Sydney Olympic has kept its hopes of claiming
the Minor Premiership alive, after a dominant victory at home to the Sutherland
Sharks at Belmore Sports Ground on Sunday afternoon. We were by far the better
side and deserved the victory.
It was an uneventful opening 10 or so minutes of the match and there was a
distinct lack of intensity from both sides early on. There were no real
clear-cut chances in the opening stages of the first-half until the opposition
managed to carve one out after the initial dull period, which luckily for us
came to nothing. After this uninspiring spell, we managed to wake up and get
ourselves into gear and the final 20 minutes of the first-half was all Sydney
Olympic. We fired a few warning shots at Sutherland’s goal, before we finally
opened the scoring thanks to a well worked team move and a good finish from
Alejandro Sanchez. Very soon after Sanchez could have had his 2nd for the
afternoon only for him to miss the target. Sutherland had 1 good chance before
half-time but it was us who finished the first-half the far better side, and we
were unlucky not to go into the half-time break leading by more, but the signs
were there that there would be more goals in the second-half.
We continued in the second-half from where we left off in the first-half, as we
created a couple of half chances in the early stages, before we finally buried
one to double our lead, with Alejandro Sanchez finishing well again to send us
into a 2-0 lead. With that 2nd goal, we looked like we had wrapped it up, we
would be in for a comfortable rest of the afternoon and cruise to the victory.
But that was knocked on the head very quickly, as Sutherland hit back straight
away, after former Sydney Olympic player Adrian Vranic pulled a goal back after
a scramble inside the box, meaning it was game on once again. Thankfully we did
not drop our heads after we conceded and went right back to work, looking for
more goals and 10 minutes after we had conceded, we restored our 2-goal lead as
Max Burgess finished off his chance well to make it 3-1. We created several
more opportunities in the closing stages of the match, but we were not clinical
enough in front of goal and we could not add to our lead. At the full-time
whistle we had to be satisfied with the 3-1 victory.
So we did what was needed on Sunday to keep the pressure on at the top of the
table. It wasn’t our best performance but we pushed through to claim the vital
3 points. It makes for a very interesting finish to the season now.
As a result of the weekend scores, we find ourselves equal 1st, equal on 42 points
with APIA Leichhardt, with 2 rounds remaining in the race for the Minor
Premiership. We will need a bit of luck and some results to go our way if we
are to leapfrog APIA into 1st, as
we have a significantly inferior goal differential and have the much tougher
schedule to end the regular season.
In the Club Championship, the U18s lost 3-0 and the U20s lost 1-0.
Our next match is this Sunday Afternoon, August 5. A tough one against the
Wollongong Wolves away in Wollongong, at Hooka Creek Park, Berkeley. Kick-Off
is at 3pm.
Monday 30 July 2018
Monday 23 July 2018
Sydney FC NPL 2-3 Sydney Olympic
Sydney Olympic is back in the winner’s circle
after a dominant victory over Sydney FC’s youth team on Saturday Night. Do not let
the score-line fool you into thinking the match was at all close, as we had 2
dubious penalty decisions given against us, making the match seem close, when
in reality the end score was flattering for them.
After a week off, we pleasantly came out of the blocks fast at the beginning of the first-half. We controlled the tempo and most of the possession early on and very soon, we were looking threatening and dangerous in attack. We were rewarded for our early positivity 15 minutes into the match, as Max Burgess picked the ball up got into a good position and put the chance away through a good finish, to put us 1-0 up. We were all over them and with a bit of luck we could have had our 2nd very soon after, but it was not to be. As the first-half rolled on, we were certainly the far better side and we were showing it, but that did not stop the referee from awarding a penalty to the opposition late in the first-half, which they managed to put away to make the score 1-1. We didn’t drop our heads though and continued to push in an effort to re-take the lead before half-time. We had a couple of attacks and half-chances during the closing stages of the first-half, but as the whistle went, we had to settle for the 1-1 score-line heading into the half-time break.
The second-half was more of the same from Sydney Olympic, as we continued our dominance and not long after the restart we had restored our lead, a nice cross from William Angel found the head of Alejandro Sanchez to put us 2-1 up. Not long after this, we again hit the back of the net, thanks to a nice goal from Nikola Kuleski via a freekick. We were 3-1 up and well on top now, looking for more goals and looking to put the opposition to the sword. We had a plethora of chances to do so and realistically we should have been 5 or 6 goals up by the mid-way point of the second-half. But as is usual for Sydney Olympic Supporters, we had to suffer a few heart-attack moments near the end, as the referee once again gave another dubious penalty decision to the opposition. They put the penalty away to make the score 3-2, which was how the match ended at the full-time whistle.
The score-line looks close or “respectable” but in reality, they were never in it and it should have been a real pasting but it wasn’t, a common theme of our season.
