Archives

« April 2005 | May 2005 | June 2005 »

Balmain secured three points on Sunday with 4-2 win over Auburn Star that was far more comfortable than the scoreline may suggest. Nathan Little made his debut for the Tigers, playing up front in place of Jules "Bergkamp" Bracewell, who is unable to travel to away matches due to his fear of long distance scooter voyages. Matt Mulhall also came into the side in goals after some impressive work on the training pitch. However, it was another returnee to the first team, back-from-the-wilderness swashbuckling-Swede Henrik Andersson, who put the Tigers in front, ghosting in at the back post and drilling Gavin Buddis' cross past the stranded Auburn keeper. Little then scored on debut, timing his run to beat the offside trap and blasting the ball into the back of the net. Lorenzo Merlino, Eric Lynch, and Dave Hardwick formed a solid midfield partnership, Hardwick in particular putting to good use some fancy footwork honed in his childhood jazz ballet lessons.

Leading 2-0 with 20 to go, Balmain let their guard down for a second and were punished with a goal to the home team to make it 2-1. However the two goal margin was restored shortly, with Gothe-Snape and Richardson combining to tee up a shooting opportunity for Merlino. Well outside the penalty area, he hit a first time screamer that went into the top corner with the keeper clutching at air. He then lapped the field in celebration, personally informing every spectator present that he had used his left foot in the process. The fourth came when Andersson produced some left wing razzle-dazzle, beating a couple of would-be tacklers before playing the ball into Little, who turned and smashed a shot through about four pairs of legs. Balmain came close to adding to the tally, Danny Cremasco leaping like a salmon to head narrowly over the bar, and then managing to block Hardwick's goalbound shot with what one spectator described as his "Van Damme left butt cheek". Auburn knocked in a late consolation goal to add a smidgen of respectability to the scoreline, but it was far too little, far too late from their point of view. A move from centre forward to the centre of midfield showed Merlino's versatility and he earned himself the Exchange Hotel man of the match award.

Unfortunately the win was soured somewhat by the disgusting post-game behaviour of an Auburn official. After refusing handshakes and trying his best to incite a ding-dong brouhaha with both insults he could think of, the "man" spat in Balmain youth team coach Anton Ivancic's face. Fortunately, Ivancic had the good sense to wipe the garlic sauce off and walk off the field with his dignity intact, something this [censored] person looks to have lost a long time ago.

The U21s moved back into the top four with a convincing 3-1 win over Auburn. The home side scored within the first 10 minutes to silence the travelling support, but the Tigers were soon level through Steele Bonus. Bonus latched onto a ball bouncing free in the box and sent a half volley screaming into the goal like a wrecking ball. Balmain secured the points with second half strikes from goal machine Simon Roddy and Jeremy "Noel" Deasey. The architect of Balmain's play was midfield General Louis Soares and he deservedly clinched the man of the match award, courtesy of Balmain's finest establishment, the Exchange Hotel.

Balmain's U19 team came within a couple of centimetres of snatching a late winner in an entertaining 1-1 draw. Sam McNeill could have given the Tigers the lead early on, but his shot rolled agonisingly wide with the keeper beaten. In a rare occurance for an U19 match, the first half ended scoreless with both sides fairly evenly matched. The game opened up a little in the second half and Auburn went one up with a quarter of an hour left. Not to be outdone, the Tigers hit back within seconds through Chris Grayson after Simon Roddy had flicked on a long ball. Minutes later, McNeill sent a cross over which Roddy headed past the keeper, only to see the ball shave the wrong side of the post, denying him the winner. Balmain had to play out the final 10 minutes with 10 players after Hugo Muecke fell awkwardly on the rock hard cricket square, injuring his arm. An x-ray later showed that he suffered a break in his wrist, and will be out for several weeks - get well soon Guti!

Springwood rode their luck on several occasions in Saturday's 2-1 victory over Balmain. The visitors opened the scoring in the first five minutes when a deep cross landed on an unmarked mountain dwarf's head and he made no mistake, heading in to the far corner. The Tigers levelled things midway through the first period when Jackson Gothe-Snape launched a free kick goalward. Julian Bracewell claimed the goal as the goalbound strike barely brushed the top of his ear on its way through to the back of the net.

A minute after the restart, Springwood regained the lead in a moment of pure controversy. A free kick was lofted high and wide over the top of the box and the referee blew his whistle for a goalkick. Or so everyone thought. A Springwood player had flung himself onto the ground at the merest touch from Gothe-Snape and the referee was quite incredibly blowing for a penalty kick. The spot kick was duly dispatched for what ultimately proved to be the match winner. Balmain well and truly outplayed the competition leaders for the rest of the match, peppering the visitor's goal with shots, corners and headers. Gavin Buddis hit the crossbar with a close range header, and Daniel Totaro hit a couple of shots narrowly over the top. Sadly Springwood hung on for a victory that moved them an unbelievable 12 points clear of the Tigers. Jackson Gothe-Snape earned himself the man of the match honours with a fine performance in defence, and if not for Bracewell's big ear would have scored his first goal in four or five seasons.

