Bayswater defeat Dianella by Single Goal

Dianella Coach Petra Drca had a number of selection dilemmas still missing central defenders Igor Ilijic (hamstring injury) & Pavle Kuvekalovic (overseas) who he hopes to have back next week plus a number of other 1^st team regulars still injured including Branimir Dragojevic (ankle) & Dejan Djukanovic (hamstring). Coach Drca gave starts to Kevin Carmona at right back & welcomed back Nick Davies from injury who was solid in the heart of the defence but surprised many with 4 strikers in the starting line up including Stefan Smiljanic in the middle of midfield and the most notable striker Jon Greenwood left on the bench.

Up against a formidable team on paper with extensive premier experience Bayswater’s performance disappointed many with what could only be described as a below par performance. Despite their hapless display Bayswater somehow managed to scrape through with a 1-0 win against an unlucky Dianella who were dominant in most areas for major parts of the game but were punished for their inept finishing missing six clear cut scoring opportunities but all credit to Bayswater for leaving Dianella Reserve with all three points on what were wet, wild & windy conditions.

The flavour of the game was set early on with the first real goal mouth action coming in the 7^th minute when Bayswater striker Tommy Jones powered through the centre to be met by a light shoulder to shoulder challenge by covering Dianella defender Kevin Carmona and much to the amusement of the crowd the striker went to ground like a power puff with experienced referee Dave Currie not fooled signalling play on as keeper Mathew Battigelli cleared. The referees patience was tested again shortly after with another embarrassing Bayswater dive which was left unpunished but finally in the 18^th minute when Bayswater’s Columbian defender C Gonzalez surged forward and dived in the box referee Dave Currie wasn’t fooled and brandished a yellow card to the offender.

Wes Ryder was busy going close with a powerful shot from 18 yards out in the 20^th min and Dianella appeared unlucky shortly after when Captain Dragan Njegic weaved his way into the Bayswater box with contact being made as he was felled with no penalty given. Tommy Jones was the main threat for Bayswater going close in the 30^th min with his free kick sprayed high & wide after another Kevin Carmona challenge. The Dianella defence looked solid with Goran Radinovic a tower of strength winning everything in the air and on the ground allowing fellow defender Riste (the fox) Stefoski to venture forward at times notably in the 33^rd min when his weaving run saw him beat 4 players on his way forward but his final pass was intercepted and cleared by the desperate Bayswater defence. Captain Dragan Njegic & fellow striker Rodrigo Aguirre were well held on the day by Bayswater’s Columbian import C Gonzalez who also doubled as a box to box midfielder at times with his ‘far lap’ heart and best on ground performance.

With the score 0-0 at half time Dianella Coach Petra Drca made a change at right back replacing Kevin Carmona from his unfamiliar role with Jovan Djukanovic.

 

The second half started with Bayswater replacing Tommy Jones and it was left to the oher ‘Jones’ boy Anthony to get into the thick of things initially Anthony Jones whose powerful volley in the 46^th min from a corner flew just wide of diving keeper Mathew Battigelli who had it covered and again in the 48^th min when Anthony clattered Dianellas Wes Ryder bringing an end to his powerful run. Ryders quick free kick to Stefan Drca resulted in his shot being well saved by the well positioned Bayswater custodian Bobson Koroma who was an intimidating figure to the homes sides strikers with his size and loud communication.

Captain Dragan Njegic could have had a brace as could have Stefan Drca on the day with Njegic going close again in the 52^nd min with his powerful shot from another Wes Ryder cross after he broke free courtesy of another header won by Stefan Smiljanic who was winning everything in the air in the middle of the park but failed to gel in his central role with Mario Lucic.

It only takes one goal to win a game and Bayswater’s solitary goal came in the 58^th min at the back post much to the disgust of the ball watching defence who were caught out on this one off occasion.

With the home sides crowd chanting “greeny”, “greeny”, “greedy”, Coach Petra Drca reacted almost immediately resting Mario Lucic, whose pairing with Stefan Smiljanic failed to deliver on the coaches expectations, hoping for prolific striker Jonathon Greenwood to save the day. But it was the Jones boys who were doing the shooting albeit inaccurately this time Anthony whose shot sailed high over the bay from 18 yards out. Ryan Jeans was busy running hard for Bayswater with little or no reward on the day as Bayswater’s delivery failed to find him or was cut out by the quick thinking Dianella defence most of the time. Ryan Jeans only real chance was in the 75^th min when an over confident Mathew Battigelli received a back pass and tried to dribble his way clear of Jeans who managed to rob him of the ball and amazingly with the goal begging somehow managed to shot wide which should have been Bayswater’s second goal.

Dianella were getting more desperate by the minute as Coach Drca threw caution to the wind in the 77^th min throwing three up front with Njegic, Aguirre & Greenwood all going close but desperate defending by Jason Lawton and man of the match C Gonzalez whose strong challenges particularly late in the game on Greenwood saved the day. Coach Drca played his final card desperately looking for a goal replacing a surprised Wes Ryder with Ognjen Radonic which almost had an immediate effect as Stefan Smiljanic solitary powerful surge forward saw him rolling the ball under his right foot as he weaved his way past two defenders before unleashing a diagonal shot from just inside the 18 yard box which beat the Bayswater custodian and rebounded off the far post but Ognjen Radonic was slow to react giving the visitors time to clear. Bayswater countered with their final scoring opportunity with a shot on goal that rebounded back into play off the post in the 83^rd min which Ryan Jeans had time to control but hit first time blasting high with an open goal at his mercy.

With time ticking away Bayswater were content to hit the corner flags and run the ball there at every opportunity to wind the clock down successfully securing the three points.

In the other games Dianella Reserves lost 1-2 and their U18s lost 1-9.

Dianella’s next league match will be on away against Wanneroo which will be another season defining game for the club which will go along way to determining Dianella’s contender or pretender status for the remainder of the 2009 season.

