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Western Knights Wins Night Series
Following Perth's wettest 24-hour period in over 30 years, Cockburn City and Western Knights contested the final of the 2003 Night Series in near-perfect weather at the National Stadium this evening. Starting the match as underdogs, Cockburn has to do without defensive players Dusan Macura and Evan Wallace who were overseas and suspended respectively. At full strength, the Knights camp had good reason to be confident of taking out the trophy having beaten their opponents four weeks earlier in the group stage of the competition.
It took just 3 minutes before the first shot in anger was fired, Knights teenager Luka Jukic sending a speculative volley from distance wide after Cockburn failed to sufficiently clear a corner. An even opening period produced several promising forward thrusts from both sides who were denied time and time again by two very well-organised defences. With ten minutes gone Cockburn began to assert their dominance across the middle of the park with Jeff Bright and Denis Stojanovich proving to be particularly effective. Against the run of play, the Knights surged forward in the 16th minute, Carl Medica relaying the ball to John Nicolaou who in turn found Stuart Montgomery, his initial shot was blocked but the striker made no mistake with the follow-up which was threaded between Dino Pacella and his right post to make it one-nil. Cockburn very nearly had a reply three minutes later when Bright opened up the defence by playing a clever one-two with Stojanovich but the left wing-back was denied by the sharp reflexes of advancing goalkeeper Tommi Tomich.
In the 24th minute Boza Erakovic came to Cockburn's rescue by clearing a powerful close-range shot by Paul McVittie off the line after Pacella mis-judged Medica's free-kick into the 6-yard box. Shortly after Medica and Steven Zuvela were very lucky not have their names taken by referee Pedro Vaquez for late tackles of Bright and Roberto Colalillo respectively. As the half progressed Cockburn re-established control of the game and created the better of the goalscoring opportunities. Michael Mirco beat the offside trap to race on to Josh Pescud's through ball only to have Tomich come quickly off his line and rob the midfielder of possession. In the 36th minute Peter Petkovich's shot from 17-metres was blocked by a defender, then Stojanovich curled the loose ball narrowly over the crossbar. And four minutes later Michael Mirco put the ball through to Colalillo whose low effort from a difficult angle went across the face of goal.
Cockburn continued the second half where they'd left off the first. A superb in-swinging corner from Bright was chested down by Petkovich whose volley was blocked a metre from the line by Zuvela. Responding to their opponents attacking forays, the Knights opted to play things square at the back and caught Cockburn offside with alarming frequency. So when Pescud was brought down inside the area by Dean Johnson for a Cockburn penalty in the 57th minutes, there was good reason to believe their fortunes were about to take a turn for the better. But Tomich brilliantly saved Michael Mirco's spot-kick, and brothers Michael and John Mirco amazingly thwarted each other in their attempts to convert the rebound. Still upset with the penalty decision, Medica was issued his second yellow card of the match for dissent moments later to put the Knights under even more pressure with over twenty minutes remaining.
With the game still very much alive, Cockburn upped the pressure. A rising shot through a crowded area by Stojanovich stretched Tomich who tipped the ball over the bar on the hour. Minutes later Bright was halted by a dubious off-side decision he sped away from a flat-footed Knights defence. Having thrown everything into finding an equaliser without success, Cockburn tired late in the match while their opponents found a second lease of life. Leon Russell's inch-perfect cross to Montgomery resulted in a stunning volley which was spectacularly knocked over the bar by Pacella after 73 minutes. And two minutes from full-time Claus Nielson skidded the ball just the wrong side of the up-right from distance.
It was a hard-fought Night Series win for Ronnie Campbells' side who rode their luck at times, especially in the period leading up to half-time and then after being reduced to ten men in the second half. "They showed lots of character," said the Knights coach. "We knew Cockburn would be tough as they are fit and mobile. But a team can't dominate for 90 minutes and they put us under pressure in the second half. I felt our experience would tell as we had more players with finals experience." With lung-bursting performances from wide players Bright and Pescud, Cockburn were unlucky not to get themselves on the scoreboard. But when their second half penalty was kept out even the most ardent of supporters knew it wasn't going to be their night.
Cockburn City : Dino Pacella, Alan Pottier, Steve Adams, Boza Erakovic, Josh Pescud, Jeff Bright,
Dom De Felice, Michael Mirco, Denis Stojanovic (Christian Alvarez 73), Roberto Colalillo
(John Mirco 40), Peter Petkovich (Mileta Miletic 67)
Western Knights : Tommi Tomich, Dean Wallace, Dean Johnson, Steven Zuvela, Leon Russell,
Luka Jukic (David Annall 67), Carl Medica, Claus Neilsen, Paul McVittie, John Nicolaou
(Daniel Trim 67), Stuart Montgomery
Bookings : Medica (38), Pottier (39), Adams (51), Pescud (67), Nicolaou (77)
Dismissals : Medica (57)
Referee : Pedro Vasquez
Attendance : 950 (approx.)
