live sport – now available across not just our broadcast television platform but online and other tablet apps as well - underpins a lot of Seven’s strategy and these games certainly fit that bill. And, on a personal note, I am very happy to be working with Dave Gallop whose work I have previously admired from too far away.”

Overall however the immediate cash injection into the code combined with live coverage on the most popular free-to-air channel is largely positive. Remove the historical relationship between the network and the football governing body and what we are presented with today is another small step forward for the code.

Football in Australia is slowly, ever so slowly, becoming mainstream, and Channel Seven have awoken to the fact.

Coverage details:

Manchester United v Foxtel A League All Stars, Saturday 20 July, ANZ Stadium, Sydney (7.30pm kick off)

Sydney 1830-2200 (7)

Melbourne 1830-2200 (7Mate)

Brisbane 1830-2200 (7)

Adelaide 1800-2130 (7Mate)

Perth 1830-2200 (7)

Liverpool v Melbourne Victory, Wednesday 24 July, MCG, Melbourne (8pm kick off)

Sydney 1900-2230 (7Mate)

Melbourne 1900-2230 (7Mate)

Brisbane 1900-2230 (7Mate)

Adelaide 1830-2200 (7Mate)

Perth 1700-2030 (7Mate)

Stocky's Scribbles: The way football should be played

On a night when hands and feet are left numb and references to brass monkeys are numerous, the excitement on the faces of the combatants participating in the pending contest overrides any such feelings. The FC Bulleen Lions U15A boys travelled to Darebin to take on the might of the NTC women under lights in a much anticipated contest after a superb draw by NTC last week.

Words and images By Craig Stockdale

Being the only female outfit in the competition, NTC have to earn the respect of their competition week in and week out. Once again, they were up to the challenge and showed how they can soak up the physical and mental pressure applied by the boys and certainly deliver their own in response – Girl Power at its best!

NTC opened up with Beth Mason-Jones guarding the goal line ably supported by Bella Scott, Maddie Stockdale, Alex Natoli and Steph Catley in defense. In the engine room were Kate Fatopoulos, Zoe Stamatopoulos and Phoebe Parker looking to distribute to the vivacious forwards of Dani Gudelj, Edita Mackaj and Giulia Sepe.

The early pace of the game was frenetic with some wonderful skills on display from both teams across the pitch. It is the speed and pressure applied by the boys that provide the necessary development and reasoning behind why the NTC participate in this competition. Physical but fair tackling from both sides kept ‘Referee Frank’ on his toes during the entire match and the respect from both teams was evident from the beginning.

Very quickly the Bulleen boys pushed forward with NTC defending strongly to thwart several early attempts on goal. At the 6 minute mark an exchange of bullet like passes saw a richoted ball land at the feet of a Bulleen midfielder who volleyed the resultant kick over the outstretched hands of keeper Mason-Jones to register the first major of the evening. First blood to the boys – 1 nil.

NTC responded positively with several forward plays backed by some strong body work from Zoe Stamatopoulos and Phoebe Parker and deft footskills from Kate Fotopoulos and Steph Catley. Dani Gudelj, Julia Sepe and Edita Mackaj lifted their work rate but Bulleen were able to circumvent each attack from the NTC.

At the 12 minute mark, a passage of play from Bulleen through the midfield opened up a rather opportunistic and bold chance for a long range shot (taken from about 45 yards) – and sure enough the Bulleen strike was an extraordinary one offering little to no chance for Mason-Jones to deflect the kick. Bulleen raced to 2 goals to nil lead and were looking very dangerous.

The NTC defensive line of Bella Scott, Maddie Stockdale, Alex Natoli and Steph Catley were constantly under pressure from the barrage of forward movements by Bulleen. This is exactly what the NTC team are being drilled to absorb – pressure through possession style football because this is what is expected of future players competing at W League and International Level. This style of play is very different to the long bombing strategies from defense deployed by many WPL teams and will not yield the best of breed players the NTC stands to develop.

The possession style of football the NTC are deploying is in line with the national curriculum that has been seeded by the FFA in both the FFV’s VCL and state competitions. As contentious as it is, this technique of play will require players to be willing to take possession under extreme pressure, learn how to play the ball out from defense in a systematic way and be willing to accept that this style of play will harbour mistakes. It is only through making such mistakes that progress can be made and better players will emerge from the program. Decision making is critical – and women are much better at making decisions as we all know…..

The half time whistle sounds and although the NTC are 2 nil down, they can hold their heads high providing a strong and skilful display right across the pitch for all to witness. With renewed vigour and the addition of some fresh legs through keeper Tori, Lucy Kennedy, Zoe Corbett and Alyssia Blewonski the NTC again utilised their bodies well to deny the opposition early chances and attack the ball.

