Steve Corica has made the perfect return to competition, steering Sydney FC to a comfortable 2-nil win tonight in its trial clash with State Premier League side, Penrith Nepean United at CUA Stadium.
Steve Corica has made the perfect return to competition, steering Sydney FC to a comfortable 2-nil win tonight in its trial clash with State Premier League side, Penrith Nepean United at CUA Stadium.
In his first appearance of the pre-season the club captain helped extend the Sky Blues- unbeaten record, sealing his side-s victory with a late goal after coming on as a substitute in the second half of the match.
It was a chilly night at the foot of the mountains with the mercury dropping down to single digits but the crowd figure climbed again, with close to 4,000 hardy football fans turning out in Penrith to watch Sydney FC in action at the latest stop on its community tour.
Chasing its fifth friendly win on the trot, the Hyundai A-League outfit made a steady start but was lucky not to fall behind midway through the first half – Penrith junior, Ivan Necevski coming to the Sky Blues- rescue and denying the hosts an opener with some sharp work between the Sydney sticks.
Moments later the momentum swung firmly in Sydney-s favour when Terry McFlynn added to his impressive pre-season record. A lofted ball forward from Stuart Musialik drew an error from the United keeper and the Irish midfielder was on the spot to punish the mistake and give his side the lead on the 28 minute mark.
With a near full strength roster at his disposal, Coach Vitezslav Lavicka rotated his team at the break, throwing young guns, Kofi Danning and Rhyan Grant into the action after their three week absence with the Young Socceroos.
Corica entered the contest on the hour mark and quickly made an impact, almost extending Sydney-s advantage in the 65th minute on the back of a beautiful ball from Chris Payne.
Ten minutes later the pair combined again and sealed the win for Sydney. After a nice passage of passing, Payne played his captain in behind the Penrith defence, and Corica finished in fine style – firing the ball into the bottom right to take the lead to two.
Boasting a perfect pre-season record so far, Sydney FC will face another tough test next Tuesday when it plays State Premier League powerhouse, Manly United at Dee Why.
The Cromer Park clash kicks off at 7pm.
