31.10.2000

NAGLIERI NEXT IN LINE

Cockburn City's 17-year old attacking midfielder Antonio Naglieri could become the latest Perth Glory recruit to be plucked from the ranks of the W.A. Premier League. The teenager, who last week took out the W.A. Rookie of the Year award after an impressive first season in the local competition, has started a four-week trial with Glory where he's already impressed coach Bernd Stange. "Antonio is a good young player with wonderful potential - I ask Glory to sign him," Stange late last week.

Stange was taken by Naglieri's approach and distribution from midfield when he played for the State Under-23 team against Glory in the Charity Shield recently. It is believed the midfielder will join the band of young talent at Glory which includes midfielder Anthony Danze (16), centre half Aaron Cole (19), and goalkeeper Tomislav Tomich (19).

30.10.2000

PUCA REACHES NSL MILESTONE

One of Eastern Pride's favourite son's Robbie Puca made his 50th NSL appearance on the weekend when he ran out to face Northern Spirit. The Perth-born midfielder started out in the W.A. state league where he played at senior level with Perth for several years before being picked up by the then Gippsland Falcons mid-1996. Seen as a key player for Pride's aspirations this season, Puca was surprised that the milestone has come around so quickly. "It's really flown by, I just hope I can continue playing more games for the club."

Puca has been impressed by the efforts made by the new-look club on and off the park this season. "Its a positive feeling around the club, it rubs off on us as players. We are so determined to do well and show everyone we belong in the NSL and show our supporters that we can play great soccer. The new name, new strip all helps us to be very keen and to do well," he said.

A former W.A. junior representative, Puca recently spent time in Italy trialling with AS Roma (amongst others) but his career was in turmoil late last year when diagnosed with diabetes. Despite having now well-and-truly got the condition under control, Puca still remains philosophical about the illness. "It's done two things to me - my diet is a lot better and I'm looking after myself more than ever, but I know in the back of mind I have to make sure I'm doing this otherwise it can be a hassle." And Puca has some words of encouragement for youngsters with the condition, "It hasn't held me back from performing at the highest level possible, you can play sports if you look after yourself."

29.10.2000

YOUTH SORRENTO'S STRONG POINT

At Sorrento's Annual Presentation Night, coach Trevor Morgan expressed his disappointed in what he saw as a season of underachievement by the senior side, particularly after a very successful 1999. But Morgan highlighted the club's future lay with the development of young player and that the club are managing the progression of the players up through the ranks very well. Both the Reserves and Under-18's finished the season inside the Top Five, with the Reserves won the Boral Cup Final courtesy of a fantastic free-kick by Barry Williamson.

With next season's Night Series starting early in 2001, Morgan announced that pre-season training would commence on 4th December for the senior squad. Fielding teams in all junior divisions, selection trials for Under-11 through to Under-16 will begin mid-January with all interested players asked to contact Jasmine Albon on 9409 8458 for compete details. The Registration Day for junior players will be Sunday 4th February from 10.30am to 2pm and new players must present three passport photos and a copy of their birth certificate. More information is available from club Secretary Kerry Slater on 9448 5908.

27.10.2000

2000 PREMIER LEAGUE ALL-STARS

This team has been chosen from the performances that I witnessed over the course of the winter season in the W.A. Premier League, Boral Cup and Champion of Champions competitions. To find out who has been named in the unofficial squad of 22 visit the 2000 Premier League All-Stars page.

24.10.2000

MATASSA JOINS WOKING

27-year old former Perth goalkeeper Vince Matassa last week joined Dr Marten's League outfit Woking for an undisclosed fee from Basingstoke Town. Matassa, contracted to the club until the end of the season with a further 12-month option, is highly rated by Woking boss Colin Lippiatt. "In the past when I have come up against Basingstoke or watched them I have always been impressed by Vince and the vibes I've received suggest he is one of the top dogs in non-league." The 'keeper made his debut for the club on the weekend, keeping their home first clean sheet of the season in Woking 2-0 defeat of Forest Green Rovers.

23.10.2000

LICENCE BID GATHERING MOMENTUM

Soccer West Coast have revealed that they have registered Western Lightning as the proposed name of it's new club if successful in winning W.A.'s second NSL licence next season. The state's organising body have apparently got the backing of five W.A. businessmen - including Denis McInerney, Buckeridge and Paul Afkos - to each contribute a million dollars towards the venture. They are also making a play to forge a link with an English club, a SWC official is currently in the UK discussing the deal with interested potentials.

21.10.2000

AND THE WINNERS ARE ...

Bayswater City Panthers attacking midfielder Alan MacKenzie will long remember the 2000 Premier League season for reasons other than the relegation of his club. The 34-year-old former Perth Glory star took out the McInerney Ford Gold Medal and $1000 in prize money as the state's Fairest and Best player over the winter. MacKenzie, who is on holiday in Scotland, was the stand-out player in a team that finished second last in a season which saw him take the coaching reigns for a short period of time.

It was a tight finish with four votes separating the top four finishers. With referees allocating votes as the season progresses, MacKenzie won the prestigious award by one from Swan I.C. sweeper Carlo Scali. Both players picked up two votes in the final round of fixtures - MacKenzie against Inglewood United to finish on 21 and Scali against Perth to end the year on 20. In third place was Rockingham City goalkeeper Adrian Rawlings, whose club was also relegated, on 19 votes and one ahead of Troy Bernard of Floreat Athena. Western Knights defender Andy Wright, himself a double Gold Medal winner, was joint fifth on 17 with Fremantle City centre half Dave Evans. Then came Perth's Mark Pottier (16), Knight Alex Christie (15), Sorrento's Scott McLeod (15) and Inglewood's Steve McDonald (13).

Topping the leader boards around the Premier League clubs were Steve Gillibrand (Ashfield/Bunbury), MacKenzie (Bayswater City Panthers), Christian Alvarez (Cockburn City), Bernard (Floreat Athena), Evans (Fremantle City), MacDonald (Inglewood United), Carl McDarby and Jamie Kuzmanovic (ECU Joondalup), Pottier (Perth), Rawlings (Rockingham City), McLeod (Sorrento) Carlo Scali (Swan I.C.) and Wright (Western Knights).

The Premier League Under-18's Fairest and Best award went to Lou de Oliveira (Fremantle City) on a count-back after he and teammate Joe Liguan finished the season with 24 votes apiece. Jake Harman (Sorrento) was third on 17 and Inglewood's Matt Aitken and Perth's Scott White tied for fourth place with 16. Liguan left the field for dead when it came to scoring in the Under-18's competition, bagging 31 goals to finish well clear of nearest rival Harman on 22 and Mark Rodwell (Perth) on 14.

Inglewood United veteran Robert Zabica was named Goalkeeper of the Year for a third time, pipping Corey Hugo (Swan I.C.) and Darren Williams (Western Knights). 17-year-old Antonio Naglieri of Cockburn City took out the Rookie of the Year trophy ahead of Anthony Danze (ECU Joondalup) and Joe Liguan. The Knights John Nicolaou ended the season with 16 goals, one more that Swan I.C.'s Nigel Aubin with Robin Dyer (Floreat Athena) a close third on 14. Sony Player of the Month awards were presented to Damien Scali (Swan I.C.), Kuzmanovic, Alex Christie, Scott McLeod, Scott Broadley (ECU Joondalup), John Mirco (Fremantle City) and Aaron Cole (Perth).

In the First Division Jim Merkouris of the Stirling Lions won the Erceg Mining Player of the Year award, finishing with 26 votes. Two votes behind was Jamie Trandos (Kingsway Olympic) and Rick Davis (Wanneroo City) came in on 20 with Queens Park's Paul Blakely (18) and Stirling Suns' Rob Milevski (15) rounding out the top five. In the goal scoring stakes, Trandos and Ashley Keegan (Stirling Lions) lead the way by finding the net 15 times each over the winter, Rhys Watson also of the Lions finishing one goal off the pace. A count-back was required in the First Division Under-18 Fairest and Best after four players finished with 16 votes. The trophy was eventually shared between Brett Mollison (Kingsway Olympic) and David Brown (Armadale) who still could not be separated, Leeming Strikers' Phil Stanmore and Southside United's Chris Allen getting the minor places.

20.10.2000

SWC WAKE-UP CALL?

With the animosity between Perth Glory and Soccer West Coast well documented, it comes as a huge surprise that the two parties are apparently locked in negotiations concerning Glory's entry in the State League. With Glory's recent decision to pursue an eastern states-based youth development program, could it be that our local governing body has finally heeded the wake-up call of W.A.'s most powerful club side?

Soccer West Coast rejected a Glory proposal to field a team in the local competition several years ago but it now appears that they may be reconsidering their decision. The introduction of a Glory reserves or development team into Soccer West Coast competitions would be a blessing in disguise for the local clubs whose gates would no doubt experience a massive boom on the 200 that most clubs averaged this season.

17.10.2000

NSL BECKONS FOR PERTH HEROES

The heroes of Perth's Champion of Champions victory on the weekend - Nick Mrdja and David Onoforo - are poised to take the next step and join the ranks of the NSL. 21-year old Mrdja is widely tipped to be snapped up by Perth Glory while hard-working Onoforo, 19, is destined for trials with Sydney Olympic in the near future.

Coach Graham Normanton is resigned to losing his two hot-shot strikers but is full of optimism about the club's future at the top of the W.A. soccer hierarchy. "I think Nick is the best talent in the State at the moment and I'd be amazed if the Glory, or someone else, doesn't make him an offer," he said. "David has done very well for us too and I believe he could be on his way as well. But we've got a good crop of youngsters coming through and, if the majority of the first-team squad stay together, I think we can build a team that will be pretty formidable."

Mrdja this week underwent the knife to relieve a nagging knee injury but expects to be back on the training track the fortnight. "I've had problems with the knee for a while but it's only minor surgery that will be involved - just a bit of scraping - and then I'll be ready to get going again," he said. "I don't know what's going to happen but I'm very keen to get back into the NSL again. I had a brief spell with Canberra and I'm ready to give it another go."

17.10.2000

MORE ACTION FOR STATE SIDE

The West Australian state side will play two games against the Malaysian Under-23 team next month. With the games to be played on 7th and 9th November, coach Paul Wormley has made six changes to the squad which lost 2-3 to Perth Glory in the Charity Shield recently. In comes 24-year old Western Knights captain Scott Devine and his teammate Joe Vaz, Sorrento duo Todd Harnwell and Richard Turnbull, Fremantle City striker Kevin Correia and Mark Pottier of Perth.

The full squad: Paul Cooke, Antonio Naglieri (Cockburn City), Troy Bernard (Floreat Athena), Kevin Correia, Alan Dunlop, John Mirco, Trim Morgan, Craig Surtees (Fremantle City), Steve MacDonald (Inglewood), Scott Broadley, Jamie Kuzmanovich, Louis Parkinson, Sandy Robertson Steve White (ECU Joondalup), Mark Pottier (Perth), Todd Harnwell, Richard Turnbull (Sorrento), Cory Hugo (Swan I.C.), Scott Devine, Joe Vaz (Western Knights).

15.10.2000

NICOLAOU WAY OUT IN FRONT

In the tally of goalscorers covering all competitions this season, Western Knights marksman John Nicolaou leads the way having found the net 24 times since the opening weekend of the Night Series some ten months ago. Nigel Aubin (Swan I.C.) was a distant second with 17 goals to his credit, followed by three on 16 goals - Perth's departed Adrian Caceras, Robyn Dyers (Floreat Athena) and Nicolaou's teammate Eugene Singeorzan.

It was a fairytale season for the Knights forward who was signed by Ronnie Campbell as a midfielder but made the switch up-front at the suggestion of assistant coach Willie Kelly when the team were experiencing a goal scoring drought early in their campaign. Despite missing the first six games of the winter Nicolaou hasn't looked back since making the move, helping the Knights to the Boral Cup by netting a double and the runners-up spot in the Premier League and Champion of Champions play-off series.

Players           Club              Goals
John Nicolaou     Western Knights    24
Nigel Aubin       Swan I.C.          17
Adrian Caceras    Perth              16
Robin Dyers       Floreat Athena     16
Eugene Singeorzan Western Knights    16
Paul Lincoln      Inglewood United   13
Mark Pottier      Perth              13
Steve Bourne      Fremantle City     12
Carl McDarby      ECU Joondalup      12
Trim Morgan       Fremantle City     12
Nick Mrdja        Perth              11
David Onoforo     Perth              11
Peter Petkovic    Rockingham City    11
Joe Vaz           Western Knights    11
Savo Garic        Ashfield/Bunbury   10
Todd Harnwell     Sorrento           10

CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS GRAND FINAL

The 2000 Champion of Champions final saw two of the league powerhouse sides face each other at the Litis Stadium on Sunday. It was the Western Knights third appearance in the play-off decider in as many years, triumphant in 1998 against Sorrento only to be thrashed 12 months later by the same team. Perth were making their first appearance since 1993's 2-0 win over North Perth Croatia in what has been a lean period for the club, only the 1998 Night Series trophy coming since.

The teams had played eachother three times prior to this clash with the Knights winning on each occasion by a 2-1 margin and another tight encounter was expected. Both camps had injury concerns over key players going into the match. Karl Medica took his place in the Knights starting eleven having passed a late fitness test on an ankle injury sustained in Boral Cup Final seven days earlier, but Perth's exciting striker Nick Mrdja wasn't so lucky, warming the bench with a niggling knee problem.

