Season Review – Campbelltown City 2-1 Sydney Olympic

Sydney Olympic’s season ended in Adelaide on Saturday Afternoon, after going down 2-1 to Campbelltown City in the NPL National Semi-Final, eliminating us from the tournament and kissing goodbye the chance to automatically qualify for the 2019 FFA Cup Round of 32. Meaning we will have to do it the hard way, something which we have not been able to accomplish since 2015.

The match itself, we completely dominated the first-half and scored very early thanks to a Max Burgess long-range bomb, we should have been 5 or 6 up at the half-time break, we were the far better side, but we butchered numerous chances. Right on half-time, we dropped our guard and allowed them back into the match as they equalised, to bring the score to 1-1 at the break.

In the second-half, both sides created several opportunities and we were well in the contest, but as time ticked on, it looked increasingly likely that we were heading for extra-time. Unfortunately, a dubious penalty decision was given against us deep into injury-time, which cost us the game. Former Sydney Olympic defender Iain Fyfe, made no mistake to put us out 2-1.

Disappointing way to end the season obviously.

Below is a review of the squad for 2018:

- Paul Henderson – Had another outstanding season, but at 42, how much longer can he go on for, will be the big question.
- Tom Whiteside – Improved massively in 2018, had a great season.
- Jake de Marigny – Has missed 2 years of football now, no idea what’s happening with his injuries or what his situation is at the club.
- George Timotheou – Was a gun for us until he left for Schalke. What could have been a disaster and massive loss for our campaign was somehow salvaged, as we scrambled together a good enough defensive unit to hold steady and win the Championship.
- Rafa Jimenez – Was touted as a good signing, but only lasted a couple of games before he was gone, not sure what happened there.
- James Demetriou – Mid-season signing, good player, but let down the club and left us in the lurch for the trip to Adelaide and had he been there, it could have been a different story on Saturday.
- Nikola Kuleski – Good season and the type of bulldog most teams need in the middle of the park, if they are going to be successful.
- William Angel – Another consistent year from Will, always ready and willing to do whatever the team needs.
- Jason Madonis – Another good season from the skipper, firmly cementing himself to becoming a club legend.
- Radovan Pavicevic – Had a much better year than last season, was more comfortable in the 2nd striker/wide forward role and was a good foil for Alex Sanchez.
- Max Burgess – One of our best this season and unbelievably consistent for us for the entire campaign. Look forward to seeing him get even better.
- Jinya An – Ran all day, did whatever was needed by Abbas this season, played in various positions and didn’t disappoint anyone. Good season.
- Zac Mackenzie – Mid-season signing from APIA and after the departure of Timotheou, he slotted in seamlessly into the CB position and helped us to the Premiership and Championship.
- Alex Sanchez – What more needs to be said about this guy? The exact type of player Sydney Olympic Supporters have been screaming out for, for years. Someone to consistently put away our opportunities and score the goals, and boy didn’t he do that. A revelation.
- Brendan Hooper – Returned to the club midway through the season, adding some much-needed depth to the squad. Was ultimately used in a substitute role in the back end of the season.
- Darcy Burgess – Much improved player and an important cog in the Sydney Olympic machine in 2018.
- Ezequiel Consoni – Limited game time.
- Stephen Athanaseris – Limited game time.
- Riley Woodcock – Was a much-needed signing for us and proved to be invaluable for us down the left flank, had a great season.
- Hagi Gligor – Disappointingly missed the entire season for us after being hacked by a Hakoah grub earlier in the year. Good to see him ease his way back into the side these last few matches, should be ready and raring to go in 2019.
- Niko Tsattalios – Generally used as a super-sub throughout the season, he always added something and looked dangerous whenever on the park.
- Paul Katsetis – Another one who missed most of the season through injury, not sure of his situation at the club for next season.
- Youngsters like, Billy Patramanis, Callum Fitzpatrick, Ben Morrison, Adam Hristodoulou, Lachlan Watson, also appeared for us at various stages throughout the year.

I would say, without knowing 100%, that most of the players will be with us for 2019, but even still, it will not be enough, we must also strengthen and not rest on our laurels.

The last few Champions, Bonnyrigg, Blacktown City and Manly United, have all fallen in a heap recently. We must stay vigilant so as to not suffer the same fate. There are some good players out there that we should be going after and hopefully the club is on top of all of that and we see a couple of additions for next season.

Despite the disappointing end to the season, no one can be disappointed in the effort and accomplishments of the team this season. We are Premiers and Champions and nobody expected it. Congratulations to everybody who had anything to do with it, it was a collective effort and a well deserved reward for everyone’s efforts and was an amazing ride for the Sydney Olympic Supporters.

I will keep it short for the Tempe Reserve saga:

After hearing and talking about this for nearly 5 years, 2018 is the last year of the exclusive negotiating period with the Marrickville now Inner-West Council and Sydney Olympic, meaning by the end of 2018 or the start of 2019, we will know either way whether there is a green light for this project to begin or once again, the club will be shafted. We will wait and see.