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Floreat Athena went into the 2001 Night Series final with Perth as clear favourites. Athena were yet to lose a game in the tournament in which their defence had been superb, conceding only four goals to date. Troy Bernard and Hugh Miller have been superb at the back, Costa Socratous and Doug Ithier likewise in the middle with Robyn Dyers the chief destroyer up front. Perth coach Graham Normanton was without Craig Naven, still recovering from a recent hernia operation, and captain Mark Pottier, absent with a shoulder injury, for this clash. Their defence would have to be on top of their game to hold at bay the threat of Dyers and Ryan Newhill, while going forward they would be looking to wing-backs Todd Howarth and Stephen Willey. The fire-power up-front was provided by Boni Botha and the ever-dangerous Nick Mrdja.
The crowd was still flowing in through the Litis Stadium gates when Ithier scored a spectacular goal from Athena's first attack of the game. In the 4th minute of play, Perth's midfield failed to respond when a free-kick played deep into their defensive area was cleared, Ithier moved swiftly and sent a blistering first-time shot into the top corner of Robert Scarparolo's goal from some 35-metres. The goal left Perth and they spend the next ten minutes coming to terms with being a goal down so early in the contest. Seizing on the opportunity and playing straight through the middle, Athena created several good chances to extend their lead without success. Newhill saw his header from close-range well saved by Scarparolo, and Robyn Dyers sent a similar header wide. And a great in-swinging corner from Socratous was kept out at the back post by a desperate Scarparolo as Athena asserted their authority.
Perth slowly came back into the game through some determined runs from wide on the right by Howarth and a high work-rate from 20-year old midfielder Robert Giorgi. Howarth curled a 19th minute free-kick into the area which was cleared as far as Willey who sent a cracking volley on target but John Xigas had the shot well covered. Four minutes later and from the opposite side of the park, Willey floated the ball into the dangerzone, Xigas punched it to the top of the 18-yard box where Botha and Perry Ieltai combined with the latter's fine drive deflected wide. Perth were unlucky not to score from the resulting corner, Jamie Coyne's glancing header striking Xigas on the chest and before the 'keeper could figure out what had happened Perth were lining up another corner kick.
With Howarth and Willey working overtime on the flanks, Vince Tana and Giorgi kept a tight reign on the middle of the park where they kept Athena's regular playmakers out of the game. After 25 minutes Coyne's long-range effort was hit straight to Xigas, and a few minutes later Howarth picked out Botha whose shot on the turn curled past the 'keeper and narrowly the wrong side of the up-right. All the play was going with Perth and there was little Athena could do about it. Botha was put through one-on-one with the Athena 'keeper in the 31st minute, but Xigas snuffed out the nippy strikers' chances by diving at his feet. Then Howarth sent an explosive half-volley goalbound from 14-metres which slammed into the body of a defender before being hacked to safety.
Breaking on the counter-attack, Athena's sole chances of the period came in the 35th minute after some nimble footwork by Socratous. He laid it off to George Taniakos and the midfielders searching cross was well met by Miguel Ortin at the far post, his looping header going over Scarparolo and also the crossbar. Despite being a goal up Athena still had a lot to work on in the second 40-minutes before lifting the trophy, something coach John Hunter would no doubt would have told his troops at the break.
The second half saw Perth continue to dominate. One minute after the interval the visitors won a won a free-kick on top of the area after Botha was brought down - Mrdja chipped the ball over the wall and Xigas produced the save of the night, a spectacular one-handed effort to keep the shot from going into the top corner. A few minutes later Mrdja sent a long ball between two defenders and into the path of Coyne, only for the midfielder to put his shot into the signage. And in quick succession Coyne and Tana saw their long-range efforts sail into the arms of Xigas who was showing an uncanny ability to read where Perth's shots were headed.
Athena on the other hand found Perth's backline a hard nut to crack and very few opportunities came their way as a result. A corner was partially cleared after 54 minutes which landed at the feet of Adrian Spinelli, but his low half-volley from 25-metres crashed into the body of a defender. By and large running out of ideas, Athena dropped Newhill into a deep midfield position and resorted to playing the ball long over the midfield, but more often than not they were over-hit and gave Dyers little opportunity. The home side were getting a little frustrated at their lack of penetration which saw some nastiness creep into the game. Ithier became the first player in the referees book when he brought down Giorgi, and not long after Bernard was flattened by Mrdja after the defender beat him to the ball.
Ten minutes from full-time Perth's persistence finally paid off when Mrdja scored with another fantastic long-range strike. A free-kick played in the heart of the Athena defence was headed out of the dangerzone and the Perth forward timed his volley to perfection, sending it soaring into the roof of the net from 22-metres. Suddenly Athena came to life and the remaining time saw the ball sprinted from one end of the pitch to the other as the teams tried desperately to avoid extra-time. To their credit, both defences were calm and composed despite the knowledge that one false move could result in their side losing the trophy. A minute into injury time Athena almost stole the game when Newhill charged his way between two defenders before unleashing a thunderbolt which Scarparolo amazingly tipped over the bar.