The teams made their intentions clear from the outset, playing it hard in an attempt to put the opposition off their game and meaning referee Patrick McCaffrey would be in for a busy afternoon. In the opening quarter of an hour alone we saw Medica bring down Rob Giorgi from behind to join the Perth midfielder in McCaffrey's book. Shane McNally was then carded for a late challenge on Giorgi, and Mark Pottier followed suit for dissent not long after. It was no place for the feint-hearted and full credit must go to McCaffrey who did a sterling job all afternoon, letting the players know who was in control and justifiable in his distribution of cards.

With the Knights defence looking strong, it was Medica that provided the first chance on goal after 5 minutes. He was allowed to run unchallenged from deep before releasing Eugene Singeorzan on top of box, the powerfully built striker letting the ball roll before trying to put it under the advancing Robert Scarparolo who got down quick to smother.

But that was the only time either 'keeper was tested in the opening 30 minutes as both defences wasted no time in doing the job at hand and kept a tight reign on the opposing forwards. While Perth were quick to get forward on the counter attack, they relied almost exclusively on Boni Botha and David Onoforo to do all the work in the final third where their efforts were nullified by the Knights well-organised four man defence. At the heart of that defence was veteran player Andy Wright who was strong in the tackle and never shirked his responsibilities. The Knights on the other hand streamed into attack in numbers and made great use of the full width of the park, but were continually forced back into midfield but an equally impressive Perth backline marshaled by captain Craig Naven.

Playing the game at a frenetic pace, the teams eventually started to string together some good moves which lead to several good chances on goal. In the 30th minute Ray Marinovic knocked a Knights throw-in back to Scott Devine who hit a brilliant drive from close to the by-line and forced Scarparolo to tip the ball over the bar at the far post. Devine's shot lacked nothing in the way of power or direction and would prove to be the match that started the fire. Three minutes later came Perth's first chance on goal - a Stephen Willey corner was met deep by Pottier but his header landed on the top netting.

The Knights were beginning to run the show but, for all their enterprise, had nothing to show as attack after attack broke down inside the 18-yard box. Inside the last ten minutes, Medica surged through the middle of the park only to put the ball wide from 18 metres. A Wright cross from deep flashed past Scarparolo and across face of goal only to find no-one on hand to put the ball over the line. And Dean Nicolaou sent a brilliant ball to McNally, but he mis-timed his jump just outside the 6-yard box, the ball brushed his head on the way down and the Perth defence knocked it to safety.

The final few minutes of the half saw Perth finally spark into life with Onoforo in the thick of the action. In the 42nd minute they had a penalty appeal turned down after Onoforo's flick-on struck the hand of Ivan Ljubicic. The pacey striker should have finished better a minute later when he raced past the Knights defence on the counter attack only to put the ball wide.

But, just as players on both teams were looking forward to the break, it was third time lucky for Onoforo. A neat one-two between Craig Naven and Perry Ielati saw the Perth captain throw himself at the ball to prevent it from crossing the by-line and pull it back into the area. Willey cheekily flicked it across top of the 6-yard box and Onoforo, dead in front and with Williams now well out of position, finished off the move by finding the back of the net. It was a cruel blow for the Knights who had been the better of the two sides over the opening 45 minutes and had deserved at least one goal for their efforts.

The second half started with a bluster - the Knights fired up and keen for a quick reply. Within four minutes John Nicolaou found Joe Vaz inside the box but the midfielder was unable to get a clear shot on goal, rushing his attempt as Naven and Willey closed him down. Minutes later McNally's header looped goalward only to be punched clear by Scarparolo despite the close attentions of John Nicolaou. Four times within the space of the few minutes Scarparolo came to the rescue of his side by taking the ball off the heads of opponents inside the 6-yard box. With all the play talking part in the Knights attacking half, the Perth backline performed admirably under pressure only to see the ball knocked back into the 18-yard box every time they thought the danger had passed.

The barrage couldn't last forever and eventually the pressure and heat started to take effect on the Knights players. Several were beginning to lose their rag as things didn't go their way, lashing out at opponents and teammates alike as they felt their hold on the match slowly slipping from their grasp. John Nicoloau was lucky not to be red carded for a dreadful two-footed tackle on Willey but amazingly it was the Perth player that had his name taken for dissent.

Rather than pump the ball into the middle whenever they turned it over, Perth opted to play it down the flanks in a confident display of first-time passing. Through such moves they were able to steer control of the contest away from their opponents who were quickly running out of puff. In the 69th minute, a fantastic Jamie Coyne free kick saw Williams unable to hold his ferocious shot, Willey pounced on the parry but was unable to re-direct the ball under the bar. Shortly after a lunging Ljubicic tackle bought to a halt a weaving run from Onoforo, from the resulting corner Aaron Cole nodded down Howarth's deep cross but Onoforo hit the ball into the body of an opponent before it was knocked to safety.

The recent introduction of Nick Mrdja provided Perth with a fresh set of legs up-front and, along with Onoforo and Coyne, he was able to find ample space to manoeuver. A lovely 73rd minute in-swinging cross from Coyne found Mrdja at the far post whose flying volley from close range went narrowly wide. Five minutes later Coyne was allowed to walk the ball forward and hit a thundering drive which Williams blocked, Mrdja was on hand to scoop up the rebound but his shot was deflected off the boot for another Perth corner.

With four minutes of regulation time remaining, the game threatened to turn sour with the hot-headed Singeorzan at the centre of several clashes with Perth opponents, McCaffrey calling a halt to proceedings and stepping in to talk at length with those involved. Generally it was a quiet day at the office for Knights strikers John Nicolaou and Singeorzan who found space up-front limited thanks to the efforts of Aaron Cole and Perry Ielati. What was to prove their last throw of the dice came in the 89th minute, Wright pumped a long ball deep into the box which Scarparolo thumped clear despite the pressure of John Nicolaou and Leon Russell.

A 90th minute off-the-ball incident saw the Knights reduced to ten men and their hopes of forcing the game into extra-time evaporate. With the referee dealing with something at the opposite end of the park, Singeorzan ran past Cole and, for no discernable reason, punched the young defender in the left cheek. Singeorzan would probably have got away with it if not for the alert eye of the assistant referee, he reported the incident to McCaffrey who was left with no option but to order the Knights player from the field. Unfortunately it didn't end there as Singeorzan refused to leave the perimeter and had name taken by the fourth official.

Once play got back underway, Perth were not content to run down the clock despite being a goal up, having a man advantage and the game well into injury time. Instead they continued to push for a second goal with Coyne leading the way in midfield. Breaking quickly from a failed Knights attack, Perth out-numbered their opponents four to two as Coyne slotted wide to Mrdja. He ran the ball into the box, skillfully turned Alex Christie before drilling a low right-footer beyond Williams and inside the far corner of the net. It was exactly what Perth were chasing to put the game once and for all beyond the reach of the Knights.

With the final whistle came jubilation from one camp and utter despair from the other. The Knights had their chances in the opening half to take the lead but failed to do so, and Perth snuck in to steal the game from under their nose. Wright had another fantastic game at the back for the Knights, defending resolutely and hardly putting a foot wrong all afternoon. Likewise 'keeper Williams who was twice let down by his defence when it mattered most. For Perth, Scarparolo made up for his lack of height with great work in the air to thwarted the Knights high ball options, while Coyne proved an inspiration operating out of midfield in the sides second half revival.

But it was 31-year old Naven who provided the drive behind the fightback, slicing open the Knights defence shortly before the break to set-up the opening goal with a run that surprised even himself. "I didn't think I still had it in me," he said after the game. "It's a great boost for the club. Apart from me, we're a young side - 12 in the squad are under 21 - and that's the first time most of the players have won something." It was also the first trophy for coach Graham Normanton, who admitted his side was lucky to have the lead at the break. "It wasn't a good performance, but I managed to sort out a few things at half-time and we started to play the ball around a bit," he said. "I was delighted for Craig. He showed the boys what the game's all about in one move."

Perth : Robert Scaraparolo, Gareth Naven, Aaron Cole, Perry Ielati, Stephen Willey, Todd Howarth, Mark Pottier, Rob Giorgi (Gary Upton 54), Jamie Coyne, Boni Botha (Nick Mrdja 66), David Onoforo (Michael Vassiliou 84)
Western Knights : Darren Williams, Andy Wright, Ivan Ljubicic, Alex Christie, Carl Medica (Dean Nicolaou 38), Shane McNally (David Annall 74), Ray Marinovic (Leon Russell 74), Scott Devine, Joe Vaz, Eugene Singeorzan, John Nicolaou
Referee : Patrick McCaffrey
Bookings : Giorgi (3), Medica (9), McNally (12), Pottier (15), Willey (56), Devine (59), Ljubicic (90), Christie (90+)
Explusions : Singeorzan (90+)
Attendance : 1,400(approx.)

In the play-off for the First Division crown, the Stirling Lions dominated the opening half against Bassendean Caledonian but failed to convert their chances to go into the break a goal behind when Willie Grubb put Callies ahead. It was a similar story in the 20 minutes immediately after the break with several goal scoring opportunities wasted by the Lions. Callies then took hold of the match and two goals from Kevin Griffiths followed by singles from Marco Schisano and David Boffa saw the club take out their second trophy of the season. Earlier in the day Perth won the Under-18 decider by defeating Fremantle City 4-nil.

15.10.2000

SPEAKING BRIEFLY

Former Tottenham and England defender Graham Roberts was in Perth recently as the guest of honour at the Boral Cup Final. Roberts was apparently invited to Perth by the folks at SWC/SAWA with the intention of sounding him out as to his feelings on becoming the coach of the second NSL side from Perth (they must be very confident of getting that second licence).

Speaking of the second NSL licence, Fremantle City are apparently favoured to get the nod over the Soccer West Coast bid according to sources in the east. This despite the majority of supporters of the game (both in Perth and interstate) being of the belief that it is far too early for a second team.

It can be confirmed that Bassendean Caledonian will be taking their place in the top flight next season after taking out the First Division crown recently. There had been a spot of debate over whether or not the clubs facilities were up to scratch which has now been put to rest by Soccer West Coast officials.

There is still some talk coming from up Joondalup way about bringing former England international Paul Gascoigne out next season for a number of guest appearances at ECU Joondalup. It is not known whether the club have approached Gazza's current team Everton, or what sort of timeframe they are working on.

We may have seen the last of several veterans of the W.A. Premier League with the completion of the 2000 season. As reported previously, former State midfielder Steve Bourne looks to have played his last game while Sorrento's Trevor Morgan has indicated he won't be taking to the field next year. Nigel Aubin (Swan I.C.), Carl McDarby (ECU Joondalup) and Dave Evans (Fremantle City) are all said to be at the crossroads of their respective careers in the top flight.

Perth Glory have shelved any plans about signing Sheffield United defender Shaun Murphy after he agreed to a three-year extension to his contract with English First Division club. Glory tried to lure the former Sorrento and Perth Italia centre half to return to W.A. last season and are believed to have been keeping a close interest on his progress in the UK.

14.10.2000

ONE THING ON NORMANTON'S MIND

Perth coach Graham Normanton is brimming with confidence going into Sunday's Champion of Champions grand final showdown with the Western Knights and he is not without reason. His team are in great form, winning eight of their past nine League and play-off encounters as Perth look for their first trophy since the 1998 Night Series. "We've been really consistent all season, there's only been one or two games where you could say we haven't really performed, so we're really looking for another consistent game tomorrow ."

But the Knights are the one team that Perth have found difficult to cope with this winter. "They've beaten us three times this season, 2-1 each game, although in the balance of play we probably should have got some spoils out of it but we didn't. Ronnie Campbell's got them playing some good football and they've got some players we have to keep an eye on and make sure we negate their attacking capabilities. But at the other end of the token I think we are capable of scoring more goals than them. It's just a question of taking your chances, that's what we haven't done in the past three games we've played against them - we've had numerous chances to take the game only we didn't take them and they punished us for it. So yeah, they are a dangerous outfit but I think we've got the ammunition to beat them."

One of the stars of the season for Perth has been Nick Mrdja, who returned to the west after a couple of seasons in the NSL with Canberra Cosmos where he found it hard to break into the first team. The 21-year old striker has been in outstanding form over the winter, hitting the net eleven times despite playing with a knee injury for much of that time. "Nick's been carrying an injury for the past three months and that's coming to a conclusion on Wednesday with an operation. Obviously we've wrapped him in cotton wool over the last few weeks and we've used him where we've thought he'd do best for us. He's come on in the last two or three games and made an impact for us and if he can only give us 20 minutes that's all we want from him." Mrdja has been used sparingly in the play-offs but with devastating effect, most notably in the preliminary final clash with Fremantle City when he scored twice after coming off the bench mid-way through the second half. And it's just that sort of form that Normanton is wanting from the key striker against the Knights.

14.10.2000

WOMEN'S WRAP

The Women's Soccer of W.A. Premier League has been taken out Floreat Athena 'A' who conceded only 10 goals in the 18 home and away fixtures. They finished six points clear of second-placed Stirling Reds 'A'. The competitions Golden Boot award went to young striker Lisa De Vanna (Murdoch) who found the net 32 times, Lisa Jobling (Murdoch) and M Walker (Sorrento Breakers) tying for second place with 14 goals a piece.