Eventually Bulleen were able to create some space around the right wing and through a precise cross to the top of the box, scored their third goal for the evening from a very nice piece of play. Well done boys as all in sundry applauded their game style and the way they had approached the game against the NTC women.

As mentioned previously, respect is earned and by the end of the match, there was no doubt the NTC had earned the respect of the Bulleen boys – the style of play, competitiveness, aggression and skillful display of football were foremost on display – in fact the way Football should be played…..

Congratulations to both teams on providing a spectacle that had everyone talking in a very positive manner from the sidelines at the end of the evening.

QLD Wrap: Olympic, City lead by example

An entertaining Round 10 of the NPL Queensland was dotted with results of importance as Olympic conjured a comeback, Strikers recovered form and City shined even brighter.

The weekend was also notable for the match between 11th and 12th in Rockhampton as two teams fought for their second win of the season.

Credit: Football Queensland

Redlands United 3 (Fyfe 8' Way 18' Macuace 25')
Olympic FC 5 (Byrne 13' 35' 45+1' 78' Tabulo 66')

Led by four goals from captain Danny Byrne, league-leaders Olympic wiped away a two-goal deficit to put away title rivals Redlands at Cleveland Showgrounds on Friday night.

Goals from key protagonists Graham Fyfe, Reuben Way and Jheison Macuace surged United to a 3-1 lead after just 25 minutes; from there, though, it was the Danny Byrne show, the attacking midfielder netting twice in ten minutes to complete a first-half hattrick before adding a fourth to wrap up for victory for his team.

Olympic winger Carl Tabulo also found his way onto the scoresheet, completing a turnaround for the visitors which safeguarded their unbeaten season.

The Devils, meanwhile, fell to fourth as their winless streak extended to three.

CQFC Energy 3 (Crowley 9' Geddes 48' Millar 80')
QAS 2 (Hoffman 19' Cronin 63')

It took 80 minutes to attain a match-winning lead on Saturday night but Central Queensland eventually defeated the Queensland Academy of Sport in Rockhampton for their second win of the season.

Ben Millar's separated the two bottom teams after the Academy had twice equalised, first through Roman Hoffman in the first-half and then midfielder Sam Cronin after the hour.

Braedyn Crowley and the prolific Chris Geddes had earlier given CQ leads, and finally they held on to three points with Millar's late intervention.

The result switched the two clubs' position in the bottom two, though they each have plenty to do to make an impression on those above them.

Brisbane Strikers 3 (Richter 59' Taylor 83' McVey 90+3')
Sunshine Coast FC 0

Brisbane Strikers got their season back on track at Perry Park on Saturday night with a heartening 3-0 victory over Sunshine Coast FC.

The two were regular finals combatants in the now-defunct Queensland State League, though contrary to that league's recurring theme, Strikers this time prevailed at home thanks to three second-half goals from attacking trident Jonti Richter, Josh Taylor and Josh McVey.

The hosts' first victory in three matches was built on a clean sheet managed by an inexperienced defence after captain Nick Robinson joined Redlands prior to the weekend.

Sunshine Coast stayed in fifth despite the loss, while Strikers rose one position to third.

FNQFC Heat 0
Palm Beach Sharks 3 (Crazia 61' Hilton 86', 90+2')

The longest trip in the league proved to be a memorable one for Palm Beach when they scored twice late to see off Far North Queensland in Cairns on Saturday night.

Striker Matt Hilton was the hero for the visitors, striking in the 86th and 92nd minutes to ensure teammate Michele-Emanuele Crazia's 61st minute opener would be rewarded.

While it was just their third win of the season, the result made it two from two for the Sharks after last weekend's defeat of Brisbane Strikers - a pair of victories which has lifted them above Heat and into eighth.

Brisbane City 5 (Dougall 10' Frazier 27', 64' Murray 59' Sakurai 82')
Northern Fury 0

Brisbane City continued their highly impressive form on Sunday with a commanding 5-0 victory over Northern Fury at Spencer Park.

City's seventh win on the trot, a run that has yielded four clean sheets and second-place on the NPL ladder, came courtesy of four different goalscorers as the hosts dominated from start to finish.

Brisbane Roar NYL player Ken Dougall opened the scoring on ten minutes from a spectacular volley, a lead that was doubled by half-time with American import Eric Frazier joining the scoresheet.

Frazier notched a second after the break in between goals from Antonio Murray and Yoshi Sakurai as City, announced as one of Roar's pre-season opponents, stayed equal on points with Strikers but with a match in hand.