 

1ST TEAM PLAYERS	RESERVES TEAM PLAYERS	U18 PLAYERS
Squad # Name 1   Mathew Battigelli GK 2 Kevin Carmona 3   Nicholas Davies 4   Goran Radinovic 5 Riste Stefoski 6   Stefan Drca 7   Rodrigo Aguirre 8   Mario Lucic 9 Stefan Smiljanic 10 Dragan Njegic © 11 Wes Ryder 12   Jimmy (Dimce) Taneski (AWOL) 13   Jon Greenwood 14   Jovan Djukanovic 15 Igor Ilijic (INJ) 16 Milan Bogunovic (INJ) 17 Pavle Kuvekalovic (INJ) 18   Dejan Djukanovic (INJ)	Squad # Name 1 Justin Scarvaci GK 2 Dragomir Balic 3   Giorgi Kacurkov 4 Cvete Ristoski 5   Nicholas Davies 6 Rob Cibesku 7 Vladimir Naumovski 8 Slobadab Golub 9 Filip Rajakovic 10 Kris Spaseski 11 Ognjen Radonic 12 Peter Naigi 13   Daniel Bradshaw 14 Stevan Zecevic 15 Mladen Joncevski RGK 16	Squad # Name 1 Mladen Joncevski 2 Brandon Del Fabbro 3 Jack Fleming 4 Stevan Zecevic 5 Jack Williams 6 Darko Kitanoski 7 Kamell Ahmed 8 Zeljko Petrovic 9 Andon Andovski 10 Strahinja Mrkonjic 11 Nicholas Jackson 12 Nemanja Celebicanin 13 Luka Nenadic 14 Stefan Susa 15 Gonzalo Sepulveda 16 Nabaz Hussayn 17 Sinisa Relic ® 19 Philip Pyrchla 20 Igor Radmilovich (RGK)

 

WINDMILLS LEAVE DIANELLA HEADS SPINNING

 

Dianella Coach Petra Drca had a number of selection dilemmas including Wes Ryder sidelined with suspected swine flue and a number of other regular 1^st team regulars missing including central defenders Igor Ilijic (hamstring injury) & Pavle Kuvekalovic (overseas) plus & Branimir Dragojevic still on the injury list so Drca was forced to make changes and gave starts to Jovan & Dejan Djukanovic but was able to welcomed back 1^st team keeper Mathew Battigelli from suspension.

 

On what was always going to be a tough encounter against the usually well drilled Morley Windmills outfit coached by arguably the most astute coach in div 1 in Tom Kilkelly’s whose charges had the reshuffled Dianella line up in a spin at times as they signalled their intensions early on with a late tackle earning #4 M Sherwin a yellow for his challenge in the 6^th minute on Dianella custodian Mathew Battigelli. 

 

The first half was a game of two halfs with Morley on top early on taking their chances well but Dianella dominating the midfield in the middle and latter stages but failing to take their chances thanks mainly to the ‘never say die’ efforts of Rodrigo Aguirre who was the main difference between the teams with his hard running & creativity winning the midfield battle. Dianella had another big contributor in Dejan Djukanovic who was running riot down the right flanks with his consistent powerful runs & crosses starting with his cross in the 12^th min which was met at the same time by the Morley custodian and the powerfully but fair challenged of Jon Greenwood which resulted in the keeper requiring treatment.

 

Goran Radinovic was a tower of strength winning everything in the air and on the ground earning himself a best on ground performance for Dianella. Morley’s hard running style of play saw Dianella’s Jovan Djukanovic chasing shadows at times in his unfamiliar central defensive role which Morley cleverly exploited by switching between this and their long ball tactics which kept the visitors defence guessing at times due to Morley’s pitch slope south to north & aided by the southerly wind. Eventually the tactics led to Morley successfully unlocking the Dianella defence but their first goal was from a comedy of defensive errors in the 15^th min which was driven goal ward bound no less them 5 times with Dianella failing to clear with any distance as Morley’s #15 E Walsh finally found the back of the net.

 

Morley continued their physical game with  #9 F Hedges receiving a yellow card trying to nullify Dianellas play maker Rodrigo Aguirre in the 18^th min without success but Morley stuck to their game plan of trying to catch Dianella on the break. This proved to be successful in the 20^th minute as they took a well deserved 0-2 lead despite glimpses of Dianella’s beautiful passing and possession game which brought out the best in Jon Greenwood who opened the scoring for Dianella with a powerful volley in the 25^th  min.

 

Rodrigo Aguirre was consistently in the thick of things with his hard running & creativity ensuring Dianella won the midfield battle this time as he initially freed up Mario Lucic in the 26^th min whose goal ward bound shot was handballed but no penalty was given.  Rodrigo Aguirre again created this time an opportunity via a quick succession of passes initially with Mario Lucic in the 35^th min which saw him powerfully run on and be well positioned to score thanks to the final clever Jon Greenwood diagonal ball but his effort was well saved by Morley keeper A Hollaway who stood tall for them all day.

 

Dianella Captain Dragan Njegic could have had another brace on the day initially in the 37^th min after beating his marker but he was felled to the ground courtesy of an elbow to the head with his resulting free kick flying just wide of the back post with Goran Radinovic lurking but just unable to connect.  Dragan Njegic went close again in the 45^th min getting onto the end of another Milan Bogunovic cross from the right but his shot flew just wide of the upright.

 

Dejan Djukanovic was continuing to run riot down the right flank crossing again this time for Jon Greenwood who connected well but his powerful shot was blocked & rebounded to Dragan Njegic but his effort was well saved.

 

With the end of the 1^st half beckoning and the score 1-2 in Morley’s favour Dianella Coach Petar Drca looked to the late arrival of Jimmy (Dimce) Taneski as a half time substitute replacing the hard running Dejan Djukanovic for the left winger with little return in the 2^nd half.

 

Coach Petar Drca reeled the changes as the 2^nd half progressed this time replacing Jon Greenwood in the 55^th min with Stefan Smiljanic as he looked to the big man for goals on his return from injury and the change seemed to bring immediate results as Stefan Smiljanic combined well with Rodrigo Aguirre who ran on but was clearly felled in the penalty area in the 56^th minute but Rodrigo Aguirre blasted the resulting penalty over the bar. This disappointment was the turning point in the game as Morley started to take control of the game going close in the 54^th min with a long range effort which Mathew Battigelli acrobatically tipped over the bar but Morley looked like they were always going to score again and did so shortly after in the 62^nd min with a powerful run through the heart of the Dianella defence with their third goal after rounding the advancing keeper and slotting home. It was all Morley now as keeper Mathew Battigelli did well to advance and spread to save well in the 65^th min in another one on one.