So, it was good to get the 3 points and put ourselves back in the Minor Premiership race, as APIA Leichhardt slipped up down in Wollongong only managing a draw. These last 3 matches of the season will be massive and there will be plenty of twists and turns before we head into the Finals.
We have lost the services of George Timotheou, as he has signed a contract with Schalke in Germany, he had been a big loss these last few weeks and will now be an even greater loss for the rest of our season.
But all you can say is congratulations to George for all is hard work and wish him all the best for the future.
In the Club Championship, the U18s lost 3-1 and the U20s lost 6-0.
Our next match is this Sunday Afternoon, July 29, our first match back at home at Belmore Sports Ground for a long while, against the Sutherland Sharks. Kick-Off is at 3pm.
After a week off, we pleasantly came out of the blocks fast at the beginning of the first-half. We controlled the tempo and most of the possession early on and very soon, we were looking threatening and dangerous in attack. We were rewarded for our early positivity 15 minutes into the match, as Max Burgess picked the ball up got into a good position and put the chance away through a good finish, to put us 1-0 up. We were all over them and with a bit of luck we could have had our 2nd very soon after, but it was not to be. As the first-half rolled on, we were certainly the far better side and we were showing it, but that did not stop the referee from awarding a penalty to the opposition late in the first-half, which they managed to put away to make the score 1-1. We didn’t drop our heads though and continued to push in an effort to re-take the lead before half-time. We had a couple of attacks and half-chances during the closing stages of the first-half, but as the whistle went, we had to settle for the 1-1 score-line heading into the half-time break.
The second-half was more of the same from Sydney Olympic, as we continued our dominance and not long after the restart we had restored our lead, a nice cross from William Angel found the head of Alejandro Sanchez to put us 2-1 up. Not long after this, we again hit the back of the net, thanks to a nice goal from Nikola Kuleski via a freekick. We were 3-1 up and well on top now, looking for more goals and looking to put the opposition to the sword. We had a plethora of chances to do so and realistically we should have been 5 or 6 goals up by the mid-way point of the second-half. But as is usual for Sydney Olympic Supporters, we had to suffer a few heart-attack moments near the end, as the referee once again gave another dubious penalty decision to the opposition. They put the penalty away to make the score 3-2, which was how the match ended at the full-time whistle.
The score-line looks close or “respectable” but in reality, they were never in it and it should have been a real pasting but it wasn’t, a common theme of our season.
So, it was good to get the 3 points and put ourselves back in the Minor Premiership race, as APIA Leichhardt slipped up down in Wollongong only managing a draw. These last 3 matches of the season will be massive and there will be plenty of twists and turns before we head into the Finals.
We have lost the services of George Timotheou, as he has signed a contract with Schalke in Germany, he had been a big loss these last few weeks and will now be an even greater loss for the rest of our season.
But all you can say is congratulations to George for all is hard work and wish him all the best for the future.
In the Club Championship, the U18s lost 3-1 and the U20s lost 6-0.
Our next match is this Sunday Afternoon, July 29, our first match back at home at Belmore Sports Ground for a long while, against the Sutherland Sharks. Kick-Off is at 3pm.
Monday 9 July 2018
Rockdale 1-0 Sydney Olympic
Sydney Olympic has run out of steam for 2018,
after recording back-to-back losses for the first time this season, in what is
the most crucial part of the year. The poor results of the last several weeks has
seen us relinquish top spot and all indications suggest that we have thrown
away our chance to finish top.
We started off brightly and we were the better side throughout the first-half in what has to be said, was a half of limited goal-scoring opportunities. When we did find ourselves in good positions, the final pass or cross was poor and on other occasions, we were too scared to actually shoot the ball and tried to play intricate passes basically inside the 6-yard box. The first-half was a battle for the most part, but as we went to the half-time break dead-locked at 0-0, I myself, was at least confident we would put away a chance in the second-half and claim the victory.
The second-half was pretty much more of the same but with the added rise in desperation levels from both teams. Both sides created chances but both goalkeepers were in good form and kept the scores at 0-0. We had 1 unbelievable chance and thought we had scored, only for Rockdale’s goalkeeper to pull off a ridiculous save from close range. With 15 minutes remaining we went behind, Paul Henderson pulled off a nice save, but a Rockdale player reacted quicker than anyone else to put away the rebound. We pushed in the closing stages for the equaliser, but it was not to be our night and we had gone down 1-0.
Along with the poor run of results, Sydney Olympic has simply stopped scoring, not that we were a free-scoring team in the first place, but the goals and even the chances have certainly dried up.
As mentioned at the top, this team looks to have run its race for season 2018. Despite having plenty of reasons to be motivated yesterday, (Maintaining ladder position, Will Angel’s 200th match, the big Olympic support that turned up and many many others), we just did not want it enough, as sad as it is to say.