Curtin 'A' won the First Division title on goal difference over Mandurah after both sides finished the regular season on 47 points, each team recording just one loss over that time. A Murray (Curtin) lead the way on the scorers charts with 23 goals followed by K Jones (Mandurah) with 16. The Second Division was won by Mundaring who finished five points ahead of University of W.A. 'C'. The leading scorer was Y Panting (Yanchep) with 33 goals, with Kylie Goodwin (Armadale) second with 23 goals.

Rockingham City took out the Third Division by crushing Ferndale Crusaders 7-0 on the last weekend of the season to finish two points ahead of Forrestfield United 'A'. There was a double celebration for Rockingham as S Marr won the golden boot with 32 goals, L Rodriques (Carlisle) and M Dickinson (Shamrock Rovers) tying for the runners-up spot with 26 goals each.

The Anna Senjuschenko Cup final saw Stirling Reds down Floreat Athena 3-1 to overturn Premier League placings. The 30th Annual Presentation Dinner will be held at the Floreat Athena Soccer Club on Saturday 11th November, starting 7.30pm. Tickets to the event cost $15.00, which includes a buffet meal and entertainment, and are available by calling Barbara on 9493 1627.

14.10.2000

FERTILE GROUNDS DOWN FREMANTLE WAY

Fremantle City's Under-18 team have enjoyed a fruitful season under coach Greg Kazmer which saw them return home with the Boral Cup. But it could have been so much more for the youngsters - they pushed Perth all the way in the League and crashed in the final of the Champion of Champions series 4-0 to that same team.

While Kazmer would have liked to see the boys take out further silverware, it wasn't something that concerned him considering he rebuilt the team this season. "We've had basically a new squad this year - there's only four players from last year - and I think that we went for a lot younger side than previously, the average age is 15 years 8 months, there's a 14 year old, a couple of 15 year olds and then it averages out with 16 and 17 year olds."

Kazmer chalks up much of his sides success this year to the joint efforts of the Fremantle coaching staff, with Stuart Kamasz and Mike Tetlow playing their part. "If you're going to be successful you have to do that. If we want to be successful you have to put your heads together and I think that's what happened this year and that's why we did so well." Amongst the players that have come to the front for the Under-18's this season area Joe Liguan and Cisco Joquera who have both seen first team action, State Under-15 captain Paul Apelgren and 14-year old striking sensation Josh Kamasz.

14.10.2000

END OF THE LINE FOR WHEELER

Perth born Matilda Tracey Wheeler has bowed out of the game at the international level following the national teams showing at the Sydney Olympic games. While the results didn't go Australia's way, the goalkeeper said the Olympic experience was a fantastic way to end her international career. "It was great and one of the best things about it was we were playing in front of big crowds, and big crowds at home which is a bit unusual for us."

"We played reasonably well in Canberra - I personally didn't think I played well at all - but in the other games we played better and I played better as well," Wheeler said of the Matilda's performance in Sydney. "I think that maybe we could have done a bit better and looking at especially the last two games, when we were winning one-nil for a lot of the time, we sort of felt that we gave the games away in the end where we could have got a better result out of both those games."

"But being over in Canberra full time was only something that I could do for a set period of time. So I'm happy to be back in Perth, and certainly the weather's a lot better over here as well," she said recently. Wheeler's immediate aim is to become reacquainted with her job as a physiotherapist, but will don the gloves come next winter to play in the local competition with Murdoch. "That's the club I've been playing with the last couple of years that I've been playing in Perth. There are some good young players in the team, they're learning all the time and I think that quite a few of them will progress."

13.10.2000

BERNARD HONOURED

Versatile Floreat Athena youngster Troy Bernard has won the 2000 Siena Cafe/Sunday Times player of the Year award. The State Under-23 representative had an outstanding season at club level where he was used chiefly as sweeper but also proved invaluable when shifted into an attacking midfield role on occasions. Scott McLeod of Sorrento capped an injury struck season by coming in runner-up with a three way tie for third between Alex Christie (Western Knights), Dave Evans (Fremantle City) and Alan MacKenzie (Bayswater City Panthers).

Players          Club                  Votes
Troy Bernard     Floreat Athena          21
Scott McLeod     Sorrento                19
Alex Christie    Western Knights         18
Dave Evans       Fremantle City          18
Alan MacKenzie   Bayswater City Panthers 18
Steve MacDonald  Inglewood United        17
Scott Broadley   ECU Joondalup           16
Carlo Scali      Swan I.C.               16
Jamie Kuzmanovic ECU Joondalup           16
Robert Zabica    Inglewood United        16

GLORY TURN BACK ON OWN BACKYARD

Perth Glory has seemingly turned it's back on the talent in their own backyard with the recent appointment of Emmanuel Zammit as Football Manger. Part of Zammit's brief is to establish a youth development program in the eastern states, most likely in co-operation with a New South Wales State League side which will see an east coast-based Glory youth team. But this will come at the expense of the youth of Perth who would surely blossom if given the opportunity to be part of a professional set-up like Glory's.

It appears that Glory co-owner Nick Tana might be about to give up on the multitude of talented youngsters in the west - but not through want of trying. While his club have signed several local players on apprentice and full-time contracts over the past year, Tana has seen his efforts to establish a second Glory side in the W.A. winter League hit a wall of rejection from controlling body Soccer West Coast. Another project aimed at developing the skills of teenagers in Perth is the summer youth development league in W.A. in which Tana is a key player, but again, this has run into a number of problems in getting off the ground and is being obstructed by both SWC and his co-owner at Glory Paul Afkos.

10.10.2000

AMATEURS ROUND UP

In the Amateur Mitre Cup Final played last Sunday at the Litis Stadium, a seven goal thriller was taken out by Murdoch University who got over the line against Forrestfield United by the odd goal. Steve Migas bagged two with singles from Nathan Chapman and Christian Pashchkewitz taking the trophy to Murdoch for the first time, while Richard Fox (2) and Kevin Molyneux scored for Forrestfield.

Fremantle United has taken out the AustWest Homes Premier League, finishing on 53 points and well ahead of runners-up Forrestfield United. Murdoch University came in third on goal difference over Hamersley after they both finsihed with 40 points. Ronald Marcus took out the competition's Fairest and Best award, polling 26 votes to finish 7 ahead of nearest rival Flavio L'Abbate on 19. Alexander John Dawson and Charly Jensen (Perth Azzurri) tied for third place with 17 votes each. The Golden Boot has gone to Flavio L'Abbate who found the net 30 times over the winter. Christian Paschkewitz (Murdoch University) was a distant second with 18 goals to his credit, closely followed by Richard Fox (Forrestfield United) and Nathan Chapman (Murdoch University) on 17.

In the OLA Sports Cover Divison One, Mandurah City topped the table with 45 points from 22 outings. Balga came in a close second on 42, edging out the Cockburn City Amateurs on goal difference. The Fairest and Best award went to Steven Adams (20) with Fernando Nascimento (14) runner-up and in third place Lloyd Tucker (12). Alastair Page won the Division's Golden Boot with 23 goals, Patrick O'Boyle on 19 and Dean Gartside (Cockburn City Amateurs) on 15 getting the minor positions.

8.10.2000

BORAL CUP FINAL

Both coaches were interviewed on Radio Fremantle on the eve of this clash and both were equally as coy about their sides chances the following afternoon. Western Knights coach Ronnie Campbell was reluctant to play up his side's chances, admitting only that missing out on the minor premiership on goal difference was enough incentive for his side to out-perform Sorrento. In the other corner Trevor Morgan acknowledged his teams status as underdogs after a disappointing season, adding his players were in a positive frame of mind after trouncing minor premiers Fremantle City in the semi-finals. Sorrento went into the game having not played competitively in a month and without midfielder Ross Greer who withdrew late in the piece through injury. The Knights on the other hand were at full strength and looking forward to getting back into the swing of things after a week's break courtesy of securing the first spot in the Champion of Champions final.

The match got underway with a lot of passion on display from those on both sides, players 100% committed to the ball with no-one conceding an inch without a fight. The potential importance of Trevor Morgan's early booking for a rash tackle was not lost on the Knights' players who niggled at the striker over the following 90 minutes in the hope of him retaliating and being red carded. Once the game settled, most of the play took place between the penalty areas with few chances at either end, the teams instead playing it safe and waiting to see how their opponents would approach the challenge that lay ahead.

The game finally sparked into life in the 15th minute with the first genuine shot on goal. With the Sorrento defence failing to deal sufficiently with a corner, the ball landed at the feet of Eugene Singeorzan on the top of the area and Mike Harkness proved up to the task by tipping the powerful drive over. Three minutes later Todd Harnwell raced past Carl Medica and pulled it back centimetres before the by-line only to see Knights 'keeper Darren Williams deflect it out of the path of Morgan. A couple more minutes passed before Singeorzan seized upon some hesitancy in the Sorrento backline and, with the defence backing off, forced Harkness into making a great reflex save from close range.

There was a sense that it wasn't going to be long before one of the 'keepers was beaten with all this goal mouth activity, but two goals in as many minutes was the last thing expected. In the 22nd minute, Ray Marinovic started a good move by releasing Scott Devine down the right. The Knights captain crossed from deep and found John Nicolaou who sent a strong header on target, but Harkness proved again he was up to the task with some superb reflexes. Nicolaou reacted quickest inside the 6-yard box to the loose ball and put it over the line with his second bite of the cherry.

There was hardly time to reflect before the margin was doubled. Ivan Ljubicic volleyed the ball back into a crowded goalmouth after a corner was played deep, the ball somehow found its way through to Nicolaou who, only a metre or so from the line, drilled it into the back of the net. It was a true goal-poacher's and one which left Sorrento reeling little over twenty minutes into the game.

Sorrento went looking for a quick response and almost found it near-on immediately. Morgan sent a great shot goalbound from 12 metres but discovered Williams in fine form, producing a spectacular diving one-handed save to deny the veteran striker. Williams was solid as a rock this afternoon for the Knights, and it was a good thing as his defence was at times very shakey indeed. Panic rippled through the Knights bench as several mis-timed clearances and hurried passes went badly awry and saw the team conceded possession deep in the dangerzone. The worst culprits were the otherwise reliable Alex Christie and Andy Wright who often needed a second go before knocking the ball to safety.

It was Sorrento that controlled the closing stages of the half, going close on several occasions but a lack of support up-front would prove they went into the break two goals down. Ryan Jeans tested the defence with a stirring run in the 31st minute which took him last several opponents only for his shot to be deflected off the boot. Harnwell made several dashes down the flank but found no-one in the middle once in position to cross. With little help coming from the midfield, Morgan and Jeans regularly were left alone in attack where the ball was cut-out well before it found them by the Knights four man defence. Down the other end, Marinovic and Shane McNally were getting behind the defence but also saw their crosses intercepted. Perhaps the only clear-cut chance of the period for the Knight's fell to Singeorzan who was allowed plenty of time only to curl his shot from 16 metres narrowly wide of the up-right.

Within a minute of the second half getting under way Sorrento had their appeals for a penalty turned down. Harnwell, whose pace had troubled the Knights over the opening 45 minutes, appeared to have been clearly brought down by Medica but referee Angelo Nardi thought otherwise. The rejection only intensified Sorrento's determination to open their account and they came close in the 55th minute. Stuart Banks rounded Christie and lined-up from the top corner of the box, but his shot didn't test Williams and flew into the side netting.

The introduction of Richard Turnbull and Jared Love at the interval by Morgan and his assistant Steve Neville was just what the doctor ordered to revive Sorrento's flagging fortunes. Tony Cumace moved into midfield as a result and the team started to display the style and composure with which they so comprehensively defeated Fremantle. But standing in their way was Williams. In the 64th minute the 'keeper dived to keep out a Morgan drive from 16 metres. Four minutes later it was Jeans who got on the end of a Jared Love cross, but Williams was again on hand to prevent the header from crossing the line. Just as it looked as though it wasn't going to be Sorrento's day, they pulled a goal back with 21 minutes remaining. Harnwell played a low ball in from the right, Williams fumbled under pressure from Love and Jeans raced in to bundle it over the line. Not a clean goal, not a pretty goal, but it was what Sorrento were after and put them back in the hunt.

The Knights were content to soak up the pressure and attack on the counter for much of the second period. With their defence still putting itself under pressure un-neccessarily, it was the understanding between hard-working forwards Nicolaou and Singeorzan that came to the fore and was unfortunate not to result in another goal. Just after the hour mark Nicolaou should have celebrated his hat-trick when gifted a clear strike on goal by McNally only to mis-time the bouncing ball and shoot well wide. And four minutes after Sorrento pulled one back, Nicolaou broke into the area and laid it off to Singeorzan who was denied by Harkness with a good save down low. There would have been plenty of other opportunities to put the match beyond the reach of Sorrento but the Knights were far too slow in feeding the ball to their fast-breaking players, giving their opponents plenty of time to get back in numbers and close down Singeorzan and Nicolaou.