 

Dianella’s Coach Petar Drca desperately played his last card in the 75^th min as he looked for the winning formula this time replacing tiring midfield general Mario Lucic with Nick Davies who came on at left back as the team was reshuffled without success. The home sides time wasting tactics saw the game grind out to a 1-3 score line making the home side well deserved tactical winners on the day.

 

In the other games Dianella Reserves lost 1-4 and their U18s drew 2-2.

 

Dianella’s next match will be their Reserves Team who kick off at 7pm on weds 17^th June in a replay of their Round 2 cup match despite beating Morley, this time at Ashfield’s ground due to Football West determining Morley to have played an ineligible player in their R1 match against Ashfield, so Ashfield Reserves now play Dianella Reserves in R2 of the Reserves Cup.

 

Dianella’s next league match will be on a home game at Dianella Reserve on Saturday 20^th June against Bayswater.

 

1ST TEAM PLAYERS	RESERVES TEAM PLAYERS	U18 PLAYERS
Squad # Name 1   Mathew Battigelli GK 2 Milan Bogunovic 3   Jovan Djukanovic 4   Goran Radinovic 5 Riste Stefoski 6   Stefan Drca 7   Rodrigo Aguirre 8   Mario Lucic 9 Jon Greenwood 10 Dragan Njegic © 11 Dejan Djukanovic 12   Jimmy (Dimce) Taneski 13   Stefan Smiljanic 14   Nicholas Davies 15 Mladen Joncevski RGK 16 Wes Ryder	Squad # Name 1 Justin Scarvaci GK 2 Dragomir Balic 3   Giorgi Kacurkov 4 Cvete Ristoski 5   Nicholas Davies 6 Rob Cibesku 7 Vladimir Naumovski 8 Slobadab Golub 9 Filip Rajakovic 10 Kris Spaseski 11 Ognjen Radonic 12 Peter Naigi 13   Daniel Bradshaw 14 Stevan Zecevic 15 Mladen Joncevski RGK 16	Squad # Name 1 Mladen Joncevski 2 Brandon Del Fabbro 3 Jack Fleming 4 Stevan Zecevic 5 Jack Williams 6 Darko Kitanoski 7 Kamell Ahmed 8 Zeljko Petrovic 9 Andon Andovski 10 Strahinja Mrkonjic 11 Nicholas Jackson 12 Nemanja Celebicanin 13 Luka Nenadic 14 Stefan Susa 15 Gonzalo Sepulveda 16 Nabaz Hussayn 17 Sinisa Relic ® 19 Philip Pyrchla 20 Igor Radmilovich (RGK)

 

Njegic Brace Moves Dianella White Eagles into 2nd Place in Division 1

Dianella White Eagles continued their surged up the league ladder securing 2nd place after a Jon Greenwood penalty followed ‘Silent Assassin’ Dragan Njegic brace to secured Dianella all 3 points in their 3v2 Win at home against Rockingham.

With a number of 1st team regulars missing including keeper Mathew Battigelli who was serving the 2nd of his 2 match suspension, key striker Stefan Smiljanic returning from a hamstring injury successfully in the reserves, Nick Davies, Igor Ilijic & Branimir Dragojevic also unavailable saw coach Drca give starts to Jimmy (Dimce) Taneski and young keeper Justin Scarvaci who stood tall for the 2nd week in succession which will no doubt give coach Petra Drca some selection dilemmas with all suspended and injured players putting their hand up for selection next week as Dianella enter a critical stage of in their seasons fixtures.

Predictably the professional approach of Captain Dragan Njegic saw him busy early as he was unnecessarily chopped down on the edge of the 18 yard box with the Wes Ryders resulting free nick driven home by the foot of ‘Silent Assassin’ Dragan Njegic in a goal mouth scramble in the 3rd min.

Dianella had also welcomed back the usually mercurial Rodrigo Aguirre from suspension but apart from a few moments of brilliance when he exploded into the game his 47th min shot was well parried away by the desperately lunging keeper. The classy Argentinean playmakers below par performance with his stray passing masking his live wire performances saw coach Drca substitute him in the 68th minute with Vladimir Naumovski making his debut. Rodrigo Aguirre will no doubt be looking to atone in the clubs crucial run of games coming up. Greenwood put the fresh substitute through on a couple of occasions but the midfielder failed to capitalise when a shot on goal would have been better options for Greenwood.

Jimmy (Dimce) Taneski was busy raiding down the left wing and was on the end of a number of crude tackles during the day initially from his marker Richard Lacey who earned himself a yellow card early on in the 8th min. Rockingham were trying hard to get back in the game and Andrew Keary was their stand out player on the day working hard for them midfield as he created their equaliser after some more good work in the 20th min which saw his pin pint cross was well finished by striker Craig McCreery.

Spurred on by their vocal home crowd Dianella upped the tempo and strung together a series of passes that created a number of opportunities but initially they failed to capitalise until a long throw from Wes Ryders was surprisingly powerfully headed home by Dianella’s ‘‘Chrome Dome’ Dragan Njegic for his 2nd goal as Dianella dominated the visitors all day in the air and mostly on the ground as well.

It was end to end stuff with Dianella retaining a lot of the possession as they played the ball through their midfield whereas Rockingham opted to rely mainly on the long ball and could have scored in the 35th min but for Rob Clackett’s poor first touch which saw him go wide when a more direct touch towards goal would have seen him goal ward bound for a one on one with the keeper instead of conceding a goal kick.

