Coniston caused a sensation at JJ Kelly Park on Tuesday night by thrashing favourites Warilla Wanderers to reach the final of the Fraternity Cup on their return to the District League. New signing Dinko Terzic had a party in the park, scoring a first half hat-trick and clearing off his own line as Warilla surged forward to try to retrieve the tie in the second half.

Adrian Nikolovski also got his name on the scoresheet as Coniston went in at the break with an unlikely scoreline of 4-0. And local favourite Jim Stewart scored twice late on to complete the rout.

Tim White hit the back of the net direct from a corner to give the Wanderers brief hope in the second stanza, but by the time Bojan Caric got Warilla’s second from the penalty spot, it was already game over.

The victory not only catapults Coniston into the Fraternity Cup Final on Sunday, but makes it four wins from four on the team’s return to this level after a year languishing in the community leagues.

Coniston coach Willy Alarcon was delighted at the spirit in his camp as the season proper approaches: “We never want to go back to where we were a year ago,” he said, “and we’ve got a great bunch of lads who play together, train together, go out together. They’re great to watch.”

Asked about his key goalscorers on the night, Alarcon said he was particularly pleased to see Jim Stewart nick a brace. “He’s stayed with us from when we went down (to the community league) and is with us still now. I think he has a big year ahead of him.” But on the night, it was Terzic who stole all the headlines, and Alarcon acknowledged ‘a player like Dinko will always make an impact one way or another. But above all, he plays with love and passion and has fun.”

And that was the difference between the two sides on the night. Warilla may have had a few key names missing, and if they’d put away some of the early chances they had, the scoreline might have been quite different, but overall they struggled to match the passion and persistence of Coniston.

Warilla began brightly enough and had the better of the early chances, with Caric and Tristan McIntosh both getting some target practice in the opening ten minutes, though both will have been disappointed not to have been on target in the five or six efforts they had.

But it was a long ball from Vasko Mitkovski which found Terzic up front in the twelfth minute to give Warilla keeper Joshua Bowles a hint of things to come. And five minutes later, it was a Bowles howler which let Terzic free to tap in his first.

A long ball out of defence was going nowhere dangerous, but Bowles inexplicably charged out of his area to retrieve, only to be beaten to the ball by Nikolovski, who had the simple task of passing across to the unmarked Terzic who could not resist the open goal before him. 1-0 to Coniston in 18 minutes, and really against the run of play so far.

But the goal gave Coniston the confidence they needed, and once Luke Everingham had fired a right foot shot over the bar shortly after the opening goal, the momentum shifted completely Coniston’s way.

Three goals came in seven minutes as Warilla’s defence were run ragged. First Lorri Mandredi was upended in the box, allowing Terzic to step up and make it 2-0.

Then it was Nikolovski’s turn, with the former Port Kembla forward seemingly surprising himself as he lunged at a ball with his left foot and watched it stumble over the line out of Bowles’ reach. And Nikolovski was involved again for Coniston’s fourth. This time a powerful drive from Brad Moreira flew loose inside the area, and it was Nikolvski who kept a cool head to drill the ball back in for Terzic to tap in at the far post.

4-0 at the break.

Warilla came out for the second half with greater intent. Jason Goldsmith looked much more solid in defence and Tim White was tireless going forward. But when Adrian Montalbano looped the ball over the bar after waiting for an offside flag that never appeared, it just didn’t look like Warilla had it in them to come back.

Just before the hour mark, Coniston could have made it 5-0, when they broke forward and were three on one, but a wayward pass from Jonathan Liddle meant a good chance was wasted.

In the 61^st minute, Warilla’s pressure paid off. Three corners in succession finished with an inswinger from White which floated over everyone’s head into the net to give the Wanderers hope.

Moments later a finger tip save from Coniston gloveman Alex Makin kept out a Reece McIntosh left foot, which might just have set Warilla on the road to an extraordinary comeback.

But as so often happens when a team is chasing the game, the side in the driving seat can respond on the break. Terzic had just cleared off the line from yet another Warilla corner, when Mandredi surged forward with Stewart in space alongside him. Mandredi’s pass opened up the defence and Stewart slotted home for 5-1, taking the wind out of Warilla in the process.

Caric made no mistake with his spot kick in the 81^st minute, but there would be no more fightback from the Wanderers. And there was still time for Nikolovski to set up Stewart for his second and Coniston’s sixth, to round off an extraordinary display from the District League new boys.

They will now face Fernhill Foxes in Sunday’s Final.

Warilla Wanderers FC – 2 (White 61’, Caric pen 81’)

Coniston – 6 (Terzic 18’, 29’ pen, 36’, Nikolovski 31’, Stewart 75’. 88’)

Assists: Coniston: Nikolovski 3, Mandredi 1

Tuesday 14 March 2017

JJ Kelly Park

Referee: Aden Crawley

Assistant Referees: Nick Ryan, Emajen Crawley

Warilla Wanderers: Joshua Rowles, Mark Marinelli, Jamie Young, Nathan Pegler, Jason Goldsmith, Luke Everingham, Tim White, Toni Anastovski, Bojan Caric, Javier Ovando, Reece McIntosh, (subs: Tristan McIntosh, Adrian Montalbano, Adam Inskip)

Coniston FC: Alex Makin, Patrick Susnya, Andrew Nanos, Vasko Mitkovski, Rory Evans, Brad Moreira, Frank Pierro, Dusan Kolonja, Adrian Nikolovski, Dinko Terzic, Lorri Mandredi (subs: Jim Stewart, Sash Arcaba, Adem Akkoc, Atanas Simonovski, Jonathan Liddle)

Subs used in regular rotation throughout the 90 minutes.

 

Report by Simon Duffin