Sutherland Sharks, 5pm Sunday 23rd June 2019 (Home)
- philipkeegan
- Jun 27, 2019
- 4 min read
Having only played one home game in the comp in the last 5 weeks, and having missed that as I was in the UK, I was eager to get to King Tom and see the boys in action for the first time since the draw with Olympic in mid May. The main concern apart from our up and down form was the weather. All week the forecast kept getting worse and I was worried that there would be a storm and hail for the game. By 2pm on Sunday it still had not rained in the city and I was confident that out Edensor way all would be fine. The sun was shining all the way to Cabramatta and despite a lot of black cloud it was still a fine day when I arrived at King Tom around 4:30. I met up with Simunovic and headed into the club for a pre-match beer. I saw Matt on the way in who very kindly lent me his copy of 50 years of Sydney United, a book I have been after for some time and highly recommended for any Croatia tragic that has not read it.
The weather was still holding out as we walked into the stadium and onto the hill, just as the hill bar was opening. The selection of drinks on offer has become more extensive as the season has worn on, Corona being the latest addition to the list that was once solely occupied by VB or Toohey’s New. Will there be spirits in the near future? Bourbon perhaps? We got a beer and the game started. Croatia started slowly and Sutherland has improved a lot since the last time the two clubs met back in round 5. The main danger man for the Sharks was Charles Lokolingoy who was looking very good from the off. There were a few nervy moments for Croatia in the opening 30 minutes or so. None more than when the ball was given away in midfield and Lokolingoy raced through on goal at an angle on the right, his shot beat Manos in goal but not the crossbar and the ball rebounded to safety. It was after this let off that Croatia almost took the lead themselves, Matt Sim being played in down the left and raced into the area only to blast over the bar from an angle with only the keeper to beat. Still, Croatia had begun to get into the game after a poor start and as the half time whistle sounded I was confident we could push to get the win.
Sumo went to the corner to get some Cevapi as I got the beers in and the second half started. Less than 10 minutes into the half Matt Sim curled an effort that the keeper could only parry and it fell to another red shirt (I could not see who) who could only manage to head it straight at the keeper for a fine double save. This woke the hill up who became more vocal, but it was less than 5 minutes later that the Sharks should have taken the lead as that man again, Lokolingoy, raced into the area and curled an effort onto the post. The rebound was hit straight at Manos to end the danger. A crazy spell of play then ended when the Sharks took the lead just a minute or so later. Lokolingoy stuck a shot that Manos could only parry and it fell straight to Jordan Morfitis who stroked the ball home to give Sutherland the lead, much to the delight of Shark Lady who was the lone Sutherland supporter on the hill.
The game looked to be getting away from Croatia, but a long stoppage due to an injury to the Sharks goalkeeper changed the flow of the game. Nathan Denham was eventually replaced by Mitchell Evans in goal for the Sharks, and then danger man Lokolingoy was sent off for back chat to the ref with around 10 minutes to play. Despite this, Sutherland almost scored again with a few minutes left but for the heroics of Vlastelica who twice denied Sutherland on the goal line. The Sharks were left to rue this when Croatia levelled the game in the last minute. Matt Sim floated in a cross and Simonoski ghosted in between two defenders to plant a header into the bottom corner to send the hill into frenzy. All of a sudden Croatia had woken up and as the board flashed a massive 7 minutes of added time the hill roared CRO-ART-ZIA over and over. It almost did the trick as Trifiro sent Simonoski through but he could not find the target when well placed. One last push saw Croatia force a corner but they could not force a winner that would have been harsh on the Sharks. The whistle went and everyone on the hill could breathe again. It was a frantic end to a game that we could have easily lost but did not. Credit to the boys for getting back into it and earning a hard earned point. We are back at King Tom for the derby with Marconi next Sunday, when better weather is forecast – so get down and support the boys. Also, the FFA Cup draw is on Wednesday the 26th when we find out our opponent for the round of 32. Sydney Croatia Ole Ole Ole….
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