For the second week in succession, Perth went into golden-goal extra-time. Athena started the stronger of the two sides and inside the first minute Newhill's speculative shot from the top of the area spun into the arms of Scarparolo. But they ran out of legs and it wasn't long before Perth again controlled play. Howarth spotted Xigas off his line and attempted to chip the 'keeper who back-tracked quickly and conceded a corner. David Onoforo's shot grazed the wrong side of the crossbar from a tight angle, and some lovely work by Mrdja released Coyne but Xigas was again to top of his game to make the save. With the first 15-minute period rapidly coming to a close, Bernard ran the ball out of defence and slotted it to Peter Nikoloski wide on the right, his centring pass was trapped by Dyers who shot disappointingly and didn't trouble the Perth custodian.
Play swung from end to end during the second period with twenty-two players giving their all to get their side forward. It was real edge-of-the-seat stuff with Perth and Athena attacking with flair and menace. In the 96th minute Coyne put second-half substitute Andreas Oliviera clear, his low shot flew past Xigas only to be cleared off the line by Miller. The ball was immediately taken to the other end where Phillipo Esposito got on the end of Ithier's deep ball, his header just clearing the bar. It took a long run out of defence by Howarth in the 100th minute to provide the winner - the winger caught Athena's defence all at sea on the counter-attack before slipping the ball into Coyne's path on the right, and the midfielder rifled it past the advancing 'keeper from 10-metres to make it 2-1.
It took a dramatic extra-time strike from Perth to loft the first trophy of the new season, but in reality they were the only side in this game for much of the games. Athena were comprehensively out-played all over the park by a hard-working Perth outfit which showed more ingenuity in attack and deserved the Night Series title. Mrdja was without a doubt the destroyer, always causing concern in Athena's defence and bagging a screaming equaliser. Howarth, Willey and Giorgi were also influential in the win. For Athena high praise goes to Xigas who was always well positioned and pulled off a number of vital saves. Defenders Miller and Adrian Sutton also performed admirably, but the teams downfall tonight was the fact that too many key players went missing during this game.
Floreat Athena : John Xigas, Troy Bernard, Adrian Sutton, Hugh Miller, George Taniakos
(Peter Nikoloski 55), Costa Socratous (Phillipo Esposito 40), Miguel Ortin, Adrian Spinelli, Doug Ithier,
Ryan Newhill, Robyn Dyers
Perth : Robert Scarparolo, Perry Ielati, Michael Icanovski, Aaron Cole, Stephen Willey
(Andreas Oliviera 68), Todd Howarth, Vince Tana, Robert Giorgi, Jamie Coyne, Boni Botha (David Onoforo 59),
Nick Mrdja
Referee : Wayne Oldham
Cautions : Ithier (64), Sutton (69), Cole (72), Nikoloski (80)
Dismissals : None
Attendance : 2,000 (approx.)
All games to be played at the Litis Stadium, Mount Hawthorn.
Round One - Played over the weekend of Friday 16th and Sunday 18th February
| Home Team | v | Away Team |
||
| Western Knights J.Nicolaou | 1 | - | 1 | Inglewood United Campbell |
| Sorrento Harnwell | 1 | - | 2 | Cockburn City Gartside, Miletic |
| Floreat Athena Socratous | 1 | - | 0 | ECU Joondalup |
| Fremantle City Liguan, Morgan | 2 | - | 2 | Perth Olivera, Botha |
Group A P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Floreat Athena 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 3 Fremantle City 1 0 1 0 2 2 +0 1 Perth 1 0 1 0 2 2 +0 1 Swan I.C. 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0 ECU Joondalup 1 0 0 1 0 1 -1 0 Group B P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Cockburn City 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 3 Inglewood United 1 0 1 0 1 1 +0 1 Western Knights 1 0 1 0 1 1 +0 1 Bassendean Caledonian 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0 Sorrento 1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0