POSTPONED: Moreton Bay United Jets vs. Western Pride

2013/14 A-League fixtures announced; Analysis

The Hyundai A-League fixtures for the 2013/2014 season have been revealed, setting up a scintillating year of football ahead. Matt Greenlaw analyses some of the finer details of the A-League competition.

Grand Final Rematch
Central Coast Mariners will commence their Hyundai A-League Championship defence with a blockbuster match at Gosford’s Bluetongue Stadium against Western Sydney Wanderers on day two of the opening round of football - Saturday 12 October, 2013.

Wanderers fans will again travel in numbers up the coast in an attempt to win back some honour after last season's Grand Final failings.

The Mariners welcome back striker Matt Simon to the club, creating an experienced front-line for Graham Arnold's team who will be tough to stop come this Grand Final rematch.

Grand Final rematch: A sea of red descend on Allianz Stadium for the 2012/13 final

Full fixture list via our A-League ladder predictor.

Derbies
Whether you count them as true derbies or not, these are the games that garner the most attention, and here is when they are scheduled:

Melbourne Derby – Rounds 1 [Etihad], 11 [AAMI], and 21 [AAMI]
Sydney Derby – Rounds 3 [Allianz], 14 [Parramatta], and 22 [Allianz]
Big Blue Derby – Rounds 5 [Allianz], 16 [Etihad], and 25 [AAMI]
F3 Derby – Round 4 [Hunter], 16 [Bluetongue], and 23 [Bluetongue]
Melbourne Victory v Adelaide United – Rounds 2 [Hindmarsh], 7 [Etihad], and 20 [AAMI]
Combined, these matches fall in Rounds 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 11, 14, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 25

They're fairly evenly distributed. For the record, the Distance Derbies take place in round's 5, 9 and 22. Meanwhile the Queensland derby will take place on Boxing Day. In our dreams.

Free-To-Air SBS Broadcast
One live A-League game each Friday night is to be broadcast via SBS 2 at the regular timeslot of 7:30pm AET and this begins with the season opener - Sydney FC vs Newcastle Jets in Round One.

Marquee men Del Piero and Heskey have had a year in the competition and will be much more comfortable with their teammates and their abilities. That clash is followed by the juicy fixture between the Reds and Victory at Hindmarsh in Round Two.

The only other game of real note on the free-to-air network is the Rd 21 grudge match between Brisbane Roar and Perth Glory. Nevertheless it is wonderful to see Australian football back on SBS.

SBS’s coverage of the 2013/14 A-League season will also include a weekly preview show and highlights program.

For new A-League supporters and general sports fans the coverage will be enough to whet the appetite but for seasoned football fans a Foxtel subscription will still very much be necessary.

Club By Club
Adelaide United's Round Two game against the Victory might kickstart the club's season, or it could do the complete opposite. Couple this with tough early away fixtures against the Mariners [Rd3] and Wanderers [Rd4] and this draw doesn't do them any favours.

Brisbane Roar seem to forever finish the season playing the Mariners, and this year is no different. The Roar will play on Boxing Day once again, although not against former Boxing Day opponents Gold Coast United, but rather Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium.

Central Coast Mariners have a very balanced home and away season after their opening four rounds. Following the Grand Final rematch at home they have three matches away from Bluetongue, but from there it's an even spread of fixtures that promotes steady performances throughout the year.

Melbourne Heart begin with a bang, heading across the road to Etihad Stadium for the Melbourne Derby in Round One. Their last game of season is also a derby, the newly created Red Stripes Derby, against Wanderers at home.

Melbourne Victory fans have a tough run into the Finals with only one fixture from five played at home. Fortunately for them a five game streak at AAMI Park between December 8th and January 4th should allow some fine form to build and create a fortress at the stadium.

Newcastle Jets' best feature of their fixtures is that they will benefit from only having to make one long-haul trip each to Perth and Wellington during the course of the season. The decreased travel time will aid a Newcastle side desperate to better last season's disappointing 8th place.

Perth Glory will have to wait until Round Eight until they can boo Liam Miller's partnership with Besart Berisha. On the plus side they get to take part in the Central Coast's NYE party at Bluetongue, an annual feature of the A-League calendar.

Sydney FC are given the two Sydney Derbies this year and Allianz Stadium may come close to capacity now that Wanderers fans know where to find it. The Sky Blue do have four games away from home between Rd 11 and Rd 14, which could bring the often fragile side unstuck.

Wellington Phoenix are planning on taking more games on the road this year, with three fixtures' venues yet to be announced, though they will be in New Zealand. They're also present for a Mariners regional fixture, so have a total of four games at grounds not usually associated with the league.

Western Sydney Wanderers, aside from the Grand Final rematch, have a steady start to the season with easier early fixtures against Sydney, Heart, and Adelaide. The RBB won't be able to have a big New Year's party or they'll miss the January 1st home game against the Nix.

