Wollongong United and Kemblawarra Fury shared the points in a tightly-fought but goalless draw at Macedonia Park on Saturday. The result virtually guarantees the Fury will finish the season third in the ladder, but leaves United with an uphill battle to make the finals after Port Kembla’s dramatic comeback win left them two points clear of sixth placed United with two rounds to play.

Fury keeper Daniel Arcaba saved a penalty in the first half and United frontman Ricky Zucco was denied by the woodwork in the second half. But it was a series of fine saves from United gloveman Sam Nastic which kept the scores level as the Fury pushed forward for a winner late on.

The Fury made only one change to their starting line-up from the side that edged out Albion Park in Round 19, Arcaba returning between the sticks. But it’s up front where the starting eleven looks very different from the Fury side of just a few weeks ago. With Anthony Proia out for the season, Robbie Shields injured (though hoping to return for the Finals), and Liam Unicomb moved to Tarrawanna, Van Elia is forced to lead the goal hunt up front, with Matthew McNab pushed out to the left wing.

In a quiet opening, the crowd were reacting more to the score updates from Wetherill Park than to what was happening in front of them here.

It was the 25^th minute before the game’s first real chance, and it fell to the Fury.

Sam Matthews picked out Lachlan O’Connor down the right. He sent in a perfectly-weighted cross onto the head of Elia, but the front man sent it straight to the keeper.

For United, Zucco was making his presence felt across the park, setting up Klime Sekutkoski with a fine ball from inside his own half, before marauding forward himself, to pick up Zac McLaren’s ball inside the box, Brenton Rhodes getting back to make the vital tackle.

In the 39^th minute it was Zucco again who threaded a ball into the path of Sekutkoski, who was bundled over inside the area. Sekutkoski stepped up to take it himself, but Arcaba guessed right and made a fine save to keep the scores even.

This was United’s best period of the match and before the break there were more chances to make amends for the penalty miss. First Zucco swung a free kick into the box, it bounced dangerously, but came up against a wall of blue shirts before going out for a corner. Then it was last season’s top scorer, full back Ben Brooks, who came forward and fired a right foot shot just over the bar on the stroke of half time.

In the second half, the game came alive with action at both ends.

In the 55^th minute, Elia was tripped just outside the D, a perfect spot for Shane Murray. United knew the threat he poses from that range and put in a five-man wall, but still the Fury set-piece demon managed to hit the ball goalwards, a dipping shot just tipped over by a magnificent diving save from Nastic.

Then Sekutkoski won a free kick 30 yards out, but well within range for Zucco, who stepped up and drove the ball thundering against the upright.

An end-to-end battle then ensued. Zucco beat Rhodes for pace on the edge of the box, but the big Fury defender recovered enough to get his body in the way of Zucco’s shot. Then Sam Munro put Murray through at the other end, forcing Nastic into a reflex block.

In the 70^th minute Munro found the back of the net for the Fury, but the flag was up for offside. Twice Alvin Ceccoli pushed forward up the left and sent in a couple of trademark crosses to keep the United defence on its toes. The first was steered towards Steve Wright’s head, but Nastic was again quick enough to take the ball off the tall defender; and then it was Munro’s turn, but his header struck Brooks on the back as it headed towards the target.

United had their own chances late on, as substitute Bradley Acev pounced when Arcaba dropped the ball on the edge of the area, but the keeper recovered to parry the ball before Mikal Awad saw another effort blocked by O’Connor.

As the game went into time added on, Fury substitute Jordan Nikolovski went close before there were loud shouts for handball inside the box as a United defender desperately got his body in the way of another goalbound shot. But no penalty was given and the match remained goalless.

Speaking after the game, United coach Zivko Jovanovksi said he thought a draw was a fair result: “Both sides had chances but it was an open game, entertaining for the crowd.” On hearing of the result from Wetherill Park, he acknowledged, “We’ll need results to go our way now.”

Fury coach Luke Maguire is already looking ahead to the Finals: “We defended well today and we’ve become a hard side to break down, but we just need to find a way of scoring more. I’m working with only 11 fit players at the moment and we’re asking youth graders to come in and give a hand after playing 90 minutes earlier on. The priority is to get the squad and structure right for the Finals.”

Wollongong United – 0

Kemblawarra Fury – 0

Macedonia Park, Saturday 12 August 2017

Referee: Nathan Wotton
Assistant referees: Greg Reid, Erin Dalley

Wollongong United: Sam Nastic, Maty Brennan, Milan Zoric, Ben Brooks, Jake Leighton, Jackson Brooks, Billy Tsovolos, Zac McLaren (Dylan Chaplin 85’), Taka Noji, Ricky Zucco (Bradley Acev 74’), Klime Sekutkoski (Mikal Awad 85’)(subs not used: Dion Sterjovski, Matthew Lynch)

Kemblawarra Fury: Daniel Arcaba, Steven Wright, Brenton Rhodes, Lachlan O’Connor, Alvin Ceccoli, Shane Murray, Sam Matthews (Jordan Nikolovski 76’), Kazuto Kushida, Sam Munro, Van Elia, Matthew McNab (Carter Madden 76’) (subs not used: David Zufic, Cody Waller, Kyle Kirkland)

Report by Simon Duffin

Photo courtesy of Dana Guthrie