The midfield battle for ascendency was full on with Mario Lucic standing tall for Dianella but his over zealous tackle earned him a yellow card caution as some excellent officiating saw referee Stephen Seeds stamp his authority on the game to keep control, including an incident when a Rockingham player was spoken to for also switching the match ball after a throw in without the referees permission. Dianella’s players were increasingly becoming frustrated following their desire to take quick free kicks which the official correctly interpreted the rules by pulling them back due to a moving ball or the referee not signaling the OK for play to continue.

It was a case of ‘Déjà vu’ for Craig McCreery in the 44th min as he emulated Rob Clackett’s poor first touch with the same result as the half time whistle sounded with Dianella leading 2-1.

Some Jimmy (Dimce) Taneski magic in the 37th min saw him beat his marker before unleashing a pile driver that sailed over the bar with the goal begging and after being on the end of a few more rough tackles the hobbling Taneski was substituted at half time with Jon Greenwood replacing him.

The 2nd half started with Rockingham’s ‘flavour of the day’ (long ball) devoured by Dianella towering defender Goran Radinovic with anything slipping through dealt with by astute sweeper Pavle Kuvekalovic as overlapping full backs Riste Stefoski and Milan Bogunovic provided additional cover when required but mainly raided down the wings to provide opportunities for their strikers. It was from one of Riste Stefoski through balls to Jon Greenwood whose predatory instincts saw him latch onto it hitting a first time screamer that was well saved but the rebound hit the out stretched hand of the defender as the referee pointed to the penalty spot which Greenwood strode up to confidently convert to give Dianella a 3-1 lead.

Dianella were dominating now with Wes Ryder’s carbon copy of his 22nd min effort this time in the 52nd min seeing him again cut in from the right but his left foot shot again sailed over the bar.

Rockingham’s ‘never say die’ attitude matched Dianella’s whose Milan Bogunovic crunching tackle earned him a yellow card caution which Andrew Keary stepped up to take the resulting free kick from 18 yards and his strike was goal ward bound inside the bottom left post but somehow the ‘inspector gadget’ arm of diving keeper Justin Scarvaci saved the day.

Referee Stephen Seeds must have thought he was at the casino as he busily flashed the cards this time enforcing the rules of the game as Rockingham substituted the tiring Tom Downes with the fresh legs of naive youngster Craig Howard who got a yellow card for running onto the park without the refs permission in the 65th min.

Jon Greenwood almost countered by flashing his ‘deck of aces’ but instead made another well timed run behind the defence latching onto a Wes Ryders pass which he cut inside before shooting but the ball cannoned into the grateful arms of the keeper.

Cvete Ristoski replaced Wes Ryder in the 90th minute as the game came to an end but Rockingham got a distant glimmer of hope in the 92nd after a Andrew Keary free kick was parried by the keeper with the loose ball tapped in as the final whistle sounded shortly afterwards.

In the other games Dianella Reserves won 2-1 with a late winner from a controversial penalty by big striker Stefan Smiljanic in a game which also saw promising U18s keeper Mladen Joncevski make a solid debut for the Reserves. Dianellas U18s drew 1-1 with their solitary goal courtesy of a more clinical finishing from promising 15yo Zeljko Petrovic who has been finding the net weekly with relative ease.

In the club rooms after the post match formalities Dianella enjoyed their boot scooting dance but there was no sign of referee Stephen (Cowboy) Seeds who would normally struts his “Toot toot if you can boot scoot skills” talents but surprisingly scurried off straight after the match to the casino for a combined cards / karaoke night instead.

Next week Dianella are away to Morley Windmills at Wotton Reserve Embleton.

MAURO’S MARAUDERS DO QUEENS PARK PROUD AGAINST AN UNDER STRENGTH DIANELLA WHO STILL ROMP HOME WITH THE POINTS IN ALL GRADES

Both teams fielded totally different line ups to their previous weeks starting 11 for differing reasons which in Queens Park case was due to a change in coaching personnel & a completely revamped squad made up of “Mauro’s Marauders” who did queens park proud, BUT, Dianella still romped home with the points despite missing 8 regular 1^st teamers in keeper Mathew Battigelli, centre half Nicholas Davies, midfielders Rodrigo Aguirre & Slobadab Golub, strikers Stefan Smiljanic & Wesley Ryder, defenders Branimir Dragojevic & Milan Bogunovic,.  So it was no surprise that a scrappy game resulted as two teams playing on an athletics track with no atmosphere often results in unattractive football when compounded by a poor playing surface.

 

Jovan Djukanovic came in at right back for the injured Milan Bogunovic and Dejan Djukanovic was also given a start by Dianella Coach Petra Drca who also started new signing Jon Greenwood, but was unable to field Jimmy (Dimce) Taneski due to transfer issues with Balcatta. Greenwood contributed as both finisher going close himself on a number of occasions and as supplier in what he thought was a goal set up on a plate for his Captain Dragan Njegic in the 62^nd min which turned out to be a ‘claytons’ goal as ‘play on’ was waved by referee M Williams who otherwise officiated the game flawlessly starting off with his ‘down to earth’ pre match chat with the players. He let the game flow and was otherwise unnoticeable in the game as all quality refs are. The only damper being the linesman who failed to flag that the ball struck by Njegic had hit the bar and bounced over the line by at least 2 foot but play was allowed to go on much to the amazement of all & sundry as Queens Park hurriedly cleared their lines.

 

Earlier on in the 15^th min astute counter attacking defender Riste Stefoski put Greenwood clear but his shot was gathered up by the grateful arms of the Queens Park goals custodian Robert Woolmer who was outstanding on the day despite what the score may suggest and certainly halved what could have been on any other day. Other key players for Queens Park were busy central midfielder Joshua Tumoe who managed to skilfully break free time and time again but too often shot wastefully from 20, 30 & 40 yards out spraying the ball either high or wide of the target. Also scorer of their only goal in substitute striker Joseph Wilondja who met a corner to powerfully score despite the heroic cat like reflexes of the stitched up Dianella keeper Justin Scarvaci. The brave keeper played on despite his injury & managed to palm the ball albeit high into his own net after being earlier on the end of a Mauro Capatani tackle that required a long stoppage in the game & stitches just below his eye. Dragan Njegic responded as he usually does with increased effort after rough tackles this time another James Braid tackle from behind which resulted in a free kick that Mario Lucic took quickly finding Jon Greenwood at the back post who headed just wide.

