Game on! RedStar still top but rivals close in

Perth Redstar’s lead at the top of the New Balance NPL WA Men’s competition has been cut to one point after the league leaders were held 2-2 by Fremantle City.

RedStar have dropped points in back-to-back weeks, and now only four points separate the top four sides.

Freo, meanwhile, remain firmly in mid-table, six points from both the relegation zone and the top-four places.

It was a case of déjà vu for Callum Salmon’s side, who let slip a two-goal lead for the second successive season at Hilton Park.

They went in front when Jacob Evans’ deep cross was controlled and finished emphatically by Liam Murray from a narrow angle. Murray then returned the favour with Evans’ strike making it 2-0 at the interval.

Fremantle got back in the game when Riley Woodcock’s stunning free-kick halved the deficit seven minutes after the restart. And with 10 minutes to play, Nick Ambrogio was in the right place at the right time to convert after Chad Nilson’s shot was blocked, extending City’s unbeaten run to four games.

That comeback proved to be a theme of the weekend, with five of the six matches seeing teams come from behind to get a result.

One of those instances was at Madman Arena on Friday night as Olympic Kingsway closed to within a point of RedStar by coming from a goal down to defeat 10-man Dianella White Eagles 3-1.

Ian Ferguson’s team were up on 10 minutes after Ben Hinshelwood finished a nicely worked team move.

But Olympic, in their first home fixture under interim head coach Richard Garcia, levelled when Noah Ieraci found Liam Boland, who bent the ball into the bottom corner to score in a third successive match.

A coming-together between Olympic defender Jonathon Leithead and White Eagles winger George Ballah resulted in the latter being shown a red card in the final minute of the first half. And with the extra man, Kingsway scored twice in as many second-half minutes to win it.

A cross from the right was cleared only as far as Joe Hobson, who hammered in to put the hosts in front. And moments later Aryn Williams’ long ball was nicely brought down by Bryce Bafford, who kept his cool to roll in his first Green Machine goal.

Bayswater City are third and a point further back after Chris Jackson’s stoppage-time header saw them win 2-1 at Sorrento FC.

Alex Jovanovic came off the bench to give the Gulls a lead with a quarter of an hour remaining when turning home Jakub Prajza’s corner.

But two former Sorrento players came back to haunt their former side. First, Cameron Teece outjumped his marker to plant home an excellent header from Daniel Stynes’ cross for his first goal since returning from a long injury lay-off.

Jackson then nodded in Pat Loughrey’s corner in the 91st minute to give Baysie a fourth win in five matches and keep them right in the title picture.

There was also late drama at Nash Field as Gordon Perkins gave Perth Azzurri a 4-3 win over Western Knights as the visitors replaced their opponents in fourth place.

Knights got off to a flyer in the western suburbs and led 2-0 after 17 minutes. Kosta Sparta lashed home a brilliant volley from just inside the box, before Aaron Pike latched onto a long clearance from goalkeeper Rob Sinclair to slot in a second.

Cody Tana drove home his first senior Azzurri goal to pull one back for Perth. And it was 2-2 at half-time when David Ninkovich’s shot was blocked into the path of Perkins, who rolled across for Jamie McNelis to score.

Azzurri went ahead for the first time when Sean O’Connor’s corner came off Knights defender Daniel Walsh to put Kenny Lowe’s team ahead early in the second half. Then it was Knights’ turn to hit back and they equalised with seven minutes to spare when Regan Hutchinson looped in a header from Jesse Lazarro’s long free-kick.

Perkins and Perth would have the final say, though. Ninkovich’s corner broke off Charlie Fleming into the striker’s path and he sorted his feet out to put away an eighth goal of the season. Perth are now undefeated in four and three points clear of fifth place and four points off the top.

Knights in fact dropped to sixth after being leapfrogged by Stirling Macedonia, who beat neighbours Balcatta Etna 3-1.

Hristijan Jankuloski got the opener on 21 minutes after goalkeeper Sebastian Medica spilled Kade Fearnall’s corner.

Skipper Dejan Spaseski made it 2-0 at the break when volleying home from inside the area after Josh Bilaloski’s cross was cleared his way.

Bilaloski got himself on the scoresheet on 52 minutes to all but seal the win, and Stirling would see it through despite losing Danny Douglas to a second yellow card and conceding late on to Charlie Betts’ crisp strike.

The defeat means Balcatta have slipped to the bottom of the league and are two points adrift. That is because Armadale were another team to come from two goals down as they beat Perth Glory 3-2 at Alfred Skeet Reserve.

Louis Sollitt’s good season in front of goal continued when firing home inside the opening minute for the visitors.

Alfie Knight then took a shot early from outside the area to double the lead, before Armadale got themselves back in the contest with Luke Desmond leading the charge.

The midfielder broke forward to slot into the bottom corner, and then bundled in Will Hayes’ cross to complete a brace before half-time and make it 2-2.

Hayes got what proved to be the winner just after the restart when finishing from a tight angle to breathe life into Armadale’s season and put them just three points from safety and Glory.