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14.09.10
Saturday 18th September 2010
CANBERRA FC v BELCONNEN UNITED
(McKellar Park), kick off 17:30
The two best teams in Canberra have fought their way through to the final showdown as Canberra FC and Belconnen United go head to head for the opportunity to be crowned Gatorade Premier League Grand Final winners at McKellar Park. And, whilst Canberra FC are hoping to complete a second successive treble, their opponents will look to make use of the home ground advantage offered to them with the Blue Devils home ground once more used for the showpiece men’s match of the season.
Heading into the clash Canberra FC will be marginal favourites having had the upper hand in most of their meetings during 2010, the latest of which saw Marko Vrkic’s team record an outstanding 5-4 victory in the Major semi-final only a fortnight ago in what was the match of the year to date in the competition. Both teams through everything into that encounter and hopes are high of a repeat in the Grand Final.
Canberra FC, who were crowned League Champions on the last day of the season for the nineteenth time and who earlier in the year won the Project Coordination Federation Cup, will be expertly ked by the talented squad that includes former National Soccer League players Alex Castro who has made a habit this season of causing headaches for Scott Conlon’s Belconnen United defence by scoring successive hat-tricks in the last two meetings between the pair.
When you add into the mix the abilities of Adam Spaleta, Stephen Lee and Victor Yanes it’s clear that the champions have creativity and pace to burn in the middle of the park. The return to action of talismanic striker Paul Ivanic is also a big boost to the Deakin-based club with the hit-man’s eye for goal and knack of scoring on the big occasion a huge asset. At the back the imagination and skill of Matt Grbesa is a decent foil to the ‘Twin Mountains’ of Marcin Zygmunt and Jon Ison who will need to be on their toes to curtail the Blue Devils potent attack.
Still leading that front line is evergreen predator Danny Macor who has found the net eighteen times for Belconnen so far this term. Alongside Macor is young prodigy Tai Smith who, whilst not being as prolific as in his debut season, has the pace to trouble many defences and that quality is likely to be something that Conlon will look to utilise during the ninety minutes.
With first choice goalkeepers Ben Cheyne and Alex Connell both injured it’s left to young reserve Rohan Shepherd to fill the breach and, despite a couple of nervous errors in the semi-finals, the young shot-stopper made a couple of super saves to keep out Cooma Tigers during last weekends 2-1 Preliminary Final victory, a match sealed thanks to an extra-time goal from midfielder Cameron Reinhart who has made a habit of popping up with crucial goals during 2010.
This match has the potential to go either way with both teams having the ability and big-match nous to claim the trophy. Whilst we all hope for a match as entertaining as the semi-final showdown it’s time to sit-back and enjoy the capitals’ top two locking horns for the last time this season with everything up for grabs.
Previous Meetings 2010: Federation Cup, Pool A: Canberra FC 2 (John Glass 61’, Victor Yanes 64’) Belconnen United 2 (Michael Reeve 44’, Tai Smith 70’), Round 8: Canberra FC 4 (Alex Castro 34’, 43’, 50’, John Glass 58’) Belconnen United 2 (Danny Macor 52’, Tai Smith 84’), Round 16: Belconnen United 1 (Dustin Wells 42’) Canberra FC 2 (John Glass 77’, Paul Ivanic 85’), Major Semi-Final: Canberra FC 5 (Alex Castro 3’, 24’ (pen), 105’, Danai Gapare 50’, Ian Graham 118’) Belconnen United 4 (Danny Macor 47’, 90’, Taylor Beaton 67’, David Kemp 112’) – after extra time
Canberra FC squad: 18. Ben Klug (gk), 3. Jordan Whittiker, 4. Marcin Zygmunt, 5. John Glass, 6. Alex Castro, 7. Paul Ivanic, 8. Matthew Grbesa, 9. Ryan Keir, 10. Steve Lee, 11. Sam Gagalowicz, 12. Ian Graham, 14. Josip Jadric, 15. Danai Gapare, 17. Aidan Brunskill, 19. Adam Spaleta, 21. Victor Yanes, 22. Jonathon Ison, 1. Adam Perakovic (gk)
Unavailable: Guven Can (injured), Ivan Pavlak (overseas), Michael Spaleta (overseas), Joseph Lekic (overseas)
Belconnen United squad: 1. Rohan Shephard (gk), 2. Matt Valeri, 3. Dustin Wells, 4. Lee Pietrukowski, 5. Taylor Beaton, 6. Phil Borgeaud, 7. Callum Beaton, 8. Cameron Reinhart, 9. Tai Smith, 10. Danny Macor, 11. David Kemp, 12. Jack Blackley, 14. Michael Reeve, 15. Glenn Smith, 18. Jason O’Dwyer, 19. David Arranz, 20. Keegan Jackson (gk)
Unavailable: Ben Cheyne (injured), Alex Connell (fractured wrist), Zac Maybury (suspended)
Match Officials: Richard Naumovski (referee), Greg Taylor, Brett Woodford, Gary Vandeburgt (4th official)
LEADING SCORERS – CANBERRA FC
17 Alex Castro
10 Michael Spaleta
7 Paul Ivanic
6 Adam Spaleta
4 Danai Gapare, John Glass, Stephen Lee
2 Ian Graham, Victor Yanes
1 Adam Al-Adhami, Guven Can, Matt Grbesa, Ivan Pavlak, Marcin Zygmunt
LEADING SCORERS – BELCONNEN UNITED
18 Danny Macor
13 Dustin Wells
9 Tai Smith
5 Cameron Reinhart
3 David Kemp
1 David Arranz, David Leet, Jason O’Dwyer
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