 

Dianella were looking dangerous as Riste Stefoski on one of his many forays forward got on the end of a Dejan Djukanovic cross to powerfully volley just wide in the 27^th min as the intensity of the game picked up Pavle Kuvekalovic also stamped his authority on the game as he was on both the giving and receiving end of some crunching tackles but he won the day turning the ball over in Dianella favour in most cases. It was not all one way traffic as Brutus Kuku’s weaving run down the left saw Queen Parks first real scoring opportunity as he crossed but Joshua Tumoe failed to connect allowing Riste Stefoski to clear. Surprisingly it was not until the stroke of half time that Dianella scored their 1^st goal after another run down the left by Riste Stefoski whose pin point cross was powerfully met by giant defender Goran Radanovic who had surged forward as the half ended 1-0 to Dianella.

 

The 2^nd half saw Dianella’s ‘twin towers’ up the intensity as their big powerful central defenders Goran Radanovic and Igor ilijic made their presence felt clearing with ease and surging forward causing no end of problems for the Queens Park defence as Igor ilijic went close early in the 2^nd half with a bullet like header from an excellent Stefan Drca corner and it was a carbon copy in the 55^th min that saw  Igor ilijic score Dianellas 2^nd goal.

 

Queens Park were far from finished and kept trying to find their 2^nd goal which nearly came about after the elusive Joseph Tumoe again broke clear only to see his quality cross fail to be met by the late arriving slide by Mauro Capatani.

 

Captain Dragan Njegic led by example running down everything he could to put intense pressure on the Queens Park defence as did fellow striker Jon Greenwood and it was the same combination that strung passes together to put Dejan Djukanovic through to shoot on goal in the 54^th min but his shot was blocked.  Greenwood was in the thick of things again shortly after with a powerful run down the right before being heavily challenged in what appeared to be a fair tackle but the referee awarded a free kick after the defender subsequently handled the ball. Drca stepped up to whip in a delightful cross that resulted in Dragan Njegic meeting it and his resulting wizardry  saw him break clear of his marker before ‘threading a needle’ at the near post to cannon in Dianella 3^rd goal.

 

Despite his stitches keeper Justin Scarvaci kept the occasional Queens Park forays out including palming wide a Fiado Mugaba effort in the 65^th min and had covered a Joseph Tumoe 25 yarder that just skimmed the bar on its way over.

 

With the game grinding to the end up popped Stefan Drca in the 86^th min to unleash a 30 yard pile driver for Dianella’s 4^th goal as the game fizzled out with Dianella content to retain possession as a few more yellows were flashed to help contain the home teams frustrations.

 

The final score was DWE 4 – QP 1

Scorers DWE Goran Radanovich 44th min, Igor ilijic 55th min, Dragan Njegic © 58th min, Stefan Drca 86^th min – QP scorer Joseph Wilondja 58^th min)

 

All in all a good day at the office for Dianella after their Reserves ran out comfortably winner 5-1 and U18s also won 7-4 as they all celebrated with a pleasant feed in the Queens Park club rooms after their customary winning song “Igrale se delije (The big men played) “

Igrale se delije (The big men played)
Nasred zemlje Srbije (In the centre of Dianella)
Sitno kolo do kola (They danced the kolo)
Vilo se do Stambola (They could hear it in Fremantle)

Vilo se do Stambola (They could hear it in Fremantle)
Carskog grada ohola (The enemies Imperial city)
Igra kolo do kola (They danced the kolo)
Ne haje za Stambola (The Turks in Fremantle cried)

Svira frula iz dola,
Frula moga sokola.
Sitno kolo do kola
Čulo se do Stambola

 

Next week is the cup round and while Dianella 1^st team are out of the cup their Reserves & U18s are away to Morley at Wotten Reserve, Embleton.

 

 

1ST TEAM PLAYERS	RESERVES TEAM PLAYERS	U18 PLAYERS
Squad # Name 1  Justin Scarvaci (Gk) 2 Jovan Djukanovic 3 Riste Stefoski 4 Pavle Kuvekalovic 5 Igor ilijic 6 Dragan Njegic © 7 Dejan Djukanovic 8 Mario Lucic 9 Jon Greenwood 10 Stefan Drca 11 Goran Radanovic 12 Ognjen Radonic 13 Nikolan Jeremic RGK 14 Kevin Carmona 15 Kris Spaseski	Squad # Name 1 Nikolan Jeremic Gk 2 Dragomir Balic 3 Alex Opacic 4 Victor Bogos  5 Rob Cibesku 6 Peter Naigi 7 Adam Vilenica 8 Milos Barovnica 9 Rodrigo Gonzalves 10 Stevica Petrovic 11 Ognjen Radonic 12 Filip Rajakovic 13 Milan Peric 14 Jovan Djukanovic 15 Slobadab Golub 16 Dejan Djukanovic	Squad # Name 1 Mladen Joncevski 2 Brandon Del Fabbro 3 Jack Fleming 4 Stevan Zecevic 5 Sinisa Relic 6 Darko Kitanoski 7 Kamell Ahmed 8 Zeljko Petrovic 9 Andon Andovski 10 Strahinja Mrkonjic 11 Nicholas Jackson 12 Nemanja Celebicanin 13 Luka Nenadic 14 Stefan Susa 15 Gonzalo Sepulveda 16 Ognjen Kotur 17 Igor Radmilovich RGK

 

 

DIANELLA DISSAPOINTED WITH DRAW & SHORE UP THEIR PLAYER STOCKS

“A draw away to Dianella is as good as a 3 point win” Forrestfield coach John Hunter was quoted as saying so it was no surprise that Dianella were extremely disappointed in a game they felt they should have won comfortably had the forwards had their scoring boots on but time and time again they failed to convert the mired of chances created. So it was no surprise that the score was locked at 0-0 at half time. Both teams came out looking for a win and despite missing key defender Nicholas Davies with a broken toe Dianella defended stoutly but a lapse early on in the 2^nd half saw the uncompromising Forrestfield outfit coached by former state league prolific striker John Hunter take the lead in the 55^th minute after a through ball split the defence and was well finished.

