Thirroul JFC solidified their top-four position in the District League with a commanding 4–1 win over Bellambi Rosellas FC, who remain rooted to the bottom of the table after another tough outing.
Despite the teams’ contrasting league positions, it was Bellambi who struck first. In the 11th minute, a rapid counterattack led by Matt Richardson and Lucas Bond found Luis Gonzales, who finished confidently to give the visitors an unexpected lead.
Due to this setback, Thirroul decided to start planning for recovery. A few minutes later, they were pushing hard against Bellambi’s defenders. After Bellambi’s goalkeeper Blaike Gilholme made a series of saves, Jack Cotterill collected a ball in the box and managed to score the equalizer in the 19th minute.
The group consisting of Joel Mucci, Ryan Sutcliffe, Oscar Pruks, and Cotterill kept holding on to the ball and creating opportunities. Sutcliffe’s brilliant pass to Cotterill in the 36th minute allowed him to score and bring the score to 2–1.
Moments later, Sutcliffe reacted quickly, making an intense cross that was met by Mucci, who precisely scored Thirroul’s third goal. With the 3-1 score at halftime, Thirroul had the edge in both points and the feeling that the match was heading their way.
The hosts continued to play with high speed in the second half. Oscar Pruks had a chance to score a goal in the 47th minute, but Shoya Nanri stopped the ball on the line to stop Bellambi from falling behind.
Bellambi did threaten with a spell of pressure between the 54th and 60th minutes, with Richardson and Bond testing Matthew Wardle from multiple angles, but the Thirroul keeper stood tall.
Thirroul put the game beyond doubt in the 73rd minute. Lucas Allen played a clever give-and-go with Sutcliffe, then raced into the box to meet a perfectly placed cross and finished neatly to make it 4–1.
Thirroul JFC will look to build on this result when they travel to Ray Robinson Park to face Fernhill FC on June 14. Meanwhile, Bellambi Rosellas will hope to find their form when they visit Hume Oval to take on Picton Rangers FC on the same day.
Reported by,
Nikith George Mathew.
