The Breakers overcame Fernhill 5-4 with reigning District League Player of the year Josh Hawker bagging four goals in a game that was not short of action and highlights.
First real chance fell to Fernhill when Mattias Passlack received the ball out wide and he cut it back to Jake Webster who slashed his shot from just inside the box well over.
Webster made amends just minutes later when a quick free kick in midfield saw Daniel Djukic flick to the ball to Brendan Pattman whose pass was pinpoint to Webster who made no mistake sliding it past Joel Lockard to put the Foxes ahead early.
Pattman was pulling the strings for the Foxes and on ten minutes, he put in another delightful ball over the top however Jaxon Baxter got an important touch to flick it back to Lockhart.
With Fernhill largely controlling the game, they almost benefited from some defensive confusion from Gerringong on 16 minutes. Passlack snuck in between a few defenders who were waiting for each other to attack the ball and he squared to Webster who blasted over from inside the box. Another wasted opportunity for the Foxes.
Inside a minute, Gerringong musted their first real chance when a quick throw found Fraser Macqueen. He chipped forward to Josh Hawker who drove into the box and saw his left foot shot ricochet off the corner of the post and out.
Gerringong started to get themselves back in the game mainly through the creativity of Joaquin Riquleme.
It was Riquleme that sparked the Breakers on 32 minutes. His neat chip into space saw Hawker run onto it, turn the defender, and slide it pas the keeper into the far post.
Just two minutes later, a sloppy turnover in the middle of the park saw Hawker run towards goal. He took the ball across the box and beat Yuki Yasuda on his near post. It was 2-1 Gerringong in the blink of an eye.
A few minutes from the break, the Foxes drew level. Webster found space on the right and with only Passlack in the box, his cross looked a little long however Passlack did incredibly well to run backwards, reach for the ball and manage to get a loping header away that lobbed Lockard and into the far post.
With both sides heading into the break all square, it was all to play for in the second half.
Just minutes into the second half, Daniel Djukic crafted an opportunity after some suspect defending from Gerringong however he scuffed his shot from just a few metres out.
On 50 minutes, a long ball was misread by Daniel Gillespie and it fell nicely to Djukic who drove towards goal however he was bundled over just before he could pull the trigger and a penalty was awarded. Djukic stepped up and dispatched it to put the Foxes back in front.
Just a minute later, a weaving run by Riquelme saw him drive through the middle. He slid the ball through to Macqueen who was pushed and Gerringong was awarded a penalty up the other end. Hawker secured his hat-trick after tucking it just inside the post and we were all of a sudden all square (3-3) again.
In a blink of an eye, Gerringong was back in front. Riquleme delivered a pin point ball between the lines picking out Hawker. He made no mistake from a few yards out to make it 4-3 to Gerringong.
If you had to go to the bathroom, you would have missed three goals.
On 56 minutes, Hawker made a bustling run driving across the goal line. He nearly snuck the ball between Yasuda and the post.
Just a few minutes later, Gerringong were punished following a cheap turnover in midfield. Aidan Breslin played Jordan Hughes who drove forward on a 30 yard run that culminated in a left foot shot that beat Lockard on the far post. Incredibly, we were back level again (4-4).
Chances kept coming and on 66 minutes, a Hughes free kick needed a save from Lockard.
Just three minutes later, Fernhill were unable to clear their defensive line and Hawker cut the ball back to the edge of the box for Macqueen who beat a defender with his first touch before slotting it into the far post to put the Breakers up incredibly 5-4.
On 72 minutes, a long ball deceived the Fernhill defence and Lucas Zerafa took a neat touch to bring it down and under control. He looked to chip the advancing Yasuda however he just didn’t get the height required to beat him.
Fernhill had a lot of possession over the last 15-20 minutes however their final pass in the last third was lacking however to be fair, Gerringong stepped up their defensive effort and threw themselves at everything to help secure the result.
It was a welcome three points for the Breakers who had lost their last two games. They now face Thirroul next week at home.
For the Foxes, the loss puts them six points off the pace, and they will be looking to bounce back as they tackle Warilla next week.
Report by Bobby Mazevski
