West Ryde Rovers vs. Hill Hawks 2-3

West Ryde Rovers vs. Hill Hawks 2-3

With West Ryde Rovers giving Super League powerhouse Normanhurst a lesson the previous week,
the home of football Meadowbank Park No 2 was graced by the presence of league leaders Hills
Hawks. Hawks were coming into this game on a fabulous unbeaten record, but coming up against a
very resilient and hard-working Rovers team.

Rovers reshuffled somewhat from the previous week, but still came out with a very familiar looking
line up, Budge in goal, a back three of captain Gerard Moujalli flanked with Josh De Rouffignac and
Will Aplin, with Jimmy Ball out for this one, while in the middle of the park Moose and Pete Smith
lined up behind the returning Sjonni Runnarsson in a central midfield trio, with Eagle Patanan and
Jack Cowled in the wide roles. That meant the impressive duo of the goal machine Jav Bahmani and
the livewire Darryl De Jesus continued up front, Karlo Luburic declaring himself fit to take a spot on
the bench.

The impetus from the previous week was still with the Rovers, and after negotiating the kick off
successfully this time, the boys were off and running. Hills Hawks adopted to stack the midfield, but
it was from their very first foray into Rovers territory that they took a surprise lead. Budge scrambled
to push a shot away, Moujalli only clearing the ball to the edge of the area, where the Hawks
midfielder looked up and saw the goal gaping, whose clipped shot managed to elude the athletic
leap from Budge and into the top right corner.

It was a disastrous start to the game, but Rovers have an uncanny knack of not letting that sort of
thing bother them, and they began to get into their stride. Smith got things moving with a ball wide
for Patanan to give his defender a taste of things to come, drawing the foul after skipping past his
man with ease.

Moose then pinched a ball deep in the Hawks half and laid the ball to Runnarsson, who switched
play beautifully to Cowled down the left. His cross was too long for the advancing Bahmani, but
there was Eagle deep at the far post, but the cross shot was screwed off his foot for a goal kick.

Back at the other end, Aplin continued his rich seam of defensive form by racing into a perfectly
timed challenge to deny the last man as a breakaway ensued, while De Rouffignac and Moujalli did
well to foil a raid up the Hawks left, the former lashing the ball up field to change defence into
attack, De Jesus unlucky to see the goalkeeper come out and claim as he raced past the last
defender.

Rovers had weathered the early pressure, and were making inroads, and it was from a neat piece of
play down the left that they got their reward, Aplin to Moose, back to Aplin and his long ball to
Cowled was deflected into touch. The quick thinking Cowled though picked up the ball immediately
and his telepathic understanding with Bahmani saw a quick long throw land perfectly at the striker’s
feet. Bahmani raced on, took a touch and steered the ball past the goalkeeper and just inside the
right hand post for a dramatic leveller, Rovers players racing to congratulate the scorer and provider,
a terrific way to equalise.

Patanan was the next to test the Hawks rearguard, Runnarsson seemingly ignoring him only to turn
at the last minute and lay the ball in perfectly for the tricky winger to race on to and deliver a
wonderful cross straight at the feet of Bahmani who had read the situation, but this time the striker

got his feet all mixed up and ended up only just reaching the ball with the studs of his left boot and
deflecting behind for a goal kick.

Just as quickly as Rovers had got themselves back into the game, they fell behind again, this time an
ill-judged reach for the ball out on the left by Smith deemed to have been a foul, presenting Hawks
with a free kick not far from the sideline. With everyone marked in the middle it was then a surprise
to see the Hawks midfield man creep away from his man then race into the middle of the six yard
box where he met the dangerous cross with perfection and headed the ball into the net past a
helpless Budge. A cruel twist in the game then, Rovers beginning to dominate but still looking a little
fragile defensively in the area to set pieces.

Quickly up the other end, Bahmani was felled when racing into the box following another silky pass
from Runnarsson, leaving Rovers with a good free kick position just outside the area, albeit very
wide. With all players lined up for the delivery, Bahmani elected instead to scuff the ball back to the
lurking Smith, who jinked in a dangerous cross where Moose outstretched De Jesus to get his head
to the ball but couldn’t find the power to guide it past the keeper.

