After a four week absence Newcastle Olympic was able to complete their Round 14 clash with Charlestown Azzurri, winning 4-2 in Reserve Grade and losing 3-2 in First Grade.
On a heavy and slippery Lisle Carr Oval surface, Newcastle Olympic Reserve Grade continued from where they left off before the break, recording an emphatic 4-2 win over Charlestown Azzurri. After 10 minutes in which both teams burnt off some steam getting accustomed to the speed and momentum of the game, Olympic began to dominate possession and goal scoring opportunities.
Oliver Steinerts unleashed a thunderous shot that rebounded off the woodwork after great link up play between Louis Townsend and George Tsamouras. A few moments later another powerful shot from George Tsamouras was blocked by the Azzurri defense. These were just the warning signs of what would follow.
By the 21st minute a well floated corner from River Peterson found an unmarked Steven Theacos who had no problem finding the net with a glancing header! Numerous appeals for penalties soon followed from interceptions of Olympic forwards inside the box but all fell on deaf ears! In the 28th minute another such interception on Jesse Fitzgerald resulted in a penalty which was easily converted by the same player. By the 38th minute the score reached 3-0 after a well weighted cross from Lucas Walshe and a simple tap in by Max Cotton. Olympic had a total of 6 shots on goal in the first half and went into the half time interval 3-0 ahead.
In the second half Azzurri appeared more compact denying Olympic space and time on the ball. All this did was stop Olympic from scoring more goals but the Olympic goalkeeper remained a spectator! Olympic continued to dominate possession, completed all their substitutions and were content to keep playing with a 3-0 lead. An unlucky bounce of the ball in the 70th minute caught one of the Olympic defenders out of position and Azzurri were able to score simply because they had more numbers in the area.
Despite this set back Olympic continued to control play and kept Azzurri at bay and a well executed corner from Charlie Halls resulted in Jesse Fitzgerald making the score 4-1 in the 88th minute. The match was effectively over but a corner in the last minute of play resulted in a maze of players all going up for the ball and the later, together with some players, ending in the Olympic net for a final 4-2 win for the visiting team.
First Grade Olympic began the game needing a win against an Azzurri side who were in equal 4th spot on the points ladder. Apart from seeking to avenge the 1-0 defeat at Darling St Oval earlier in the season, a possible defeat by either of these two teams would leave them behind the first three teams with a mountain to climb to catch up to them.
The game couldn’t have started any worse for the visitors who conceded as early as the 2nd minute after being unable to contain Reece McManus on the right who crossed to Harrison Frendo and an ensuing volley by the later resulted in 1-0 Azzurri lead!
In the next 10 minutes Olympic came close to equalising with a bicycle kick by Roy O’Donovan but the breakthrough came in the 12th minute when an Olympic forward was fouled from behind inside the box, forcing the referee to award a penalty. Roy O’Donovan made no mistake and the teams were level at 1-1.
The rest of the half was spent with both teams cancelling each other out until the final minute of play. Azzurri were awarded a corner and an unmarked Taylor Regan sent a powerful header in the Olympic net to make it 2-1.
With the start of the second half the surface of Lisle Carr Oval deteriorated even further making a passing game very difficult. Both teams attempted to probe one another with long balls and physical challenges. During one such move the Olympic keeper was judged to have picked up a deliberate back pass and the referee awarded another penalty! Tyran Cousins stepped up and made the score 3-1!
Olympic threw everything at Azzurri and during a sustained attack managed to peg the score back to 3-2 in the 76th minute with Jye Rodway. The pressure continued until the final whistle but to no avail.
Whilst both teams should be commended for trying to play on a very heavy and cut up surface, a draw would have been a fairer result.
Source: Tom Tsamouras
George Tsamouras Football Journey 