Relentless. Ruthless. Rampant. The O’Connor Knights recorded their first Federation Cup Final triumph for sixteen years, and secured a place in the Round of 32, as they defeated Monaro Panthers 4-2 in an exciting Australia Cup Qualifying Final at Deakin Stadium.
Central defender Lachlan Fields was the official Man of the Match, but it was the story of the past three years for the Knights in that it was the collective that saw the O’Connor club across the line, with performances of top calibre everywhere you looked amongst the men in the checked shirts.
The Panthers played their part. Shorn of goalkeeper Finn Jurak, centre-back Adam De Franceschi, and holding midfielder Fernando, the last thing the Panthers needed was their talismanic forward Roko Strika being sidelined on Cup Final morning through a virus. And yet that was what was thrown the way of Assistant Coach Lou Gaspari.
As Strika was forced to watch the Final from his sickbed, his replacement in the starting eleven, Jenno Ceruti, struck twice, the first to equalise from close range after excellent approach work by lithe winger Ben Basser-Silk.
By then, the Knights had hit the front, the first of their quartet of goals. Jackson Paesler, the summer signing from Gungahlin United, had put O’Connor ahead after twenty-four minutes, Fields breaking from defence and sliding a pinpoint pass into the path of Paesler who slotted underneath Jacob Quinn in the Panthers goal.
Knights’ Regan Walsh had already rattled the crossbar from a free-kick before the goal but having fallen behind Monaro rallied and deservedly levelled through Ceruti precipitating a period of Panthers dominance. However, it was the Knights who would lead at the interval.
The inspirational Micheal Adams glided past a couple of challenges two minutes into time added on and released Patrick O’Rourke, the midfielder keeping his head to score a similar goal to Paesler, albeit from the other side of the field.
What really opened the match in favour of the Knights though was the third goal netted four minutes after the resumption. Throughout the season the Knights have scored some intricate goals, but this was as straightforward as they come. Goalkeeper Seb Arranz, slipping as he cleared a free-kick just outside the box, found Aisosa Ihegie and the forward rolled his marker and rounded Quinn to net.
Panthers went for broke by replacing defender Sam La Vella with forward Christian Kreskas and opting for three at the back, and that allowed the Knights to counter at will. Both O’Rourke, and substitute Niko Perinovic, rounded Quinn on counterattacks but could not finish, the former hitting the side-netting, the latter finish lacking the pace to roll home, cleared by Max Mellick.
There would be a fourth goal and it was one that was down to the sheer quality of Fields. The rampaging defender collected a loose pass from Luca Macor halfway inside his own half before waltzing upfield on a fifty-metre run, drifting past Basser-Silk, Zac McLaren, Ryan Straub, and Dylan Deep-Jones, before feeding Paesler who advanced to clinically slot home his second of the evening.
Monaro did have the last word on the scoreboard, Ceruti calmly scoring his second of the match from the spot deep into added time, but it mattered not to the Knights, worthy winners who can now look forward to the national stage.
STATISTICS
O’Connor Knights (2) 4 (Paesler 24’, 66’, O’Rourke 45+2’, Ihegie 49’) Monaro Panthers (1) 2 (Ceruti 39’, 90+6’ (p))
O’Connor Knights: 1. Seb ARRANZ, 3. Lachlan FIELDS (12. Kristian TOKIC 74’), 5. Aisosa IHEGIE (24. Niko PERINOVIC 79’), 6. Connor BILL, 7. Regan WALSH (8. Daniel ROBERTS 65’), 9. Micheal ADAMS, 10. Patrick O’ROURKE (22. Harry MARTIN 79’), 13. Harrison PALIC (19. Lachlan CAMPBELL 74’), 14. Jackson PAESLER, 18. James DRISCOLL, 21. Niko KRESIC
Substitutes not used: 30. Markus SMITH
Monaro Panthers: 18. Jacob QUINN, 3. James LA VELLA (9. Christian KRESKAS 61’), 4. Dylan DEEP-JONES, 7. Tyson LIVERMORE, 12. Ryan STRAUB, 13. Jenno CERUTI, 15. Patrick MITCHELL, 16. Max MELLICK, 17. Ben BASSER-SILK, 21. Luca MACOR (19. Giuseppe TINE 74’), 91. Zac MCLAREN
Substitutes not used: 6. Daniel OBST, 14. Dan HUSKING, 18. Gerion MEHMETAJ, 20. Samuel ABA
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Georgia GHIRARDELLO
Assistant Referees: Thomas GELLATLY, Joshua EISER
Fourth Official: Nathan SHAKESPEAR
DISCIPLINE
Yellow Cards: 8. Daniel ROBERTS, 19. Lachlan CAMPBELL (O’Connor Knights), 4. Dylan DEEP-JONES, 7. Tyson LIVERMORE, 15. Patrick MITCHELL, 21. Luca MACOR, 91. Zac MCLAREN (Monaro Panthers)
Red Cards: None
