Football West Soccer Pools Cup Quarter Finals

Sunday amateur side Hamersley Rovers caused the biggest upset of the Football West Soccer Pools Cup Quarter finals by defeating Premier League side Fremantle Spirit 1-0 at the Kingsway Reserve. A goal on 28 minutes from Partington-Smith was enough to send Rovers into the Semi finals.

Another surprise came at Dorrien Gardens where Western Knights beat Perth SC 3-0. Rory Grant gave Ronnie Campbell’s the lead on 16 minutes and they led by that score at the break. But five minutes into the second half Anthony Skorich doubled their lead and with Perth chasing the game the young Perth Glory trialist, Skorich, added a third on 72 minutes to give the Knights a comfortable victory.

A penalty five minutes from time from skipper Ian McMurray was enough for ECU Joondalup to beat Floreat Athena at the ECU University Arena. The introduction of Andrew Durkan on 63 minutes gave Chris Nicholson’s side the lift they were looking for and he was heavily involved in the goal. Jason Mirco won possession off Adam Bachiller and broke quickly, finding Durkan on the left, he cut inside the penalty area and was brought down by Jovo Pavlovic and referee David Costello pointed straight to the spot. McMurray kept his nerve to score from the penalty to give Nicholson his first win as head Coach at the club

First division side Forrestfield United’s cup campaign came to an end after a 6-0 away defeat against Sorrento at Percy Doyle Reserve. John Hunter’s side battled hard in the game but four goals in the last eight minutes gave the Gulls a solid victory. A hat trick from Todd Harnwell, a double from Steven McDonald and Glen Thomas’ goal gave Steve Neville’s side the win.

FOOTBALL WEST STATE LEAGUE
SoccerPools Cup – Quarter Finals
Results – Saturday, 21 June 2008

First Team
ECU Joondalup 1 (Ian McMurray 85 Pen) Floreat Athena 0; Hamersley 1(Partington-Smith28’) Fremantle Spirit 0; Perth SC  0 Western Knights 3 (Rory Grant 16’ Anthony Skorich 49’72’) Sorrento 6 (Todd Harnwell 9’82’88’ Steven McDonald 84’89’ Glen Thomas24’) Forrestfield United 0 .

Reserves
ECU Joondalup 1 Mandurah City 0; Hamersley 0 Fremantle Spirit 5; Perth SC 2 Western Knights 3; Sorrento 0 FWNTC Boys 4

Under 18’s
Stirling Lions 2 Floreat Athena 1; Bayswater City 1 Fremantle Spirit 5; Perth SC 5 Morley-Windmills 1;Cockburn City 1 Forrestfield United 6.

Knight’s Skorich Knocks out Perth. 
By Ashley Morrison

Perth SC 0 Western Knights 3

On Saturday at Dorrien Gardens the Perth State League’s two most successful coaches came head to head in the Soccer Pools Cup, with both of their teams struggling for form in the league this match was crucial to ensure that neither club end the season with no silverware. Although, Graham Normanton’s Perth had already won the pre season Night Series, but to the proud club this was unlikely to be enough.

The first ten minutes saw both teams prodding and probing each other trying to find points of weakness, and both desperate not to give anything away, and as a result there were no clear cut openings. The first opportunity fell to the Knights’ Daniel Micevski in the 13th minute after good work by Devlin but he spurned the chance. Three minutes later the Knights were not so wasteful.

Cormac Dawson found himself with acres of room on the left hand side, looked up, and struck a perfect cross into the Perth box into the path of Rory Grant, who had ghosted in behind two Perth defenders and he volleyed home from six metres with Deeg stranded. One nil to the Knights.

Two minutes later the Knights should have doubled their lead, Grant brought the ball down well on the edge of the box with his back to goal, he laid the ball back to David Micevski, who found Skorich unmarked on the left hand side of the Perth box, but with just Deeg to beat, he scuffed his shot and it went harmlessly wide.

A minute later Perth had their first clear cut opportunity when they were awarded a free kick on the right hand side of the Knights penalty box after a foul by Devlin. Todd Howarth and Andrija Jukic stood over the ball; Howarth’s shot beat the wall but went straight into the arms of goalkeeper Kevin Miller.

This saw a period of dominance from Perth and two more wasted opportunities from Jukic. The first was when he shot wide after collecting a skewed clearance from the Knights’ David Annall, and the other when his touch let him down in the box following a sweeping move up the park.

