Cringila clinched their first victory of the 2016 season over a relentless Wollongong Olympic in a thrilling match at home under lights that ended 1-0 to Cringila. It was good timing from Joel Craig who slotted home for the Lions in the 37th minute after Kobayashi Hironori was brought down on the edge of the area. Hironori took his own free kick which broke through the wall of Olympic defenders where Craig was lying in wait. He powered home from close range. 

From the get go, Cringila looked hungry for a win, pressing forward early in the half and making tackles high up the pitch with aggressive counterattacks that troubled the Olympic defenders early on. Olympic on the other hand moved the ball around well in the back line and through the middle, dominating the possession in the first 30 minutes with what seemed like structured build up plays which agonisingly lead to no avail.

Cringila’s first shot came just fifteen minutes in when Mikal Awad engaged in, and won a tackle approximately 22 yards out on the left hand side but didn't trouble the keeper as his shot soared over the bar.

Olympic’s first chance was after a solid build up play on the right hand side which led to their captain Brendan Fordham turning his man on the corner of the box and firing a shot wide of the near post.

Wollongong Olympic were disallowed a goal in the 27th minute when Yusuke Ueda attempted to latch onto a free kick hit into the box from 40 yards out but he was adjudged to have impeded Keeper Joel Tinker as the shot trickled into the net.

Cringila’s quick counter attacking nature saw the resulting free kick taken quickly with a searching long ball forward to Daniel Atkins whom got in front of the two marking Olympic defenders. Akins saw Hayden Durose way off his line and fired a shot around him to the near post, but Durose’s cat like reflexes parried for a corner with outstretched arms.

Olympic looked confident to bounce back after the goal with faster build up plays and Ueda working harder than ever to grab a position on the score sheet himself with a headed effort forcing Tinker into an acrobatic save after connecting with a cross from Hayden Lloyd following a long throw in. 41 minutes had passed when Sam Gordon used good technique to control a ball in mid air, turn a defender in the box and shoot high which took a deflection over the bar.

The second half brought no satisfaction for the Olympic players and supporters as Cringilla looked to keep a tight grasp on the lead they had acquired in the first half. Olympic whisked forward at every opportunity and their effort was nearly rewarded as they went searching for equaliser with the first attempt appearing in the 50th minute. Ueda’s diagonal run into the box from the right hand side was met by a through ball with just enough time to fire a shot, however it went just wide of the post.

Cringila also looked for a goal, this time to further their lead by utilising a well positioned Craig who’s shot from 20 yards out following a poorly cleared corner saw the ball climb over the bar in a fashion which delighted and disappointed supporters of both sides.

In a physical second half which saw a number of players cautioned, both teams attacked and defended as solid units, neither being able to be broken down by the other. In the 80th minute, Andrej Gacesa for Olympic latched onto a monster kick from his keeper which caught the Cringila defence off guard. His chipped shot forcing Cringila keeper Tinker to launch into the air and pluck at full vertical leap a very dangerous ball.

Both sides gave an intense amount of effort in attempting to secure a win on a cold friday night with Cringila the ones celebrating in front of their fans in the stands after the final whistle.

 

Cringila lions - 1 (Joel Craig 37')

Wollongong Olympic - 0

 

Friday 15th April 2016

Crehan park - Cringila

 

Referee: Gregory Reid

Assistance Referee: Ryan O’Sullivan

 

Cringila Lions: Joel Tinker, Jarryd King, Daniel Ramires, Daniel Wagus, Todd Sparks, Caivs Don, Mikal Awad, Joel Craig, Joel Taddeo, Hironori Kobayashi, Daniel Atkins.

Substitutions: Esala Ali, Alex Veltanovski, Christian Cevenini, Daichi Murashita, Kieran Gorgievski.

 

Wollongong Olympic: Hayden Durose, Haydyn Lloyd, Jack Kenting, Jake Duczyask, Kyle Hazebrook, Harvey Rodriguez, Jaron Yu, Brendan Fordham, Sam Gordon, Wand Jajaw, Yusuke Ueda

Substitutions: Graeme Smith, Andrej Gacesa, Nathan Sutcliffe, Rick De Reer

 

Report by Samantha Jordan

Photo by Pedro Garcia