Albion Park White Eagles put South Coast United to the sword, getting up 5-0 on Saturday afternoon at Terry Reserve.
A blistering first half saw Albion Park go into the sheds with a 3-0 advantage courtesy of goals to Stefan Dimoski and Riku Amakawa’s brace. Joshua MacDonald and Dimoski added a goal to the score line at either end of the second half.
The hosts were purposeful early on, pinning South Coast back and getting shots off.
In the fourth minute, Brendan Griffin took on a shot from range that flew wide of the right post.
Albion Park were in again six minutes later, when a set piece fell to Chris Nathaniel in the box. His shot was weak, and United goalkeeper Jason Bleakley smothered it.
The side made the breakthrough moments after that when Bleakley failed to deal with a long ball forward; it dropped at Dimoski’s feet, who rifled it into the vacant net.
They had their second goal in the 21st minute. Brendan Fordham played a defence-splitting pass for Amakawa through the middle, who slotted the ball into the far-right corner.
South Coast had a brief reprieve midway through the half, winning a free-kick up the field. Alex Galbraith took responsibility and forced Albion Park goalkeeper Hayden Durose to palm it over for a corner, a small victory in the face of Park’s dominance.
The White Eagles resumed their dominance and added a third goal in the 26th minute. A smartly-worked right-sided corner saw Griffin swing in a ball towards the back post for Amakawa to head home.
Albion Park had asserted their dominance in the first half, which had seen them into a commanding position at home. They kept possession comfortably after the third goal, showcasing their control over the game, until the halftime whistle was blown.
The side carried on this trend into the second half and scored their fourth in just two minutes. A right-sided cross found MacDonald at the far post, and the former Wollongong Wolf scored with a diving header.
Despite conceding early, United started to work their way into the game with some precise balls played in behind giving them some joy.
In the 53rd minute, Advin Trebincevic latched onto a ball into the right channel to go one-on-one with Durose. However, he was denied by the goalkeeper, who stayed big and blocked well.
South Coast threatened once more midway through the half when Nicholas Valjak was slipped in down the left. The striker squared the ball across the box for Mark Moric, forcing Durose into another save.
The team’s second-half resurgence continued with nine regular minutes to play when Moric took on a curler from the right edge of the box that flew narrowly past the left post.
United’s positive play had not been rewarded, and they suffered another goal in second-half stoppage time.
MacDonald delivered a ball in from the right that Dimoski attacked and stabbed past Bleakley to add the final gloss to the hosts’ performance.
Albion Park will continue their efforts to hunt down Coniston at the top of the competition when they face Bulli next Saturday afternoon, while South Coast host Coniston later that day.
Report by Tim Gibson
File Photo
