Goals from Seb Dallas, Marc Sergi and Scott Muilwyk saw Fernhill come from behind to take the three points in this final Pool 2 match from the District League Conference. The win was not enough to see the Foxes push through to the semi finals stage, though.

In a miserable afternoon for Kiama Quarriers, their first half goal scorer Jason Forrester was stretchered off in the final moments of the tie, leaving player coach James Spence with an injury worry ahead of the start of the season proper in three weeks.

The midday kick-off made for difficult playing conditions in stifling heat with little or no wind, and the game was ten minutes old before either side had a real effort on goal.

Fernhill striker Muilwyk was proving a handful for the Kiama defence, though. He set up Brett Kear for the Foxes’ first chance, but Kear’s right foot shot flew just over the bar.

A minute later, Sergi found Chris Hobbs inside the box. Hobbs fed the ball across the face of the goal setting up a tap in for the unmarked Muilwyk, but the Foxes forward scuffed his shot wide.

At the other end, Keegan Beringer found himself unmarked inside the area, but got under his shot and the ball cannoned over the bar in Kiama’s first attempt on the Fernhill goal.

This lifted the Quarriers, though, and it was only a minute later that Forrester picked the ball up on the edge of the area, took one touch and then unleashed a right foot shot low and out of reach of James McClelland in the Fernhill goal to give Kiama the lead.

Fernhill responded by switching things around, bringing on former Illawarra Premier League players Keiran Morris and Lee White. Morris looked lively just behind the front line, but it was Hobbs who almost set up an equaliser for Fernhill just on the half hour mark.

He flicked the ball into the path of an onrushing Dallas, who caught the ball at an awkward height and tried unsuccessfully to chest the ball towards goal. It didn't take Dallas long to make amends, though. Sergi’s free kick from just outside the area in the last minute of the first half was parried by Kiama keeper Dylan McDonald straight into the path of Dallas, who made no mistake this time, equalising with the last kick of the half.

Buoyed by their late first half equaliser, the Foxes came out for the second half looking to take the game to Kiama. Morris played a neat one-two with Muilwyk before looping his shot just wide of the upright, with McDonald beaten. And it was Morris again who seconds later saw his shot blocked by Kane Rowe in the Kiama defence.

The Quarriers had their backs to the wall at this stage as Fernhill launched attack after attack on the Kiama goal. Matt Richardson’s curling corner almost hit the target, with McDonald just getting his fist there in time to punch the ball clear. And Kear was unlucky to see his header crash against the woodwork from White’s free kick.

The Fernhill pressure finally paid off 15 minutes into the second half, when Sergi picked up a loose ball on the half way line, ran 25 metres and played a useful one-two with Muilwyk before racing forward and picking up the return ball, which he dispatched with a firm right foot shot to give the Foxes the lead.

And Fernhill increased the lead moments later when another beautiful corner from Richardson found Muilwyk, who climbed the highest and powered his header into the top corner.

The Quarriers seemed to lose belief at that point and remained on the back foot to the final moments of the game. Sergi had chances for his second, but saw two headers just miss the target; Richardson set up Ben Moerman but his effort went wide of the upright; and Hobbs found himself unmarked inside the area, but watched his lobbed shot soar well over the bar.

It was during a rare Kiama foray into the Fernhill half, with only a minute or two to go, that Forrester pulled up on the byline with what looked like an awkward knock to his ankle. Once he’d been stretchered off, the referee called time on proceedings, leaving Fernhill the victors and the Quarriers literally licking their wounds.

Fernhill FC – 3 (Dallas 35’, Sergi 50’, Muilwyk 52’)

Kiama Quarriers FC – 1 (Forrester 14’)

Sunday 6 March 2016

Wetherall Park

Referee: Nicholas Ryan

Assistant Referees: Steve Bozic, Daniel Dohnt

Fernhill FC: McClelland, Poulton, McDonald (Luke), Kear, Oliver, Hurt, Richardson, Sergi, Hobbs, Muilwyk, Moerman (subs Morris, White, Thompson, Dallas – rotated on and off through the game so no direct 1-1 substitutions in the Fraternity Cup format)

Kiama Quarriers FC: McDonald (Dylan), Munro, Cunliffe, Land, Rowe, Wade, Christodoulou, Buzinki, Forrester, Beringer, Annen (subs Walsh, Swinton, Marks, Donlan, Spence)

 

Report by Simon Duffin

Photo by Pedro Garcia