In the first 11 rounds of the season we were incredible, but ever since the start of the second-round of matches, our form and results have dipped. The 7 matches from rounds 12-18 has seen us record a frustrating sequence of L-D-W-D-W-L-L, worrying to say the least.
After leading the competition with as much as a 7-point lead over everyone else at one stage, we have slipped to 2nd. Maybe we will be better as hunters than the hunted, but I won’t hold my breath for a remarkable form reversal.
The (once again) thin squad coupled with the long injury list has finally taken its toll, usually this collapse happens much earlier in the season, so we must at least be grateful for that.
Just to put it into a little bit of perspective, along with the season-ending injuries to Hagi Gligor, Jake De Marigny and Paul Katsetis, the likes of George Timotheou, Zac Mackenzie, Jason Madonis were also missing from yesterday’s match and it was obvious.
Next week is a Bye round as the Waratah Cup Final takes precedence. It definitely is a good thing as the break is needed and we do have plenty of injuries, but it is disappointing that we are limping our way into this break on the back of consecutive defeats and are limping towards the end of the season.
In the Club Championship, the U18s lost 2-0, the U20s won 2-1.
Our next match is on Saturday Night, July 21, an away match against Sydney FC’s NPL team, at Lambert Park. Kick-Off is at 7.45pm. It simply is must win now.
We started off brightly and we were the better side throughout the first-half in what has to be said, was a half of limited goal-scoring opportunities. When we did find ourselves in good positions, the final pass or cross was poor and on other occasions, we were too scared to actually shoot the ball and tried to play intricate passes basically inside the 6-yard box. The first-half was a battle for the most part, but as we went to the half-time break dead-locked at 0-0, I myself, was at least confident we would put away a chance in the second-half and claim the victory.
The second-half was pretty much more of the same but with the added rise in desperation levels from both teams. Both sides created chances but both goalkeepers were in good form and kept the scores at 0-0. We had 1 unbelievable chance and thought we had scored, only for Rockdale’s goalkeeper to pull off a ridiculous save from close range. With 15 minutes remaining we went behind, Paul Henderson pulled off a nice save, but a Rockdale player reacted quicker than anyone else to put away the rebound. We pushed in the closing stages for the equaliser, but it was not to be our night and we had gone down 1-0.
Along with the poor run of results, Sydney Olympic has simply stopped scoring, not that we were a free-scoring team in the first place, but the goals and even the chances have certainly dried up.
As mentioned at the top, this team looks to have run its race for season 2018. Despite having plenty of reasons to be motivated yesterday, (Maintaining ladder position, Will Angel’s 200th match, the big Olympic support that turned up and many many others), we just did not want it enough, as sad as it is to say.
In the first 11 rounds of the season we were incredible, but ever since the start of the second-round of matches, our form and results have dipped. The 7 matches from rounds 12-18 has seen us record a frustrating sequence of L-D-W-D-W-L-L, worrying to say the least.
After leading the competition with as much as a 7-point lead over everyone else at one stage, we have slipped to 2nd. Maybe we will be better as hunters than the hunted, but I won’t hold my breath for a remarkable form reversal.
The (once again) thin squad coupled with the long injury list has finally taken its toll, usually this collapse happens much earlier in the season, so we must at least be grateful for that.
Just to put it into a little bit of perspective, along with the season-ending injuries to Hagi Gligor, Jake De Marigny and Paul Katsetis, the likes of George Timotheou, Zac Mackenzie, Jason Madonis were also missing from yesterday’s match and it was obvious.
Next week is a Bye round as the Waratah Cup Final takes precedence. It definitely is a good thing as the break is needed and we do have plenty of injuries, but it is disappointing that we are limping our way into this break on the back of consecutive defeats and are limping towards the end of the season.
In the Club Championship, the U18s lost 2-0, the U20s won 2-1.
Our next match is on Saturday Night, July 21, an away match against Sydney FC’s NPL team, at Lambert Park. Kick-Off is at 7.45pm. It simply is must win now.
Monday 2 July 2018
Blacktown City 1-0 Sydney Olympic
The annual petering out of Sydney Olympic’s
season has begun, after witnessing a very lacklustre performance against
Blacktown City on Sunday Afternoon. We always seem to save these types of
performances at the most important times of the year, we can’t seem to get it
done when it matters most and it has been that way for years. We are sliding at
the wrong time of the year and it’s going to take something miraculous to halt that
slide.
In the first-half we were second-best as Blacktown controlled proceedings and had most of the chances. We needed to be saved on multiple occasions by Paul Henderson who made a series of great saves. Where would we be if he wasn’t with us? And where will we be when he eventually hangs the gloves up? Up shit creek is where. We had a couple of chances as well but we failed to deliver the killer blow, a well-known story for Sydney Olympic this season. At the half-time break the score was dead-locked at 0-0 and we needed to improve in the second-half if we were to get the result.