 

Dianella were disciplined & kept to their game plan creating chances as they surged forward with raid after raid going close several times through Wes Ryder & Dragan Njegic but it was not until the 85^th minute that the mercurial skills of Argentinean Rodrigo Aguirre enabled him to burst clear down the left at pace before he twisted & turned his defender inside out before unleashing a beautiful shot 18 yards out which he curled  into the top corner giving the outstretched keeper no chance as Dianella deservedly drew level 1-1.  Both teams were down to 10 men after Forrestfield’s #8 comical swan dive earned him an early shower and Dianellas keeper Mathew Battigelli who was red carded in the 88^th min for retaliation after being stomped on in the 88t minute after another outstanding display between the posts.

 

The Dianella onslaught continued to no avail and the score remained 1-1 despite golden opportunities falling to Captain Dragan Njegic who could have had a hatrick on the day.   With the game all but over Rodrigo Aguirre crossed from the right to Dragon Njegic but his opportunity to score the winner was blocked by some desperate defending.

 

In the other games Dianella Reserves lost 3-5 in an entertaining and closely contested game after leading 3-2 and the U18s lost 1-4.

 

Next week the Dianella travel to Coker Park to take on Queens Park who have just appointed Dianella ex U18s coach Mauro as their senior coach replacing Jimmy Pearson & Peter.

 

In recent weeks while Dianella have still managed some respectable results the club felt it could do better had their player depth not been tested so much by the string of player absences due to injuries, suspensions and other commitments so they have further strengthened their squad adding a number of experienced players to their roster all of whom trained and signed (re-signed) with the club  during the week.

 

1. Jon Greenwood – striker from Ashfield.

2. Jimmy (Dimce) Taneski – Striker from Balcatta

3. Vladimir Naumovsai – Attacking midfield player from Stirling Lions.

4.   Igor ilijic from Stirling Lions. The imposing young defender played youth team football at Red Star Belgrade and enjoyed a spell with Makedonia Gorce Petrov prior to moving to Perth during the summer. After training strongly during the week ilijic has put his hand up for a starting spot in this weeks game away at Coker Park when they take on Queens Park.

4. Nikola Jeremiæ – Goalkeeper previously playing for FK Smederevo in the Serbian First League.

5. Stephen Battella – 1st team striker from last season returned to the training track this week after being out with a meta tarcel fracture.

 

Things are looking up both on and off the pitch for Dianella’s  following their early season off the field dramas as coach Petra Drce  European style of football is not only winning them games but also attracting increased crowds and behind the scenes participation which is all positive for the club to continue progressing. The clubs building plans have been approved by the City of Stirling and include extending the current single story club rooms and adding a 2nd story all of which will commence toward the end of the year in readiness for the 2010 season.

 

While the clubs outfield players stocks have been further strengthened they will be without inspirational keeper Mathew Battigelli who is playing on with pain due to surgery delays but is out for the Queens Park fixture following his red card suspension in last weeks match against Forrestfield for retaliation after being stomped on in the 88t minute. This all adds to some selection dilemmas for coach Petra Drca but he has a large squad of not only outfield players to choose from but also keepers all of who are putting their hand up for selection including youngster Justin Scarvaci who has filled in with distinction recently and the experienced Nikolan Jeremic who joined the club recently following back-up keeper Todd Busbys decision to return to Ashfield recently.

 

Coach Petar Drce said that while “Mattys surgery has been delayed 6 weeks hes playing on with pain killer injections – hes got big brass balls that young man!!” but Drca says “ while Mr Greenwood has not scored this season for Ashfield with the service he will be getting at Dianella he expects Mr Greenwood to return to his prolific goal scoring exploits where he bagged 50 plus goals for the club in recent seasons  and expects him to get a bag full in this weeks away clash with Queens Park.  

 

 

1ST TEAM PLAYERS	RESERVES TEAM PLAYERS	U18 PLAYERS
Squad # Name 1 Mathew Battigelli (Gk) 2 Milan Bogunovic 3 Riste Stefoski 4 Pavle Kuvekalovic 5 Igor ilijic 6 Dragan Njegic © 7 Rodrigo Aguirre 8 Mario Lucic 9 Jon Greenwood 10 Stefan Drca 11 Jimmy (Dimce) Taneski 12 Ognjen Radonic 13 Branimir Dragojevic 14 Nicholas Davies 15 Branimir Dragojevic 16 Nikolan Jeremic RGK 17 Kris Spaseski 18 Stephen Battella 19 Vladimir Naumovsai	Squad # Name 1 Justin Scarvaci Gk 2 Dragomir Balic 3 Alex Opacic 4 Victor Bogos  5 David Hall 6 Peter Naigi 7 Adam Vilenica 8 Milos Barovnica 9 Rodrigo Gonzalves 10 Stevica Petrovic 11 Ognjen Radonic 12 Filip Rajakovic 13 Cvete Ristoski 14 Dragan Radojevic 15 Slobadab Golub 16 Dejan Djukanovic 17 Jovan Djukanovic 18 Milan Peric 19 Rob Cibesku	Squad # Name 1 Mladen Joncevski 2 Brandon Del Fabbro 3 Jack Fleming 4 Stevan Zecevic 5 Jack Williams 6 Darko Kitanoski 7 Kamell Ahmed 8 Zeljko Petrovic 9 Andon Andovski 10 Strahinja Mrkonjic 11 Nicholas Jackson 12 Nemanja Celebicanin 13 Luka Nenadic 14 Stefan Susa 15 Gonzalo Sepulveda 16 Ognjen Kotur 17 Sinisa Relic 19 Philip Pyrchla Rgk Igor Radmilovich

Casino day for 4th placed Dianella

Dianella White Eagles have broken clear of a congested mid-table making it three wins on the trot after a solid display in their 3-0 win against Gosnells at Walter Padbury Reserve on the w/end. Scorers were consistent striker Dragon Njegic in the 6^th & 55^th mins plus youngster Kris Spaseski in the 27^th min.

