Two of the PlayStation 4 NPL Capital football clubs flexed their muscle against lower league opposition to move through to the next round of the Preliminary Rounds in the ACT.
Blue Devils cruise past ANU
On a cold and blustery evening at McKellar Park Belconnen United ran out comfortable winners (8-1) against a gallant but ultimately out gunned ANU FC side. The Blue Devils are no strangers to success in the Westfield FFA Cup (formerly the Federation Cup), being winners in 2014 and runners up last year. Any hopes the students might have had of interrupting that run were soon dashed.
In fact Belconnen's progress to the Quarter-Finals looked assured as early as the fourth minute when Matt Grbesa rose highest to head home from a Jason Ugrinic corner.
After that the Blue Devils continued to dominate and their powerful running and clever interchange of passing caused more than one headache for the ANU defensive structure. Ugrinic poked a left foot shot tamely wide but almost made up for it when he curled a right foot shot that forced a decent save from Franco, ANU's overworked keeper. Dustin Wells and Aisosa Ihegie also had decent looks at goal before the second arrived.
CLICK HERE for the full match report.
Heroic Stags fall to Tigers
For half an hour they dared to dream. Goulburn Stags rooted to the foot of State League 1, in effect the fourth tier of Canberra football, not only held the PlayStation® 4 National Premier League leaders Tigers FC, they threatened to tear up the form book and throw it right out the window, before succumbing 6-0. Twice in the first half the pace of Aaron Swanson found holes in the Tigers defensive line and, arguably, twice the Stags’ forward should have scored.
Breaking sharply from their own half in the 11th minute Andrew Wilke-Holden suddenly found himself bearing down on goal with only Tigers FC custodian Jakob Cole to beat. Unselfishly he laid off a pass to supporting striker Swanson who, with an open goal at his mercy, struck the left upright and saw the rebound cannon off the retreating Cole and out for a corner. And the hero of the Stags 2-1 win over City in Round 3 went close again in the 26th minute.
CLICK HERE for the full match report.
CLICK HERE for the details of the remaining Round 4 fixtures.
