Glory pip Sorrento in Regional Cup thriller
Report by Tommy Doleman
Khoa Ngo netted a dramatic stoppage-time winner as Perth Glory edged Sorrento FC 3-2 in a Regional Festival of Football thriller in Albany.
The victory for John Walmsley’s charges moves them back into a finals spot and makes it 4-3 in Regional Cup wins since the fixture between the two sides began in 2017.
Sorrento meanwhile drop to 11th in the NPLWA - Men’s competition.
It was a lively start at Retravision Stadium as Glory went ahead in front of a good crowd in the Great Southern. The youngsters went from back-to-front on 10 minutes as Joseph Forde’s long pass picked out Laat Mathiang, who shrugged off his marker and dispatched past Patrick Hughes for 1-0.
Sorrento levelled soon after when Joe Tweats was fouled just inside the area and Dean Cummings scored from the penalty spot for his first of the campaign.
Glory led again when Joshua Anasmo was on hand to net after Jaylan Pearman’s effort had been saved by Hughes. This was Anasmo’s second Regional Cup goal in three years.
Glory had a great chance to make it 3-1 before half-time, but were denied when Hughes brilliantly saved a Jayden Gorman spot-kick.
There was plenty more action after the break. Sorrento caused the youngsters plenty of problems from set-pieces without anyone able to apply a finish, while Glory twice thumped the crossbar and saw Hughes stick out a leg to somehow keep out Ngo’s follow-up.
Hughes’ heroics looked like it had earned the Gulls a share of the points. In the final minute of regulation time, Hugo Snowden released youngster Clay Gibbs down the right and he crossed for Cummings to complete a brace.
But there was one final twist as substitute Ngo picked up the ball on the Glory left, went on a mazy run and curled low into the corner for his first NPL goal which gave Glory all three points and sent them fourth in the table.
There was even later drama at Kingsway Reserve as Calum O’Connell’s 98th minute goal gave Olympic Kingsway a 4-3 victory over Bayswater City.
It puts David Tough’s side two points behind Baysie and four off top spot, while City saw their unbeaten run ended at seven and they drop from first to third.
It was all square at half-time with Ndumba Makeche’s penalty a minute before the break cancelling out David Perich’s left-footed drive.
Ciaran Byrne was teed up by Sasa Njegic after a goalkeeper mistake for 2-1, but Bayswater once again answered when the ball fortuitously broke for Makeche to put in.
Olympic led for a third time as Byrne glanced home from a corner, but Jon Stynes seemed to have rescued Bayswater when he converted another penalty three minutes into added time.
Kingsway would not be denied, though, and at the death O’Connell scored after Bayswater could not clear a late set-piece.
Stirling Macedonia are the new leaders as four goals in the final 19 minutes gave them a 5-0 win over 10-man Armadale.
Asher Nelson’s clever lob put Ian Ferguson’s team ahead on 17 minutes and the game remained in the balance until Chris Jackson was shown a straight red for a lunge on goalkeeper James Bosdet.
The game then got away from Armadale with Calvin Whitney scoring a simple finish from Kingsley Eshun’s pull-back soon after.
James McGowan scored his first Stirling goal with a close-range header, before first Samim Fattahi and then Daniel Faichney broke clear to roll into a vacant net and send Stirling two points clear at the summit.
Perth RedStar also scored five to move up to second, spot with Daryl Nicol’s hat-trick guiding them to a 5-1 win over Cockburn City.
The Scot bagged two in the first half as he got on the end of a typically swift RedStar counter-attack, before doubling that tally when keeping his cool from Oscar Malfiore’s pass.
Chok Dau volleyed in at the near post from Declan Hughes’ drilled free-kick and victory was all but confirmed on the hour with Nicol’s hat-trick goal following fancy footwork in the box.
Cockburn got a consolation when Justin Tang curled in a brilliant left-footed strike, only for Hughes to follow in his own effort from Andy Higgins’ corner for RedStar’s fifth.
Elsewhere, Perth SC recorded a first win since Round Five as they eased to a 4-0 win over 10-man Inglewood United at Dorrien Gardens.
Two goals from defender Julian Teles set them on their way with both headers from Ethan Banks set pieces.
Anthony Bafobusha was shown a second yellow card 10 minutes after the break and the Azzurri went on with the job to register a welcome win, which helped them leapfrog their opponents into ninth.
Banks’ persistence down the left in the second half was rewarded with a goal to go with his two assists, and Jeremie Mba capped the win late on with a sizzling half-volley following a cross from the right.
The weekend’s final game saw Balcatta Etna register their first home point of the season in a goalless draw with Floreat Athena.
Glen Grostate drop to fifth with the draw but are still only three points off top spot, while Floreat remain bottom despite ending a five-game losing streak and sit a point from the play-off spot.
Round 10 results
Armadale 0-5 Stirling Macedonia
Balcatta Etna 0-0 Floreat Athena
Olympic Kingsway 4-3 Bayswater City
Perth RedStar 5-1 Cockburn City
Perth SC 4-0 Inglewood United
Sorrento 2-3 Perth Glory