In the 27th minute though he found his radar, and he fired a powerful drive at the Knight’s goal from just outside the box, that Miller could only fist away at full stretch. The ball ricocheted around in the box and fell back at Jukic’s feet and as he tried to make room for a shot he was fouled by Devlin, snapping at his heels like an annoying dog.

Once again Howarth lined up the free kick for Perth, but this time his shot went into the wall, and the rebound was fired hopelessly wide of the target.

In the 29th minute the action had switched to the other end of the park. Once again Dawson found himself in space on the left; once again he had time to measure his cross, and what a cross it was. Skorich challenged Circati, Deeg flapped aimlessly as he collided with Circati, and the ball sailed over all of them to Grant who had timed his run to perfection and he fired home. He wheeled away to the half way line in delight, the referees assistant joined him, but referee Anderson called play back deeming that Skorich had impeded Deeg, a decision that baffled most in the ground.

Lord limped off for Perth in the 36th minute and the Knights had one more chance before halftime. Circati lost control following a corner to Perth and Dawson broke up the pitch, the Knights had three on two but his through ball for the on rushing Skorich was too strong and Deeg came out of his box to clear the danger.

The second half saw the Knights start the stronger, first Dawson shot just over the top corner of Deeg’s far post from a tight angle. Soon after a great run by Daniel Micevski down the right saw him play the ball into the path of his brother David on the edge of the box, his rifled shot beat Deeg but rebounded off his left hand post. Skorich, ever the predator, was the first to react and prodded the ball home to stretch the Knights lead in the 50th minute.

Following this blow Perth once again went on the attack, and in a goalmouth scramble both Ross and Naglieri saw Knight’s defenders somehow clear goal bound efforts. A minute later David Annall diverted a dangerous cross over the cross bar to safety. Next up it was another chance to Naglieri, but this time his arcing drive was pushed away for a corner by Miller, who probably should have held the shot.

The Knights were absorbing plenty of pressure but looked much more solid at the back than they had in recent weeks and held firm. Howarth went closest when he hit the side netting with an angled shot.

Having absorbed such pressure it was no surprise that the Knights went up the other end and then increased their lead. David Micevski received a through ball and was running away from the Perth goal to the left, but managed to hook a pass to Skorich across his body, and the Knights striker made no mistake from 10 metres to increase their lead in the 72nd minute.

Perth were then restricted to long range efforts, with Howarth heading wide from a free kick and Circati having a 30 metre drive held by Miller.

The Knights though should have increased their winning margin. First with two men waiting in the middle and under no pressure Daniel Micevski miss-hit his cross over the cross bar. Following that with the Knights having three men on one he took too long on the ball and when he did find Skorich his shot was blocked by the covering defender and Grant hit the rebound out of the ground.

From a Grant pass Skorich showed great skill to beat Deeg who was rooted to the penalty spot with a superb lob that warranted his hat-trick, but as he wheeled away to celebrate he saw the effort hit the cross bar.

The final chance for the Knights came when Grant beat the offside trap and was through one on one with Deeg, but as an afterthought the referee’s assistant decided that he couldn’t possibly have had the pace to be so far ahead of his defender, so flagged for offside.

Western Knights Coach Ronnie Campbell was thrilled with his side’s win and said after the game “To win at Perth is always special, but to win 3-0 is extra special. Today our game plan worked perfectly and all credit must go to the players who carried it out to the letter.”                    

     
ECU spot on to beat Floreat
By Peter Simcox

ECU Joondalup 1 Floreat Athena 0

A penalty five minutes from time from skipper Ian McMurray was enough for ECU Joondalup to beat Floreat Athena in the Soccer Pools Cup Quarter final clash at the ECU University Arena.

Both sides were forced into changes due to injury but it was an even start in this all Premier League cup tie. The first chance fell to the home side on seven minutes, McMurray’s flick sent Tommy Amphlett clear but his shot was blocked by keeper Alex Dunn and Jovo Pavlovic cleared the rebound.

Athena’s first chance fell to in form striker Brad Scott, he tried his luck from long-range on 10 minutes but it flew well wide of the target.

The home side continued to dominate and McMurray should have opened the scoring five minutes later, Darren Broxton’s free kick found the big striker unmarked in the six yard box but his first time shot curled inches over the bar.

Michael Roki’s side lifted, and they went close to scoring on 20 minutes, James Isaia laid the ball back to Raphael Insurralde but his shot from 20-yards cannoned back off the crossbar, and moments later Isaia headed just wide from an Adam Bachiller cross.

