Wollongong United secured a date with Wollongong Olympic in the Illawarra Premier League Grand Final on Sunday with a 2-1 win over Coniston at Wetherall Park.
The side burst into a two-goal lead by the 35th minute following goals from Daniel Geroski and Mitsuo Yamada.
Christopher Arditti halved Coniston’s deficit before halftime, but the side could not find a way back into the game in the second period.
Coniston almost opened the scoring within the first few seconds. Arditti raced through the middle of the pitch one-on-one with United goalkeeper Tom Alston, who blocked the ball.
United returned fire in the 12th minute through Nav Darjani. The winger shifted the ball inside from the right wing and curled an effort over the bar.
The side made the breakthrough three minutes later. Jordan Nikolovski managed to funnel the ball through to Geroski in the left of the box where the midfielder delicately lifted the ball over Jair Fernandez.
Chances were few and far between, with the teams eager not to lose, given a place in the Grand Final was up for grabs.
In the 34th minute, United were given the opportunity to go two goals in front, being awarded a penalty. Yamada took responsibility and steered the ball into the bottom left corner.
Coniston were facing a two-goal deficit heading into the break, but on the stroke of halftime, they pulled a goal back. Arditti sent an accurate finish from the middle of the box into the bottom left corner to re-ignite the fixture.
The teams went into the sheds with Wollongong United leading Coniston 2-1, Rob Jonovski’s men halfway towards a Grand Final spot.
United made a good start to the second half, creating two chances within the first 10 minutes.
Darjani curled another shot narrowly over the bar before Bailey Barbarovski’s diving header dropped just wide of the right post.
Coniston took the ball down the other end in the 56th minute when Arditti picked out Tobias Norval from the right, however, the latter skied his shot from the edge of the box.
United continued to chip away with chances as Nikolovski’s header went wide midway through the half. But as the game wore on, Coniston’s attacking attempts became more frequent.
Soon after Nikolovski’s chance, Coniston forward Adam Voloder stung Alston’s palms with a strike from the edge of the area.
Despite Coniston’s positive play, Wollongong United remained a threat and had a great chance to seal the result in the 77th minute. Jayden Makowski got on the end of a right-sided cross at the back post with his prodded effort from a tight angle well saved by Fernandez.
United had another opportunity with seven minutes to play, when Darjani – whose willingness to run at the Coniston defence all afternoon had been United’s main asset – stepped up for a free-kick. The winger’s effort needed to be tipped over by Fernandez.
Coniston worked hard to gain some possession higher up the field in the final moments, patiently waiting for an opening to provide an equaliser.
However, United’s defence held firm at Wetherall Park, and the 2022 finalists made it through to another Grand Final.
United winger Nikolovski was forced to track back to the edge of his own penalty area as Coniston pushed to get back level.
He said that while it was not in the game plan for him to be that far back, he was happy to do that as the team were focussed on defending well.
“We spoke about it [defending] at training,” Nikolovski said.
“We know we can do the damage in the attacking third. It doesn’t matter who it is. We had different goal scorers today than we’ve had the last few weeks.
“I don’t mind doing the job anywhere.
“As long as we can stay compact, we’re confident.”
United will contest their first Illawarra Premier League Grand Final since 2022 next Sunday against rivals Wollongong Olympic. Nikolovski said the team’s two defeats to the League Champions this year provide further incentive for the WIN Stadium clash.
“We’ve got a bit of unfinished business against Olympic,” he said.
“The game plan stays the same, like I said, we have confidence in our attack as long as we stay solid.
“Hopefully it’s a good game for the fans as well.”
Report by Tim Gibson
Photo courtesy of Richie Wagner