Round Two - Played over the weekend of Friday 23rd and Sunday 25th February
| Home Team | v | Away Team |
||
| Inglewood United S.Campbell, E.Holmes 2, A.Annall (own goal), | 4 | - | 1 | Bassendean Caledonian G.Collins |
| Swan I.C. | 0 | - | 2 | Perth A.Oliviera, D.Onoforo |
| Cockburn City B.Mikulic 3, C.Alvarez, J.Pescud | 5 | - | 1 | Western Knights E.Singeorzan |
| Fremantle City | 0 | - | 4 | Floreat Athena J.Smith, R.Dyers 2, R.Newhill |
Group A P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Floreat Athena 2 2 0 0 5 0 +5 6 Perth 2 1 1 0 4 2 +2 4 Fremantle City 2 0 1 1 2 6 -4 1 ECU Joondalup 1 0 0 1 0 1 -1 0 Swan I.C. 1 0 0 1 0 2 -2 0 Group B P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Cockburn City 2 2 0 0 7 2 +5 6 Inglewood United 2 1 1 0 5 2 +3 4 Western Knights 2 0 1 1 2 6 -4 1 Sorrento 1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0 Bassendean Caledonian 1 0 0 1 1 4 -3 0
Round Three - Played over the weekend of Friday 2nd and Sunday 4th March
| Home Team | v | Away Team |
||
| Sorrento J.Love | 1 | - | 0 | Bassendean Caledonian |
| Swan I.C. S.Halpin 2 | 2 | - | 1 | ECU Joondalup S.Robertson |
| Cockburn City C.Alvarez | 1 | - | 4 | Inglewood United E.Holmes 2, J.Bartolomei, L.Parkinson |
| Perth A.Oliviera | 1 | - | 3 | Floreat Athena R.Newhill, R.Dyers 2 |
Group A P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Floreat Athena 3 3 0 0 8 1 +7 9 Perth 3 1 1 1 5 5 +0 4 Swan I.C. 2 1 0 1 2 3 -1 3 Fremantle City 2 0 1 1 2 6 -4 1 ECU Joondalup 2 0 0 2 1 4 -3 0 Group B P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Inglewood United 3 2 1 0 9 3 +6 7 Cockburn City 3 2 0 1 8 6 +2 6 Sorrento 2 1 0 1 2 2 +0 3 Western Knights 2 0 1 1 2 6 -4 1 Bassendean Caledonian 2 0 0 2 1 5 -4 0
Round Four - Played over the weekend of Friday 9th and Sunday 11th March
| Home Team | v | Away Team |
||
| Swan I.C. S.Halpin 2, P.Vukmirovic | 3 | - | 3 | Fremantle City M.Mirco, J.Liguan, D.Wingell |
| Bassendean Caledonian G.Collins | 1 | - | 4 | Cockburn City P.Petkovic 2, B.Mikulic 2 |
| ECU Joondalup S.Montgomery 2 | 2 | - | 3 | Perth T.Howarth, N.Mrdja, B.Botha |
| Western Knights T.Radic, J.Nicolaou | 2 | - | 4 | Sorrento J.Love, T.Harnwell, R.Jeans, M.Garcia |
Group A P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Floreat Athena 3 3 0 0 8 1 +7 9 Perth 4 2 1 1 8 7 +1 7 Swan I.C. 3 1 1 1 5 6 -1 4 Fremantle City 3 0 2 1 5 9 -4 2 ECU Joondalup 3 0 0 3 3 7 -4 0 Group B P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Cockburn City 4 3 0 1 12 7 +5 9 Inglewood United 3 2 1 0 9 3 +6 7 Sorrento 3 2 0 1 6 4 +2 6 Western Knights 3 0 1 2 4 10 -6 1 Bassendean Caledonian 3 0 0 3 2 9 -7 0
Round Five - Played over the weekend of Friday 16th and Sunday 18th March
| Home Team | v | Away Team |
||
| Western Knights M.Vaz, T.Radic 2 | 3 | - | 1 | Bassendean Caledonian G.James |
| Fremantle City M.Mirco, T.Morgan | 2 | - | 0 | ECU Joondalup |
| Inglewood United D.Harrop | 1 | - | 1 | Sorrento R.Jeans |
| Swan I.C. P.Vikmirovic, S.Halpin | 2 | - | 3 | Floreat Athena R.Dyers 2, D.Ithier |
Group A P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Floreat Athena 4 4 0 0 11 3 +8 12 Perth 4 2 1 1 8 7 +1 7 Fremantle City 4 1 2 1 7 9 -2 5 Swan I.C. 4 1 1 2 7 9 -2 4 ECU Joondalup 4 0 0 4 3 9 -6 0 Group B P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Cockburn City 4 3 0 1 12 7 +5 9 Inglewood United 4 2 2 0 10 4 +6 8 Sorrento 4 2 1 1 7 5 +2 7 Western Knights 4 1 1 2 7 11 -4 4 Bassendean Caledonian 4 0 0 4 3 12 -9 0
Semi-Finals - Played over the weekend of Friday 23rd and Sunday 25th March
| Home Team | v | Away Team |
||
| Floreat Athena C.Socratous, R.Newhill | 2 | - | 1 | Inglewood United P.Smiljanic |
| Cockburn City P.Cooke | 1 | - | 2 | Perth A.Cole, N.Mrdja |
Final - Played on Sunday 1st April
| Home Team | v | Away Team |
||
| Floreat Athena D.Ithier | 1 | - | 2 | Perth N.Mrdja, J.Coyne |
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This page was last updated on the 24th February 2006