 

Dianella travelled to Gosnells City expecting a tough encounter still missing striker Stefan Smiljanic (injury) & defenders Goran Radinovich (suspended) & Pavle Kuvekalovic (21^st Party) but welcomed back striker Wes Ryder who started in the right midfield role as Coach Drca kept to his winning formula in the striking partnership of Dragon Njegic & Rodrigo Aguirre which has returned a bounty of goals in recent weeks.

 

Gosnells were missing influential players in Scott Devine & Alan Dunlop through injury and looked to their pony tail express Stuart Aitkin to continue his ‘box to box’ role and it was Aitkin who was their stand out player who with better finishing could be plying his trade in the premier league.

 

Wes Ryders hard running & fast movement off the ball and passing movements with the strikers saw him deliver consistent pin point crosses all day which caused no end of problems for Gosnells. It was from one of his many raids down the right in the 6^th min saw the defender intercept but

fumble his clearance which the predatory Dragon Njegic pounced on running through before drawing the keeper to slot home the 1^st goal of the day for the visitors.

 

Dianella could had scored several more if not for poor finishing at the back post by youngster Kris Spaseski (15^th & 25^th mins).

 

Gosnells had chances of their own including Darren Francis effort in the 18^th min from 18 yards which was goal ward bound until the agile Mathew Battigelli dived to tap it just wide of the goal. Shortly after Dianella lost Mathew Battigelli to a buttock injury requiring him to be carried off and replaced by up & coming youngster Justin Scarvaci who proved to be a capable replacement  making a number of telling clearances and keeping a clean sheet.

 

Dianella were running riot now with midfield general Mario Lucic pulling the strings in midfield with Dragon Njegic & Rodrigo Aguirre creating havoc up front for the visitors. Despite late tackles on Dragon Njegic in the 32^nd & 34^th mins earning the offenders yellow cards the consistent captain continued to run hard breaking clear and almost scoring after electing to shoot from a narrow angle on the right when a pull back would have been the better option.

 

Stuart Aitkin’s creativity saw him surged clear for Gosnells in the 35^th minute but with an open goal begging some how managed to shot just wide and again in the 65^th min in similar fashion.

 

Dianella could have had a couple of penalties on another day initially in the 38^th min when the dangerous Rodrigo Aguirre was initially fouled outside of the box but continue on strongly before a second challenge inside the box saw him tumble down but the linesman who was right in front failed to flag and the blind sided ref signalled for play to continue much to the relief of the home crowd. The ref thought he was at the casino flashing the yellow again in the 66^th min this time to Alan Caxton for repeated fouls ion Mario Lucic which probably explained his reluctance to give a  penalty after issuing several cards on the day and again in the 62^nd min when Rodrigo Aguirre was through one on one and pushed in the back going down inside the penalty area by the recovering defender but nothing was given much to the amazement of the visiting crowd.

 

Dianella youngster Kris Spaseski made amends for his earlier misses in the 27^th min tapping in at the back post after a carbon copy Wes Ryder raid down the right for Dianella 2^nd goal and with his confidence growing tried a 30 yard strike in the 40^th min that said agonisingly just wide. Wes Ryder was giving his opponent Luke Woodward  a roasting and after beating him twice saw his powerful strike in the 44^th min with the keeper stranded sail just wide of the mark before scumming to a thigh strain and being replaced by Ognjen Radonic in the 50^th min. Dianella were forced to use their final allowable substitution shortly after when Branimir Dragojevic tackled and pulled up sore requiring treatment before being replaced by the experienced Viktor Bogos who was equally solid in the left back roll.

 

The energetic Rodrigo Aguirre was creating chances for team mates and has a go himself in the 45^th min when his 18 yard pile driver was well saved.

 

Gosnells man of the match Stuart Aitkin’s was busy again but failed to react sharply enough in the 6 yard box with the goal begging giving the defence time to clear.

 

Dianella’s new signing from Floreat Athena Milan Bogunovic was outstanding again as another of his telling through balls found  the head of inspirational captain Dragon Njegic who made no mistake with his near post header which he calmly flicked into the net for the third goal.

 

With the game all but over Dianella seemed to relax with Marion Lucic tiring and Gosnells started to take the initiative as Luke Wilkshire shot from 20 yards hit the cross bar and bounced to Stuart Aitkin’s whose weak scissors kick went direct to the grateful keepers arms. Gosnells were controlling the midfield now and went close again shortly after with a Luke Woodard 30 yard pile driver that flew just wide & a weak Alan Claxton effort. The yellow cards were being flashed to the frustrated Gosnells players as defender Mark Edwards crudely brought down Stefan Drca but the quick thinking youngster took the free kick quickly putting Njegic clear but his goal ward bound shot was block with some desperate defending.

 

As the game ground to a close another crude Gosnells challenge this time in the 68^th min a Dave Abbot crude shirt front challenge on youngster Kris Spaseski saw him lucky to receive a yellow and not a straight red and finally another yellow for David Firth but to their credit Gosnells finished on a positive with a header that hit the post by the hard working Alan Claxton.

 

In the other games the much improved Dianella Reserves drew 4-4 and the U18s also drew 3-3.

 

In next weeks round 6 clash Dianella are at home at Dianella against Forrestfield.

 

 

 

EAGLES SWOOP ON CATS FOR A WELL DESERVED 2-1 WIN

Dianella White Eagles surprised many with a convincing 2-1 win against the Balcatta Cats despite being decimated with 7 first team regulars missing with injury or other commitments so it was a very concerned Coach Petra Drca who was forced to make another last minute change to his starting line up with the last minute withdrawal of key striker Wesley Ryder. Dianella’s reshuffled team included starts for two of several new signings in Milan Bogunovic (right back from Floreat Athena) and Micky Ben (Left mid from NTC) who were both solid contributors on the day.

 

Referee Peter Chapman stamped his authority on the game early on booking Rodrigo Aguirre for swearing and controlled the game well overall as Dianella took the lead in the 23^rd minute when he allowed the quick thinking Mario Lucic to quickly lay off a free kick to Kris Spaseski whose run & diagonal through ball put Rodrigo Aguirre clear who at pace twisted & turned to lose his defender before drawing & lobbing advancing state keeper Kenny Ftynogiannis to give Dianella a well deserved 1-0 lead at half time.

