The fans at JJ Kelly Park were treated to a dramatic game on Friday night, as Tarrawanna Blueys FC secured a thrilling 5-4 victory over Coniston FC in a game that had everything, including a red card, a penalty, and a last-minute winner.
Despite Coniston playing for first place in the league, it was Blueys who stuck first. After just two minutes, a swift break down the right wing saw a cross played in at Jarrad Wiley’s feet, giving the visitors the lead with a low, well placed shot from the center of the box.
However, Coniston was going to reply straight away. In the very next attack, a similar play saw John Martinoski feed the ball to James Coombes who made no mistake, making the game all square again.
The action continued, and with 14 minutes played, Blueys had a dangerous attack, crossing the ball into the box. It initially appeard that keeper Zak Bedelovski had it covered, but his punch only cleared as far as to a Blueys player. A scramble took place,and while Bedelovski and other Coniston defenders threw themselves in front of goal, they had little to do about the second rebound, because Cody Waller smashed the ball in from close range making it 1-2.
Just two minutes later, Waller doubled his tally. Breaking through the Coniston defense with a brilliant run, he controlled a long ball perfectly before lobbing Bedelovski to extend the Blueys’ lead to 3-1.
Coniston were determined to respond, and they did after 29 minutes. After winning the ball in the midfield, a beautiful switch of play found Harrison Anagnostopoulos who controlled the ball well and charged all the way into the box from the left. He then served Hassan Abudareb who executed first time with distinction. His low finish at the near post left Kaydin Harrison in Bluey’s goal helpless, cutting the deficit if half to 2-3.
As the game grew more physical, Blueys picked up three yellow cards for reckless tackles, and tensions mounted as the teams headed into the break with the visitors holding a narrow lead.
Just six minutes after the restart, a pivotal moment would unfold. It all started when Wiley carried the ball into the box with pace, and as he was facing Jayden Smileski, Wiley was brought down my the Coniston right-back. The referee pointed to the spot with no hesitation as it was a clear penalty. Cameron Morgan grabbed the ball to take the spot-kick, and a classy strike in the top-left corner saw the Blueys once again in total control. However, Morgan’s celebration in front of the home crowd was seen as provocative by the referee, who issued him a second yellow card, reducing the Blueys to 10 men just moments after scoring.
With the numerical advantage, Coniston took control of the game, pushing hard to find a way back. But despite being a man down, the Blueys held firm and limited Coniston’s chances, even threatening on the counter.
But in the 83rd minute, Coniston finally found their way back into the game. A well-struck corner saw Tobias Norval flick the ball on to Tyson Black, who steered the ball in from close range to make it 3-4.
Coniston’s momentum continued, and just a minute later, they were level to 4-4. After a fast break, Tyler Fuller saw his shot saved, but the rebound fell perfectly for James Sekuloski, who converted into an empty net, sending the home crowd into ecstasy.
The game, however, wasn’t finished. In the 88th minute, the Blueys had a golden chance to retake the lead, but Dylan Nikolovski missed an opportunity. However, with the match heading into the dying moments, the Blueys made one last effort. As the Coniston defense became disorganised, a perfect pass found Wiley, who couldn’t miss from close range. His goal in the 94th minute ignited wild celebrations as Blueys stole all three points, despite being a man down for over 40 minutes.
The game ended 4-5, leaving Coniston stunned and the Blueys in euphoria.
Coniston FC will try to bounce back when they welcome South Coast United back to JJ Kelly Park, while Tarrawanna Blueys FC will visit Wollongong United FC.
Report by Simon Dahlen
Photos by Gragrapix
