Bulli 0-2 Wollongong United @ Balls Paddock
It was a tight and cagey affair early, with both sides doing well to repel each other’s attacking threats. The first big chance of the game came midway through the half with Mason Versi’s left drive from inside the box tipped onto the post before Daniel Collison produced two consecutive 
point-blank saves off Kyah Jovanovski to deny the visitors.
The deadlock was broken on 40 minutes when Sam Matthews won a penalty. Versi slotted it under Collison, who just couldn’t quite keep it out.
Just as Bulli looked threatening, a short back pass by Jack Deale saw Daniel Geroski nip in and round Collison for an easy tap-in to make it two.
United comfortably saw out the win to continue their perfect start to the season. They now face South Coast United at home, whilst Bulli travel to Berkeley Sports next week.
Photo courtesy of Richie Wagner
Albion Park W.E. 4-1 Shellharbour FC @ Terry Reserve
The White Eagles steamrolled Shellharbour to keep themselves within touching distance.
Damon Gray got the Eagles off to a flying start when he finished a well-orchestrated team goal after just 12 minutes.
To their credit, Shellharbour steadied the ship and gradually arrested some of the momentum. Daniel Mihajlovic scrambled the ball over the line from a corner kick on the half hour as parity was restored.
Nathan Milgate put the Eagles back in front on 65 minutes from a corner kick. Shellharbour pushed players forward however, they were exposed when Michael Mendes netted just five minutes later.
Emmanuel Gonzalez completed the scoring with a well-taken goal on 75 minutes, with Shellharbour’s good work all undone in the space of ten minutes.
Shellharbour will be disappointed with their finish to the game, and will need to concentrate better if they are to get a result from their clash with the in-form and on-fire Port Kembla.
Albion Park White Eagles, on the other hand, have a tricky road trip up the mountain as they tackle high-flying Helensburgh Thistle on Sunday.
Helensburgh Thistle 5-0 Coniston FC @ Rex Jackson Oval
The Burgh continues their impressive start to the season after a thumping win over a disappointing Coniston side.
The scoring kicked off midway through the first half with Thomas Busch latching onto a loose ball from just inside the penalty area with a clean strike.
Less than five minutes later, Michael Mcstay pounced on an error from Kaydin Harrison, doubling Helensburgh’s lead in quick succession.
Coniston were on the ropes, and any chance of a comeback appeared extinguished when Charlie Jones grabbed his seventh goal in just four matches after another defensive mistake.
Coniston pushed numbers forward; however, a swift break saw Mcstay tuck the ball away for Helenburgh’s fourth.
Just four minutes later, Mcstay got his hat trick as he added a fifth goal to further compound Coniston’s misery. He was on the end of a well-worked attack that saw him bury his effort in the bottom corner.
Helensburgh face another tough test next week as they welcome Albion Park White Eagles, with Coniston looking to get their season back on track with a visit to Tarrawanna.
Berkeley Sports 2-1 Wollongong Olympic @ Berkeley Sportsground
The goats secured a famous home win on Saturday over the highly fancied Olympic.
Whilst Olympic dominated the early stages, Berkeley grew with confidence as the game wore on. The goats were resilient in defence, which was causing Olympic some frustration.
Just as the first half looked to finish scoreless, Berkeley changed the game in the blink of an eye.
A cross from the right saw Christopher Hollingshead neatly finish to give the home side the lead. Just a few minutes later and from another good run and cross from the right, saw Hollingshead tap in for their second.
Olympic were stunned, and half-time couldn’t come quickly enough.
The visitors weren’t about to give up as they came out rejuvenated and determined to reverse their fortunes.
Just ten minutes after the restart, Rick Goodchild got on the end of a ball through the backline to neatly finish, halving the deficit.
The goats hung tough, and after a few anxious moments and ill-discipline late on, they were able to see out their second win of the season.
The win sees them keep pace as they tackle Bulli FC next week. Olympic will be looking to make amends after their slip-up as they face Cringila Lions on Friday night.
Photo: Marissa Carter
South Coast United 2-0 Cringila Lions @ Ian McLennan Park
United have made it back-to-back wins at home, this time, accounting for Cringila Lions.
The damage was done late in the first half when Joshua Keremelevski put the home side in front with a well-taken goal on 39 minutes. A misdirected pass back from Cringila’s midfield to their defensive line was pounced on by Keremelevski, who turned the defender before sliding the ball under the goalkeeper.
Just a few minutes later, Anthony Vrlic capitalised on yet another defensive turnover. With the ball played in from the left, he made no mistake as United went two up in the space of four minutes to rock the Lions.
The Lions weren’t without chances, however, South Coast United held firm and despite having had Antonio Farkas sent off late in the game, the home side secured an important victory that moves them into a mid-table traffic jam.
Both teams face a huge challenge next week, with South Coast going into their clash with heavyweights Wollongong United next week full of confidence, whilst Cringila will have their work cut out as they face a hungry Wollongong Olympic side.
Port Kembla 4-0 Tarrawanna Blueys @ Wetherall Park
After a strong and physical first half, neither side was able to break through.
Just seven minutes after the restart, a swift move saw Valentino Merxhushi tap in from close range to open the scoring for the home side.
Midway through the second, Port Kembla doubled its lead. Some good work on the right saw a perfect cross that found Nicolas Tomasiello lurking in the box. He made no mistake as the home side started to get firm control of the match.
Tarrawanna were a little shaken and as they tried desperately to get back into the match, a little too much over-exuberance was shown with Lachlan Flood receiving his marching orders following a second cautionable offence on 80 minutes.
It proved too much as Port Kembla substitute Jordan Prentoski capitalised on their advantage by adding two further goals in the last ten minutes to seal an emphatic win. It’s been a stellar two weeks for the Zebras as they find themselves in fifth place. They will be confident going into their match against Shellharbour FC next week.
For Tarrawanna, they remain winless, having just scored once in four games. They will be looking to turn it around against Coniston next week, who themselves have had an inconsistent start to the season.