The U21s lost it, then won it, then lost it again in a crazy 4-3 loss to Springwood. Half asleep after the kick-off, the Tigers found themsleves behind in the first minute after a defensive lapse. Backing up from the U19s, Simon Roddy equalised for Balmain on 10 minutes, heading in Eric LaRocca's pinpoint corner with the back of his head. Springwood made it 2-1 10 minutes before half time when they converted a penalty after Balmain keeper Andy Pye had brought down their striker in a one-on-one situation. However Balmain hit back before the interval when makeshift striker Grant Burgess knocked the ball in after a goalmouth scramble. The Tigers looked in control early in the second period when Eric LaRocca added a third with a free kick taken from closer to half way than the penalty area. Although he hit it like a missile, such was the distance out from goal it took about a minute to reach the top corner, during which time the Springwood keeper lost interest and took his eye off the ball (just kidding Eric!). Dominating the game, the Tigers let their guard down and allowed their opponents to equalise almost immediately. Springwood then grabbed a winner in the final five minutes to win a game the Tigers should never have lost. Eric LaRocca's extraordinary goal, as well as his earlier assist, earned him the Exchange Hotel man of the match award.

Despite feeling confident after last week's amazing second half comeback, the U19s succumbed to Springwood 3-1 in the first match of the day. Springwood took a 1-0 lead on the half hour mark and kept the lead until half time, with Tigers captain Matt Coelho unfortunately hitting the crossbar with a well-taken free kick just before the break. Benny Shine put Balmain back in the hunt when a mazy dribble starting near the sideline ended with him sticking the ball into the back of the net. The Tigers couldn't make any further headway and two goals for the visitors in the final half hour gave them a deserved victory.

A late late goal from substitute Sean Foley gave Balmain the points in a 1-0 win away to Prospect United on Sunday. Daniel Totaro made his Tigers first grade debut, playing up front with crowd favourite Lorenzo Merlino. Prospect got stuck in early in the game and Jackson Gothe-Snape copped an elbow to the mouth in an unsavoury off the ball incident. Football-wise, the first half was all Balmain and, if not for a couple of good saves from the Prospect keeper, the game could have been sewn up at the break. Jeremy Deasey was causing havoc on the flanks and he was twice denied by point blank saves as well as the crossbar after what looked like a goal-bound header glanced over. Justin Delaney added to his catalogue of fine saves this season, denying a Prospect striker in a one on one situation 30 seconds before half time.

The Tigers continued their dominance in the second period, with Dave Hardwick and Eric Lynch in particluar dominating the midfield. but as the possession statistics rapidly approached 80:20 it looked as though the goal would never come. Stand-in coach Anton Ivancic took a gamble in the last ten minutes, pushing sweeper Grant Burgess up into attack, and bringing on the diminutive Sean Foley for Totaro. Burgess had the opportunity to win it when he found himself in plenty of space in the box, only to see the keeper save the shot with his foot after diving in the wrong direction. Burgess made amends in the 89th minute though when he sent a knee-high bullet of a cross over from the right. Foley, currently on loan from the magnificently named Hull City Tigers, beat his marker to the cross and sent a rocket of a volley into the top corner. Truly a top class goal, and if he keeps it up Balmain will be looking to make the loan deal into a permanent transfer.

Captain Eric Lynch earned the Exchange Hotel man of the match award for the second week running, and at this rate he should be a shoe-in for the Gillespies Cranes May Man of the Month Award.

The U21s blitzed their opponents in the first half on the way to an impressive 5-2 victory. Back from a week off after experiencing scooter maintenance issues, Julian Bracewell gave the Tigers an early lead, slotting the ball past the keeper in a one on one situation. Prospect then added a second for the Tigers when a defender blasted Ben Shine's cross past his own keeper after he spied Steele Bonus approaching like a freight train out of the corner of his eye. Bracewell then scored the third from the penalty spot after a handball, much to Sami Yildiz's delight. Bonus clipped in the fourth at the back post shortly after half time when Trsitan Aguire's corner bounced past everyone in the box. The Tigers began to coast and unfortunately gave Prospect a glimmer of hope, conceding a scrappy goal from a goalmouth scramble after a corner. Balmain then conceded a penalty which was put away to make the score 4-2. However captain Aguire had the final say, adding the fifth of the afternoon after some enterprising lead up play from Bracewell, whose trickery up front earned him the Exchange Hotel man of the match.

The U19s overcame a woeful first half an hour, producing a stunning second half fight back to claim a 3-3 draw. Prospect were eyeing up a cricket score as they outclassed the Tigers early on, quickly racing to a 3-0 lead. However captain Matt Coelho shocked the home side with a 45th minute goal that slipped in off the post to make the half time score 3-1. Encouraged by the late goal, a different side emerged in the second half and they set about matching Prospect with a more physical performance. Hugo "Guti" Muecke began pulling the strings in midfield, and defenders Seb Hartford-Davis and David Pye tightened up the backline, making several crucial tackles. Their endeavour was rewarded on 70 minutes as Simon Roddy chested down a cross and chipped over the rushing keeper. The Tigers piled on the pressure looking for an equaliser, and Prospect finally cracked with 10 to go. Barnes Hartford-Davis won a header at the back post from a corner, and Grant Burgess was on hand to flick it over the keeper with the back of his head. Cue wild celebrations and disbelief from the Prospect supporters.

