The Weston Workers Bears hosted a Cooks Hill United outfit fresh off consecutive draws against heavy hitters Lambton and Maitland on a bright Mother's Day afternoon at Rockwell Automation Park.
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The Bears were eager to wash away the lingering aftertaste of a bitter 5-0 defeat to the same opposition at this ground last July, and would have to do so despite a mounting injury list despite only two changes - Jacob Zissis taking the gloves and Dieuseul Kandundaho replacing Alessandro Ouwerkerk - from last week's XI who defeated New Lambton 5-3.
The early stages of the match saw an even contest playing out, with the Bears employing a fluid backline structure that saw a three when in possession and a flat four when without, as holding midfielders Jacob Dundas and Yuta Konagaya took it in turns to drop in.
It was proving an effective foil for their opponents and was allowing captain Chris Hurley to tap into his natural attacking instincts and advance down the flank when appropriate, with the mobility of Connor Heydon on the opposite side of the park, who has one of the best engines in the competition, allowing balance to be maintained.
The first of precious few half chances for the visitors in the first 45 came as Daniel Yaxley latched on to a pass from Tapuwanashe Goora in the 5th minute, but the trickling effort was easily dealt with by Zissis.
Kandundaho was providing the Bears with an outlet on the left wing and gave his opposite number some things to consider early on. Aaron Niyonkuru scuffed his shot in the 18th minute at the edge of the box, while Konagaya's chip a minute later had too much weight behind it and sailed over the bar. Niyonkuru's clever curling ball across the park to last weekend's hat trick hero Ben Clouten saw the latter get the ball stuck under his feet in the 20th minute and his strike lacked conviction as a result.
The youngster's afternoon would last only a few moments longer, cruelled by a hamstring injury; it was incredibly disappointing timing having finally nailed down a starting spot and delivered some incredible displays of attacking verve in recent weeks, most importantly culminating in valuable output that had seen him ascend to equal top scorer status within one of the competition's top sides. It can only be hoped that his recovery is a swift one, as the Bears are a better side for his presence.
Cooper Buswell entered the fray as Clouten's replacement, showcasing the strength in depth that the Bears have at their disposal this season. Buswell would inject himself almost immediately into the action, latching on to a deft pass from Niyonkuru in the 24th minute to test Cooks Hill keeper Daniel Eisenhauer, whose parry threatened to present Heydon with a simple tap in opportunity at the back post. The bounce of the ball did not favour Heydon on this occasion, but in any case the linesman's flag ensured any potential blushes were spared.
Buswell was back amongst it in the 36th minute, galloping forward and forcing another save from Eisenhauer, with the save pushed right into the path of the overlapping Hurley; the Weston skipper made no mistake from close range, slotting the ball home despite the best efforts of the scrambling Cooks Hill defence to hand the hosts a deserved lead.
The Bears had a heart-in-mouth moment in the 39th minute as Yaxley rose to meet a corner at the front post and directed his header on target, forcing an excellent reaction save from Zissis who showed lightning reflexes to preserve his side's scoreboard advantage. It was only the second opportunity for the visitors, but given they were only a whisker away from making it count, the slender nature of Weston's lead had now been brought into sharp focus.
This would spark a run of four corners in the space of only a couple of minutes for Cooks Hill, whose threatening in-swinging deliveries, courtesy of Joel Clissold with the right boot and Nick Russell with the left, were being arrowed in to the space a couple of yards off the goal line and creating all manner of headaches for the Weston defence. There was a touch of good fortune about the fact that the hosts had kept their lead intact after what had been a nervy few minutes and a sign that perhaps they may have a genuine fight on their hands.
Buswell was proving an integral component of nearly every Bears attack at this point, and proved his worth once more in the first minute of stoppage time as he pounced on a Connor Evans through ball and smashed it past Eisenhauer into the roof of the net to double the lead. It was a cruel twist of fate for Cooks Hill, who had only just gotten themselves back into the game and produced their first stretch of offensive momentum in the match, only to fall further behind with what was ultimately the final touch of the half.
With that said, the two goal lead was nothing less than the Bears deserved on the balance of the 45 minutes, having been proactive in possession and showcased no shortage of creativity, coupled with a well organised defensive structure and enough patience to create a touch of desperation within the ranks of their opposition.
The resilience of this Cooks Hill outfit is certainly not to be underestimated, and the positivity with which they emerged from the sheds was undeniably commendable. They looked to employ an energetic pressing style in an effort to disrupt Weston's composure, and it nearly paid dividends as Joey O'Connor's panicked pass was only narrowly cleared away by Hurley with a couple of attackers bearing down.
