The battle at the bottom of the Premier League took another turn this afternoon as Shell Cove and Bellambi shared the points in a Round 3 catch-up match, and in the process leaving Woonona to prop up the ladder on goal difference.

Ryo Suzuki’s goal for Bellambi shortly after the break cancelled out Tommy Markovski’s first half strike for Shell Cove. Both sides had chances in a lively second half but neither team could clinch that elusive first win of the season.

The first half was a scrappy affair with neither side creating much threat in front of goal.

Markovski had the first chance for either team in the 12^th minute, but saw his shot saved by Yuya Kuwada in the Bellambi goal. At the other end, Sangyu Park picked up a Keiran Morris cross but the Bellambi striker shot wide of the upright.

Bellambi’s strongest period in the first half came just before they conceded.

Suzuki launched a long ball from near halfway with Park set to pounce, but he was just beaten to the ball by Adam Rodriguez in the Shell Cove goal. The lack of communication in the Shell Cove defence almost let Jacob Fryday in as he followed up on his own cross, which was only half cleared.

But it was the home side that struck first in the 41^st minute. The ever dangerous pairing of Ile Kostovski and Tommy Markovski linked up to give Markovski his chance on the edge of the area. The striker picked his spot and steered a left foot shot beyond the reach of Kuwada. Shell Cove went into the break one up.

Bellambi came out fighting in the second half, though, and immediately struck back, with Suzuki finishing off a move he himself had started, with a fine right foot shot from just outside the area.

The goal gave the visitors more momentum, with Suzuki in particular looking lively all over the park and the Shell Cove defence hanging on. A Rodriguez scuffed clearance fell straight to Fryday, with the keeper out of position and an open goal beckoning, but Fryday’s left foot effort from 30 metres out flew just wide.

But Shell Cove rallied around the hour mark and began to create chances themselves, with Markovski an ever present danger in the area.

Both defences stayed resolute, getting bodies in the way when needed. It was Andrew Nanos who got a foot in to block a goal bound shot when Bellambi were raining in on the Shell Cove goal; at the other end Dale White made a vital tackle to prevent Kostovski pulling the trigger, and moments later Caius Don did the same when Markovski was poised to shoot.

With 15 minutes remaining, Bellambi hit the woodwork twice: first Fryday striking the upright from 25metres out, and then Park finished off a superb move with a half volley onto the cross bar, though the striker was ruled offside anyway.

But it was Shell Cove who came closest at the death, with Markovski again and again causing problems in the area, with his best chance in the 90^th minute when Kuwada again foiled him at the near post.

Shell Cove coach Robert Mihailov was frustrated not to have taken the three points. “That sums up our season lately,” he said. “This weekend alone we’ve created double digit chances and just not put enough away. We began the season leaking five or six a game so focused on our defence at first and have turned that around but we now need to be more clinical in the final third.”

For Bellambi coach Greg Smart it was a ‘fair result on the day. Three points would have been nice and we hit the woodwork twice in the second half, but a draw’s a draw, and I think both sides should be happy with that, with so many tired legs at the end there after two hard games in three days.”

- Simon Duffin -