Berkeley Sports produced an outstanding performance to down Fernhill 4-0 on Saturday at WIN Stadium and claim the Illawarra District League First Grade Grand Final.
After a goalless first half Brent McCance notched a quickfire brace before David Chicharo and Christopher Hollingshead finished a special day for the Goats with a District League double.
The Goats made a fast start to the match eager to make an early impression against a team they had yet to beat in 2025.
Five minutes in, Mondo Kagami latched onto a ball into the middle of the area but his shot lacked the power to trouble Karl Solberg-Minnerup.
Three minutes later, the Goats came forward through Luke Boersma who raked an outstanding pass in behind for Hollingshead with the striker skewing wide.
In the 11th minute, Jacob Miller took aim for the side from the right of the box and forced Solberg Minnerup into a sharp stop.
The Foxes had been moving the ball nicely in patches throughout the opening exchanges and this earned them a corner in the 21st minute. Nicholas High’s ball found Mitchell Turner in the left of the box and called Berkeley goalkeeper Damian Bedwell into action with a powerful shot.
Moments later, the Goats took the ball down the end. Hollingshead picked out Kagami with a neat reverse ball to send the winger through but Solberg-Minnerup stayed big to make the save.
The chances became few and far between as the first half went on, and with a more combative game and several tough challenges flying in. In the 38th minute Hollingshead’s acrobatic effort was comfortably saved by Solberg-Minnerup.
The teams went into the sheds with the scores still locked at 0-0.
Berkeley came flying out of the blocks for the second half.
Seven minutes in Brendan Wyatt’s fierce shot towards the top left corner prompted an outstanding outstretched save from Solberg-Minnerup.
From the resulting corner the Goats hit the front. Preston Ridley’s left-wing delivery curled towards the far post for McCance who won his duel and bundled the ball home.
The League Champions continued to press and soon after Solberg-Minnerup pulled off a big save with his foot and on the hour mark, Fernhill scrambled away another chance.
The Foxes produced a rare foray forward 63 minutes in when Aiden Breslin’s shot bounced safely to Bedwell.
Berkeley found their second goal. McCance pounced again this time side-footing the ball in after Hollingshead’s header back across following another Ridley corner.
Fernhill sought to take the initiative and find a route back into the game. But their purposeful passing out from the back proved their undoing in the 79th minute as substitute Chicharo picked off an errant ball and slotted into a vacant goal from outside the box.
The Goats were not done yet when Hollingshead raced through on goal a minute later and calmly rolled the ball into the bottom right corner to finish off the contest.
With eight regular minutes to play, the Foxes could have had a consolation when Turner steered an effort from the middle of the box bouncing wide of the left post. Turner was subsequently sent off two minutes later.
A late one-on-one save from Solberg-Minnerup proved the final action of the match as Berkeley secured a comprehensive victory in the Grand Final title to add to their league title.
Report by Tim Gibson
Photos courtesy fo Graham Brown