But the second half was all one way traffic as Sorrento attacked in waves and laid siege on their opponents goal. A floating 76th minute corner from Harnwell was met be an explosive Jeans header from within the 6-yard box which Williams amazingly turned away. A minute later Morgan released Harnwell whose drive clipped the boot of Christie and again Williams was called into action, tipping the deflection around the post. Shortly after the Knights 'keeper showed great courage by blocking at the feet of Jeans. With Sorrento running out of legs, Harnwell put a shot over the bar from close range and Jeans finished disappointing from 12 metres in the closing minutes of the match. They deserved far better results for their second half fightback but it just wasn't to be.

The final whistle saw the Knights wipe away the disappointment of missing out on the minor premiership only a month earlier, and brought them a step closer to realising their aim of claiming both end of season trophies. Williams, a former Sorrento player, was the difference between the sides today in a man of the match effort. What made the keeper's performance all the more amazing was that he played with a hairline fracture of his right foot. "I've had the injury for over a month and the only way to cure it is rest, but I'll do that in the close season for there was no way I was going to miss finals time," said Williams post match. "It was a great contest and Sorrento pushed us all the way, but I think we just about deserved our victory and it was nice to put one over my old club." Despite being two goals up at the break, Knights coach Campbell was well aware the game was far from over after 45 minutes. "We dominated the first half, but we knew it would be a battle in the second and I thought we defended superbly."

Sorrento : Mike Harkness, Tony Cumace, Kevin Murphy (Richard Turnbull 46), Scott McLeod, Stuart Banks, Todd Harnwell, Glenn Thomas, Andrew Chapman (Jared Love 46), Sean Bowyer, Ryan Jeans, Trevor Morgan
Western Knights : Darren Williams, Ivan Ljubicic, Andy Wright, Alex Christie, Carl Medica, Shane McNally, Ray Marinovic (Dean Nicolaou 82), Scott Devine, Joe Vaz, Eugene Singeorzan, John Nicolaou
Bookings : Morgan (2), Medica (33), Wright (37), Harnwell (52)
Explusions : None
Referee : Angelo Nardi
Attendance : 1,000(approx.)

In the Reserves Cup Final, a brilliant curling free-kick from Barry Williamson mid-way through the second half was all that separated Sorrento and the Western Knights. Both sides had their chances in an evenly contested match which saw a tense closing 10 minutes as the Knights looked for a way back into the contest. The Under-18 Cup Final was taken out by Fremantle City for whom 14-year old striker Josh Kamasz scored twice in their 5-4 win over Inglewood United. 16-year old Joe Liguan, a fringe player in the Fremantle senior side, also bagged a double with Cisco Jorquerea netting the other.

7.10.2000

STATE TEAM TAKES GLORY TO WIRE

Perth Glory had their final hit-out before the 2000/2001 N.S.L. season gets underway on the weekend with the Charity Shield clash against the W.A. Under-23 team at Litis Stadium on Saturday. The State team saw their preparations hampered by the withdrawal of strikers Nick Mrdja and Joe Liguan in the days leading up to the fixture, along with experienced midfielder Paul McVittie and defender Aaron Cole who pulled out earlier in the week. The NSL side also had several players out, most notably Vinko Buljubasic (hamstring), Gary Faria (flu) and Peter Buljan (interstate) while clouds still hovered over the fitness of PJ Roberts and John Carbone. On the positive side for Glory, Shane Pryce, Scott Miller and Ljubo Milicevic all returned from recent injury/illness.

The first crack on target came after 6 minutes from Sandy Robertson, but his long range effort flew safely into the arms on Jason Petkovic. Other than that, the opening stages were dominated by Glory who mounted wave after wave of attack only to be denied by a combination of solid defending and great goalkeeping. Steve MacDonald and Scott Broadley had their work cut out for them in marking Damian Mori and Bobby Despotovski respectively, while behind them Troy Bernard was kept busy looking out for Glory's runners. But the hero for the State team was undoubtedly Cory Hugo who would thwart the opposition countless times over the course of the afternoon.

Although the 'keepers distribution at times left a lot to be desired, his work between the posts was outstanding. In the 8th minute Hugo's reflexes were put to the test by Alistair Edwards who sent an explosive drive from point blank range on target, only to be denied by the one-time Glory triallist. Twelve minutes later Paul Cooke clattered into Gareth Naven to give Glory a free-kick on the top of the area. Rob Trajkovski curled the ball into the 6-yard box to find Edwards, only for his powerful header to be turned away by an in-form Hugo, and Troy Bernard belted the parry to safety.

The State team were proving they could hold their own but, for all their good work, a defensive lapse would allow Glory to take the lead after 25 minutes. Brad Maloney turned Paul Cooke on the right efore sending a looping ball into the area. Bobby Despotovski was allowed to run ball-side of the defence and sent a superbly executed header past Hugo. But the Glory striker landed awkwardly and hurt his knee in the move and was replaced immediately by Roberts who moved into midfield with Edwards going up-front.

Within two minutes it was Hugo to the rescue once again. Edwards raced onto a long clearance to catch the State defence well out of position, leaving Hugo with no option but to come well out of his area to defend. He managed to hold up Edwards while his defence got back, only for the Glory player to shoot as the 'keeper retreated - Hugo blocked the attempted chip with his chest then cleared the danger down the right flank. In reality it was lazy work from Edwards who should have done much better with a free shot on goal, but Hugo showed great composure and maturity when under pressure and outside his area.

Glory were exploiting their superior fitness and pace by playing the ball over the State backline for Damian Mori to run on to, only for the ball to often be over-hit and Hugo take control at the back under no pressure. On the occasions Glory's ploy worked, the State team sprung a well-worked off-side trap to halt Mori and his teammates in their tracks. The only clear cut chance on goal came in the 36th minute when Hugo parried a curling left-foot shot from Maloney, then blocked the close range follow-up effort of Mori to once again put on show his great reflexes.

After dominating the game early on, W.A. came back into the contest as their midfield got more involved in the game. With Sandy Robertson and Antonio Naglieri working hard, fellow midfielder Steve White proved the inspiration for a late half fightback. In the 38th minute he latched onto a long pass, took a couple of touches then flicked the ball past the advancing Petkovic to equalise. The State team had caught their more experienced opponents napping and made them pay for some very lackadaisical marking.

Within two minutes White would turn provider as W.A. took the lead. He made the highly rated Ljubo Milicevic look very ordinary on the left before pumping it high to the near post where Trim Morgan beat Dion Valle to the ball and sent a splendid downward header to the right of Petkovic which trundled over the line. It was a lovely piece of teamwork from the State boys - who had come together only eleven days before this match - with White's pin-point cross the key ingredient. But, from a Glory point of view, the fault must lie with Petkovic who was rooted to his line when he should have come for the cross.

Glory came out with all guns ablaze after the break and within minutes Roberts had picked out Mori but his header went well wide of the target. It wouldn't be long though before they were back on level terms, Naven sending a perfectly weighted 20 metre pass into the path of Mori, who out-paced MacDonald and Bernard then took his time in sliding it past the advancing Hugo. Two-all with 52 minutes gone and we had a game on our hands.

Glory stepped up the ante and had numerous chances to wrap up the game but saw every one of them go begging. Trajkovski and second half substitute Pryce teamed up well down the right to open up the State defence, the former seeing several of his low crosses scoot through the box without a Glory forward in sight. And when there were players there to receive the ball, the State defence were in the way to intercept and to relieve the pressure valve.

With several young players in State colours wanting to prove their worth, this was a friendly in name only. W.A. were in no mood to mess around and put everything into challenging for the ball, the result of which was several Glory players complaining about the ferocity of some tackles. With his in mind, there was a degree of nastiness in the contest from the opening stages but it appeared to be rapidly approaching boiling point. Gareth Naven was hacked down from behind by John Mirco after a long run out of defence by the Glory captain, but the referee still refused to take anyone's name. Mirco was also involved in a heated exchange with Edgar, and shortly after it was and Scott Miller and Morgan that were at eachother's throats.

As the clock ticked down, Glory were still searching for the winner in what was turning into a one-sided contest. Edgar sent an explosive drive from long range on target in the 69th minute, Hugo fumbled the save but pounced on the loose ball before Mori could get there. A minute later they found the breakthrough they were after when Trajkovski crossed from deep on the right and Edwards was allowed to jump unchallenged for ball to send it over Hugo and into the back of the net.

The NSL side weren't content with a 3-2 scoreline and continued to press forward in numbers. It was down to Hugo that the margin didn't blow-out three minutes later, blocking a flying Edwards header from close range after another cross from Trajkovski, Maloney reacting quickly to the rebound but unable to get the ball under the crossbar. Then a stirring run from Mori in the 75th minute saw him set-up Harnwell who unleashed a blistering 25 metre shot which grazed the wrong side of the cross bar.

It wasn't just Glory that were coming close to adding to the scoreline, W.A. were also finding holes in their opponents defence mostly on the counter-attack but, with Pryce and Harnwell doing the job after the break, chances were a rare occurrence. Mid-way through the half Mirco, who was having a very quiet day by his standards, made a determined run only to see his shot whiz narrowly wide of the mark but Petkovic was positioned to make the save if necessary. Nine minutes from time Morgan sent a free-kick into the Glory wall, the follow-up was collected by Robertson but his shot didn't require any action from the recently introduced Tomislav Tomich. Shortly after a quickly taken throw-in from Rory Mouttet found Robertson, he flicked the ball over his head and into the path of Morgan but he couldn't make the most of the chance and put his shot over the line.

In the final minute Glory should have increased the margin. A lung-bursting run from Naven saw him draw Hugo off his line before slotting it across goal to Edwards who now had an open target. But the Glory player took too long and allowed MacDonald to make a lunging challenge which saw him deflect Edwards' shot off the boot.

At the end of the day the scoreline probably flattered the State side who really were out-played for much of the contest. Hugo was without a doubt the player of the match, Glory finding him in fantastic form between the posts which must have left coach Bernd Stange wondering why his club didn't pursue their interest in him a couple of years ago. Tall defender MacDonald and teenage midfielder Naglieri were also impressive. For Glory, Trajkovski proved a handful on the flank and got behind the State defence with some great ball control and strong runs. He teamed well with Pryce, while the other performer was Mori who ran all day to get into space and showed he's much more than just a goalscorer with some deft touches.

The result though left State coach Paul Wormley pleased with his troops effort, particularly given they'd only had two training sessions together before confronting Glory. "I think it definitely shows we've got the players here in W.A. to have another NSL side," he said. "There were no players from the Western Knights, Sorrento or Perth in that squad and there's still a couple of others I could've added."

Perth Glory : Jason Petkovic (Tomislav Tomich 78), Gareth Naven, Ljubo Milicevic (Jamie Harnwell 46), Dion Valle (Shane Pryce 46), Rob Trajkovski, Scott Miller (John Carbone 68), Edgar (Anthony Danze 75), Brad Maloney, Alistair Edwards, Bobby Despotovski (PJ Roberts 21), Damian Mori
WA Under-23 : Corey Hugo, Troy Bernard (Jamie Kuzmanovic 68), Steve MacDonald, Scott Broadley, Paul Cooke (Gary Andrews 75), Craig Surtees, Antonio Naglieri, Sandy Robertson, Steve White (Rory Mouttet 78), John Mirco (Louis Parkinson 78), Trim Morgan
Bookings : None
Expulsions : None
Referee : Jeremy Olifant
Attendance : 1,400 (approx.)

7.10.2000

ENOUGH TALENT FOR THAT SECOND TEAM

State coach Paul Wormley has confirmed those players in the W.A. Under-23 squad that took on Perth Glory over the weekend will form the nucleus of the second N.S.L. side based in Perth should the Soccer Association of Western Australia be the successful bidder for that license. "This is what SAWA is looking at if they actually get the license, bit of course there are probably other syndicates out there that are looking at it as well. But all these players would certainly come into the picture without a shadow of a doubt and that's why it's a bit of a concern to me that players have not really taken the opportunity to come onto this stage and show exactly what they are capable of."

As to whether the time is the time right for a second Perth-based team in the NSL, there is no doubt in Wormley's mind. "I would say it's definitely right now. Not this season of course, but if they were given the nod now it would give us the opportunity to start building and creating a team over the next 12, 14 months. I really do think there's enough talent here to create a second side." Such a move would not be without effect on Perth Glory as Wormley recognises. "Of course both teams wouldn't be pulling in [crowds of] 14,000, you'd probably find some exodus of support would go to the new license. If that was to be created, both teams would generate crowds of perhaps 6,000 to 8,000 each weekend. I know a lot of people aren't happy with Glory and it would be exciting to see an opportunity for another team to come in and show the eastern states that one city can have and hold two clubs in the code of soccer."

7.10.2000

MUTUAL RESPECT ON EVE OF CUP FINAL

Sorrento take on Fremantle City in tomorrow's Boral Cup Final at Dorrien Gardens in what is promising to be an entertaining encounter. Just 24 hours out from the clash, Martin Wells and the folks from Radio Fremantle spoke to the coaches from both camps about their prospects.

Trevor Morgan from Sorrento acknowledged that his club didn't have a great season, but his players were in a positive frame of mind after a convincing semi-final victory over minor premiers Fremantle City. "As a club we're looking forward to it - I know all the players area - we've been in training this morning and everyone's very up-beat. I think that after the season we've had at least it gives us something to go for this season ... We've got a young squad and we've got some experienced players, probably not as many as we'd like but the only way the boys get experience is by playing. So the experience they've had this year, having come in for players that we've had injured or players that have been missing - people like Tony Carbone that we've really not been able to replace, Simon Harland, Andy Bowyer - they've come in for those people and that should stand them in good stead for next season."

