Olympic Kingsway bounced back from Tuesday’s damaging defeat to Balcatta Etna to keep their outside hopes of defending the NPLWA – Men’s title alive with a 3-1 win at Fremantle City.
Kingsway’s victory cut Bayswater City’s lead at the top to three points, although Olympic have only two matches remaining to Baysie’s three.
Freo’s two-goal loss, meanwhile, meant they slipped into the relegation play-off place on goal difference below Balcatta, and it doesn’t get easier for them next week when they host Bayswater at Hilton Park.
Tyler Garner gave Olympic a 26th-minute lead after playing a one-two with Will Richards before continuing his run and finishing first-time via the inside of the post. The visitors doubled their lead just before half-time when Laat Mathiang played Jonathon Leithead down the right flank and he raced clear to poke past Luke Radonich.
NPLM RESULTS, FIXTURES & STANDINGS
The Green Machine all but wrapped up the three points as Mathiang’s corner ran to Richards, who found the corner to bag his first goal for the club.
Freo scored a consolation 15 minutes from time when Sam Cook headed in Charlie Chechlacz’s cross to net for a second successive week. But it was not enough to keep Scott Miller’s side out of the bottom two, while Olympic now look ahead to Tuesday night’s Hahn Australia Cup Round of 16 tie at Brisbane City.
Bayswater are still well placed to wrap up the league despite their home match with top-four chasing Stirling Macedonia being washed out. Perth SC's fixture with Perth Glory was also postponed, while Balcatta moved out of the bottom two despite not kicking a ball as their home fixture against Perth RedStar was also rained off.
Elsewhere, there was a big result in the bottom half of the league as Armadale guaranteed their safety when coming from two goals down to defeat 10-man Sorrento FC 4-2.
Sorrento were two up after 22 minutes at Alfred Skeet Reserve, with Franco Vila getting both. The Argentinian striker volleyed in Clay Gibbs’ cross before emphatically finishing in the box to take his tally to seven since joining the Gulls mid-season.
Armadale pulled one back in style just past the half-hour mark when Amir Ajan took a touch to set himself before curling home brilliantly from the edge of the box. And it was all square seven minutes after the restart when Golden Boot leader Pieter Jacobsz scored from a narrow angle to make it 15 goals for the campaign.
The home side had the momentum and an extra man for the final 35 minutes after Ben Ratajczak fouled Ajan outside the box. The Sorrento goalkeeper was shown a straight red card, and replacement David Keenan’s first job was to collect the ball from his net after Ajan smashed home the free-kick to put the Army into the lead for the first time.
Josh Willis finished one-on-one past Keenan to make it goals in back-to-back weeks and confirm a much-needed Armadale win, their first since beating the same opposition in June’s reverse fixture. Sorrento, meanwhile, are not yet safe and sit three points above the relegation play-off spot.
Finally, relegated Floreat Athena’s wait for a first win this season continued after they conceded twice in stoppage time to lose 4-3 at Western Knights.
Knights were in front on 21 minutes when Kosta Sparta played a short corner with Jesse Lazzaro and crossed for Justin Tang to head in. Floreat hit back and scored two goals in three minutes to take a half-time lead. Jim Simms’ corner was floated to the back post and met by a thumping header from Chris Saldaris, before in-form Abraham Mathet continued his good scoring form with a composed finish into the bottom corner.
Ellis Lawson’s corner went in via a touch of a Floreat defender to make it 2-2 but Athena led again just before the hour mark when Mathet drove through Knights’ midfield and slipped in Bol Tong to slot into the back of the net.
Floreat, whose relegation was confirmed in midweek after their draw at Sorrento, were on track to finally register a victory as the 90-minute mark ticked over, only to let slip a winning position in added time for the second time in three weeks.
Sparta’s clever pass with the outside of his boot released Tarek Atta who kept his cool to level the scores at 3-3 before the winner arrived on 96 minutes direct from another Lawson corner.
- The Round 19 fixture between Stirling Macedonia and Perth RedStar, which was postponed last week, will take place this Tuesday at Macedonia Park (7.15pm).
Details of when the postponed games from this weekend will take place will be announced on the Squadi app and the Football West Facebook page once confirmed.
