Kemblawarra Fury hosted Port Kembla in the Round 16 clash on the back of a 5-2 hiding at the hands of Wollongong United midweek in the Bert Bampton Cup. Port Kembla managed a 2-1 win over Picton last round after a couple of defeats to stay in the hunt for finals football.

Port had a positive start to the game and nearly found themselves ahead after five minutes with Joey Lavalle’s tight shot being saved by Daniel Arcaba before being cleared. The visitor's strong start was quashed when Mitchell Scazzariello was forced off the pitch in the 10th minute with a potentially serious knee injury and only a minute later Fury won a penalty after Kyoji Mori bundled Matthew McNab over in the area. Robbie Shields stepped up to the mark but his penalty dribbled past the outside of the left post to the astonishment of the crowd.

Five minutes laters the Fury had another massive chance after Port goalkeeper Brad Jardine made a top save off a Shield’s header only for the ball to come back to the striker, he squared the ball to Sam Matthews who skied his shot well over the bar from 6 yards out.

Port were able to overcome this and through quick counter attacks they were able to cause Fury plenty of issues. A key figure in these counter attacks was Sandy Lowcock and in the 37th minute he helped his side edge in front. The young striker rounded Alvin Ceccoli on the left of box before cutting the ball into Chris Smith who took a touch before burying the ball into the bottom left corner.

Noel Spencer’s game plan had Port Kembla up 1-0 at the interval with the lethargic Fury failing to make the most of a couple of major opportunities.

Port were bold in the opening stages of the second half with Lowcock continuing to threaten down the flanks. In the 52nd minute, there was nearly a repeat of the opener with Lowcock steaming around a Fury centreback, this time it was Steve Wright before cutting back to Smith but this time he wasn’t able to get a shot away and the ball was cleared.

With just over an hour played Ceccoli got his head onto a swung in corner which Jardine caught before pushing away as he fell into his own goal. Luckily for him, his defence were able to hoof the ball clear.

A few plays later the Fury managed to find an equaliser. Sam Munro lofted in a corner for Ceccoli to attack, his header found McNab who controlled the ball with his chest before smashing his shot into the net. Terrible set piece defending but a well-taken goal by the striker who now has 11 goals for the season.

The goal could have seriously deflated Port, however, they continued to battle for a much needed three points. A lot of the play bypassed Ben Zucco in the midfield but when he was able to get a foot on the ball his class was on show and his through ball in the 73rd minute nearly opened up a one on one chance for Smith but Wright was able to make a clutch sliding tackle to deny the striker.

Two minutes later, Lowcock barged into the area before thumping a ball for the bottom left corner but Arcaba made a stunning save which tipped the ball onto the post. The young keeper continuing to shine after his midseason transfer to the Fury.

With five minutes on the clock, Port Kembla grabbed what could be a seismic goal in the context of their season. Zucco tapped the ball to Smith who played Lavalle through on to the right of goal. Lavalle struck his shot across Arcaba and into the bottom left corner. The travelling fans went wild but to their chagrin, the goalscorer received a second yellow for lifting his jersey over his head - a daft decision by the Port Kembla player who left his side a man down after doing so well with the finish.

Fury pushed forward in the dying stages in search of an equaliser but the closest they came was a speculative long range effort from Fabian Iacovelli which Jardine tipped over the bar. The full time whistle sounded with Port Kembla prevailing 2-1.

The momentous win moves Port back above Wollongong United and into the top five. Their next opponents are South Coast United who have worked themselves into form with three wins in four matches. As for Kemblawarra Fury, their next match will also have a massive impact on Port as they face Wollongong United on Tuesday night. A win there will keep their flickering title hopes alive but without the likes of Anthony Proia and Shane Murray, it will be a difficult task for Luke McGuire’s side.

 

Click this link to listen to the post match interviews - https://soundcloud.com/dylanarvela/post-match-interviews-after-port-kembla-upset-fury

 

Kemblawarra Fury - 1 (McNab 67’)

Port Kembla - 2 (Smith 37’, Lavalle 85’)

 

Sunday the 9th of July, 2017 at Macedonia Park, Berkeley

 

Kemblawarra Fury - Daniel Arcaba, Steve Wright, Robbie Shields, David Hartas, Fabian Iacovelli, Alvin Ceccoli, Kazuto Kyshida, Sam Munro, Sam Matthews, Lachlan O’Connor and Matthew McNab

 

Subs - Van Elia (on for Matthews), Jordan Nikolovski (on for Wright), Yanni Mavrikis and Dean Pender

 

Port Kembla - Brad Jardine, Brooklyn Frkovic, William Mobbs, Matt Werakso, Carlo Stella, Kyoji Mori, Ben Zucco, Mitch Scazzariello, Joey Lavalle and Sandy Lowcock

 

Subs - Kyle Hazebroek (on for Scazzariello), Bailey Fleming (on for Mori), Adam Bassuni (on for Smith), Antonio Musumeci and Daniel Farina

 

Referee - Andrew Naylor

 

Assistant Referees - Patrick Hutton and Max Vercoe

 

Report and photo by Dylan Arvela, on Twitter @dylanarvela