Athena were now dominating, and Dean Apelgren sent Scott clear on the half hour but ECU keeper Bobson Karoma was out quick to clear. Soon after Isaia’s header from an Insurralde cross was saved by Karoma, and on 36 minutes Athena thought they had opened the scoring.

A cross from Paul Vastistas found Insurralde at the back post, his cheeky back heel beat the surprised Karoma, but former Athena defender Craig Simpson was alert to clear the ball off the line.

This escape lifted the home side and they ended the half the better, John Thornley was in on goal on 40 minutes but his lob sailed over the bar. Two minutes later McMurray’s header was straight at Dunn. Then in first half stoppage time McMurray flicked on a Broxton cross to Thornley, who held off Julian Madaschi, but his lob sailed inches past the post, and it was 0-0 at the break.  

There was a change of official’s at the break with referee Mathew Cheeseman succumbing to a leg injury and he was replaced by David Costello.

ECU went close early with both Thornley and McMurray shooting wide while for Athena the dangerous Scott failed to find the target. There was a great individual battle between fellow state players McMurray and John Migas, and the big striker got the better of the Athena defender on 62 minutes, cutting inside him from the right, but his low shot was straight at Dunn.

The introduction of Andrew Durkan on 63 minutes gave Chris Nicholson’s side a lift and he was the supplier on 70 minutes. His run and cross from the left found Jason Mirco at the back post but the defenders shot was straight at Dunn.

It was a typical cup tie with chances at both ends. Athena’s Scott saw his shot saved well by Karoma, while Durkan’s cross on 78 minutes found McMurray, whose header was saved by the Athena ‘keeper Dunn.

But the decisive moment of the game came in the 85 minute; Mirco won possession off Adam Bachiller and broke quickly, finding Durkan on the left. He cut inside the penalty area and was brought down by Pavlovic and referee Costello pointed straight to the spot. McMurray kept his nerve to score from the penalty.

Athena pressed late in search of the equaliser but with Simpson and Scott Blackmore in great form at the heart of the ECU defence there was no way through and it is ECU Joondalup who progress into the semi finals.

ECU Coach Chris Nicholson was delighted after the game, his first win as head coach of the Northern suburbs club. “It was a terrific win, we had players missing, but so did they.
We changed the way we played today with three up front and I think we ground the victory out and worked our socks off, and we showed a great deal of character today which is very pleasing,” he said. 

Teams
ECU Joondalup – GK Karoma, Nicholson (Mirco 45), A. Jones, Simpson, Blackmore, Amphlett (Donlevy 74), Bushby, Broxton, T. Jones (Durkan 63), McMurray, Thornley
Subs not used: McCrone

Yellow Cards – Nicholson

Floreat Athena – GK Dunn, Isaia, Madaschi, Vujacic, Bachiller, Insuralde, Migas, Vatistas, Pavlovic, Scott, Apelgren
Subs not used: Hass, Novatsis, Samura, Chikombe

Yellow Cards – Madaschi

Referee – Mathew Cheeseman (David Costello 45)
GULLS SWOOP INTO SEMI FINALS
By Ben Fitzpatrick

Sorrento 6 defeated Forrestfield United 0

Four late second half goals from Sorrento ensured an easy romp against Forrestfield United in their Soccer Pools Cup Quarter Final clash at Percy Doyle Reserve on Saturday.

Forrestfield had come looking for a fairytale win against their classier opposition; however Sorrento were in no mood to be party to an upset, with their dominance of the game only showing on the scoreboard in a frantic final 10 minutes.

The early drama came thanks to State team player Scott Bulloch who limped off with a leg injury that will be cause for concern for State team coach Robbie Dunn with his side, including Bulloch, due to fly out for Indonesia on Monday.

Todd Harnwell settled the nerves for the home side with a simple headed finish on seven minutes after Steven McDonald got his head to a deep free kick to leave the Sorrento striker with an easy finish.

Three minutes later and it could have been a second for Sorrento, Glen Thomas saw his header from six yards cannon of the cross bar after a Harnwell chip had found the onrushing midfielder in the box.

Just after the 20 minute mark the visitors should have had an equaliser after young striker Jordan Hart capitalised on a slip from Sorrento defender Stuart Banks. With just the keeper to beat, Hart rolled his effort wide and with it any chance of an upset in the making.