The second-half was more of the same and within the first few minutes of the re-start we had gone behind and were now down 1-0. After this we reacted well and went in search of an equaliser, but it was not to be. Blacktown countered at pace, knowing full well that there would be space left for them as we pushed forward. Luckily for us they could not extend their lead, leaving us the opportunity to maybe go on and snatch something late on. Unfortunately, we could not manage to find a goal, thus ending a quite frustrating afternoon.
If it was not for Paul Henderson in this match we would have conceded more than 1. The continued absence of George Timotheou in defence leaves a big hole in this team and it was quite obvious again today, when he is due back no one is quite sure of. As for our attack, it has stagnated, the signing of James Demetriou was meant to help us in this regard, but he has been unsighted in the team since he re-signed with us nearly a month ago now.
We’ve had a strangle-hold on 1st place for many weeks now, but we have not been able to capitalise on the situation. We have not been able to increase our lead at the top and significantly gap the rest of the competition. When you also consider that our closest competitor APIA Leichhardt have had the handicap of playing several extra midweek matches in the last few weeks and are actually crushing their opposition in the process, it is even more pathetic from us.
Apart from 1 game this year against Wollongong where we put 5 passed them, we have scraped passed teams for the most part, struggling and generally edging them out by the odd-goal. We should be murdering sides and have had chances during matches this year to do so.
In the last few weeks we have lost to a shocking Bonnyrigg team, struggled to a draw with Hakoah, squandered the chance to beat APIA and have now lost to Blacktown City, we are hitting poor form at the wrong time of the season.
And the worst part is we do not have any excuses for it, we were knocked out of the Cup long ago, and that was supposed to be a “good thing” as we re-focused on our 1 mission, and that was to finish 1st. Despite still being 1 point in front, that looks like being a tall order now.
In the Club Championship, the U18s lost 1-0 and the U20s also lost, going down 3-1. So, zero points for the entire weekend. If we are not careful we will be dragged into something we don’t want any part of.
Our next match is next Sunday Evening July 8, a tricky match against Rockdale at their dump. 468 West Botany St. Rockdale. Kick-Off is at 5pm. A win is essential here.
In the first-half we were second-best as Blacktown controlled proceedings and had most of the chances. We needed to be saved on multiple occasions by Paul Henderson who made a series of great saves. Where would we be if he wasn’t with us? And where will we be when he eventually hangs the gloves up? Up shit creek is where. We had a couple of chances as well but we failed to deliver the killer blow, a well-known story for Sydney Olympic this season. At the half-time break the score was dead-locked at 0-0 and we needed to improve in the second-half if we were to get the result.
The second-half was more of the same and within the first few minutes of the re-start we had gone behind and were now down 1-0. After this we reacted well and went in search of an equaliser, but it was not to be. Blacktown countered at pace, knowing full well that there would be space left for them as we pushed forward. Luckily for us they could not extend their lead, leaving us the opportunity to maybe go on and snatch something late on. Unfortunately, we could not manage to find a goal, thus ending a quite frustrating afternoon.
If it was not for Paul Henderson in this match we would have conceded more than 1. The continued absence of George Timotheou in defence leaves a big hole in this team and it was quite obvious again today, when he is due back no one is quite sure of. As for our attack, it has stagnated, the signing of James Demetriou was meant to help us in this regard, but he has been unsighted in the team since he re-signed with us nearly a month ago now.
We’ve had a strangle-hold on 1st place for many weeks now, but we have not been able to capitalise on the situation. We have not been able to increase our lead at the top and significantly gap the rest of the competition. When you also consider that our closest competitor APIA Leichhardt have had the handicap of playing several extra midweek matches in the last few weeks and are actually crushing their opposition in the process, it is even more pathetic from us.
Apart from 1 game this year against Wollongong where we put 5 passed them, we have scraped passed teams for the most part, struggling and generally edging them out by the odd-goal. We should be murdering sides and have had chances during matches this year to do so.
In the last few weeks we have lost to a shocking Bonnyrigg team, struggled to a draw with Hakoah, squandered the chance to beat APIA and have now lost to Blacktown City, we are hitting poor form at the wrong time of the season.
And the worst part is we do not have any excuses for it, we were knocked out of the Cup long ago, and that was supposed to be a “good thing” as we re-focused on our 1 mission, and that was to finish 1st. Despite still being 1 point in front, that looks like being a tall order now.
In the Club Championship, the U18s lost 1-0 and the U20s also lost, going down 3-1. So, zero points for the entire weekend. If we are not careful we will be dragged into something we don’t want any part of.
Our next match is next Sunday Evening July 8, a tricky match against Rockdale at their dump. 468 West Botany St. Rockdale. Kick-Off is at 5pm. A win is essential here.
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