What do you think of the fixtures for the upcoming A-League season? Love them, hate them, let us know in the comments section.

BPL Wrap: Dominant Lions & Wolves win again in Rd 10

A whopping 34 goals across six games made for an entertaining Round 10 goal-fest in the BPL. There was no change at the top as Lions, Wolves and Power all recorded convincing victories.

The cellar dwellers had another disappointing weekend, with UQ, North Star and Brisbane Force all on the wrong end of results. Ipswich produced the upset of the round in arguably the most dour match in Round 10, downing Easts at Eric Evans Oval.

Albany Creek 1:9 Wolves FC

Wolves FC ran riot against a hapless Albany Creek side to record the biggest away win of the BPL season and condemn the hosts to their third consecutive defeat.

Everyone will be talking about…

Creek’s rapid drop in form. An impressive start to the season has been overshadowed by a horror run in the past three weeks – seeing Excelsior concede 15 goals in return for a solitary strike.

Yeah, but what happened?

It was 2-0 within ten minutes and game over by half-time. Braces from Kado Aoci and Trent Clulow, accommodated by a Sasa Radulovic goal saw a battering 5-0 scoreline at the break. Wolves continued to share the scoring around in the second half, with Nathan Reardon, Alex Janovsky and Drew Jeskey getting in on the act. The biggest plaudits were saved for Aoci’s third, which left the scoreline at 9-0. Brent Holden spared Albany a third consecutive goalless match with his late strike.

The numbers:

Creek – Holden ‘90

Ipswich – Aoci ‘7, ’32, ’76; Clulow ‘9, ’43; Reardon ’58; Janovsky ’65; Jeskey ‘70

Looking ahead...

The message from this game is don’t stand in Wolves’ way, but unfortunately for Ipswich the fixture list is unkind. Creek are in disarray and need a result when they host Logan.

Peninsula Power 6:2 Brisbane Force

A second half onslaught helped Power record their third straight win, coming against an improving Force side that remains in the bottom three.

Everyone will be talking about…

Power’s injury concerns. With an already depleted squad, Richie Hurlin limped off, as later did his replacement Matthew Breeze.

Yeah, but what happened?

Force were seemingly confident coming into the match on the back of a solid run of form and hit the lead early on through Lachlan Munn. Power didn’t take long to respond as Michael Baird scored an opportunistic goal and later provided for Jordan Lowdon. His spectacular shot into the roof of the net looked to have given Power the advantage at half-time, but the visitors had other ideas and forced home an equaliser through Travis Jackson. It was a one-team show in the second stanza as Lowdon completed his brace and Luke Gauci converted a through ball to open up a two-goal advantage. Two household names turned it into a rout late on – first Shaun Feuerieggel dribbling his way through to goal and then Warren Moon producing a scorching free-kick from 35 metres.

The numbers:

Power – Lowdon ’15, ’52; Baird ’43; Gauci ’60; Feuerriege ’72; Moon ‘90+2

Force – Munn ‘6; Jackson ‘45+2

Looking ahead...

Power is on a roll and it certainly doesn't seem like UQ will be standing in their way next week. Force faces a defining battle against fellow strugglers North Star.

North Star 0:4 Logan Lightning

A Phillip Randal Brace helped Logan to a convincing victory at North Star on Saturday night.

Everyone will be talking about…

Logan ends the rut. Lightning came into this game without a win in three and the much needed three points bring them back into the chasing pack for a place in the top four.

Yeah, but what happened?

Logan enjoyed a comfortable first period in which they dominated possession and scored two quick-fire goals. Randall picked up his first of the evening midway through the half – soon followed by a neat finish by Daniel Clark. A two-goal deficit seemed a mountain to climb for Star and they went further behind straight after the restart from Randall’s second. Richard Greer put his name on the scoresheet on the hour mark, rounding off Logan’s dominance of possession and clinical finishing.

The numbers:

Logan – Randall ’26, ’47; Clark ‘30; Greer ‘62

Looking ahead...

Even at this stage, Star’s season hangs in the balance and they need a result at Brisbane Force next week. Unthinkable one month ago, but Logan will be firm favourites when they travel to Albany Creek on .

Rochedale Rovers 4:2 UQFC

A much improved performance from UQ was not enough to prevent Rochedale collecting all three points to end a run of three winless games.

Everyone will be talking about…

UQ’s performance. A rejuvenated uni side matched Rovers through the majority of the game and could have got a result with a little more composure in front of goal.

Yeah, but what happened?

