A soggy Round 14 of the Illawarra Premier League 1 still provided some big headlines at both ends of the table.
The heavy rain meant Helensburgh did not get on the park against Berkeley, but on the pitch, there were big results in the fight for the title as well as those eager to avoid finishing at the foot of the table.
Here is how it all played out.
Match of the Round: Albion Park White Eagles 1 Wollongong United 0
Albion Park White Eagles pulled off a huge result to down former league leaders Wollongong United 1-0 in a gritty encounter on Sunday.
The match got off to a timid start with neither team taking control early on, as they both sought out a more direct route to goal on a slippery pitch.
The hosts snatched the lead just after the midway point of the half through a well-constructed set piece. Sam Alston received the ball back from a left-sided corner to blast a curling finish into the right side of the goal from the left of the box.
The visitors almost equalised on the stroke of halftime as Sam Matthews raced through on goal down the left, but his prodded finish prompted an important save from Cristofer Fuentes.
The side came close again from the resulting corner, with James Stojanovski’s superbly whipped ball headed over by Danny Lazarevski at the far post.
Albion Park held onto their slender lead heading into the break after a chance-shy first period.
United looked to assert themselves soon after halftime, with Yosuke Akiyama sending a dipping volley from the edge off the box bouncing off the crossbar four minutes in.
Chances continued to be hard to come by through the second half as the teams looked to their benches for inspiration.
United pushed hard for a route back into the game, but the minutes ticked away, with Jordon Nikolovski nearly getting on the end of two crosses in the final 10 minutes.
The White Eagles remained a threat, especially on the break, with the likes of Jayden Makowski and Damon Gray providing pace in behind.
In the second minute of stoppage time, the home side could have sealed the three points. Makowski made his way into the left of the box and picked out Gray, but the striker’s finish was straight at Fuentes.
One goal proved enough in the end as the White Eagles saw out a big win in their push for the top places.
United will be eager to get back on track next week against Bulli, having now lost two in a row, seeing them fall off the top of the table. After an unbeaten start to the season, all three of the side’s defeats have come in their last five games.
Bulli 1 Cringila Lions 5
Cringila continued their sparkling return to form under new coach Jason Davkovski handing Bulli a heavy defeat in one of two Saturday fixtures in Round 14.
Deakin Peterson got Bulli off to a flying start by opening the scoring midway through the first half, but from there, it was all one-way traffic.
Experienced defender James Ralston equalised for the Lions just before halftime to square the ledger heading into the sheds.
Peter Simonoski proved the star of the show once again for Cringila, this time notching a hat-trick within five minutes, to give his team a 4-1 lead before the hour mark. The striker has had a phenomenal goalscoring run since he returned to the team following an injury and has now scored seven goals in four games, taking his tally to 12 goals for the season.
Isaac Kostovski added a fifth goal for the visitors in the 72nd minute to round off another convincing victory for Cringila.
The Lions’ have won their last four matches, and this improved form has seen them into the top four.
Shellharbour 2 South Coast United 3
South Coast United resumed their march towards the finals places with a 3-2 win against Shellharbour in other Saturday fixture.
Anthony Vrlic gave United a fast start, opening the scoring five minutes in, but Hristopher Neskovski squared the ledger for hosts at the break.
Joshua Keremelevski restored United’s lead in the 66th minute, before Abdul Aljabery came off the bench to add a third goal for the side.
Blake Mottram’s late goal made it an interesting finish, but the away side held on for a valuable three points.
South Coast United move two points away from Helensburgh in fifth position, but the Thistle still have a game in hand.
Wollongong Olympic 4 Tarrawanna Blueys 0
Wollongong Olympic swept Tarrawanna aside with a comprehensive 4-0 win on Sunday and leapt to the top of the table.
Mitchell Brooker had the hosts a goal up within eight minutes, before Jason Madonis and Yasukawa Masato added their names to the score sheet. Madonis has had an imposing season so far in his third year in Wollongong Olympic colours, with the former Sydney Olympic regular registering 12 goals in 2026.
Rick Goodchild picked up a goal against his former side later on in the second half to make it four and push Olympic into first on the ladder.
Port Kembla 3 Coniston 2
Port Kembla earned a much-needed 3-2 win against Coniston on Saturday as they look to stave off the bottom places.
Matthew Cuda’s own goal four minutes in was not the start the hosts were looking for, but Elvir Catovic equalised for the side in the 27th minute to send the teams into halftime level.
It was a frantic start to the second half as Jordan Prentoski put Port back in front 53 minutes in, but three minutes later, Tyson Black restored parity for Coniston.
Ryan Chard’s impact off the bench proved decisive as the former South Coast Flame youngster fired home the winner.
Port Kembla’s victory sees them into 10th position, but the bottom places still remain tight heading into the final games of the regular season, with Tarrawanna (12th) and Shell Cove (11th) in close proximity.
One win in their last five games has seen Coniston slip away from the finals conversation for now, however, a strong finish to the season could still prove fruitful.
Report : Tim Gibson
