There were some major upsets in Round 19 of the Illawarra Premier League 1, setting up a grand stand finish to the season in the battle for the league title, finals and to avoid last.
Here is a review of the action.
Coniston 0 Bulli 3
Bulli put a serious dent in Coniston’s finals ambitions, recording a 3-0 win on Saturday at JJ Kelly Park.
The match got off to a scrappy start as both teams scrambled for a consistent hold of possession in the opening stages.
Just before the half-hour mark, a Coniston corner from the right bounced around in the box, before Sebastian Tomasiello’s snap shot cleared the bar.
Bulli had a chance of their own in the 40th minute, with Ben McDonald rolling the ball into the right channel of the box for Lewis Grimshaw, but the winger blasted it over.
The teams were unable to be separated as the halftime whistle blew.
In the 54th minute, Bulli opened the scoring through their talisman McDonald, who expertly brought down Grimshaw’s right-sided cross to rifle an effort into the top left corner.
The visitors wasted no time in adding a second as another pin-point right-wing cross from Grimshaw picked out Samuel Sisounon to steer a close-range header into the goal.
Coniston almost found a route back into the game in the 80th minute when Cameron Morgan latched onto a ball in behind the left channel from Tyler Fuller, but prodded an effort wide.
Bulli sealed their victory four minutes later when Grimshaw notched his third assist of the match, teeing up Joel Starr to bury the ball into the bottom left corner from the edge of the area.
A strong run of form has seen Bulli push their way into finals contention, level on points with Helensburgh in fifth position, just one goal differential behind.
One win in their last five matches leaves Coniston seven points away from the top five, with only nine more points up for grabs, so they face uphill battle to make finals.
Wollongong United 1 Port Kembla 3
Port Kembla stunned Wollongong United to come from behind and beat the reigning league champions 3-1 on Saturday in their own backyard at Macedonia Park.
All seemed to be going in the right direction for United early on, with the side taking the lead eight minutes in through dynamic winger Nav Darjani.
Just six minutes before the break, the hosts were reduced to 10 players when Kaito Mukuno saw a straight red card, but United held onto their lead heading into the sheds.
Port Kembla midfielder Adrian Avello restored parity for the away side just after the hour mark, and from there, the side stepped up the ascendancy.
Jordan Prentoski put Port in the league in the 79th minute, and five minutes later, the striker scored again to extend his team’s lead and seal the result.
Pretoski has had a breakout season in first grade this year, registering 14 goals across the campaign so far.
Port Kembla have had a whirlwind week, picking up wins against league leaders Wollongong Olympic and Wollongong United as they pursue a remote chance in the top five.
United will hope to restore some momentum over the next couple of weeks as they prepare for finals football.
Berkeley Sports 0 Albion Park White Eagles 1
Albion Park edged past a valiant Berkeley 1-0 on Saturday afternoon at Berkeley Sports Centre.
Berkeley have endured a battling first year back in the Illawarra top flight, giving many of the top teams a tough time, and Saturday was no different.
It took until the 76th minute for the White Eagles to snatch a winner, courtesy of Matthew Floro, which proved enough for the visitors to get over the line.
Albion Park remain in second position, but are now only one point behind league leaders Wollongong Olympic.
Tarrawanna 0 Cringila Lions 2
Cringila continued their surge up the table with a 2-0 win against Tarrawanna on Saturday at Tarrawanna Oval.
Jake Bradshaw put the Lions into the lead late in the first half with his fourth goal of the season – an advantage the visitors took in the break.
Harrison Anagnostopoulos doubled Cringila’s advantage in the final 10 minutes to wrap another win for the team.
Cringila have now won three matches in row, seeing them into the top three with three matches remaining.
It puts the side in a strong position heading into the finals series, hoping to make the big dance for the first time since 2023.
The Blueys fell to the foot of the table following another defeat and must tackle Berkeley at home, before travelling to finals-chasers Bulli and Helensburgh to finish off their season.
Helensburgh Thistle 2 South Coast United 0
Helensburgh recorded a late 2-0 win against South Coast United at Rex Jackson park to maintain their pursuit of finals football.
The scores were locked at 0-0 until the final 10 minutes when there was a flurry of action.
Daniel Loe fired the Thistle into the lead in the 81st minute, and five minutes later, Louis Connell gave the side some breathing room to finish off the contest.
The win keeps Helensburgh in the fifth and last finals position, level on points with Bulli in sixth, but the side must contend with Wollongong United next weekend.
Hopes of finals football have slipped away for South Coast United, with five consecutive defeats seeing them fall nine points away from the top five.
Wollongong Olympic 0 Shellharbour 0
Shellharbour held Olympic to a 0-0 stalemate on Sunday at Elizabeth Park, seeing them push off the bottom of the table.
The hosts were eying off another win to keep their lead at the top of the table, but they met stubborn resistance from their opponents.
This is only the second time Olympic have failed to score a goal in a match this season, and Shellharbour’s first clean sheet of the campaign.
The point for Shellharbour has lifted them off the foot of the table, above Tarrawanna on goal difference.