UQ took a surprising lead early on, as a new formation spearheaded by Loic David and Stewatr Croll paid off. Croll was on hand to thunder homer a goalmouth rebound. The hosts were right back in it however, Cody Lovell converting a pin-point Greg Cheshire cross. Two further strikes either side of the break by Rhys Hastings and Jarryd McKellar looked to have restored order for Rovers, but a close range header from Daniel Stewart-McLean brought the students back into the game. This sparked a period of dominance for UQ, who somehow failed to score one of several opportunities they created. When you don’t take your chances against Rochedale you usually get hurt, as was the case here when Terry Hughes killed off the game with 15 minutes to play.

The numbers:

Rovers – Lovell ‘9; Hastings ’26; McKellar ’58; Hughes ‘76

UQ – Croll ‘6; Stewart-McLean ‘66

Looking ahead...

Rovers will be glad their horror run of results has ended and will look to build on this performance at Capalaba next week. UQ will have their tails up after arguably their best performance of the season and will go in with renewed hope against visiting Power.

Ipswich Knights 2:0 Eastern Suburbs

Goals from Igor Sao Jose and Matthias Waldmann either side of the break downed a ten-man Tigers outfit that never lived up to expectations at Ipswich.

Everyone will be talking about…

Ipswich making the most of their chances. In a disappointing spectacle, the hosts turned two of the very few opportunities throughout the match into goals.

Yeah, but what happened?

Coming into the match on the back of a string of fine performances including last week’s 5-0 drubbing of Albany Creek, Easts never really got going. Sao Jose put the hosts in front on the half hour mark when he broke through Easts’ defence and coolly dispatched a low shot past Tom Carroll. An uneventful first half was matched by the second 45, with Danish import Mathias Waldmann providing the only highlight. Waldmann doubled Ipswich’s lead after he latched on to a spectacular assist from substitute Victor Fenehia.

The numbers:

Ipswich – Sao Jose ’30; Waldmann ‘55

Looking ahead...

Ipswich face an uphill battle to back up this performance when they travel to Wolves next week, while it is hard to predict which Easts side will show up for their clash against leaders Lions.

Lions FC 4:0 Capalaba

Shoheel Kahn produced a memorable display to down Capalaba, netting a hat-trick and consolidating Lions’ position at the top of the table.

Everyone will be talking about…

Khan’s ingenuity. The agile frontman made light work of the chances he was given and almost single-handedly led his side to victory.

Yeah, but what happened?

Capalaba held their ground in the first period and the sides were locked goalless at the break. Lions noticeably began pressing higher up the park in the second period and Khan’s deadly finishing proved the difference. Lions’ number nine bagged an 18-minute hat-trick, with Andrew Butler also sneaking in a strike to complete the onslaught.

The numbers:

Lions – Khan ’60, ’65, ’78; Butler ‘71

Looking ahead...

Lions may face a stern test at an unpredictable Easts side next week, while there is not much between Capalaba and Rochedale on paper and on the standings ahead of their clash at John Fredericks Park.

NSW Wrap: Bonnyrigg draw a blank in goal fest week

Olympic overrun top of the table Bonnyrigg

Seven teams found the net three or more times in a blistering weekend which saw 26 goals scored, including two high-scoring thrillers.

The first Blacktown derby of the season ended 3-3, while down the coast the Wolves and APIA Tigers were playing out a 4-4 thriller.

Bonnyrigg suffered their first defeat of the season, as they ended up goalless along with Sydney United and the Mariners Academy.

Blacktown Spartans 3-3 Blacktown City

(Austin 38’, Kato 41’, Biczo 45’), (Miyazawa 22’, Rooney 74’, 86’)

The first instalment of the Blacktown derby this season ended a six goal thriller with the teams sharing the spoils.

City drew first blood through Ryuji Miyazawa, only to be pegged back from a magnificent Luke Austin free kick, and then put to the sword with a Spartan frenzy resulting in three goals in the space of seven minutes right before half time.

But the visitors managed to regain themselves and cut down the deficit through clinical striker Sean Rooney in the 74^th minute. 12 minutes later and a glancing effort from Rooney completed the comeback in a thrilling derby fixture.

Under 20’s: Blacktown Spartans 2-1 Blacktown City
Next Week: Sydney United v Blacktown Spartans
Manly United v Blacktown City

South Coast Wolves 4-4 APIA Leichhardt
(Zucco 8’, Del Turco 11’, 54’, Martinoski 25’), (Oswell 18’, 52’, Taneski 23’ (pen), Parisi 87’)

A definite contender for game of the season, South Coast and APIA produced a 90 minute encounter not many would have expected from two teams struggling near the bottom of the ladder.

