O’Connor Knights came from behind to record a second win of the season and consign the Monaro Panthers to a second defeat as a late penalty from Patrick O’Rourke secured a 2-1 win for the hosts on a damp and dreary day at O’Connor Enclosed.
O’Rourke, summoned from the substitutes bench by Head Coach Miro Trninic, kept his calm to slot home from the spot with six minutes remaining to claim the points after Phakedi Manda had been upended in the box, the winger brought down by central defender Robert Tkatchenko after picking his pocket inside the area.
The goal completed a superb turnaround by the Knights who had trailed for large portions of the encounter having fallen behind to a Panthers opener just before the match hit the half-hour mark.
Inevitably, it was former Knight Connor Mynott-Smith that forced the breakthrough. Ben Basser-Silk sent a hopeful pass forward which Knights defender Connor Bill misjudged, the ball bouncing over his foot and sending Mynott-Smith clean through. He kept his head to slot a finish beyond Seb Arranz for 1-0.
Jordan Thurtell, in the opposite goal, had been forced to splendidly push away a Micheal Adams free-kick and was in athletic form later when tipping over a fierce hit from Tyson Livermore, as the O’Connor side went in search of a goal to get themselves back into the fixture.
And they did so with twenty minutes remaining. James Driscoll set off on a penetrating run down the left flank and cut inside the area, his low ball into the six-yard box steered past his own goalkeeper by the unfortunate Tkatchenko. That swung the momentum and O’Rourke’s dead-eye penalty did the rest.
A trio of goals in the final sixteen minutes allowed ten-man Canberra Olympic to shake off a rugged and resilient Tuggeranong United in a match rearranged to Melrose Synthetic following heavy rain which meant that Kambah 2, the original scheduled venue, was unplayable.
Olympic finished the match a man down as Luca Florez was sent off for alleged violent conduct nine minutes after the interval following an altercation with Tuggeranong’s Luke Stevens, but the depleted side were merely shaken into life and determined to right what they perceived as an injustice.
Tuggeranong had tested Olympic shot-stopper Seb Usai in the opening parts of the second-half, following an even, goalless, first forty-five minutes, as Patrick Hislop saw his close range effort magnificently palmed over the bar whilst Adam Stevens, on debut in the hosts goal, did well to save twice before the interval.
The deadlock was finally broken with a sensational goal. Nik Popovich and Thomas James combined for the latter to free the former down the left flank. There was plenty still to do as Popovich but infield into the area and blasted a shot beyond Stevens and into the roof of the net.
Almost immediately one became two and, once more, James was the architect. His pinpoint free-kick was met by Nathen Megic who, on the occasion of his 100th NPL appearance, headed past Stevens from close range to take the game away from a gallant Tuggeranong.
Conceding a third was harsh on Tuggeranong, but there could be few who would have denied James a goal based on his performance. The English forward finding the net with a wonderfully placed free-kick with four minutes remaining.
The scheduled fixture between Tigers FC and Gungahlin United was postponed due to venue unavailability and venue conditions not suitable for NPL competition, whilst the match set for Deakin Stadium between Canberra Croatia and West Canberra Wanderers was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch.
RESULTS
ROUND 4
Saturday 29 April
Tigers FC v Gungahlin United – Match Postponed
O’Connor Knights 1 (Tkatchenko 70’ (og), O’Rourke 84’ (p)) Monaro Panthers 1 (Mynott-Smith 27’)
Sunday 30 April
Canberra Croatia v West Canberra Wanderers – Match Postponed
Tuggeranong United 0 Canberra Olympic 3 (Popovich 76’, Megic 78’, James 86’)
TABLE
P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | ||
1 | Tigers FC | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | +10 | 9 |
2 | Canberra Olympic | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 3 | +9 | 9 |
3 | O’Connor Knights | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 7 |
4 | Gungahlin United | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 6 |
5 | Monaro Panthers | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 6 |
6 | Canberra Croatia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 4 |
7 | West Canberra Wanderers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 14 | -13 | 0 |
8 | Tuggeranong United | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 18 | -15 | 0 |
TOP SCORERS
5 Luca FLOREZ (Canberra Olympic), Josh GULEVSKI (Tigers FC)
3 Stephen DOMENICI (Canberra Croatia), Maxx GREEN (Gungahlin United), Phakedi MANDA (O’Connor Knights), Connor MYNOTT-SMITH (Monaro Panthers)
2 Daniel BARAC (Canberra Croatia), Thomas JAMES (Canberra Olympic), Micheal JOHN (Monaro Panthers), Nik POPOVICH (Canberra Olympic), Nik TANESKI (Tigers FC), Jason UGRINIC (Canberra Croatia), Own GOALS
1 Micheal ADAMS (O’Connor Knights), Riley ANGELOSANTE (O’Connor Knights), Connor BILL (O’Connor Knights), Jake BISHOP (Tigers FC), Riley BROWN (West Canberra Wanderers), Elie DARWICH (Canberra Olympic), Josh GASPARI (Gungahlin United), Jack GREEN (Gungahlin United), Dom GIAMPAOLO (Gungahlin United), Sam HABTEMARIAM (Gungahlin United), Clancy HISLOP (Tuggeranong United), Amilio KISTA (Tigers FC), Ed MCCARTHY (Tigers FC), Nathen MEGIC (Canberra Olympic), Marko MILUTINOVIC (Tigers FC), Lasse OLRIK (Canberra Olympic), Patrick O’ROURKE (O’Connor Knights), Jackson PAESLER (Gungahlin United), Kaz PATAFTA (Canberra Croatia), Euan PETERKIN (Tuggeranong United), Kyle SENIOR (Tigers FC), Roko STRIKA (Monaro Panthers), Hristjan TANOSKI (Tigers FC), Antoni TIMOTHEOU (Gungahlin United), Sam WALKER (Tuggeranong United)