April 28, 2025
                           2025 NSW NPL MENS1 ROUND 12
       WOLLONGONG WOLVES v MT DRUITT TOWN RANGERS
      WOLVES COME BACK FROM A GOAL DOWN TO VICTORY
After a Dylan Ryan header struck the base of the goal post in the eighteenth minute from a Nicholas Olsen corner kick, the Wolves played well in the opening twenty minutes with several clear chances that failed in their intent, before Mt. Druitt started to hit their straps. This culminated in a John Azar goal in the twenty-eighth minute to put his team ahead. A penalty conversion by captain Lachlan Scott and a Marcus Beattie well-taken goal late in the game, saw the Wolves gaining victory to excise the disappointing midweek cup loss and the take the three points in their first win at this venue in 2025..
With a venue change due to the heavy rain in the days prior, the match was changed from Macedonia Park to McLennan Park, with it being played in rain free conditions.
The Wolves began the game running in a northerly direction with the Town Rangers kicking off, sending the ball forward on the right, only for the Wolves’ Ben Giason to head up field. A first minute free kick to the Wolves a few metres outside the penalty arc failed to get the desired outcome with Scott going close to get contact on the ball in the danger zone. He followed up in scant time only to be blocked at the same time as he shot.
At the other end, as Mt Druitt attacked, Harrison Buesnell cleared over the sideline as Azar sniped. Woon Sub Sim headed back to custodian Oliver Yates to settle things down in the fourth minute.
Six minutes a sweeping movement out of defence involving many Mt. Druitt players culminated in a corner kick which was headed away by Ryan., who was back in the league starting line-up after his broken nose in Round 6. This attack showed that Mt. Druitt were well in this match. A Joao Santos free kick from outside the penalty area by a few metres flew narrowly wide which showed the Mt. Druitt danger. Minutes later Banri Kanaizumi blocked Azar as he shaped to shoot.
Immediately earlier Ralph Le’ai juggled the ball succinctly with his back to goal on the right side before attempting an overhead head kick which hit the chest of a defender. Le’ai tried to beat the custodian Dylan Niski but was thwarted. This was followed by Ryan’s darting in to head onto the post, which was the closest the Wolves had come to scoring up to this point. Le’ai poked the ball wide in the twenty-first minute to display his offensive threat.
Despite these close shaves, Mt. Druitt was undaunted, and their defensive shape frustrated the Wolves’ attack. The game there to be won as Garang Awac swung in an enticing right cross. Unfortunately for his endeavour, Yates went low to grasp the ball. A shot from distance by Santos flew over. However, in the twenty-eighth minute, Mt. Druitt made one shot stick. Awac dispatched the ball from the right side. It traversed to the far post where an unmarked Azar could pick his spot. He did so with a driving effort that beat Yates.
The Wolves looked to respond when a lifted Olsen pass intended for Beattie did not come off. Ryan passed to Scott, but his shot was wide.
At half time the Mt. Druitt held the upper hand leading 1-0.
A free kick, seconds into the second half a yellow card was shown to Santos. Following a Sub Sim free kick went straight to Niski.
The Wolves went probing for a chink in the armour of the Town Rangers as a Scott header down to Ryan was blocked as went to shoot.
Olsen charged into the box but dragged his effort unfortunately wide. Scott was inconvenienced on the edge of the penalty area to the left of centre. The subsequent free kick did not break the Town Rangers’ resolve. Le’ ai on receiving Ryan’s pass, shot wildly and a Giason cross was headed away by Theph Theph.
However, the Wolves gained a reprieve when a Giason lifted ball in the box was intended for Scott and he was bundled over in the penalty area and a spot kick awarded. Scott got up to take it, driving the ball into the left side of Niski’s domain, with Niski diving the opposite way.. It was now even Stevens.
The Town Rangers were not going to go away and a Santos free kick from the left took a deflection and flew high towards the Wolves’ goal. The ball bounced out the hands of Yates, but he was able to take it a second time, fortunately.
The Wolves went searching for a winner when a Sub Sim ball to Ryan was headed over.
An Azar cross was blocked on the left by Giason before Ryan dispatched the ball from the left up to Scott. He in turn slotted the ball to Beattie. He steamed forward with two defenders in tow. Beattie speedily zigged and zagged, rode a tackle, before getting the ball onto his right foot. His great effort squeezed inside the near post giving Niski no chance of saving. This was Beattie’s first goal for the Wolves since his goal in the 2021 Round 10 Sydney FC confrontation.
A free kick saw Azar wide on the right swinging the ball in. Buesnell headed away. He did a mountain of defending work, with timely interceptions, bringing the ball perceptibly forward out of defence to mount attacks.
The Wolves wanted to sure up their likely victory when Le’ai raced away and rampaged through with only the custodian to beat late in the proceedings. Niski saved this threat, and again saved from a Scott follow-up, before Olsen, on the right and close to goal, hit the side netting.
Mt. Druitt to their credit kept trying for an equaliser but it was not to be. The Wolves impressed with their resilience, perseverance and will to win, achieving their fourth victory in 2025.
Goal scorer Marcus Beattie – ‘for me personally it was overdue (his goal). The win today, after the midweek result that we had, was exactly what we needed…. We were very disappointed, as the standards that we set as a group early, we let it slip and today it was about the fight and hanging in there, and that really showed at the end there….  For the whole of this game, we had a fair few chances, but we let the other team in…. We showed that we could get the goals we needed and hold on…..  This year I haven’t been as aggressive as I wanted to be.  So today, I wanted to keep fighting and be positive and the goal paid off for me.’
MATCH STATISTICS
WOLLONGONG WOLVES F.C…………………….2
Lachlan Scott 69’ Marcus Beattie 80’
- DRUITT TOWN RANGERS …………..………,,1
John Azar 28’
@ Sir Ian McLennan Park, Kembla Grange.
SUNDAY 27th APRIL
5.00 p.m. Kick Off
WOLLONGONG WOLVES
Coach: Warren Grieve
- Oliver Yates (GK), 2. Harrison Buesnel, 6. James Anagnostopoulos (Liam Ball 76’) 4. Dylan Ryan, 5. Banri Kanaizumi, 17. Marcus Beattie, 21. Nicholas Olsen (3. Darcy Madden 70’) 24. Lachlan Scott (25. Alex Masciovecchio 90+4’), 7. Woon Sub Sim, 29. Ben Giason 77. Raphael Le’ai,
Substitutes Not Used: 13. Daniel Solsky (GK),.9. Damon Gray 15. Dax Kelly, 11. Lucas Trajcevski
Yellow Cards: Woon Sub Sim 12’, Nicholas Olsen 90+1’
Red Cards: nil
- DRUITT TOWN RANGERS
Coach: Andrew Montgomery
- Dylan Niski (c), 2. Alexander Trajanoski (27. Shayden Sampow 87’), 5. Theph Theph, 6. Jared Macerola 7. Garang Awac (Jude Rankin 64’) 9. Joseph Gibbs, 10. Joao Pedro Oliveira Santos (20. Thomas Lopez 77’) 11. John Azar (18. Lachlan Vasiliou 87’), 15. Caleb Jackson-Brown, 21. William Rankin 99. Rocco Fragale
Substitutes not used: 4. Zac Sfiligoi, 41. Samuel Graham
Yellow Cards: Joao Pedro Olveira Santos 47’, William Rankin 59’,
Red Cards: nil
Referee: Michael Weiner
Assistant Referees: James Makris and Blake Sanchez-Cruz
Fourth Official: Reece Edwards
By Malcolm Rowney