The Sorrento coach was well aware of the task ahead of his side, taking on the competition's in-form side over the past three months for the Boral Cup. "No disrespect to Fremantle City, I think the Western Knights were coming on really strong at the end of the season and if there had been another 2, 3, 4 games the Western Knights probably would have got there. They've just missed out on winning the title on goal difference. They're very strong, Ronnie [Campbell] and Willie Kelly have done a tremendous job there after a successful season and then not winning anything. They brought nine new players in, it took a bit of time for it to gel but they're very strong and I would say we go into tomorrow's game as underdogs."

Knights coach Ronnie Campbell was just as gushing in his praise of Sorrento who went into the game with nothing to lose. "We've got the utmost respect for Sorrento Soccer Club and Steve Neville and Trevor Morgan are excellent coaches. They've done a top job at the club with their blend of youth and experience. We've had some battles against them in the past - we've played a couple of finals against them and we know it's going to be a tough game and we'll have to be at our best to win. The boys are really relaxed and focused on the final. Obviously losing the minor premiership on goal difference has made them even more determined to win the Boral Cup."

Campbells' side underwent some major changes over last summer, as previously highlighted by Morgan, which the Knights coach was initially a little anxious over. "We lost six players from the previous season - vital players like Paul McVittie, Trim Morgan, Alex Cummings and Tommy Tomich - and we had to bring in nine new players and the boys have done really well. We had a slow start and we're looking forward to the next couple of weeks." But in the run home Campbell's side gathered momentum which saw them rightly installed as favourites for both the Boral Cup and Champion of Champions crowns. "Of the last eleven games we've won ten and we've drawn one, so I suppose that's fairly good form. But still, when you go eleven games you're going to get knocked off eventually. We've been really trying to keep the boys feet on the ground and we think - without having any super-stars - we've got a good team. Probably the biggest thing we've got going for this team is that they are all really good mates and we've got excellent team spirit, we just feel we deserved to win something this year. We've missed out on the minor premiership and we'd love to win either the Boral Cup or the Top Five."

6.10.2000

THE SAGA OF THE STATE U-23'S

With a second W.A. team looking the goods to be admitted into the NSL for the 2001/2002 season, this weekend's Charity Shield match between Perth Glory and the State Under-23 team at the Litis Stadium could a precursor of things to come. Soccer West Coast have told the State players that they are playing for a spot in the second NSL side should they be the successful bidder for the licence. "There are a lot of incentives for the young, and more mature, players to provide Glory with a stern test this weekend," said State team coach Paul Wormley, whose squad includes five over-age players. Wormley was asked to not include any players from the Western Knights or Sorrento who are involved in the Boral Cup Final just 24 hours later.

But it's been a trying week for Wormley who, just days before the fixture, lashed out at the attitude of some State League club officials towards the selection of their players for representative duties. The coach said he was disappointed that several players had failed to show for training sessions while others had pulled out of the match altogether. "It's incredible that so many people have been so negative about this match against the Glory," he said. "This is a great opportunity for these guys to show what they can do."

Wormley was particularly critical of the withdrawal of Perth players Aaron Cole and Nick Mrdja. Perth vice-president Frank Bosio, who is also the Players' Committee chairman, said Mrdja was withdrawn because of injury, while Cole's absence was a matter of protocol. The young defender, who has signed apprentice papers with Glory, has been on loan to Perth over the winter and it is believed the club did not want to jeopardise an agreement with Glory. It was an odd call from Perth, especially after Glory coach Bernd Stange expressed his desire to see Cole take part in the match several days earlier in the "West Australian" newspaper. Having been contacted by Stange late in the week, Perth's Players Committee were due to review their withdrawal of Cole at a meeting on Thursday night.

Stange will be taking a close look at several State players with the possibility of offering them contracts. ECU Joondalup utility player Scott Broadley has come to Glory's attention and is currently on trials with the club, while Antonio Naglieri (Cockburn City), John Mirco (Fremantle City), Louis Parkinson, (ECU Joondalup), Gary Andrews and Steven MacDonald (Inglewood United) have all spent time with the NSL side over the past month.

The original State Under-23's squad announced this week consisted of Paul Cooke, Antonio Naglieri (Cockburn City), Troy Bernard (Floreat Athena), Alan Dunlop, Joe Liguan, Paul McVittie, John Mirco, Trim Morgan, Craig Surtees (Fremantle City), Scott Broadley, Jamie Kuzmanovic, Louis Parkinson, Sandy Robertson, Steve White (ECU Joondalup), Gary Andrews, Steven MacDonald (Inglewood United), Aaron Cole, Nick Mrdja (Perth), Corey Hugo and Rory Mouttet (Swan I.C.)

5.10.2000

TWO MAKE JOEYS 21

Two Perth boys - recent Perth Glory recruit Anthony Danze and his former ECU Joondalup teammate Louis Parkinson - have been invited to attend the Australian Under-17's training camp being held at the AIS in Canberra later this month. The camp will serve to prepare coach Ange Postecoglou's team as they get ready to face Samoa, Soloman Islands, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and American Samoa in the December Qualifying Stage for next years' Youth World Championship.

5.10.2000

BROADLEY'S LUCKY BREAK

22-year old ECU Joondalup player Scott Broadley this week began a four-week trial with Perth Glory - but considers himself lucky to keep the appointment after fracturing his skull playing against Inglewood United seven weeks ago.

The defender did not realise the severity of his injury, only going for treatment three days after the incident. "I was knocked out for a few seconds after copping an elbow on the side of the head when I went up for the ball in the first half," he said. "I felt nauseous, but I took a painkiller at half-time and went back out again. I took a few deep breaths and felt all right and it wasn't too bad just after the match. It was the following Wednesday when my head started to swell up and really hurt that I thought I better get something done. The fracture didn't show up on an X-ray, but it did after a CAT scan. I was told if I had taken another knock when I went out in the second half it would have been the end of my sporting career."

The mid-August incident saw Broadley confined to bed for almost three weeks suffering painful headaches. "But the fracture healed after about five or six weeks and it hasn't given me any problems since." He resumed training a week ago with beach and cross-country running before joining the Glory squad on Wednesday. "It's a dream just to be involved, because I know I will learn a lot under Bernd Stange and, hopefully, maybe impress him as well."

While Broadley is capable of filling a variety of positions, it is at centre back that he feels most comfortable - a fact that pleases Stange. "I saw Scott have some good performances for Joondalup - he is hard man in defence, tough and strong in the air and a very good header of the ball," the Glory boss said. "He has four weeks to show us what he can do." Broadley will get an early chance to prove his worth, representing the State when the Under-23 side take on Glory this weekend.

1.10.2000

NATIONAL HOMES CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS SERIES

Great things were expected from the weekend's Preliminary Final clash between Fremantle City and Perth at Litis Stadium where a spot in the Grand Final against the Western Knights was on offer. Both sides went into the clash pretty much at full strength with League Champions (aka Minor Premiers) City relying on the experienced midfielder partnership of Paul McVittie and Steve Bourne to open up the Perth defence. Despite being without defender Evan Wallace, absent through injury, coach Stuart Kamasz was quietly confident going into the game. Perth also had a minor injury worry which saw striker Nick Mrdja relegated to the bench, allowing Boni Botha to come into the starting line-up. Coach Graham Normanton was looking for a vast improvement from midfielders Mark Pottier and Jamie Coyne, who did little against Swan I.C. seven days earlier. And like his counterpart, Normanton was confident his troops could pull off victory, going so far as to tip a three-nil margin.

On a hot afternoon it was Perth that came out of the blocks firing on all cylinders and looking to take an early lead. They settled quickly and sprayed the ball around the park with confidence, slicing their way through the City midfield with seemingly little effort. And it wasn't long before they had their first chance on goal, in the 4th minute a deep Perry Ielati cross picked out Pottier who volleyed strongly but off-target. With Perth asserting their dominance in the middle of the park, City striker Trim Morgan dropped back into more of a midfield role to leave John Mirco as the lone man up-front. And while Morgan worked hard to get possession, there was little support from those around him who should have been streaming into their attacking half while he held the ball up.

It was a different story down the other end where David Onoforo and Botha were causing all manner of problems for the City backline. Perth's game plan appeared to be to play the ball either over or through the defence, allowing their quick forwards to run at goal. In the 18th minute such a move should have resulted in Perth taking the lead. Coyne released Onoforo with a great pass through the middle, the striker out-paced the defence and put his shot past Alan Dunlop only for it to cannon back off the up-right and straight to the thankful City 'keeper. Shortly after Onoforo retained possession against the odds and slotted it to Stephen Willey who hit the ball well over from inside the area.

City were under pressure and taking no chances, reluctant to commit men forward and at times playing themselves out of the match. The port side didn't get out of first gear in the opening half, only once managing anything resembling a shot on goal - in the 32nd minute when Morgan sent a chancey shot from 40 metres which forced Robert Scaraparolo to double back and tip the ball over the bar. At the heart of their problem was a stagnant midfield who were being ruled over by Rob Giorgi and Pottier who, once in possession, found plenty of options with free men seemingly everywhere. Howarth was proving inspirational on the left flank, quick to lay the ball off to teammates and then move into space to receive it back. On the opposite side Willey found himself with ample space to manoeuver and get behind the flat back-four with menace.

While Perth were dominant in the middle, chances on goal were not that common with the City defence standing firm. It would take a stroke of good fortune in the 39th minute to get the breakthrough. Willey played a corner short then received it back before waltzing the ball to the top corner of the area from where he pumped a hopeful low shot through a sea of legs, catching Dunlop unsighted and tucking itself inside the side netting. Five minutes later the margin was almost doubled - a well worked free-kick saw Howarth play the ball wide to Pottier who crossed from the right, finding Giorgi but his free header went just over the bar.

Perth turned on the style in a lively second half display which began with Giorgi knocking the ball into the path of Onoforo who once again out-paced the defence but shot wide of Dunlop and the target from 15 metres. Eight minutes later Howarth made a superb weaving run deep in the heart of the City defence before hitting the ball low across top of 6 yard box - on the far side Pottier took one touch then belted it over the line to striker a killer blow.

With the second goal City began to get more involved, stringing together several promising moves and retaining possession for long periods, but for all their effort, gaining very little in the way of territory. Once their attacks broke down the Perth backline found themselves with plenty of time to knock it around amongst themselves until an opening showed itself further downfield. It was an effective strategy in warm conditions, tiring their opponents who chased up hard in the hope of pressuring the Perth players into making errors. City's best chance of the second half came from a dead ball situation - Morgan drove a 20 metre free-kick through a weak Perth wall then watched as Scarparolo knocked the effort onto the post.

There was a let-off for City in the 63rd minute when Dunlop brought down Onoforo on top of the area. The striker ran onto a long pass, Dunlop got to the ball first but mis-judged his attempt to clear and took the legs from under his opponent without touching the ball. It could be debated that he was the last man and that a red card was in order but referee Frank Moretti saw nothing malicious in it and allowed play to continue.

The substitution of Mrdja for Onoforo two minutes later would prove an inspired move by Normanton. Within two minutes of coming onto the park, Mrdja had further stretched Perth's lead by sending a thumping left-foot shot from 18 metres past the out-stretched Dunlop. And it was curtains for City in the 73rd when Mrdja grabbed his second goal of the afternoon - Giorgi found the striker who took a couple of touches before unleashing a blistering drive from the edge of the area which rocketed into the back of the net. In the time remaining Perth could well have added to the scoreline. Howarth beat Dunlop with a low drive which ended up the wrong side of the up-right. Pottier did likewise while Botha should have made it five in the dying minutes but over-ran ball when all it needed was to be touched over the line.

But at the end of the day it didn't matter. City had been totally outclassed and Kamasz must have been disappointed that his side had lost three vital games since clinching the League Championship just four weeks earlier. It was a very flat City performance with far too many players along for the ride. From the opening kick, Perth showed more desire for the ball and never looked like going home the losing team. Their willingness to run and work hard to get and retain possession was highlighted by a fantastic return to form by Pottier who was the central figure in a midfield that was the key to victory. Giorgi has been outstanding all through the play-offs and today didn't miss a beat, while there were other notable contributions by Botha and Howarth.

Fremantle City : Alan Dunlop, Cesare De Bartolo, Dulio Xavier (Graham Matthews 71), Dave Evans, Craig Surtees, Michael Mirco (Cisco Torquero 73), Steve Bourne, Paul McVittie, Dean Wallace (Joe Liguan 57), Trim Morgan, John Mirco
Perth : Robert Scarparolo, Craig Naven, Aaron Cole, Perry Ielati, Stephen Willey (Christian Marocchi 67), Todd Howarth, Rob Giorgi, Jamie Coyne (Gary Upton 53), Mark Pottier, Boni Botha, David Onoforo (Nick Mrdja 65)
Referee : Frank Moretti
Bookings : Morgan (81)
Explusions : None
Attendance : 500 (approx.)

In the First Division play-offs, Bassendean Caledonian and Queens Park played out a scoreless draw earlier in the day. It should have been a cricket score but Queens Park failed to take advantage of their second half dominance with a combination of poor finishing and veteran Caledonian 'keeper Willie McNally keeping the scores level. With the match going straight to penalties, McNally again was his teams saviour, twice saving the efforts of his opponents and setting up the opportunity for Caledonian to secure the tie the 3-2.

