NJL Match Report: Essendon Royals seal crucial win against Sydenham Park on Good Friday
The Essendon Royals left it late but there was no denying they were the more deserving of the three points in their crucial 2-1 win over Sydenham Park at Cross Keys Reserve on Good Friday.
It took a stoppage-time penalty from Davey Van’t Schip to secure the win for Mick Ferrante’s team, but the playing assistant coach held his nerve from the spot to slot home and secure the much-needed three points for the home side.
Graham Kelly had put the Royals a goal up in the first half before the visitors equalised before half-time.
The Royals named an almost unchanged line-up for the clash, with Nobu Usui the only change, coming in for Luca Santilli.
Kelly was the first to get a shot on goal in, with a trademark late surging run from midfield seeing him pick the ball up just outside the box with space to run into.
He hit the ball well, beating the keeper but his shot was just an inch too high, glancing the crossbar on the way over.
Kelly didn’t have to wait too much longer for his fifth league goal in as many league games when he hit a well-struck low free-kick in the 22nd minute, with Sydenham keeper Juro Salic likely to be disappointed with allowing the shot through his grasp.
The visitors were presented a great chance to equalise five minutes later when Royals keeper German Schacht was judged to have left his box with the ball in his hand, allowing Sydenham an indirect free-kick.
The ball was rolled forward to Zach Lisolajski, who hit the ball well and true across the face of goal. Schacht did well to get down low and get a hand to it but the ball had too much on it and found the back of the net.
With few chances to note for the remainder of the second half, 1-1 seemed a fair score heading into the break, but it would have been anything but at full-time, such was the dominance of the Royals after the break.
The Royals spurned at least four golden opportunities before being awarded a stoppage-time penalty.
The first came in the 54th minute when Van’t Schip flicked on a brilliant Kelly free-kick only to be denied by a great save from Salic.
On the 80th minute, Kelly was presented a golden opportunity with his head, when he was well-found by a beautiful cross from the right wing, but he failed to hit the target.
In the 82nd minute, Kristian Konstantinidis seemed certain to score when he rose highest to meet another brilliant Kelly free-kick, but his header on target was accidentally blocked by team-mate Will Abbott.
The ball fell kindly to a pack of Royals, but they could not convert what should have been a certain goal, skying the ball over the crossbar.
In the 86th minute, Salic was on hand again to deny Kelly, who looked certain to put the finishing touches to complete an amazing Royals move.
In the end, it was a penalty that would settle the game, with the referee spotting a handball as substitute Ziyad El-Tahir tried to turn a cross into the net just as the clock struck the 90-minute mark.
Van’t Schip stepped up with unnerving ease, despite a tense, lengthy wait for the whistle to blow, slotting the ball home to send the sizeable home crowd into raptures.
The win was a hugely important one in the context of the Royals season and keeps the pressure on the front runners to win their games over the Easter weekend.
In the earlier kick-off, the Royals Reserves had an equally important win, defeating Sydenham 3-2.
In this 2nd v 3rd clash, the Royals needed a win to open up some space between themselves and Sydenham and overtake Altona City ahead of their game this weekend.
After going a goal down and going down to 10 men, the Royals rallied brilliantly to secure the win, taking out a 3-1 lead, before being pegged back to 3-2 with minutes remaining.
The home side saw out the nervy finish to secure an important win.
The Royals senior men now turn their attention to Australia Cup duties, with an important game against State League 1 South-East outfit Eltham Redbacks, ahead of a return to league duties with an away day at Altona City next Saturday evening.