Match of the Round Reviews:

Words by Fin Dunford

Sunday: Division 2A - Southern Knights v Savoy

This week’s Sunday Match of the Round did not disappoint, with Southern Knights and Savoy playing out a pulsating 3-3 draw at O’Sullivan Beach. There was a palpable tension in the air as both teams knew what was on the line. A win for the Knights would have kept them within a game of Savoy, and a win for the Port Pirie side would have essentially wrapped up the title.

Alas, the two could not be separated as no team was willing to give an inch. It was the Knights however who came out the blocks the fastest, making the most of two corner-kick opportunities in the first half. It was Mathew Daughtry who got the home side up and running with his ninth goal of the year, capitalising on the crumbs of a well-placed inswinger that was initially met at the back post. Shortly afterwards, the Knights’ hunger in the box proved fruitful again, as James Faulkner was simply too big and too strong for the Savoy defenders, making it 2-0.

From here Savoy began to rally, with a lot of the play coming through their talisman Jack Scoot – who would’ve been ruing two missed chances he had. He did not have to wait very long however to rectify things, as Savoy’s relentless pressure manifested into a penalty, which he coolly put away. The home side had a chance to put the game beyond Savoy’s reach, but instead had a penalty saved which seemed to galvanise Savoy. In the aftermath of a set-piece, the Knights failed to clear their lines which left Johnny Librino in an advantageous position in the middle of the box, where he tucked the ball into the bottom right corner for 2-2.

Savoy then found themselves streaming forward once again, with Scoot placing a delicate through ball to Librino who in a moment of individual brilliance, calmly dinked the ball over the keeper for what appeared to be the winner. Southern Knights had other ideas however and were not going down without a fight. In an immediate response, the home side scored from a corner yet again – with the final score ending 3-3. 

This result sees Savoy hold onto a commanding position at the top with four games remaining, at this stage Southern Knights will be looking to consolidate second place and ascend to the Premier Division come the end of the season.

Saturday: Premier Division - BOSA v USC Lion

It was a triumphant day for BOSA Football Club, who emerged as the victors in a must-win relegation scrap against USC Lion. Through this potentially season-defining victory, BOSA have climbed out of the relegation zone and into seventh. This comes at the cost of Lion, who now sit perilously in eighth – just a point above St Peters in the second relegation spot. USC Lion gaffer David Eggers still backs his players to get themselves out of this tough spot, but nonetheless has been disappointed with what he describes as an ongoing issue in front of goal, “We’ve had a number of outs, (the) team has been changing week in week out, leaving us a bit unsettled and our results haven’t been great.” When quizzed on what was going wrong for the Grange-based club, Eggers replied “We’ve lost three from our last four in games in which we’ve been on top every first half, but haven’t capitalised due to poor finishing and not taking chances.”

Safety is still a long way away for both teams, but they can both be encouraged by the fact that at this stage at least – they are out of the relegation zone. BOSA coach Mathew Kemp spoke about the confidence such a win can give the group, after a tough period he hopes his players can “keep winning and keep climbing the ladder.”

As for the game itself, Lion will be ruing a string of missed chances that they had in the first half, with Kemp acknowledging that “It was a closer game than what the 2-0 represents, could’ve gone either way”. At halftime, BOSA were potentially at risk of another tight-game ending in defeat, “most of those games this year have gone against us - we are glad one finally went our way”. The second half was a different story, as BOSA began imposing themselves on the game from the restart. It was a coaching masterclass from BOSA’s Mathew Kemp, by that I mean, he showed his players how its done and gave the home side the lead in the 48th – courtesy of a delicate no-look assist from young gun Isaac Giurastante. Momentum swung regularly, with Lion even having a goal disallowed by an ever-so-tight offside ruling. After this wake-up call, and it all on the line, BOSA upped the level across the park and were creating chances thick and fast. Eventually their resolve and persistence paid off, as an effort from Eric Scardigno was saved by the keeper, only to be smashed back in by Antonio Trotta – sending the home supporters into raptures whilst simultaneously breaking USC Lion hearts.

Lion will be eager to bounce back with next round’s fixture against ARBE, “We just have to pick ourselves up and be positive” was the message from David Eggers.