Report by Tommy Doleman

Cockburn City came from behind twice to earn a share of the spoils in an entertaining 3-3 draw against Floreat Athena at E&D Litis Stadium.

Rory Patterson’s penalty put the visitors ahead, before Phil Arnold and Lewis McMahon both scored for the second week in a row to ensure the hosts led at the interval.

Conor Kavanagh headed the Cockerel’s level, only for McMahon to restore Floreat’s lead five minutes later in an end-to-end second half.

But Liam Murray crashed home a second equaliser for Cockburn with 15 minutes left, as Floreat coach Glen Grostate lamented a host of missed opportunities to bag three points.

“We scored a couple of goals to get back in the game and it was frustrating to give the lead away really,” he said.

“We scored three goals today and could have scored five, but that’s what cost us, not taking our chances.

“But I always want to be a team where, if you’re going to beat us, you’ve got to score more than us.

“There was two or three occasions where we could have killed the game off and it’s frustrating when Bayswater go and score a late winner.”

Grostate, though, was pleased with the progress the club has made during this season, even though he admitted it was ‘hard that there’s no finals’ this season.

“Considering where we were last year, (this year) it’s the first time we’ve won the Night Series, and there’s no disgrace in finishing in the top two or three,” he said.

“If you get chances to do something and you’re close and they slip away, it does hurt more, but you’re always going to get that in football.”

Floreat looked the business in the opening 20 minutes as Jon Stynes, Ludo Boi and Steve Burton all forced Curtis Aspden into saves.

But the away side took a lead against the run of play as Fraser Greenwood felled Patterson in the area, and the striker stepped up to fire in his ninth goal of the season.

That lead lasted all of two minutes as the ball broke for Arnold to finish emphatically across Aspden into the far corner of the net.

A downpour midway through the half helped neither team’s flowing football, but Athena regained their composure quicker, and McMahon mirrored that with a cool finish from Boi’s pass for 2-1.

City rebooted at the break, and they were rewarded for their intent eight minutes into the second half, when Kavanagh stooped to head home at the back post from Harry O’Brien’s cross.

Parity was only restored for five minutes, though, as a lovely Floreat passing move ended with Burton picking out McMahon for his fourth goal in two games.

But Cockburn would take a point home, as Murray side-footed past Aspden from 12m, after the goalkeeper had saved Patterson’s initial effort from Friday Zico’s cross.

They did have to dig in, however, as Jack Allen, Kris Gate and Boi all had efforts blocked in the final moments before full time was blown.

Cockerel’s coach Marc Anthony reflected on an entertaining game of football and had mixed emotions with the result.

“When you score against good sides you’ve got to hold on, and with the first goal we could only hold on for a minute, which was pretty unacceptable,” he said.

“They’re a good side and we let them straight back into the game, but the resilience from our boys was great.

“Obviously we want to get results, but it’s important to play the right brand of football and I think that’s showing now.

“We’ve come a long way and I still think we can get better. We were close in the pre-season, and we have ambitions of finishing in the top three of four.

“That’s not going to change until it’s impossible, we’ll keep pushing.”

Floreat Athena 3 (Arnold 22mins, McMahon 43’, 58’)
Cockburn City 3 (Patterson 20’pen, Kavanagh 52’, Murray 74’)
Saturday 4 July 2015
E&D Litis Stadium
Local kick-off: 3:00pm
 
Floreat Athena: GK: Fraser GREENWOOD, 2. Blair GOVAN, 4. Aryn WILLIAMS, 6. Clayton ARNEZ (3. Jack ALLEN 59’), 8. Jon STYNES, 11. Dennis GALAN, 12. Kris GATE, 14. Ludovic BOI, 18. Phil ARNOLD, 19. Steve BURTON (10. Andrew SCALDAFERRO 87’), 20. Lewis MCMAHON.
Substitutes not used: 99. Jordan Barbas, 15. Greg HART, 33. David STOKOE
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil

Cockburn City: 1. Curtis ASPDEN, 3. Jonathan CORNESS, 5. Alan CARROLL, 10. Rory PATTERSON, 11. Devon GIBSON, 12. Feisal ZAW (8. David ARAYA 73’), 13. Blake ADAMS, 14. Conor KAVANAGH, 15. Harry O’Brien (7. Friday ZICO 69’), 17. Eamon MCNELIS, 19. Liam MURRAY (16. Julian TELES 89’)
Substitutes not used: 23. Jack ADAMS
Yellow Cards: Adams 75’
Red Cards: Nil