Bottom of the table, and pointless, heading into Round 16 Weston-Molonglo recorded one of the results of the season with a stunning 5-0 hammering of high-flying Wagga City Wanderers in the first of a double-header at Hawker Football Centre.
There was no disguising the incredulity of the result as the Magpies suddenly found their form as the Wanderers were despatched in a match that had the rest of the capital Premier League scratching their head.
Michael Sellers was the goal hero for Weston-Molonglo as he bagged a hat-trick, finishing off some excellent Magpies moves and making the Wanderers pay for some slack defending. Sellers scored once in the first half, and twice after the break, as the Wanderers top-four hopes took a blow.
After Sellers had made it 2-0, Nathan Readman made it three on the hour before Sellers completed his treble with ten minutes to play. Tom Pagett rounded off a superb day for Weston by adding the fifth in the final minute.
Queanbeyan City’s inconsistency came back to haunt them as they were drubbed by a rampant ANU FC at Hawker Football Centre, the University side coming from a goal behind to score half-a-dozen without reply to move three points clear in third place and leave City struggling to maintain pace with leaders Tuggeranong United.
There was little indication of what was to come as Michael Piccolo gave Queanbeyan the lead in only the second minute of the contest, but it was an advantage that lasted just three minutes as Hassan Alnuwaysir quickly brought ANU FC back on terms.
A brace of goals just before the break swung the match in favour of the home side as Monte Grace gave ANU FC the lead before Chase Deans netted for the eleventh time in the CPL in 2022, scoring from the spot three minutes into first-half stoppage time.
Any hopes of a Queanbeyan comeback were blown away by two goals in four minutes around the hour mark as Alnuwaysir made it 4-1 quickly followed by a third goal of the season for Rory Spiers. Carl Hynes fifth league goal of the year completed the half-dozen with five minutes to play as ANU ran riot.
Tuggeranong United emerged unscathed from a potential banana skin to their title challenge by taking all three points from their trip to Griffith as they defeated Yoogali SC 3-0 to move seven points clear at the top of the pile, with a game in hand.
On a difficult surface United were made to work for their victory after taking the lead through Tarisayi Mbogo after only nineteen minutes. It was the tall defenders first goal of the season and a crucial one at a critical time.
Yoogali battled hard and Tuggeranong couldn’t relax until leading scorer Sam Walker netted for the seventeenth time this season in the 69th minute. A ninth of the campaign from Patrick Hislop with twelve minutes remaining sealed the win and put United another step forward on the path to promotion.
RESULTS
ROUND 16
Saturday 6 August
Weston-Molonglo FC 5 (M. Sellers 40’, 67’, 80’, Readman 60’, Pagett 90’) Wagga City Wanderers 0
ANU FC 6 (Alnuwaysir 5’, 60’, Grace 44’, Deans 45+3’ (p), Spiers 64’, C. Hynes 85’) Queanbeyan City 1 (Piccolo 2’)
Sunday 7 August
Yoogali SC 0 Tuggeranong United 3 (Mbogo 19’, Walker 69’, Hislop 78’)
White Eagles v Brindabella Blues – Match Postponed
TABLE
P | W | D | L | GD | PTS | ||
1 | Tuggeranong United | 15 | 12 | 1 | 2 | +47 | 37 |
2 | Queanbeyan City | 16 | 9 | 3 | 4 | +12 | 30 |
3 | ANU FC | 16 | 9 | 1 | 6 | +13 | 28 |
4 | Wagga City Wanderers | 16 | 8 | 1 | 7 | -13 | 25 |
5 | Brindabella Blues | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | -4 | 21 |
6 | White Eagles | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | +17 | 20 |
7 | Yoogali SC | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | -12 | 15 |
8 | Weston-Molonglo FC | 16 | 1 | 0 | 15 | -54 | 3 |