1.10.2000

FORRESTFIELD AIM FOR CUP NO.5

The Mitre Amatuer Cup Final is played on Sunday 8th Ocotber at the Litis Stadium, kick-off at 2.30pm, and sees Forrestfield United take on the might of Murdoch University. With Forrestfield having finished the WAASSA Premier League season in second place and Murdoch third, it promises to be a great day according to John Rainer, President of the Forrestfield United. "Murdoch and Forrestfield have got a good rivalry, we always seem to play a great game on the park and we're very social with each other afterwards. It really is one of those special days when Forrestfield plays Murdoch, both sides seem to lift on the occasion we play each other. It'll be a crackerjack game."

It will be the debut Cup Final appearance for Forrestfield United at senior level, and the club will be hoping they can emulate the success tasted at junior level this season where they won four Cup Finals as well as four out of the seven Top Four play-offs that they were involved in.

30.9.2000

BOURNE CALLING IT A DAY

Interviewed in the eve of Fremantle City's play-off clash with Perth by Martin Wells for 100FM's Saturday Morning Soccer Program, City midfielder Steve Bourne discussed his plans to bow out of soccer at the end of this season. "I've been thinking about it for some time, I'm getting older know, the body's not recovering as soon as what it should be so I've been looking at it," he said. "Hopefully if we win tomorrow it'll be a better ending to finish on a Final rather than on a losing note in a Semi-Final."

Bourne was hoping for a couple of weeks break before a Grand Final finale, but last weekend's draining penalty shoot-out loss to Western Knights put an end to that. "It was a big battle and because of the extra time I was just absolutely shattered after the game, I don't think I've ever been so tired, I was still recovering the Tuesday after the game. We were quite happy with the way we played - obviously the result wasn't the best - we had four or five one-on-ones with the 'keeper in golden goals, they had a couple as well, so it was probably very entertaining watching the game but on the pitch it was very tiring."

This weekend they have to overcome Perth on Sunday to make the decider, which Bourne admits will be a tough task. "They've got he wood on us this year, they've beat us twice and deservedly as well. Hopefully we can get back to winning ways because as the season's gone on we really haven't played probably as good as what we've played in the a few years before - when we didn't win the League. We feel as if we've played better the last couple of years and that this year we haven't played as good, and yet we've won the League."

After close on a decade of playing at the top level in W.A., the 32-year old reflected on his career which has seen him follow coach Stuart Kamasz from with Rockingham City to the Stirling Lions to Fremantle City. "I've been with Stuart all my soccer career except for the year I was with the Perth Kangaroos, so we know how each other works. And there can be a bit of leniency - he knows if I can't make it or I'm not feeling well that I'm not trying to pull a fast one. Also I know how he works, he's quite lenient with players but there's a time and a place to start putting the effort in and stop messing around. But we've got on really well and it's been a great, it's coming up to ten years now - it's been excellent."

And Kamasz was full of praise for the one-time State player. "Steve's been fantastic over the years. He's still an influential player and hopefully, along with a few others, he can produce another big effort to get us to the final. I think the team deserves it, for we were desperately unlucky to lose in a penalty shoot-out to the Western Knights in last week's semi-finals, Steve would like to finish with another trophy - and the lads would like to help him get his wish."

29.9.2000

NARDI JOINS THE NSL RANKS

Perth-based referee Angelo Nardi has been promoted to the NSL panel of referees for the 2000/2001 season which starts in a couple of weeks. His father Frank was one of the state's top referees 20 years ago and it was because of him that Angelo took up the whistle just seven years ago. "My first reaction was "you've got to be joking, no way" when dad made the suggestion, for I knew how tough it could be as a man in the middle," Nardi said. "I had played soccer until I was 17 and then the team broke up and I became interested in other things. But dad kept at me to get involved again as a referee."

Nardi started out in the amateur ranks and was promoted to the professional leagues three years ago. "I got my break when I went to National Under-14 Championships in N.S.W. in 1997," he said. "I did the final and I understand the national referees coach (Gary Power) was quite impressed with my efforts and thought I had the potential to make the NSL. So I thought if the guy over east reckons I've got what it takes I've got to take this a lot more seriously." This has meant following a demanding fitness program and studying endless videos to see how referees handle themselves, and players, in other leagues around the world. Nardi, who works during the day as an accountant, hits the training track on his own most nights and twice a week with other local referees.

Nardi has already had a taste of NSL duty, acting as fourth official at Perth Oval on several occasions last season. More recently he was in charge of a friendly between Sydney Olympic and Northern Spirit in Newcastle recently as well as one of the Perth Glory-Slovakia Under-23 games last month.

29.9.2000

AMATEURS FLOP

The W.A. State amateur team arrived in Indonesia amongst much fanfare and full of confidence for the Pardede Cup tournament last weekend. But it would be a sobering experience for the side, going down heavily in all three first rounds game. Upon touching down on the island of Sumatra, the squad were greeted by a band which struck up as they crossed the tarmac, followed by scores of young women who danced and sang to welcome the visitors.

Ranked by the local media as one of the favourites, the tour started in disastrous fashion with the W.A. side crashing 5-0 to Semen Padang, a leading club side from Indonesia. Two days later things were looking on the up after midfielder Ray Rose gave the side the lead after just 16 minutes of play against the Thailand national team. But three goals early in the second half made sure W.A. came out second best on the day. Playing for little more than pride against Harimau Tapanuli of Medan, it was another tale of woe for the Amateurs as two goals in each half from the 'home' side meant a final scoreline of 4-0.

After three games apiece, Semen Padang finished on top of the ladder having recorded strong victories all every match. The W.A. Amateurs arrive back in Perth this Sunday night.

28.9.2000

ASHFIELD SEEK COACH

Ashfield Soccer Club have informed Soccer West Coast that Bunbury will not be part of the set-up for the 2001 winter season. The news comes after severe internal conflicts threatened to rip the club apart during the recent campaign which saw the club relegated to the First Division.

With plans for a quick return to the Premier League, Ashfield are calling on interested parties to apply for the vacant position of Under-18s Coach. Please submit applications for the job in writing to Ashfield Soccer Club, Box 71, Bassendean. The club are aiming to strengthen their youth system by forging links with a number of junior clubs who will act as filter clubs for the First Division outfit.

While Ashfield and Bunbury have gone their separate ways, Bunbury will also maintain a presence in the State League by competing in the First Division next season. The league has been expanded to 16 teams following the Ashfield/Bunbury split, with one other vacancy yet to be filled.

28.9.2000

SPEAKING BRIEFLY

The long-term future of the Bayswater City Panthers is still reported to be in limbo. With the club's financial problems well documented, City are said to be seriously considering a merger with another of the locals clubs for the 2001 winter season. It is believed that Dianella White Eagles are the lastest club to have been involved in talks with the club.

ECU Joondalup youngster Shaun Kilkelly is currently enjoying his trials with English Premier League side Leicester City. The W.A. Under-16 captain apparently impressed the coaching staff at Barnsley recently but turned down an offer to extend his period with the club for personal reasons.

One-time Young Socceroo goalkeeper Vince Matassa is still having troubles getting out of his contract with English Non-League side Basingstoke Town. Matassa, who has had a £10,000 transfer fee slapped on his head by Basingstoke management, is currently on loan to Dorcester Town in the Dr Marten's Premier League where he is getting regular first team action.

Former Mandurah City junior Jordan Rhodes continued his good run of form with Charlton Athletic's youth team against Q.P.R. las weekend. The 15-year old was part of a stirring second-half midfield performance by the Charlton youngsters and provided the telling through ball which led to the only goal of the game in the 70th minute.

16-year old former Inglewood United midfielder Sean Cooney is also finding the going good in the UK. Having joined Coventry City recently, Cooney is already an established part of the Under-17's line-up and got his name on the scoresheet in City's recent 4-0 home win over Reading (09/09).

The W.A. State Under-23's started preparations this week for their friendly with Perth Glory to be played on Saturday 7th October. The training squad, which features the pick of the crop from the Premier League, will be trimmed in the coming week before being publicly announced.

Soccer West Coast are already planning for the day a second NSL license is granted for a team from Perth. The state's controlling body have told members of the State Under-23 team that, should SWC be the successful bidders for the license, they will form the basis of the squad. SWC have always made it clear that they will draw heavily from the local competition rather than sign players from interstate and overseas.

24.9.2000

FIRST DIVISION PLAY-OFFS

With much attention being given to the National Homes Champion of Champions series for the state's top flight, it might come as a surprise to some that there is also been a similar competition being battled out between the top five finishers from the First Division. The first weekend of action at Dorrien Gardens saw a tight contest between the Stirling Lions and the Dianella White Eagles finish 4-2 in favour of the Lions. The following day at Dorrien Gardens, the Stirling Suns bowed out after a particularly spiteful clash with Queens Park, the margin again being 4-2.

Last weekend, saw the field reduced to three. In the Saturday fixture, the Lions avenged their loss to Bassendean Caledonian three weeks earlier with Danny Carlino bagging the only two goals of the afternoon. Twenty-four hours later Dianella and Queens Park had several chances to put the game away at Litis Stadium but poor finishing let them both down. One-all at the end of 90 minutes, the game went straight into a penalty shoot-out which Queens Park run out 6-5 victors as Dianella's season came to a crashing halt.

This weekend pits Caledonian against Queens Park in the Preliminary Final at the E&D Litis Stadium on Sunday, the winner progressing to the Grand Final on 15th October against the Stirling Lions to be played at the same venue. For the losers it's curtains for 2000 and time to start planning for season 2001.

24.9.2000

NATIONAL HOMES CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS SERIES

In Sunday's First Semi-Final at the E&D Litis Stadium, Perth took on Swan I.C. after which the play-off field would be reduced to just three. Perth went into the match as firm favourites having won three of the four clashes between the teams over the winter - 3-0 in the pre-season Night Series, 2-1 in the Boral Cup and 2-0 just a matter of weeks in the League. Swan's lone triumph was mid-season when the came away from Dorrien Gardens with a lucky 1-0 nil win having been completely out-played over the 90 minutes. None-the-less, this is finals football and both sides went into the clash at full-strength and focused on nothing but victory.

The opening half hour saw both teams take their time to settle and, as a result, chances at both end of the park. The first of these came after 5 minutes when Perth 'keeper Robert Scarparolo smothered at the feet of Elton Holmes after he outpaced his opponents to break into the area. Four minutes later some very relaxed midfield work from Swan allowed Todd Howarth to draw the defence before knocking it wide to David Onoforo who should have done better with his grass-cutting shot. Shortly after Swan's Corey Hugo found his heart in his mouth when Justin Everley deflected a hopeful shot looping over his 'keeper, Hugo scrambling back and knocking it over the bar with millimetres to spare. Then, in the 17th minute, a Rory Mouttet corner into a crowded area was flicked narrowly wide by Anthony Jones.

With some strong challenges coming in from both camps, referee Angelo Nardi was kept busy in keeping the physical side of the match under control. It was Swan that found their rhythm first and they began to assert their authority in the middle of the park with some cutting moves. Building patiently through midfield, it was Jones on the flank that was providing much of their inspiration only for Perth's resilient backline to smother any danger. Supercool captain Craig Naven had a fantastic afternoon and marshalled the defence of Aaron Cole and Perry Ielati to great effect. Down the other end of the park it was a similar story. No-nonsense defender Everley - whose methods at times weren't all that attractive - made sure Nick Mrdja's talents were stifled, and Darren Freeman was doing a similar job on the quick-breaking Onoforo. Behind them it was all held together by James Dimmock who was outstanding in a sweeping capacity.

With genuine scoring chances becoming scarce, Perth would pay dearly for a missed opportunity in the 28th minute. Mrdja wriggled free of Everley to latch onto a long ball from Rob Giorgi, but rather than slotting it wide to Onoforo who was free and within range, the Perth forward decided to go it alone and hit his shot clear across the face of goal. Within six minutes Swan took the lead courtesy of an unfortunate own goal. Carlo Scali dispossessed Mark Pottier before finding Holmes, he twisted past a couple of opponents and shot from a narrow angle to beat Scarparolo but it flew low parallel to the goalline. Dale Wingell raced in beyond the far post in anticipation of collecting the crumbs, bringing with him Perry Ielati who had the misfortune of bundling the ball over the line in an attempt to prevent it reaching the Swan player.

With the game still very much in the balance, the goal opened the contest up with Perth throwing everything into getting back on level terms before the break. Within minutes they twice caused concern for Hugo - Onoforo sent a lob over the keeper which grazed the wrong side of the bar, then Mrdja set-up Giorgi but he cannoned the ball well wide from close range. But realistically there were few opportunities in a disappointing first 45 minutes of a match that at times struggled to get out of first gear. This was down largely to both sides having key players - Pottier and Jamie Coyne for Perth and Mouttet and Carlo Scali for Swan - not getting involved to their usual degree.

Perth almost found their equaliser two minutes after the re-start when Onoforo raced clear (from what looked an off-side position) to send a low cross to the far post. Stephen Willey's side-foot was on target but Everley got his boot in the way, crashing the shot against outside of the up-right and to safety. They didn't have to wait long to be back on level terms though. In the 53rd minute Hugo picked up a backpass from Everley, leaving Nardi with little option but to award an indirect free-kick close to the penalty spot. In a well rehearsed move, Pottier touched it to Howarth who turned sharply and hammered a low shot through the wall and inside the left hand post.