The pitfalls of such a style almost became evident at the other end a minute later, as Cooks Hill's eagerness to get forward saw Daniel Minors - one of four Daniels in the visitors' starting lineup - dispossessed by Buswell. Only a desperate recovering lunge from Minors prevented Buswell increasing his tally for the match as he twisted two defenders inside out.
A superb long ball from Clissold nearly proved the Bears' undoing, as Matthew Berrigan showed excellent strength to hold off Mitch Dobson's attentions and get to the bouncing ball first in the 55th minute. His finishing eluded him however, as his lob rose above both the advancing Zissis and the crossbar.
A slight defensive mix-up saw United's Daniel Clements fail to clear a dangerous Evans ball, which fell into the path of Niyonkuru; Eisenhauer was called upon to make an excellent diving save to deny the irrepressible Bears attacker by the barest of margins in the 58th minute. A searching cross field ball from Evans in the 63rd minute to Kandundaho saw the latter earn his side a corner as an awkward bounce caught Eisenhauer on the hop meaning he could only parry the ball away. The corner, however, came to nothing.
A mazy 64th minute run from Dundas saw him felled inside the area but the referee deemed the contact inconsequential. Kandundaho had the crowd on their feet in the following minute with a rainbow flick inside the box, but the ball was cleared away for another corner; once again, the delivery was ineffective. The ability to make corners count has been one of the few areas the Bears have been found wanting this season, and will no doubt give gaffer Kew Jaliens an additional area of focus to drill on the training paddock.
The immense impact of Buswell continued in the 66th minute, collecting a Dundas lay off and putting his laces through it from the edge of the box, another dodgy bounce putting Eisenhauer all at sixes and sevens and giving him little option but to grasp at fresh air as the ball sizzled into the back of the net. 3-0 the scoreline now, with Buswell having contributed a brace and potentially an assist depending on how one considers the initial strike that paved the way for Hurley's opener.
A delightful ball from Dundas into a very dangerous area in the 70th minute very nearly led to a fourth for the Bears, with Niyonkuru unable to apply a decisive touch. Former All Whites international Chris Zoricich opted to clear his bench in an attempt to shake things up, making a triple substitution in the 73rd minute and bringing Ashley Balcomb, Liam Spurway and Mitchell Ross into the action having already introduced Harrison Richardson and top scorer Brock Beveridge from the pine.
In a credit to both sides, it had been a very clean game all round, with the referee not required to issue any yellow cards and a noticeable lack of overly willing challenges flying in, with a focus on quality football above all else. Dundas' afternoon came to an end in the 79th minute as Kayden Soper came on for some late minutes. A deft header on from Berrigan off a Yaxley lob saw him lay the ball off for Spurway, who dinked the ball just wide in the 80th minute as he attempted to grab his first goal of the season.
Heydon went within a whisker in the 82nd minute, flashing his strike just across the face of goal after a clever piece of interplay with Niyonkuru. It would be his last contribution of the afternoon, making way in the 83rd alongside a hobbled Evans as part of a Connor removal operation, with Paul SIchalwe and Cooper Sargent introduced.
Spurway would not need to wait much longer to open his account, as Beveridge did well to bring a sharp Minors through ball under control and deliver a square ball from the byline towards the penalty spot. Spurway timed his run to perfection as the angled ball eluded the entire Weston defence, and rifled home with authority in the 85th minute to reduce the deficit.
It was no less than the visitors' endeavor had merited, and all of a sudden there was a very slight element of concern around a momentum shift that was creeping into the Bears' collective mentality, with some rushed passing leading to a few sloppy moments late on. Soper went close to nabbing one in the 86th, bearing down on Eisenhauer and forcing an error that saw the ball trickle only just wide of the near post. Kandundaho teed up Soper for another opportunity in the 89th minute, but the substitute lacked the time to open up his body and direct his prod goalwards.
A crocked Kandundaho went down moments afterwards with what appeared to be a muscle strain, but the physio's treatment seemed to imbue him with a near mystical ability to recover and he was back on his feet once again. An expansive few minutes of football followed, as both sides looked to land further blows on one another, with the Bears roundly rejecting the idea of parking the bus and sitting on their lead.
As it eventuated, they were able to see out the result after an at times nervy four minutes of stoppage time, though the late goal conceded meant they would remain third on the ladder with Edgeworth holding a slender advantage with one more goal scored despite both sides sitting at a +11 goal difference after 11 games played each.
The Bears will host a formidable opponent next week in the form of Broadmeadow Magic, who are fresh off an emphatic 5-2 victory over Valentine and claimed a controversial 2-0 result off the back of two contentious penalties the last time the sides met, in the opening round of the season at Magic Park. Those in the Bears camp would like to think there has been a significant amount of gelling since that game, which saw seven new arrivals embedding themselves in the side for the first time, and it shapes as an absorbing contest with potentially significant finals football implications at play.
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