A rampant Sydney Olympic side secured an emphatic 5-1 victory over Central Coast Mariners in round 26 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s action at Belmore Sports Ground.
A couple of familiar faces to Central Coast football were the ones to do the damage with four of the five Sydney Olympic goal scorers having Mariners roots in a dominant display.
Signs were ominous for the visitors from the early stages of the fixture as Sydney Olympic were quick to settle. Creating a few good chances before taking the lead 18 minutes in.
Sam Mcillhatton won the ball in midfield before feeding Adam Parkhouse further forward on the left wing. Parkhouse’s pinpoint cross finding the head of Roy O’Donovan who made no mistake with the finish into the left side of the net in the 18th minute.
That goal was soon followed by further chances to Jakob Cresnar from a Darcy Burgess cut-back a minute later, and a Fabio Ferreira shot which was saved well by Lewis Alvarez in the Mariners goal.
At the other end, Mariners were having occasional chances of their own. Their best of the half falling in the 29th minute when Nicholas Duarte picked out Dylan Susovic with his cross, his header missing wide right.
Olympic were having no such issues creating chances and they doubled their lead before the half hour. Jakob Cresnar with a simple finish in the 29th minute after a keeping error.
Sensing the opportunity for more goals, they found another couple of goals in the 34th and 36th minute. The first from Ferreira after O’Donovan flicked the ball into his path from a long throw on the right. The Portuguese ace with a superb touch and finish around his body.
Then a fourth was added two minutes later, O’Donovan once again playing a part with a backheel assist into the path of Parkhouse who rolled it into the bottom right corner of the net.
Olympic finished the half with another couple of chances before the break with the Mariners holding on.
Four goals down, the Mariners had the first chance of the second half, Aidan Milicevic tried his luck from 25 yards which Christopher Parsons comfortably saved.
Ferreira responded in turn for the hosts in the 60th minute with a volleyed effort seeing a save from Alvarez once again. O’Donovan then followed that up with a header six minutes later which fell to a similar fate.
Mariners were able to claim a goal at the other end however, an attack down the right leading to the ball being squared to Milicevic who finished with a well hit strike into the back of the net on 76 minutes.
While O’Donovan just couldn’t get his second goal, skying an effort from point blank range with just over five minutes left, the cross coming in from the left.
The icing on the cake for the hosts was then applied by Nick Fitzgerald with a minute left in regulation, controlling a Mcillhatton through ball with his chest before applying the finish for his sides fifth goal.
Sydney Olympic have the chance to throw a cat amongst the pigeons in the title race against rivals APIA Leichhardt next week, while Central Coast Mariners host Rockdale Ilinden at home next Sunday.
Source: Football NSW.