A see-sawing struggle between Balmain and Fogolar Wanderers ended with the Tigers letting slip a second half lead to lose 4-2 on Sunday. Not quite a flogging, but a catchy headline nonetheless. The first half was a cagey affair, with neither side creating any major chances until Fogolar grabbed the lead a couple of minutes before the break. A flicked header from a Fogolar corner kick left the defenders with no chance as it flew into the top corner off the bar.

The Tigers equalised when Lorenzo Merlino outjumped the keeper, heading in Anthony Trieste's free kick shortly after half time. Trieste then gave Balmain the lead with a free kick that bounced over the line after the Fogolar keeper again flapped at thin air. In the first of a couple of controversial incidents, Fogolar equalised with a goal that took advantage of the old Soccer NSW refereeing shortage. An attacker who was well over a couple of metres offside was put into the clear, only for the referee to wave play on as he had no assistant in that side of the field. Minutes later Fogolar regained the lead with a shot from outside the area that took a deflection off a defender and looped into the top corner with Justin Delaney wrongfooted. To top it all off, with most of the Balmain side pushed forward looking for an equaliser, the referee again proved crucial when he intercepted Eric Lynch's pass, playing a beautiful first time ball to a Fogolar player who passed the ball to an unmarked teammate to run through and score. A tireless captain's display in midfield earned Eric Lynch the Exchange Hotel man of the match award.

The U21s never recovered from a sloppy first half and eventually went down 3-0 in a game that started a quarter of an hour late, due to the scheduled official failing to show up to referee the match. Fortunately the Fogolar stewards managed to find a referee in a nearby barber shop, where they convinced him to leave halfway through a haircut to officiate on the match instead. Balmain were also boosted by the return from injury of Henrik Andersson, after a month spent telling any girl who would listen about his thigh injury. Sadly for the Tigers, while looking good with the ball and enjoying a lot of possession, they found themselves behind to three soft goals within the first half hour. They were unable to recover from the terrible start, and the game remained scoreless in the second half.

There were goals aplenty as the U19s achieved their first win of the season, triumphing 6-3 over Fogolar. The Wanderers took a surprise lead within 10 minutes - surprising because they only had eight players on the field. Sam McNeill levelled things for the Tigers before Simon Roddy scored two, and Ben Shine added the fourth shortly before half time. The Tigers were reduced to 10 men at half time after Chris Grayson split the webbing between his big toe and the next one. Fogolar also found a 9th player to make it 10 v 9 in the second half. Both sides managed two more goals, with Simon Roddy completing his hat trick and Ben Shine making it a double.

Balmain ushered in a new era of professionalism on Saturday when they unveiled their shiny new scoreboard before doing battle with Hakoah. Sadly no Tiger was able to trouble scoreboard attendant Ollie Bracewell in a dour 2-0 loss to Hakoah. In a match devoid of highlights, Hakoah took a 43rd minute lead when their striker held off two defenders in the box then stabbed the ball into the corner of the goal. Within ten minutes of the restart they doubled their lead when a defensive mix-up left an attacker in acres of space. He was able to round Balmain keeper Justin Delaney and casually push the ball into an unguarded net. Despite enjoying massive amounts of possession and trying every conceivable method of getting the ball into the box, the Tigers were unable to create a clear-cut chance, and the visitors held on for a comfortable 2-0 victory.

Alex Kaltenegger bleeds uncomfortably close to the new shiny white Balmain scoreboard

Balmain's only moment of joy for the day came when the 21s grabbed a deserved last minute equaliser in a dramatic 1-1 draw. An entertaining first half ended scoreless with both sides having their keepers to thank after some fantastic saves at both ends. The second half served up more of the same, and Hakoah's keeper again did well to hold a Steele Bonus screamer, as well as a free kick from Jem Richardson that was headed for the top corner. Substitute Simon Roddy had a great chance to snatch the winner, but his half volley looped agonisingly over the bar. In the 85th minute Alex Kaltenegger had to be helped from the field with blood gushing out of a head wound that eventually required six stitches. Having made three substitutions already, the Tigers had to play out the match with 10 men and Hakoah took advantage, hitting what looked to be a cruel winner in the 90th minute. Not willing to give away all three points the Tigers surged forward and grabbed a vital injury time equaliser. Jem Richardson drove in a corner that a hapless Hakoah defender tried in vain to keep from curling in at the near post, managing only a touch to help it on its way. In all the excitement there was still time for Matt Mulhall to make another good save to keep the scores level at full time.

The 19s were outclassed in a 5-0 drubbing in the first game of the day. After going down 2-0 in the first ten minutes, the boys showed some promising signs of a fightback, coming close to scoring on a couple of occasions. Hakoah ran away with the game in the second half though, knocking in three more on a day the Balmain boys will quickly want to forget.