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Monday, 17 July 2006 |
Sunshine George Cross went into this vital round 20 match against second placed South Melbourne desperate for a result following unfavourable results for the Georgies by other teams in the relegation zone.
For the second week running controversial refereeing decisions has seen Sunshine George Cross matches hugely influence the outcome of the result by incompetent officials. With the Georgies leading 1-0 through a 7 minute goal by Mark Draycott, it was they that looked the more likely side to add to the score with breakaways that had the South rear guard back peddling. Fidel Richards and Mark Draycott were full of running in attack and were always on the lookout for balls to run onto. The most controversial moment of the game came after 65 minutes when Mark Draycott was through on goal, but was pulled back by his South Melbourne defender. Draycott had his shorts pulled down to his ankle by the two handed tackle that should have resulted in a penalty kick and a red card to his South Melbourne opponent. It was a lucky let off for South and one that could prove very costly for the Georgies come the end of the season. For the major part of this game South Melbourne had a lot of possession but hardly ever threatened the Sunshine defence. The Georgies stuck to a well structured plan to defend deep and to play on the break. It worked to a tee as after only 7 minutes Dusko Delic intercepted a pass in midfield and sent Mark Draycott through on goal. Draycott has not enjoyed much joy in front of goal of late, unleashed a beautiful full blooded drive from the edge of the penalty area that Dean Anastasiadis didn't see flash past him. South continued to play the more fluent football but the Georgies midfielders worked hard to keep the one goal lead. The Cross looked capable of maintaining their lead until South won a corner that was partially cleared to outside the penalty area. The ball fell to Scott McNichol who slotted the ball low and hard past the desperate Georgie defenders for the equaliser. The Cross were glad for the point but it was a case of what it might have been had....In the under 21 game the Georgies continued to recover from their mid season slump with an impressive 1-0 victory, The goal scorer was Fahed Alghazaly. This coming Sunday the Georgies face another stern test at Chaplin Reserve when league leaders Oakleigh Cannons visit. The game kicks off at 3.00 p.m.
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