Frustrations Continue - Rockdale 2-1 Sydney Olympic

This current incarnation of a Sydney Olympic team has to be up there with one of the most schizophrenic versions in the club’s long history. Every week you are at a game petrified over which version will turn up, good or bad, it certainly makes things interesting following them around. The teams you expect us to beat, roll us, and the games you expect us to do it tough in we come up with the goods. With only 6 rounds left it’s high time we get our act together.

The match started cautiously with both sides taking a while to find their feet. Throughout the first half both sides had chances to take the lead with no one managing to break the deadlock. Moments before the halftime break Dimi Hatzimouratis was sent clear on goal, the oncoming Rockdale Goalkeeper came out of his box and fouled the Olympic Striker, the Rockdale Goalkeeper was given his marching orders and Rockdale were set to play with 10-men for the whole 2nd half. If we had managed to score from that play and Rockdale stayed with 11-men, the match would have panned out differently, obviously.

Early into the 2nd half we found ourselves down through a deflected freekick which found an unmarked Rockdale player who put it away, a short time later we conceded another soft goal, we were now 2-0 down against 10-men with 20-odd minutes remaining. Michael Gaitatzis came on to replace Dimi Hatzimouratis and had a good chance to reduce the deficit but was thwarted. Harris Gaitatzis finally managed to get a goal back, but it was in injury-time and unfortunately for us it was too little too late. We had suffered another defeat.

So another poor loss in a match we really should have taken 3 points from to put pressure on the teams above. As it is, we will now be looking over our shoulder and hope not to be run down by the chasing pack. L-W-L-D-L-L-W-L is the shocking run of results we find ourselves in, unacceptable.

Next week the league takes a week off for the Waratah Cup Final. As a result, league play for us resumes on the 12th of July at Belmore against Manly - kickoff 3pm.