The key area was the right side of midfield, Patanan was seeing more of the ball than he has done
previously this season, and his drive and enthusiasm was creating openings, if not clear goal scoring
chances. A flashpoint just before half time came when De Jesus was given a swift back hander to the
face by his marker, and his appeals to both linesman and referee were waved away, the referee then
getting himself in all sorts of bother by forgetting what he had blown the whistle for in the first
place, and a free kick was moved twice and awarded the other way with the players by now
bemused by the whole affair. The half time whistle rescued the man in the middle and Rovers were
behind, but with the knowledge that Rovers are a fit and able team, one down at half time was not
that bad a place to be.

The cross examination and dissection of the first half’s failings behind them, coach McLeay sent the
boys out with encouragement and licence to attack, and that is what they did from the first
moments of the half.

Aplin and Cowled combined down the left to send Bahmani in behind the defence, but the defender
was well positioned to shepherd the ball back to his goalkeeper. Then Patanan raced on to a long
pass from De Rouffignac and controlled well before lifting in a cross which was palmed away by the
goalkeeper. Rovers were by now forcing corner after corner, Moose just unable to get his header on
target, and Patanan and Bahmani were looking very lively.

The referee was beginning to rile the players, not only from the Rovers team, with his lack of
whistling for handball and when the ball was smashed straight at Smith’s hand in the area, that
consistency saved Rovers from what looked like a penalty. Runnarsson also began to get his back up,
berating the man in the middle and giving the Hawks faithful plenty of ammunition on the sidelines,
and joined De Jesus who was still playing under a dark raincloud.

Smith was replaced by the silky Luburic soon after, as Rovers looked to create more in attack, and
they kept the pressure on, another ball over the top giving Cowled something to chase but he
couldn’t outmuscle his defensive minder.

Rovers were then hemmed in as Hawks went for the jugular, and despite the impressive positional
play and timely intercepts of Moujalli at the back, the space was beginning to appear. It was from
one of these moments that Hawks found a little too much room down the left, a cross in found the
right winger in space with a free header from five yards out, but his header was straight at Budge
who was quick to get his hands to the ball. In what seemed like slow motion though, the ball had
gone through the goalkeeper’s hands and across the line for a sickening goal, a blow that knocked
the stuffing out of the Rovers who were enjoying majority of the second half possession.

With the game seemingly out of their reach, Rovers then played like a team under no pressure, and
knocked the ball around magnificently, Patanan jinking his way past his man to drill in a cross that
was tipped away down low by the goalkeeper, with no-one able to find a touch on the follow up.

De Jesus made way for Owen Lansley as Rovers pushed forward, and he was instrumental in setting
up a flowing move involving Cowled and Bahmani that saw the latter battle hard with the last man
before the keeper flew out to thwart him at his feet.

Lansley then found himself in uncharted waters, racing through to meet a clearance from another
Patanan cross to lash in a shot which had the Rovers fans ooohing, aaahing and falling over their
water bottles as the bullet shot flew just past the post.

Rovers had Budge to thank for keeping them in the game soon after, across sharply to tip a ball away
for a corner, then from the resulting set piece a downward header was pushed out, De Rouffignac
completing the clearance.

With time ticking away, a smart move up the right saw Patanan in a battle right down by the by-line
– with the Hawks support down by the corner flag fully expecting a corner at the worst, a slick drag
back and Patanan was away, cutting inside and crossing low for the unmarked Cowled to poke home
at the far post and all of a sudden Rovers were back in it.

De Rouffignac, who escaped punishment and a second yellow for a late challenge, then went down
under friendly fire, eventually substituted as his limp worsened, Simon Matherson coming on, and
Rovers were on the offensive looking for the all elusive equaliser. It wasn’t going to come though,
and the whistle blew for full time taking the wind out of the Rovers sails, Hills Hawks snatching the
points despite being second best for large parts of the game.

An energetic performance earned Jav Bahmani the man of the match award, and the form of Eagle
Patanan and Gerard Moujalli was there for everyone to see. Runnarsson and De Jesus eventually
calmed down after a cold brew on the sidelines, and putting the result into context, this was a very
close one that could have gone either way after the 90 minutes, Rovers looking back on three
needless goals conceded against two wonderfully crafted efforts of their own. A trip to the wilds of
Glenhaven awaits next, Rovers will be firing on all cylinders. Come on you Blues!

WRR: S. Knight, G. Moujalli, de Rouffignac (Matherson), Aplin, Cowled, Patanan, Lewis, Runnarsson,
Smith (Luburic), Bahmani, De Jesus (Lansley)

Subs not used: Calleja, Marcel Ferris

Goal Scorers: Jav Bahmani, Jack Cowled