Group A Stirling Lions Western Knights Sorrento Cockburn City Group B Fremantle City Swan I.C. Perth Inglewood United Group C Floreat Athena ECU Joondalup Bassendean Caledonian * 3 Teams qualify from Group A and B * 2 Teams qualify from Group C Friday 14th February Swan I.C. 2 vs Inglewood United 3 Fremantle City 1 vs Perth 2 Sunday 16th February Stirling Lions 0 vs Sorrento 4 Floreat Athena 1 vs Bassendean Caledonian 0 Friday 21st February ECU Joondalup 1 vs Bassendean Caledonian 1 Fremantle City 1 vs Swan I.C. 2 Sunday 23rd February Cockburn City 5 vs Stirling Lions 1 Sorrento 1 vs Western Knights 0Group A P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Sorrento 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 3 Western Knights 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0 Cockburn City 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0 Stirling Lions 1 0 0 1 0 4 -4 0 Group B P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Inglewood United 1 1 0 0 3 2 +1 3 Perth 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 3 Swan I.C. 1 0 0 1 2 3 -1 0 Fremantle City 1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0 Group C P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Floreat Athena 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 3 ECU Joondalup 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 0 Bassendean Caledonian 1 0 0 1 0 1 -1 0 Friday 28th February Western Knights 3 vs Stirling Lions 0 Floreat Athena 1 vs ECU Joondalup 4 Sunday 2nd March Sorrento 2 vs Cockburn City 1 Perth 3 vs Swan I.C. 0 Inglewood United 2 vs Fremantle City 2Group A P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Sorrento 2 2 0 0 5 0 +5 6 Cockburn City 1 1 0 0 5 1 +4 3 Western Knights 1 0 0 1 0 1 -1 0 Stirling Lions 2 0 0 2 1 9 -8 0 Group B P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Inglewood United 1 1 0 0 3 2 +1 3 Perth 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 3 Swan I.C. 2 1 0 1 4 4 +0 3 Fremantle City 2 0 0 2 2 4 -2 0 Group C P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Floreat Athena 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 3 ECU Joondalup 1 0 1 0 1 1 +0 1 Bassendean Caledonian 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 1 Sunday 9th March Western Knights 2 vs Cockburn City 0 Perth 0 vs Inglewood United 2Group A P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Sorrento 3 3 0 0 7 1 +6 9 Cockburn City 2 1 0 1 6 3 +3 3 Western Knights 2 1 0 1 3 1 +2 3 Stirling Lions 3 0 0 3 1 12 -11 0 Group B P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Perth 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4 6 Inglewood United 2 1 1 0 5 4 +1 4 Swan I.C. 3 1 0 2 4 7 -3 3 Fremantle City 3 0 1 2 4 6 -2 1 Group C P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS ECU Joondalup 2 1 1 0 5 2 +3 4 Floreat Athena 2 1 0 1 2 4 -2 3 Bassendean Caledonian 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 1 Friday 14th March Quarter Final 1 - Sorrento 1 vs Swan I.C. 2 Quarter Final 2 - Inglewood United 2 vs Cockburn City 3 Sunday 16th March Quarter Final 3 - ECU Joondalup 1 vs Western Knights 4 Quarter Final 4 - Perth 1 vs Floreat Athena 2 Sunday 23rd March Semi-Final 1 - Western Knights 1 vs Swan I.C. 0 Semi-Final 2 - Floreat Athena 1 vs Cockburn City 4 Sunday 30th March Final - Western Knights 1 vs Cockburn City 0Group A P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Sorrento 3 3 0 0 7 1 +6 9 Western Knights 3 2 0 1 5 1 +4 6 Cockburn City 3 1 0 2 6 5 +1 3 Stirling Lions 3 0 0 3 1 12 -11 0 Group B P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS Inglewood United 3 2 1 0 7 4 +3 7 Perth 3 2 0 1 5 3 +2 6 Swan I.C. 3 1 0 2 4 7 -3 3 Fremantle City 3 0 1 2 4 6 -2 1 Group C P W D L FOR AGST GD PTS ECU Joondalup 2 1 1 0 5 2 +3 4 Floreat Athena 2 1 0 1 2 4 -2 3 Bassendean Caledonian 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 1
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