With the game still lacking the fire of a finals clash, the goal did inspire Perth and Swan into a flurry of activity but bad luck and poor finishing conspired to make sure the scorers weren't troubled. Dale Wingell, who was being kept out of the game by Ielati, did well to control a high pass from Hatton but disappointed himself by spraying his shot well wide. Not long after Jones saved Swan when he cleared the ball from the feet of Willey after a deep cross from Onoforo picked him out only metres from goal. In the 63rd minute a fantastic corner from Mouttet saw Scarparolo scrambling to keep the in-swinging ball from sneaking in at the far post. Perth came close six minutes later when recently introduced substitute Gary Upton sent a searching pass in to the direction of Onoforo, he skillfully turned Freeman to open up the angle but it hit wide of the target. The most spectacular chance of the period was a hopeful 30 metre drive from Dimmock which dipped at the last moment but was tipped over by Scarparolo.

With both sides seeing chances to grab the lead go begging, the final 20 minutes saw Perth have their opponents under the hammer for long periods but unable to capitalise. With most of the play taking part in Perth's attacking half, their efforts were strengthened by Onoforos's ability to slip away from his marker to make a number of darting runs into the area. But Perth were guilty of over-hitting their final passes. And when those passes were on target, there was always a Swan player there to cut out the through ball and pump it back into the centre of the park. The only clear-cut chance of the period fell to Mrdja but, after some great lead-up work by Onoforo and Willey, he lifted his head at the wrong time and put the ball well over the bar.

A late surge from Swan began with Wingell's appeal for a penalty turned with eight minutes remaining. Shortly after Justin Hugo crossed into a crowded area, Holmes knocked it to feet and Wingell drove on target but was unable to get the ball through the mass of bodies in his way. Wingell, who was now getting more involved in the game, then sent a strong header into the arms of Scarparolo. And when Hatton's blistering shot on the run was deflected for corner you sensed it just wasn't going to be Swan's day.

In the third minute of injury time Upton raced down the right and crossed to the far side of the box. Corey Hugo hesitated in coming out and ended up being caught in no man's land as Howarth headed weakly but accurately past the 'keeper to send his side into the last three. It was a devastating blow for Swan who had given all in their quest for a second goal. A minute later the final whistle saw Swan's players sink to their knees in despair, and will their disappoint was clear, they have every right to be proud of what they achieved this season. Early pace-setters and causing several upsets by toppling some of the traditional heavyweights over the course of the winter, Swan should hold their heads high after a fantastic first season back in the top flight in which they've shown enough commitment to suggest there will be trophies coming their way in the not too distant future.

Perth coach Graham Normanton chalked the victory up to a training session held on the day of the do-or-die game in which his troops practiced the free kick move which lead to their opening goal. "That was a move we thought up this morning, so it was nice that it worked when we needed it," Normanton said post-match. The win sets-up a showdown next weekend between Perth and Premier League minor premiers Fremantle City, who lost to the Western Knights just 24 hours earlier on penalties.

Perth : Robert Scarparolo, Craig Naven, Aaron Cole, Perry Ielati, Stephen Willey (Boni Botha 81), Todd Howarth, Mark Pottier, Rob Giorgi (Gary Upton 63), Jamie Coyne, Nick Mrdja, David Onoforo
Swan I.C. : Corey Hugo, James Dimmock, Justin Everley, Darren Freeman, Anthony Jones (Justin Hugo 83), Rory Mouttet, Damien Scali, Trevor Hatton (Nigel Aubin 86), Carlo Scali, Elton Holmes, Dale Wingell
Referee : Angelo Nardi
Cautions : Jones (19), Pottier (25), Freeman (59), Willey (75), Everley (77), Wingell (82), Mouttet (90)
Dismissals : None
Attendance : 450 (approx.)

On Saturday in the double chance Second Semi-Final at Dorrien Gardens, the Western Knights booked their place in the Champion of Champions Grand Final in dramatic style. Fremantle City dominated the opening stages of the match and looked most likely to come away with the goods when they took a deserved lead after 30 minutes of play. On the edge of the area, veteran midfielder Steve Bourne out-witted the Knights defence before unleashing a vicious shot that flew beyond the reaching of a diving Darren Williams to give his side the lead.

In a second half that mirrored the pattern established in the first, City could well have doubled their lead shortly after the re-start when Michael Mirco's free-kick found Dean Wallace but the striker couldn't direct his header between the posts. As the half progressed, City would live to rue several missed chances to kill off the match and - in an scene reminiscent of last week's Knights-Perth clash - a goal in the dying minutes of play would send the tie into extra time. Substitute Ray Marinovic crossed into the area and found the league's leading scorer John Nicolaou who volleyed sweetly from 6 metres and beyond 'keeper Alan Dunlop.

Neither side was able to find the golden goal required, but not through want of trying. Both teams had their chances against fast tiring defences only to be continually denied by some fantastic goalkeeping, in particular from Knights' custodian Williams' who three times stood firm in one-on-one situations and came out on top over City players. Full of confidence, Williams' heroics flowed over into the penalty shoot-out which followed. With the scores level at 2-2, Williams pulled off a spectacular save to prevent Bourne from netting. The Knights converted their next spot kick before Trim Morgan blasted wide to send City through to the decider. For the record, Alex Christie, Eugene Singeorzan and Devine scored while Joe Vaz and Carl Medica squandered their chances for the Knights. Paul McVittie and Dulio Xavier converted for the port side but misses by Michael Mirco, Bourne and Morgan would prove costly.

"We were extremely unlucky, we outplayed them for most of the game but they equalised in the last five minutes," Kamasz said. "Their 'keeper Williams kept them in the game with five or six great saves which included several one-one-one in sudden death, I was happy with our performance, but they hung in there. We should have killed them off on a number occasions, but now it's do-or-die with our bogey side Perth."

23.9.2000

GLORY GIVE FIVE LOCALS THIER CHANCE

Leederville Oval was the site of a Perth Glory practice match last weekend, kicking off at 11.00am. The game, attended by about 200 of the Glory faithful, basically pitted Bernd Stange's preferred starting eleven (Purple) against the reserves and trialists (White). Vinko Buljubasic and new Glory signing Anthony Danze took no part in the game due to minor injury.

The respective line-ups were -
Purple : Jason Petkovic (Tomi Tomich 46), Ljubo Milicevic (Gareth Naven 46), Dion Valle (PJ Roberts 46), Shane Pryce (Antonio Naglierei 59), Scott Miller, Rob Trajkovski, Edgar, Alistair Edwards, Brad Maloney, Bobby Despotovski (-46), Damian Mori
White: Tony Franken (Jason Petkovic 46), Gareth Naven (Ljubo Milicevic 46), Steve MacDonald, Jamie Harnwell (-46), Todd Harnwell, Gary Andrews, PJ Roberts (Antonio Naglieri 46), John Carbone, Gary Faria, Barry Williamson, Peter Buljan

As was expected, it was a completely one sided clash which saw Glory Purple hit a slew of first half goals. In the 4th minute, Despotovski pounced upon a mis-hit backpass from Roberts to slot the ball inside the far post from close range. Six minutes later Despotovski knocked it short to Mori, he nut-megged Naven and curled the ball around Franken and inside the top corner. Despotovski ran onto a long ball hit from the middle in the 25th minute, out-pacing Naven and rounding Franken to make making it 3-0. Despite several penetrating runs from Faria, Glory White were finding it difficult to get men free in the forward line and chances on goal were few. Their best of the opening half came when Buljan crossed low to Williamson who, 8 metres from goal, slammed his shot into the upright. Despotovski and Maloney combined in the 33rd minute for Mori to net and three minutes later Despotovski out-witted Franken in a one-on-one situation to slot home. And four minutes before the break it was 6-0 when Maloney headed through the hands of Franken after a Miller corner.

In an effort to even up the contest, Stange swapped several players at the break which saw Glory Purple play the second half with 10 men. Five minutes after the re-start, Glory White pulled a goal back as Buljan ran onto a very long clearance from Petkovic and chipped over Tomich, who was slow to come out to challenge. In the 54th minute Trajkovski skinned Andews before slotting to Maloney who blasted it beyond Petkovic for No.7. It was a much more even period with Glory White making a number of promising moves but found the Glory Purple defence up to the task. Naglieri and Faria were combining well in the middle to take the side forward while on the flank Andrews was creating space for himself and displaying some deft touches. Pryce came off after 59 minutes after a strong challenge with Andrews in which he injured his suspect right ankle, and the remainder of the match was played with 10 men apiece. In the 64th minute, Maloney set-up Mori to bag his first halt-trick in Glory colours. A quick break by Miller in the 71st minute saw him release Mori whose shot was parried by Petkovic and Trajkovski was on hand to bury the rebound. And with eleven minutes remaining the final goal came through Miller when he connected with a low Roberts cross. Glory White almost found the net once more when Andrews one-two-ed with Williamson then wriggled past Edgar and sent a strong shot on target which Tomich somehow kept out. The final score of 10-1 to Glory Purple saw three goals each to Depotovski and Mori, a double to Maloney and singles to Trajkovski and Miller. Buljan got the lone goal for Glory White.

Of the players drawn from the local competition, all showed promise and did their chances of being picked up for NSL duty no harms, but obviously lacked the stamina, fitness and speed of the regular squad.
* Andrews (right wing, Inglewood United) put in some timely tackles to dispossess Trajkovski and made a number of good moves both on and off the ball. He got into space with regularity and has the ability to take the ball deep quickly from where he'd cross into the box.
* McDonald (defender, Inglewood United) combined well with T.Harnwell on the left, laid off the ball with accuracy and was cool when under pressure. He battled hard with Despotovski (who had a good game) in the first half but was caught out late by the wide players.
* Wiliamson (striker, Sorrento) had very few chances in the first half when Valle kept a close check on him but came into the contest after the interval. Skillful and strong in the tackle, I thought he was probably the best of the trialists on show. His downfall may be his willingness to take on one defender too many.
* Naglieri (attacking midfield, Cockburn) got badly short-changed by having only 15 minutes to impress. He came on at the break and looked promising when playing alongside Faria, but swapped sides when Pryce came off injured and was completely smothered by those around him (ie Roberts and Maloney).
* T.Harnwell (left wing, Sorrento) was another player over-shadowed (by Miller) for much of this clash but did get involved a bit more in the latter stages when he his pace allowed him to race past Miller and cross from deep.

22.9.2000

SPEAKING BRIEFLY

Western Knights midfielder Joe Vaz has spent the week in Melbourne where he's been trying out with NSL outfit Carlton. He is expected to return for the weekend's National Homes Champion of Champions Second Semi-final game against Fremantle City. The 21-year old only two weeks ago returned from Portugal where he trialled with Benfica and Sporting Lisbon.

Perth striker David Onoforo has been turning on the style during trials with Sydney Olympic. Onoforo has impressed the coaching staff at the NSL club to the degree that they have agreed to release him from his trial period in order for him to turn out for Perth in the Champion of Champions series. At the completion of the play-offs, Onoforo will re-join Olympic where he hopes to secure a full-time contract for the coming summer.

Former State team coach Alan Vest has returned to Perth after 10 years in Asia and is currently looking at employment opportunities in the local competition. The one-time New Zealand international, who has 31 years coaching experience to his credit, resigned from his position with S-League side Geylang United mid-June.

Adrian Caceras has settled at Southampton and on the weekend scored his first goal in the reserve ranks. Unfortunately the attacking midfielder came off in the second half with a mild calf strain as the Southampton side went down 2-4 to Ipswich Town. Speaking with AAP during the week, Saint's secretary Brian Truscott believes the teenager has what it takes - "He certainly impressed everyone during his trial period and we think he's got a future."

21.9.2000

DANZE JOINS GLORY

ECU Joondalup teenager Anthony Danze has turned his back on an offer to join English Premier League club Southampton in preference of joining NSL outfit Perth Glory. The Saints have been chasing the 16-year-old midfielder since the start of the year but Danze wanted to prove himself at the top level in Australia before signing with an overseas club.

He is expected to be a key figure in the Joeys squad that will compete in the Oceania qualifying stages of the World Under-17 Championship in December, and it was his desire to represent Australia that ultimately decided where his immediate future lay. "I had a trial with Southampton earlier this year and they want me to sign, but I don't really want to leave Australia at the moment," Danze said early in the week. "I want to stay around to be part of the Joeys squad and if the Glory offer me something I'll probably take it. I still think I'll have opportunities to go overseas when I'm 19 or 20."

It was expected that Danze would train with the Glory squad this week before his assessment by the coaching staff. But renewed interest from Southampton on Tuesday sparked the NSL side into action and the following day they secured the young star before the English club could make a counter offer. "We're excited that we have signed a player we believe has tremendous potential," Glory general manager Roger Lefort said. "Rather than go overseas, Anthony can mature with the Glory and who knows after that. He has got a toe in the NSL - and it's up to him to impress the coach and take the next step."

