The Fernhill Foxes (1^st) faced Warilla Wanderers (2^nd) at Elizabeth park on Saturday afternoon in the Qualifying final of the WCG Cranes District League competition with the winner automatically moving on to the grand final in two weeks. The other side would have to face the winner of the match between Helensburgh and Thirroul. Their previous meetings ended with Fernhill winning the first game 1-0, but their second game, in round 20, was a 1-1 draw. It was shaping up for an instant classic and that’s exactly what the fans got.

The match began fast paced and action packed with the first shot coming only minutes after the opening whistle. A lobbed free kick over the top by Tor Preece, which the Warilla defence misjudged, found Toby Napper who smashed the ball across the face of the goals. An early chance created by the Foxes and a worrying sign for the Wanderers defence.

No less than 2 minutes later, Warilla had their first opportunity through Kaine Good but he was unable to capitalise on the fantastic chance, hitting the ball wide.

The next chance fell to Mitchell Turner, who had a wonderful curling shot from deep outside the area, but it nicked the crossbar on the way through. Turner then had one more opening but he failed to make the most of it, striking the ball straight into the safe hands of Valon Rizvani.

With one number 10 coming so close to scoring, it was so typical of the back and forth half that Warilla’s number 10 was the man who would break the deadlock. The Fernhill defence gave away a sloppy free kick right on the edge of the area. Javier Ovando would step up and place a magnificent set piece into the bottom right corner. A piece of individual brilliance was the only thing separating the two sides.

Kolan Hmda almost had the Foxes back on track with a lob over Rizvani, which fell short of the goal mouth, allowing the Warilla defence to clear the ball quickly. Fernhill hadn’t been as clinical as they had been all year and it started to frustrate the team.

The frustration only grew when the Foxes gave away another unnecessary free kick deep inside their own half. The ball was whipped in and found Martin Castelli on the back stick, he fired his header home into the side netting doubling the Wanderers advantage going into the closing stages of the half.

The late drama was not over yet, and Martin Castelli was at the centre of it again. A shot by Ryan Hunter was certainly going in before Castelli’s reflexes put him in hot water. The ball struck his arm which was far away from his body, saving a certain goal. The referee blew for the penalty and had no choice to send the centre back for an early shower.

Iliza Prenzoski converted the penalty in supreme fashion, bringing life back to the Fernhill side. A couple of passes later the half ended. A quite spectacular end to the first half left both coaches with a huge task at hand.

Half time

The shattering end to the first half didn’t dampen the Wanderers spirits. They kept striving forward, attempting to counter attack the Foxes. The Fernhill side were throwing everything at Rizvani’s goal including a bicycle kick attempt by Ryan Hunter which just skimmed past the post.

Fernhill began to dominate possession and dictate the tempo of the match. But they just failed to fire in the crucial moments, with the 10 men Warilla chasing down every loose ball and winning the majority of 50/50 challenges.

With the Foxes launching players forward the left gaps in their defence. Something a quick striker like Good dreams off in his sleep. A quick counter attack saw the number 7 released into open pasture, sprinting away from the Fernhill defence. With only a single glance up, he slotted the ball inside the close post and continued running in celebration. A perfect example of counter attacking football and desire to beat the best team in the league this season.

But in the 75^th minute Fernhill would finally get their breakthrough. A sublime cross from Turner would find the head of Prenzoski who venomously thumped his header home. They picked up the ball and ran back to halfway with their confidence sky high.

Kaine Good should have had his second of the contest after he tore through Fernhill’s defence, turning them inside out before scuffing his shot. Warilla then had a couple of dismal calls for a penalty waved away but they maintained possession through a corner.

Fernhill couldn’t find their feet in the last 10 minutes and eventually the referee blew the final whistle. The Warilla Wanderers’ had guaranteed their spot in the final while Fernhill would be forced into a playoff against Helensburgh who had now won 2 out of 2 finals.

I caught up with Barney King and asked him about the game and what it means to his team.

https://soundcloud.com/liam-emerton/fsc-interview-barney-king-warilla-wanderers-coach

Follow the soundcloud link to listen to what he had to say.

 

Full Time

Fernhill Foxes 2-3 Warilla Wanderers.

 

Fernhill Foxes

B.Hunter, S.Poulton, T.Preece, D.White, A.Oliver, I.Prenzoski, R.Hunter, T.Napper, S.Muiluyk, M.Turner, K.Hmda

Replacements

D.Morosin, D.Warwick, B.Kear, J.McClelland

Warilla Wanderers

V.Rizvani, J.Nolan, J.Young, M.Castelli, J.Goldsmith, L.Everingham, K.Good, A.White, B.Caric, J.Ovando, J.Lopez

Replacements

D.Atkins, S.Robertson, B.Ellul, B.Russell

Report by Liam Emerton, Twitter @liamemerton

Photo by Pickles