A blistering start in cold conditions resulted in five goals in the opening 25 minutes as the Wolves jumped to a 3-2 lead. The opening goal from Ricky Zucco was a stunning free kick followed immediately by a Mitch Del Turco header.

But moments later Jason Oswell headed one back for his side before Nikola Taneski proved reliable from the penalty spot to level the scores. But the Wolves were determined to wrestle their lead back, and it only took two minutes before John Martinoski’s missile shot ensured the hosts were ahead at the break.

Three more goals were added after the break, as Oswell equalised before again the Wolves re-took the lead only moments after when Del Turco scored his second. The Wolves didn’t have time to re-take the lead following APIA’s final equaliser as Franco Parisi earned his team a point.

Under 20’s: South Coast Wolves 2-3 APIA Leichhardt Tigers
Next Week: Central Coast Mariners Academy v South Coast Wolves
APIA Leichhardt v Sydney Olympic

Sydney Olympic 3-0 Bonnyrigg White Eagles
(Grima 29’, Elrich 49’, Gauthier 51’)

A clinical performance from a fighting Sydney Olympic side has delivered the Bonnyrigg White Eagles their first loss of the season.

Following a stunning midweek walk-out at Belmore as the coaches Peter Tsekenis and Peter Papoythis and a host of experienced players left the club unexpectedly, the illustrious club looked to have a mammoth task ahead of them. But all involved in the club lifted and dominated the only previously undefeated team in the league.

Luke Grima held his composure to give Olympic a first half lead when he was released in on goal and slid the ball past the ‘keeper into the bottom right hand corner after 29’ minutes.

The home side came out of the sheds on first when Zac Elrich doubled the lead on 49’ minutes after rounding Nash, and two minutes later Amaury Gauthier completed a passionate performance against all odds when his free kick found the back of the net.

Under 20’s: Sydney Olympic 0-2 Bonnyrigg White Eagles
Next Week: APIA Leichhardt v Sydney Olympic
Marconi Stallions v Bonnyrigg White Eagles

Manly United 1-2 Sutherland Sharks
(Lawson 81’), (Nikas 43’, 90’)

Sutherland Sharks moved to equal first on the ladder following a hard earned 2-1 victory away to Manly United.

Panni Nikas did what he does best, leading the Sharks to another three points with a brace, including a last minute winner.

The midfield maestro Nikas made Matt Sim pay for a missed chance in the 41^st minute when he finished well at the near post just two minutes later.

Josh Lawson looked to have headed home a point for Manly when he met a Sim corner, but their delight was soon shattered by Nikas’ 10^th goal as the season as he ran at the defence and fired home on the second attempt.

Under 20’s: Manly United 0-0 Sutherland Sharks
Next Week: Manly United v Blacktown City
Sutherland Sharks v Rockdale City Suns

Rockdale City Suns 3-0 Central Coast Mariners Academy
(Urosevski 4’, Cardozo 90’, Gan 90’+2’)

The Suns good run of form continued as they moved up to third on the ladder with a three goal win over the struggling Mariners Academy side.

The final scoreline didn’t flatter the Mariners Academt, who fell behind early before spending a majority of the match only one goal behind. Two late goals for the host blew out the score.

Alec Urosevski was set up by Takuya Murayama just four minutes into the fixture and finished well as he drove his shot past ‘keeper Jordan Nikolovski.

It was the only difference between the sides until Richard Cardozo made sure of the three points on the stroke of the 90^th minute who finished after controlling the ball off his chest. Brendan Gan added another two minutes later to give Branko Culina’s Rockdale a win that lifts them further up the table.

Under 20’s: Rockdale City Suns 2-3 Central Coast Mariners Academy
Next Week: Sutherland Sharks v Rockdale City Suns
Central Coast Mariners Academy v South Coast Wolves

Marconi Stallions 3-0 Sydney United
(O’Connell 29’, Simonovic 34’, Purcell 78’)

Marconi sent a message out to the rest of the league that they are not to be wrote off with a 3-0 win against Sydney United moving them just two points off the top five.

Two goals in the space of five minutes ensured Marconi went into the break with the lead. Sean O’Connell found the net from close range just before the half hour mark and Milorad Simonovic doubled the lead when he beat Liam Reddy from distance.

United continued their run of poor form as they dropped to sixth when Tadhg Purcell made sure of the win for Marconi 12’ minutes from time.

Under 20’s: Marconi Stallions 1-1 Sydney United
Next Week: Marconi Stallions v Bonnyrigg White Eagles
Sydney United v Blacktown Spartans

FFA Fan Forum Perth

Football Federation Australia (FFA) rolled into Perth last night for the city’s very first fan forum and it was well received with in excess of 100 people present representing the media, fan groups and local clubs amongst others.

