An equaliser off the last kick of the game has denied Woonona F.C their first victory in six weeks at Hume Oval this Saturday afternoon.

Woonona held onto a 1-0 lead from the 9th minute until Picton Rangers spoilt the party with a injury time goal to deny a Shark victory and ensure a long drive back home to the coast.

Woonona Sharks coach Brendan Anderson was proud of his teams effort despite the result.

“It’s obviously shattering. Last kick of the game, off a corner but ultimately I just got to praise the boys effort.” Anderson said.

“They have been working hard, every week the style of football is getting better and better, they showed it today and it is just a bit unlucky.”

Picton Rangers coach Brett Morley was relieved with the result.

“They stuck a good goal, and we just stuck at it and never gave up till the end.” Morley said.

“And there is no better time to score an equaliser than the last kick of the game.”

It appeared that Picton was going to provide the home faithful highlights from the outset, with a Daniel Goodhew ball finding a charging Connor Dymond who cut back in the box to unleash a right foot strike well off target in the 5th minute.

In the 9th minute Woonona’s diminutive Joel Beattie glided down the left wing beating two defenders before passing the ball back to Valentino Merxhushi with plenty of time to unleash the ball with ease for the opening goal.

The scoreboard read 1-0 for the travelling Woonona Sharks.

In the 30th minute, Picton looked to press upfield with a ball sent downfield for a rushing Mitchell Hall with Woonona goalkeeper Bradley Jardine sensing the threat, rushing out and colliding with Hall out of the box earning himself a yellow in the process.

The ball appeared trapped in the midfield for long stages of the first half, with both teams unable to stick a number of passes together on target.

The Rangers applied pressure late in the first half with a number of raids on the Woonona goals, with the best chance coming from ball movement between Jarred Morley and Mitchell Hall which ended up with the ball rolling across the face of goal for no result.

Woonona held a narrow 1-0 lead at halftime.

Woonona had been asking questions all match through impressive striker Luke Beattie who began the second half by targeting goal with a strong strike in the 50th minute, well saved by the Picton goalkeeper.

It was Woonona dictating proceedings early in the second half in search for a match-winner. Striker Valentino Merxhushi latched onto a ball from Luke Beezem and beat two in the box before skying the ball well over the crossbar squandering the opportunity in the 66th minute.

In the 75th minute a lovely long ball found substitute Alex Morlando hiding near the back post who headed it just wide of the post in a strong chance.

Woonona keeper Bradley Jardine had an incredible brain snap in the 77th minute, mistakenly passing the ball out of the penalty box to Picton substitute Jack Taseski, who was unable to unwrap his gift in time with Jardine able to madly scream across the penalty box to prevent the equalizer.

Picton continued to fight to the final whistle, with an Aidan Matthews free kick thundering into the cross bar in the 80th minute in what appeared as the home team’s best opportunity to equalize having gone down the drain.

Woonona appeared to have locked up all three points on offer until Picton Rangers earned a corner kick in injury time.

Picton’s Jarred Morley struck the corner into the crowded box with the ball pin balling around until it landed in front of substitute Jack Taseski to strike the goal to equalize the fixture with the final kick of the game.

“Full credit to them (Woonona), they came here and really gave us a game and nearly stole it, we were lucky to get away with it at the end.” Picton coach Brett Morley said.

Woonona coach Brendan Anderson will be re-living his teams finish to the match over and over for the next week.

“We probably should have finished them in the last 5 minutes there with two open goals essentially.” Anderson said.

“We should have been more clinical with our chances and the last kick of the game would not have mattered.”

Woonona FC will take on last-placed South Coast United at Ocean Park next Saturday afternoon in a must-win clash, while Picton Rangers will travel to Albert Butler Memorial Park to take on table-toppers Kemblawarra Fury.

 

Picton Rangers - 1 (Taseski 90+3’)

Woonona F.C - 1 (Merxhushi 9’)

 

 

 

Saturday 7 May 2016

Hume Oval

 

Referee: S. Bozic

Assistant Referees: M. Cameron & N. Ryan

 

Picton Rangers: Jones, Nicol, Goodhew, Durrant (Realph 87’), Mugridge, Hall (Taseki 77’), Matthews, J. Morley, Dymond (Roberts 60’), D. Morley, Sheerin

Yellow Cards: Goodhew 49’, J. Morley 57’, Hall 65’

Red Cards: Nil

 

Woonona F.C: Jardine, Besgrove, Gibson, Fetterplace, Hutton, Beezem, Worthington, Nicol (Morlando 69’), Beattie (Tadokoro 78’), Russell (Pattman 60’), Merxhushi

 

Yellow Cards: Jardine 30’

Red Cards: Nil

 

Report by Daniel McGookin (@mcgoookin93)
Photo: Pedro Garcia (Library Archive)