20.9.2000

NO GLORY FOR INGLEWOOD

Inglewood United played host to Perth Glory in a friendly on Wednesday night as the NSL side continued their pre-season schedule. Around 1,500 turned up at Kiev Sports Ground on a chilly night to see Glory dominate proceedings and hit three goals in the opening half hour. Dion Valle headed in the first from a Scott Miller corner after 9 minutes, and shortly after a Miller cross from the left found Brad Maloney who crashed home a superb volley. On the half-hour mark, another Miller corner saw Peter Buljan put the ball past teenage 'keeper Oliver Taseski. Shortly before the break Inglewood pulled a goal back when Steve MacDonald out-jumped Gareth Naven in the 6 yard box and headed home. After the break it was a different story with Inglewood coming into the match more, creating several goalscoring opportunities and defending solidly against a hard running Glory side. If not for the fine efforts of Taseski, the final margin would have been much greater than 3-1.

17.9.2000

CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS PLAY-OFFS

The first weekend of the National Homes Champion of Champions play-offs saw the Western Knights play Perth on Saturday in the Qualifying Final at Dorrien Gardens, followed 24 hours later by the do-or-die clash between Inglewood United and Swan I.C. in the Elimination Final.

The Knights went into the first match without the experience of midfielder Ray Marinovic who failed a late fitness test on a calf strain, while goalkeeper Darren Williams ignored the advice of club coaching staff to play with a stress fracture in his right foot. Their opponents were pretty much full-strength after the return of striker David Onoforo who spend the past fortnight on trial with NSL outfit Sydney Olympic. They also welcomed a Soccer West Coast amnesty on accumulated yellow cards, allowing Craig Naven to take his place in the starting eleven. The controlling body, in wanting the competing clubs to field their strongest possible line-ups, allowed such suspensions to be bought off at a cost of $100.00 per player. The only player out for Perth was Mark Pottier who was a late withdrawal from the team.

The upper hand for the opening 20 minutes was held by Perth for whom Jamie Coyne was seeing a lot of the ball and linking well with Gary Upton on the right. It was Coyne who had the first chance of the game in the 3rd minute, receiving a Boni Botha free-kick played into the area but, unable to make the most of the opportunity in a crowded 6 yard box, hit a grubber to Williams. Six minutes later a deep cross from Stephen Willey picked out Botha whose header didn't trouble Williams. And Onoforo was unfortunate shortly after when a 35 metre pass from Craig Naven spilt the Knights defence wide open and saw the striker race between Ivan Ljubicic and Andy Wright only for his low drive to nudge the wrong side of the up-right.

At the other end the Perth backline were doing a great job in reducing the threat of the most lethal striking partnership in the competition. With Naven acting as sweeper, Aaron Cole and Willey were pouncing on Eugene Singeorzan and John Nicoloau the instant they received the ball, forcing them into elemental mistakes and concede possession. Restricted to shooting from outside the penalty box, the Knights first shot in open play came after 20 minutes when Scott Devine got to on the end of a Christie cross, but his looping header was easily saved by Robert Scarparolo. It was a completely different story two minutes later when the Perth 'keeper gifted Dean Nicolaou the opening goal of the game. Coming to the top corner of his area to receive a backpass, Scarparolo found himself having to make a rushed clearance with John Nicolaou bearing down on him. The ball squirted to Dean Nicolaou and the midfielder had plenty of time to pick his place and he send a delicate chip into the back of the net.

The goal had instant effect on Perth's game which they now approached with a lot more caution and a lot less fair. The Knights started to stamp their authority on fixture with midfielder Scott Devine the vital link between defence and attack, and Shane McNally working tirelessly on the left to bang in some dangerous crosses. Perth found themselves under the hammer and had to make some hacking clearances from within their 6 yard box to temporarily relieve the pressure value, only for their opponents to come right back at them. But the Knights were guilty of being unable to do a lot with the ball, especially once they got inside the area, and more often than not didn't require Scarparolo to respond.

Devine's aggressive approach often brings him to the attention of the referee and today was no exception. Having twice brought down Robert Giorgi with some crunching challenges, referee Eddie Lennie decided enough was enough and booked the Knights captain for another crude tackle on Giorgi in which he took the legs from under the Perth player. And before the break Carl Medica would join Devine in Lennie's book for what can only be described as a 'coat-hanger' which left Upton require treatment before being substituted at half time.

With pendulum having already swung in Perth then the Knights favour, it came back to rest with the home side for the final 15 minutes of the half. Onoforo released Coyne who sprinted clear of the defence only to be denied by an ever-alert Williams. But like the Knights, Perth were doing themselves no favours in front of goal, most notably in deadball situations - three corners within as may minutes came to nothing with defenders always first to the ball, while free-kicks were often being floated too deep and over the by-line. Five minutes before the break Nick Mrdja had his teams' best chance when he ran onto a long ball pumped into the area. With Ivan Ljubicic in hot pursuit there was no time to control and the striker hit the bouncing ball across face of goal from a narrow angle and watched as it rolled the wrong side of the far up-right.

The opening period of the second half was evenly contested with both sides squandering chances. John Nicolaou threw himself at a mis-hit Dean Nicolaou shot but couldn't re-direct it past the Perth custodian. Perth deserved better with a sweeping move involving Mrdja, Coyne and Botha which saw the latter blast narrowly wide. A minute later Coyne's curling shot from corner of the box went beyond the far post. And on the hour mark John Nicolaou crossed from wide on the left to pick out Singeorzan but his header landed on the top netting. An explosive free-kick by Devine was tipped over by Scarparolo before the ball was raced to the other end where Williams kept out Coyne's strong drive. It was real end-to-end stuff which saw some fantastic movement of the ball through midfield and down the flanks.

Having come out with all guns firing immediately after the break, the Knights quickly ran out of puff and Perth took control. Willey was enjoying his time on the wing, making the most of his close ball control and speed to get past opponents, while Coyne was outstanding in his midfield role and teamed up with Willey with great effect. And up-front, Onoforo was showing why there's so much interest in him at the moment, out-maneuvering the defence and sending ripples of panic through the opposing backline everytime he found the ball at his feet.

Despite their superiority, Perth just could not find a way through to goal with Botha and then Onoforo failing to find the target in quick succession. Knowing time was quickly running out, coach Graham Normanton brought on Dario Pellicciotti late in the piece to make use of a three man forward line. Mrdja, who had been kept in check by Ljubicic for much of the game, was now finding more opportunities to get free off his opponent and get more involved in the game. In the 82nd minute Onoforo cut back to Giorgi on the left side of the area, the midfielder's chip into the dangerzone was met at the far post by Coyne but he was unable to direct his header between the posts.

A deep corner from Todd Howarth in the 91st minute found Botha who would have scored if not for a reflex save from Williams which produced another corner. From the other side, Willey sent it to the near post where it was knocked it to feet and, in the mad scramble for possession, Coyne hit it goalward through a crowded 6 yard box. It was a case of right place-right time for Perth defender Aaron Cole who sent the game into extra-time by gliding the ball over the line.

With the adrenaline flowing and confidence at a high, Perth continued to play as they had done in the final 20 minutes of normal time. Within the space of two minutes they'd won three corners, all of which were scrambled to safety by the Knights defence from inside the 6 yard box. Giorgi was still operating under full steam in the middle and was quick to throw his side into attack and, had it not been for some sloppy final passes, Perth could well have found a winner early in the piece.

But as the period wore on Perth's legs tired and their dominance faded. The Knights first real chance in 25 minutes saw Singeorzan curl wide a free kick from 25 metres. Pellicciotti held onto the ball a little too long after a determined run and he slammed the ball into the side netting. Then substitute David Annall ran the ball into the corner and cut it back to Joe Vaz whose explosive volley grazed the crossbar. With neither midfield able to take control of the match, the ball was turned over with frequency and raced to the other end at break-neck speed.

Going on the first half of extra time, it was looking as though neither side were going to find the net and penalties would be required to settle the match. But it would take a controversial goal three minutes after the turn-around to decide the tie. Scarparolo looked to have covered a mis-directed through ball, only for John Nicolaou - who seemed well offside - to race in and take the ball from the 'keeper. The Perth custodian dived at Nicolaou's feet but couldn't take the ball cleanly, a second grab had the same end result and Nicolaou slotted into an empty net for the winner.

It was a fortunate win for the Knights who battened down the hatches in the second half to weather the Perth onslaught. For their part, Perth should consider themselves terribly unlucky not to have found the net a number of times after the break as they threw everything into their efforts to find the equaliser that they thoroughly deserved. The result means the Knights will now face Fremantle City next Saturday in the double chance Second Semi-Final at Dorrien Gardens, with Perth playing the winner of the Inglewood United-Swan I.C. game in the First Semi-Final played 24 hours later.

Perth : Robert Scarparolo, Craig Naven, Aaron Cole, Stephen Willey, Todd Howarth, Gary Upton (Perry Ielati 46), Robert Gioigi, Jamie Coyne, Boni Botha (Dario Pellicciotti 78), Nick Mrdja, David Onoforo
Western Knights : Darren Williams, Leon Russell, Alex Christie, Ivan Ljubicic, Andy Wright, Shane McNally (David Annall 82), Carl Medica, Scott Devine, Dean Nicolaou (Joe Vaz 82), Eugene Singeorzan, John Nicolaou
Referee : Eddie Lennie
Cautions : Devine (38), Medica (43), Onoforo (53), Christie (72), Coyne (73)
Dismissals : None
Attendance : 650 (approx.)

The following afternoon it was make-or-break time for Inglewood United and Swan I.C. with one of these teams just 90 minutes from their season coming to a close. Inglewood sprung a late surprise by including leading scorer Paul Lincoln in their starting line-up - despite the claims by coach John Hunter only two days earlier that his player "would definitely not be playing" due to a hamstring complaint. For Swan I.C, their play-off boost came earlier in the week when two key figures in their hopes, attacking midfielder Elton Holmes and James Dimmock returning from suspension and a stomach virus respectively.

The game was just seven minutes old - but already settling into a pattern that would continue for the duration - when Swan took the lead. Elton Holmes played a defence splitting pass into the path of Dale Wingell which saw him race clear of the Inglewood defence. His first attempt on goal was parried by Robert Zabica and it was the Swan striker that reacted quickest to sweep the loose ball under the keeper's body from close range.

One thing that became patently clear from this clash was just how much of a divide exists between the top three finishing teams (Fremantle City, the Western Knights and Perth) and these two. It was an uninspired performance by both Inglewood and Swan I.C. in a match that saw little creativity and very few opportunities at both ends. Every time either defence turned the ball over it was lackadaisically knocked back into the middle where the mad scramble for possession would start all over again. Neither team was able to string together more than four or five passes before running out of options and conceding possession.

Of the chances on goal, none really threatened Zabica nor his opposite number Corey Hugo. Paul Lincoln tried to flick the ball over Corey Hugo after 14 minutes but failed miserably and the 'keeper caught it at chest height. Rory Mouttet sent the ball sailing into the arms of Zabica from 16 metres after 31 minutes. Four minutes later a promising move involving Nigel Aubin and Dimmock released Wingell only for defender Steve MacDonald to scoot in from the left and boot the ball over the sideline.

Swan sweeper Carlo Scali was having a great day behind Justin Everley and Darren Freeman who were undoubtedly the busiest trio on the park and limited their opponents to shooting from long range. Keeping Inglewood strikers Alex Josifovski and Lincoln completely out of the game with some excellent man-to-man marking, the trio were never under any pressure to do their job and cleared any dangers with confidence. For Inglewood it was their flank players Drew Carruthers (left flank) and Daniel Harrop (right flank) that were doing all the work but finding little support from those around them.

By far the busiest man on the park was referee Wayne Oldham who had more influence over proceedings than the players themselves. Quick to award free-kicks for some very soft fouls - which included a couple of bookings for 'nothing' tackles - he regularly interrupted the flow of the game by halting play when waiving the advantage would have been a more sensible response. And his refusal to acknowledge the off-side flags of his assistants saw him quickly earn the wrath of players and spectators alike.

Swan started the second half with a flurry of activity which should have seen them kill off the game within the opening 10 minutes. A great run by Aubin saw him hold onto ball for too long and cut-out his shooting options - instead he knocked it low across the top of the 6 yard box only to find no one there to meet the ball. Then Mouttet turned the ball over to go one-on-one with Zabica but blasted narrowly wide. A few minutes later Aubin glanced a Mouttet corner which kissed the wrong side of the up-right. And a Holmes cross from the right was well met by Aubin, his flick flew past a despairing Zabica but was also off-target.

Having weathered the onslaught, Inglewood came back into the contest to enjoy a prolonged period in possession but never seeing their moves amount to much. Their best - and only genuine - chance came in the 66th minute when Harrop broke quickly into the area where Corey Hugo raced out and stole the ball off his boot. However, Inglewood looked most dangerous at set plays when they were able to use their big men to advantage, but Swan's defence was solid and repelled everything their opponents threw at them. It was an indication of how much the Swan defence was dominating when Hunter substituted both his strikers early in the half, but their replacements could muster little more in the way of shots on goal.

The game was finally put beyond the reach of Inglewood in the 82nd minute thanks to a fantastic strike from substitute Damian Scali. The ball broke to the midfielder who, 25 metres from goal, sent a thundering volleyed beyond the reach of Zabica and into the back of the net. The goal took Scali by surprise as much as anyone in at Dorrien Gardens and sent the Swan bench into raptures as a play-off clash with Perth next week was just minutes away.

Coming somewhat against the run of play, the goal knocked the wind complete