The five man panel comprised of David Gallop (FFA Chief Executive), Damian De Bohun (Head of the Hyundai A-League), Peter Hugg (Football West), Tony Sage (Perth Glory owner) and Alistair Edwards (Perth Glory coach), while Kyle Patterson (Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications at FFA) chaired.

Split into four sections – A-League, Socceroos/internationals, National Premier League (NPL) and the women’s game – the forum got underway at 7pm and lasted two hours. We were also promised time at the end for general questions not relating to the four topics but this never materialised.

First up was discussion on the A-League and questions centred heavily around Perth Glory’s fixtures with two main bugbears – afternoon kick offs in the summer and midweek games which start at 4.30pm WST. De Bohun admitted that the fixtures for the upcoming season, which will be released tomorrow, still won’t be perfect from a Perth perspective while Gallop’s flippant “there’s nothing we can do about it” reply to the query over games kicking off while people are still at work did not go down well. While finals games may be hard to restructure due to television requirements, there is simply no excuse for having Glory games at 4.30pm when it is the association that decides when regular season fixtures take place.

The issue of refereeing also came up in relation to the dodgy decisions that Glory have been on the receiving end of for the past two seasons. While the FFA representatives admitted that mistakes can be made, they stopped short of criticising individuals. There are plans to liaise better with the media when it comes to explaining decisions, while the recruitment of ex-players to become referees is also being looked into more.

In terms of expansion, Gallop wants stability for the current ten teams before any further licences are handed out, while Tony Sage revealed that there is a guaranteed loss of at least $2.6 million per year for an owner who is funding A-League, W-League and Youth League teams. On the subject of tickets, Sage also quoted figures which a club must pay before it starts to generate revenue from their sale - $7.70 per ticket goes to Ticketmaster, $2.50 to public transport, and $8 to the stadium hire.

Next up was the national team and understandably those in audience were keen to find out when Perth will be given another international with it being almost a decade since the last one. Gallop said that he would like the opening game of the new Perth stadium to be a Socceroos international, however the current expected date for its completion is some time in 2018 so not exactly a short term solution.

Gallop addressed the issue of Perth missing out on the Asian Cup despite being in close proximity to the continent. A lack of State Government support for funding is the root cause, with Sage backing this up by revealing that he asked for support to bring Liverpool to Perth but was knocked back, a contrast to the Victorian Government who put up $2 million.

On the subject of international opposition, Gallop said that the FFA are in negotiations with top ten ranked teams in the hope of lining up some glamour friendlies and more will details will be available after the June internationals.

A question from the floor questioned the merit of the “Socceroos” name but the suggestion to change it to the “Footballroos” was met with very little support.

Gallop spoke about a new active fan initiative being launched shortly with the aim of having 'chapters' in each state which will lead to a sea of passionate green and gold support at internationals. An initial meeting took place with about 20 people last week.

The most controversial topic of the night was always going to be the National Premier League (NPL) such is the opposition in the state to the idea. Existing State League clubs are worried about their standing with the possibility of some existing top flight clubs not being accepted into the new system, thus jeopardising their future.

Football West’s Peter Hugg believes that it is a great opportunity for WA to be part of a national concept and it is important for the country’s second tier competitions to progress. David Gallop spoke about making football the largest and most successful sport in Australia, and the NPL is key to that.

Alistair Edwards talked very well on the avenues for players to explore if they are not part of the NTC/Glory Youth set up and said that ideally each NPL club will have qualified coaches to nurture youngsters at that level. That of course was met with the question of funding and who will pay for these coaches, with club representatives annoyed that they are expected to foot the bill.

There was some excellent insight given from the floor into how things operate in Germany, a country that has successfully improved its youth set up over the past decade, however this was met with a lazy and unnecessary “This is Australia” retort from Kyle Patterson.

With Western Australia due to kick off its NPL in 2014, it’s clear that a lot of work is still needed for that deadline to be met.

To round off, there was a short segment on women’s football and the W-League with strong calls to improve publicity for the game, with Emma Highwood of the FFA speaking passionately. The message to corporates, the Government and other potential stakeholders is not getting through so needs to be pushed harder while the ABC got a lot of credit for their promotion on tv.

Tony Sage proposed the idea of more double headers with W-League games taking place at nib Stadium before A-League fixtures and this was met with applause from the floor as well as strong support from the fan group representatives present.

Overall it was good to finally see the FFA come out west, though the night was by no means perfect. Some of the responses to questions were unnecessarily snappy while Kyle Patterson’s attempts at dry humour from the lectern came across as ignorant more than anything else.

There will of course always be teething problems with something like this and hopefully the powers that be see value in coming back again.

