The Sydney FC National Youth League side has maintained its total dominance of the Brisbane Roar during the 2009/10 season with a 2-1 win in soggy conditions at Ballymore Stadium on Sunday evening.
The Sydney FC National Youth League side has maintained its total dominance of the Brisbane Roar during the 2009/10 season with a 2-1 win in soggy conditions at Ballymore Stadium on Sunday evening.
Goals early in both halves, the first to Justin Hayward and another to the inform Iain Ramsay early in the second stanza combined with a stellar performance from midfielder Brendan Gan set-up the crucial road win.
Despite conceding a late goal, the young Sky Blues were never in doubt.
The important win, the Sky Blues third from as many matches against the Roar, sees them narrow the gap to fourth position on the table to just two points with five games remaining.
Sydney FC started the stronger of the two, with their play featuring excellent ball movement and pin point crosses into their attacking goal but were caught out constantly by the offside trap.
The Sky Blues persistence would soon pay off when Hayward got on to the end of a low cross from that man Ramsay to give Sydney a 1-nil lead in the 10th minute.
Steve O-Connor-s men then piled the pressure onto the Roar, bombarding their goal with shot after shot and were unlucky not to slot several more goals, with shots from Gan and Hayward well saved by the Roar-s keeper Matthew Acton.
As the clock wound down, both sides had had good chances to strike – the Roar through shots from Isaka Cernak and a header from Tim Smits and Sydney FC via a strong shot from Adam Casey and a long range volley from Sam Munro – but none eventuated in goals and Sydney went to halftime up 1-nil.
With Sydney FC replacing Hayden Foxe with Mitchell Speer during the break, the attacking play continued and when Gan put in a sublime chip pass over the Roar to defence which Ramsay got on the end of, the score soon became 2-nil to the Sky Blues.
Ramsay-s first shot was well saved by Acton but he didn-t get near Ramsay-s follow up shot.
The Roar made a number of changes in their attempt to pull the goals back but didn-t cause any real problems for the Sydney FC defence.
Ramsay was close to slotting his second, showing he was a man in premier form, late in the game. As the game looked to be all but over the Roar netted a consolation goal through Smits.
The Sky Blues next game is against Perth Glory at Parramatta Stadium on Sunday 7 February. Kick-off is at 2pm AEDST.
Match Detail:
Sydney FC: 2 (Justin Hayward 10-, Iain Ramsay 59-)
Brisbane Roar: 1 (Tim Smits 90+5-)
Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane
Referee: Matthew Skinner
Sydney FC squad: 1. Ivan NECEVSKI (GK), 2. Antony GOLEC, 3. Hayden FOXE (6. Mitchell SPEAR 46-), 5. Sam GALLAGHER, 7. Dimitrios PETRATOS (14. Tim McGOWAN 57-), 8. Sam MUNRO, 9. Brendan GAN, 10. Iain RAMSAY, 12. Adam CASEY, 16. Justin HAYWARD (4. Joseph GIBBS 59-), 17. Luke ASTIN.
Substitutes not used: 20. Mark PULLMAN (GK).
Yellow cards: Nil
Red cards: Nil
Brisbane Roar squad: 1. Matthew ACTON (GK), 2. Matthew BYRNE, 3. Alistair QUINN, 4. Michael RYAN (15. Antony SCHIAVO 59-), 7. Luke BRATTAN, 9. Tyler THURTELL (14. Albert EDWARD 59-), 10. Stefan VRBESIC (11. Josh McVEY 49-), 12. Ken DOUGALL, 13. Isaka CERNAK, 16. Matt MUNDY, 17. Tim SMITS.
Substitutes not used:20. Luke MUIR (GK).
Yellow cards: Nil
Red cards: Nil
