Following their 0-all draw with the Central Coast Mariners in the final round of the 2009/10 season and Gold Coast United’s 1-all draw with Adelaide, Sydney FC’s National Youth League season has come to end.
Following their 0-all draw with the Central Coast Mariners in the final round of the 2009/10 season and Gold Coast United-s 1-all draw with Adelaide, Sydney FC-s National Youth League season has come to end.
The youth Sky Blues finished equal fourth on points with Gold Coast but missed out on securing a finals berth on goal difference.
Despite earning a point from the draw with competition leading Central Coast, the youth Sky Blues needed Adelaide to beat Gold Coast and when they went up 1-0 the defending champions were still alive.
However, an equaliser to the Gold Coast ended their chances.
Needing a win to ensure a spot in the finals, Sydney FC youth couldn-t find the back of the net in a gallant performance.
The opening minutes of the match can best be described as tentative as both sides were intent on sounding each other out.
After a Mariners attacking move ended with a shot hitting the crossbar, Tim McGowan unleashed a shot from 30 yards in an attempt to catch the Mariners defence off guard before Iain Ramsay forced a strong save from Mariners keeper Mathew Ryan.
Sydney FC looked to have bagged a vital goal when Ramsay headed in from a corner but he was ruled to have been offside.
Already missing a number of players through injury, things got worse for Sydney FC when Hussien Akil injury his hamstring in hot pursuit for the ball and had to be replaced.
In the minutes before half-time there was plenty of drama when a Sydney attacker claimed he was fouled in the penalty box. Referee Kurt Ams was not having a bar of it and waved play on.
The Mariners almost took the lead with a powerful headerl towards goal. It was only a brilliant piece of reflex defending from Sydney captain Sam Munro on the line that denied the Mariners a game-changing goal.
Sydney, desperate to keep alive their season came out firing in the second half. Ramsay had a number of shots throughout the second had as did Joel Chianese.
The men in sky blue were intent on taking the game to the Young Mariners and continually pressed forward in search of a game-breaking goal.
The two sides exchanged attacking moves but couldn-t find the breakthrough. As the match ticked down to its final minutes the Mariners were forced to weather a platoon of Sydney attacks.
Match Details
Coast Mariners:1. Mathew RYAN (GK), 3. Jerry KALOURIS, 4. Matthew LIDDALL, 7.Brendan GRIFFIN (15. Adam ORMSBY 46-) 8. Nick FITZGERALD, (2. Scott McGINLEY 62-) 10. Panny NIKAS (C), 11. Mitchell MALLIA, 12. Shane HUKE, 14. Brady SMITH, (6. Mitchell DUKE 62-) 17. Matthew LEWIS, 18. Bernie IBINI-ISEI.
Unused Subs: 20. Nik MATIC (GK)
Yellow Cards: Huke 42-, Ormsby 84-
Red Cards: None
Goals None:
Sydney FC: 1. Nenad VEKIC (GK), 2. Steve TIBBETS, 4. Joseph GIBBS, (12. Paul MACKEY 59-) 5. Sam GALLAGHER, 6. Mitchell SPEER, (3. David VRANKOVIC 31-), 8. Sam MUNRO (C), 9. Hussein AKIL, (7. Steven ILLIC 37-) 10. Iain RAMSAY, 13. Joel CHIANESE, 14. Tim MCGOWAN, 17. Luke AUSTIN.
Unused Subs: 20.Mark PULLMAN (GK)
Yellow Cards: Illic 65-, Munro 84-
Red Cards: None
Goals: None
Referee: Kurt AMS
