Sydney FC NYL had to settle for a one all draw against second placed Perth Glory at Ashfield Sports Centre in Perth on Sunday.
The young Sky Blues got off to a bright start in the first minute when George Blackwood surged into the penalty and shot low and hard to the back post only to be denied by Glory keeper, John Acton who palmed the shot around the post.
From the ensuing corner kick Anthony Tomelic delivered a pacey cross into the box for skipper Jacob Tratt to rise above the pack head home and put the Sky Blues in the lead with only two minutes on the clock.
Perth Glory bounced back from the early set back and began to dictate control in the middle of the park through their rotations.
In the 15th minute their pressure paid off as they drew level with Glory midfielder Brandon O’Neill granted too much time and space as he curled his strike beyond a diving Anthony Bouzanis into the top corner.
Unpertubed by the leveller Bouzanis then made a great double save midway through the half to keep Peth at bay and the scores level and with neither side able to break the deadlock the score line remained at one goal each as the teams entered the break.
The second half saw a much more purposeful Sydney FC as they dominated the half from the outset.
Retaining possession and switching play saw the Glory side run ragged but the final Sky Blues pass or shot was either just off the mark or scrambled away by a desperate Perth defence.
The injection of Charles Lokolingoy and Daniel Araujo for Sydney FC threatened to snatch the winner but a couple of efforts on target were thwarted by the fingertips of the Perth Glory keeper.
With the final whistled sounding the teams shared the spoils with a 1-1 draw and although disappointed with taking home only a point, Head Coach, Steve Corica was pleased with the team performance and the manner in which they played especially in the second half.
Sydney FC NYL 1 (Jacob Tratt 2’) drew Perth Glory 1 (Brandon O’Neill 15’)
Sydney FC Line Up – Anthony Bouzanis; Jacob Tratt; Themba Muata-Marlow; George Timotheou; Peter Triantis; Max Burgess; Anthony Tomelic; Alex Tilley (Charles Lokolingoy 60’); George Blackwood; Jordan Tsekenis (Daniel Araujo 74’).
Subs Not Used – Luke Babic (GK); Liam McGing
THE BIG GAME PACK – Sydney FC face some tough competition in a short space of time and we have bundled the games together for a great package, with savings of over 30% on single game ticket purchases. See the Sky Blues take on the Melbourne Victory, Central Coast Mariners, Brisbane Roar and Melbourne City for a discounted price and receive exclusive Members’ benefits! CLICK HERE!