VPL Wrap: The one that got away

A weekend which initially looked to be a reasonably stock-standard round of Victorian Premier League matches turned into an exciting collection of games highlighted by Miron Bleiberg's return to the State League, a big upset with Hume City defeating South and Richmond again lamenting the one that got away.

Pascoe Vale 0
Bentleigh Greens 1 (Batsis 51')
Hosken Reserve

One goal was enough for Bentleigh Greens to take all three points from their encounter against Pascoe Vale. Evan Batsis' strike in the early stages of the second half shot Bentleigh up to second place on the VPL table.

Pascoe Vale take on in-form Dandenong Thunder next week while Bentleigh Greens host Melbourne Knights on Friday night in what should be an interesting contest.

Oakleigh Cannons 0
Dandenong Thunder 1 (Bran 58')
Jack Edwards Reserve

Miron Bleiberg's return to coaching in the VPL was spoiled by a second half Bryan Bran penalty. The Grand Final rematch lived up to expectations however as the visitors were clearly the better team on the night and were deserved of the three points.

Next week Dandenong take on Pascoe Vale in the last of five home lockout matches while Oakleigh travel to South Melbourne who will be eager for three points.

Hume City 3 (Sumbul 24’ Ofli 28' Canham 81’)
South Melbourne 2 (Hatzimouratis 45’ (pen) Kelly 58’)
Broadmeadows Valley Park

Hume City caused arguably the upset of the round after defeating powerhouse South Melbourne in a thrilling encounter. South looked to complete yet another come from behind victory in a matter of weeks however a late Sean Canham strike sealed all three points for the hosts.

Hume take on winless Richmond next week while South Melbourne play host to Oakleigh Cannons.

Northcote City 2 (Piemonte 58’ Obradovic 88’)
Green Gully Cavaliers 0
John Cain Memorial Park

Northcote City extended their unbeaten 2013 VPL season with a 2-0 victory over Green Gully. The hosts overpowered the Cavaliers in the second half, leaving them with only one win on the board after six rounds.

Former Melbourne Victory player Rodrigo Vargas will be disappointed after receiving two yellow cards late in the game, leaving him out of next week's clash against Port Melbourne. Northcote City travel to Southern Stars.

Melbourne Knights 3 (Alijenad 6' J.Colosimo 76 A.Colosimo 78')
Southern Stars 0
Knights Stadium

Melbourne Knights secured their first win since Round Two in a fairly lacklustre game at Knights Stadium. Shayan Alinejad scored the opener after just six minutes before brothers Jacob and Anothony Colosimo both stamped their names on the scoresheet in the second half.

Melbourne Knights take on Bentleigh Greens next week in a mouth-watering clash while Southern Stars will host undefeated Northcote City.

Richmond 1 (Karaham 5')
Port Melbourne Sharks 2 (Ibrahim 17' Sarkies 49')
Kevin Bartlett Reserve

Looking for their first win of the season, Richmond took an early lead against Port Melbourne with Karahan's header after just five minutes. However, former Melbourne Heart players Kamal Ibrahim and Kristian Sarkies sealed the three points for the visitors with goals either side of the break.

Cellar-dwellers Richmond host Hume city next week, while Port Melbourne take on Green Gully.

Ladder after Round Six

POS	TEAM	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Northcote City SC	6	6	0	0	20	3	17	18
2	Bentleigh Greens SC	6	4	1	1	11	4	7	13
3	South Melbourne FC	6	4	0	2	13	9	4	12
4	Melbourne Knights FC	6	3	2	1	10	7	3	11
5	Dandenong Thunder SC	6	4	1	1	11	4	7	10
6	Port Melbourne Sharks SC	6	3	1	2	8	6	2	10
7	Hume City FC	6	3	0	3	8	15	-7	9
8	Pascoe Vale SC	6	2	0	4	6	8	-2	6
9	Oakleigh Cannons FC	6	1	2	3	4	9	-5	5
10	Green Gully Cavaliers SC	6	1	1	4	6	10	-4	4
11	Southern Stars FC	6	0	2	4	3	12	-9	2
12	Richmond FC	6	0	0	6	7	20	-13	0

Round Seven Fixtures
Bentleigh Greens v Melbourne Knights, 8:15pm Friday 24 May, Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
Richmond v Hume City, 8:30pm Friday 24 May, Kevin Bartlett Reserve
Dandenong Thunder v Pascoe Vale, 3pm Saturday 25 May, George Andrews Reserve
Green Gully v Port Melbourne, 3pm Saturday 25 May, Green Gully Reserve
Southern Stars v Northcote City, 6pm Saturday 25 May, Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
South Melbourne v Oakleigh Cannons, 5pm Sunday 26 May, Lakeside Stadium

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