Within a minute, Sorrento gave an example of how it is done in the Premier League with a sublime passage of play ending in Harnwell feeding Thomas who coolly slotted under Brad Eiffe to make it 2-0 to the home side.

The Gulls continued to dominate proceedings and push for a third but could not find a way past Eiffe despite some determined attacks on the Forrestfield goal.

Within a minute of the restart for the second half, Sorrento should have finally had their third, however Harnwell’s free header from six yards drifted wide of the target following a super cross from Danny Cain on the left.

With the game heading to a predictable close, Sorrento put the hammer down in the final 10 minutes, scoring four goals to give the small crowd on hand something to remember the game by.

Harnwell was first off the mark, running onto a McDonald flick from a long Neil Young punt up field, the marksman holding off his defender to smartly finish low into the net.

Two minutes later and it was McDonald’s turn to get on the scoresheet, the big man volleying home a Harnwell cross as Forrestfield were caught out at the back.

The day got worse for the visitors on 88 minutes, Harnwell registered his hat-trick after nipping in front of the keeper to divert the ball home following a Thomas cross.

The icing was applied to the cake almost immediately from kick off, Thomas again the provider from the right side, his cross field ball fell kindly for McDonald to lash home from 12 yards.

Football West Match Reporter: Ben Fitzpatrick

Sorrento: GK N Young, D Cain, S McDonald, S Banks, S Neville, S Bulloch (J Trepvski 5’, (C Campbell 59’)), B Martin, G Thomas, L Flatt, D Hill (C York 59’), T Harnwell SUBS NOT USED: A Cochrane, G Moore

Sorrento: Todd Harnwell 7’, 82’, 88’, Glen Thomas 23’, Steven McDonald 84’, 89’

Forrestfield United: GK B Eiffe, M Perkins, N Watkins, D Dalby, A Otte, M Harold (A Harold 64’), M Kamara (M Barnes 72’), G Noblem, S Carlin (J Feather 67’), J Hunter, J Hart SUBS NOT USED: J Obyrne

Referee: Joe Fusari

Hammersley upset Fremantle to keep the dream alive.
By Peter Qvale

Hamersley Rovers were the surprise package in The Soccer Pools Cup quarter finals after the amateur side beat Fremantle Spirit 1-0 at Kingsway Reserve on Saturday.

It was a genuine team victory from the home side as they collectively strangled attempts from Fremantle thanks to compact play and resolute defending.

Both teams seemed nervous at the start of match, with Rovers creating some half-chances.

The first goal came in the 28th minute when Cieran Hughes broke free on the left wing and whipped a cross into the box. His pass found an unmarked Daniel Partington-Smith who headed the ball in the upper right corner to give Rovers a sensational 1-0 lead.

The home side were close to a second in the 38th minute when captain Ian Bunton unleashed a fierce drive from 20 metres, but his shot went narrowly over the crossbar.

Fremantle had to wait until the 70th minute before they created their first big chance. Raveshian Kuppusamy was through on goal with only Michael Lawson to beat, but his shot was saved. The striker also missed the follow-up chance, shooting outside the right post.

It was a frantic ending to the game as Rovers started to tire. Fremantle were allowed to attack in numbers, and Rovers can count themselves a little lucky not to concede.

Fremantle’s best chance came in the 90th minute, but defender Lee Hallums headed over the bar from 2 metres out. 

Rovers managed to hold on to their lead and now face ECU Joondalup, Sorrento or the Western Knights in the semi finals.

Rovers coach Kevin Clifford was ecstatic about the win.

“It was heart-stopping in the last five minutes. We knew their fitness would be better than ours and we knew we’d struggle in the last 45 minutes.

“It was like a cup final today, we were truly the underdog. So a victory like this is just fantastic for us,” he said.

Teams

Hamersley Rovers – GK M. Lawson, J. Higgins, A. Cusack, C. Rogers, I. Bunton, S. Brett, C. Hughes, A. Taylor, D. Partington-Smith, R. Day, J. Stocker (Hodgins 68) - Subs not used: M. Clifford, M. Sherwin, S. McDaid, J. Green.

Fremantle Spirit – GK S. Grant, T. Straker, J. Elton-Bott, A. McBride, C. Roberts, D. Araya, S. Barber, L. Hallums, L. Bake, R. Kuppusamy, C. Holland (Barrera 57) - Subs not used: D. McBride, M. Draper, C. Doyle, Tsiaplias.

Referee – S. Gregory