 

The score remained 1-0 to Dianella at half time despite chances for both sides not being capitalised on including golden opportunities for Captain Dragan Njegic who could have had a hatrick on the day including his 35^th min effort which he shot just wide after good work by Mickey Ben and again soon after when through one on one but was late pulling the trigger when an easy goal was begging.

 

Balcatta coach Sal Todaro had his own player absences to contend with 5 absent and surprised many with his use of top goal scorer Bobby Klenkoski as a centre half and midfield assassin Stephen (Ebe) Cowbrough at right back. But it was former Dianella player Jimmy (Dimce) Taneski’s battle with Milan Bogunovic that was arguably the highlight of the game as he teased and tormented the quality defender (who took out the man of the match award) who responded manfully but Taneski still managed to deliver a number of telling crosses that the cats forwards failed to capitalise on. Taneski was again in the thick of things combining well with the cats best player in striker Ashley Rosendale (signed from Stirling Lions) whose movement off the ball and powerful running & balance proved to be a hand full for the home sides defence who did well to hold him scoreless on the day. It was after Taneski’s one on one with keeper Mathew Battigelli who was outstanding in his last game of the season as he bravely came out spreading wide & blocked the strikers his path to goal, and much to the surprise & relief of the home side, that Taneski was substituted in the 1^st half as Milan Bogunovic capitalised upping his contribution now adding overlapping runs & crosses creating havoc for the cats.

 

Matthew De Barro had a golden opportunity to open the scoring for the cats after a great run down the right by Ian Mckean but his pin point cut back was fluffed by De Barro.

 

The 2^nd half saw Paul Dundo continue to be dominant for Balcatta in the heart of their defence winning everything in the air with surges forward creating goal scoring opportunities for himself & team mates at times similar to Dianella’s Pavle Kuvekalovic & Nick Davis who just shaded his performance with better distribution on the ground. Cats keeper Kenny Ftynogiannis did well in the 47^th min when a Riste Stefoski counter attack through ball fell to Dragon Njegic who easily glided past the panicking Stephen (Ebe) Cowbrough before Ftynogiannis came  to his rescue blocking bravely.

 

Dianella 2^nd goal came in the 75^th min after a Balcatta cross was blocked on the 6 yard line and a quick counter attack by Pavle Kuvekalovic found Stefan Drca whose penetrating through ball saw Dianella inspirational Captain Dragon Njegic surge clear of the defence before drawing the keeper and slotting home.

 

With the game all but over Captain Dragon Njegic was rewarded for his efforts after scoring clincher with a rest as Rob Cibesku made his debut for the 1^st team.

 

Balcatta scored a late consolation goal in the 90^th min after a Ashley Rosendale free kick was headed to to make the final score 2-1 to Dianella despite a 92^nd minute effort that was clearly disallowed for offside.

 

The cats did however manage wins in the Reserves 0 – 4  thanks to a missed Dragomir Balic penalty at a critical time which would have turned the game and an entertaining and closely contested 0 – 1 win in the U18s.

 

Next week the Eagles travel to Walter Padbury Reserve, Thornlie to take on Gosnells who also managed an upset winning 2-1 against Fremantle Spirit.

 

 

1ST TEAM PLAYERS	RESERVES TEAM PLAYERS	U18 PLAYERS
Squad # Name 1 Mathew Battigelli (Gk) 2 Milan Bogunovic 3 Riste Stefoski 4 Pavle Kuvekalovic 5 Nicholas Davies 6 Dragan Njegic © 7 Rodrigo Aguirre 8 Mario Lucic 9 Kris Spaseski 10 Stefan Drca 11 Micky Ben 12 Ognjen Radonic 13 Branimir Dragojevic 14 Rob Cibesku 15 Branimir Dragojevic 16 Nikolan Jeremic RGK	Squad # Name 1 Justin Scarvaci Gk 2 Dragomir Balic 3 Alex Opacic 4 Victor Bogos   5 David Hall 6 Peter Naigi 7 Adam Vilenica 8 Milos Barovnica 9 Rodrigo Gonzalves 10 Stevica Petrovic 11 Ognjen Radonic 12 Filip Rajakovic 13 Cvete Ristoski 14 Nikolan Jeremic RGK 15 Slobadab Golub 16 Dejan Djukanovic 17 Jovan Djukanovic 18 Milan Peric 19 Dragan Radojevic	Squad # Name 1 Mladen Joncevski 2 Brandon Del Fabbro 3 Jack Fleming 4 Stevan Zecevic (U18’s) 5 Jack Williams 6 Darko Kitanoski 7 Kamell Ahmed 8 Zeljko Petrovic (U18’s) 9 Andon Andovski 10 Strahinja Mrkonjic (U18’s) 11 Nicholas Jackson 12 Nemanja Celebicanin (U18’s) 13 Luka Nenadic (U18’s) 14 Stefan Susa (U18’s) 15 Gonzalo Sepulveda 16 Ognjen Kotur 17 Sinisa Relic ® 19 Philip Pyrchla Rgk Igor Radmilovich (U18’s)

 

Dianella White Eagles Eagerly Await the Balcatta Cats

While Dianella Coach Petra Drca (pictured below) is eagerly awaiting the local derby with Balcatta and what will no doubt be another large vocal crowd Drca is quietly confident despite some reservations on which he says “We have been forced to reshuffle our line up for this w/ends R4 match at home against Balcatta due to 7 players being unavailable for a number of reasons including the 2 week suspension of centre half Goran Radinovic, wedding commitments of midfielder Dejan Djukanovic, injuries to midfielder Slobadab(Bobby)Golub, winger Kevin Carmona, striker Stefan Smiljanic and season ending knee injury to defender Laze Taneski”.

Injuries and players coming and going are just part of life in football Drca said so while the recent departure of striker Dragon Milankovic also left a void this does give other squad players an opportunity to step up which Drca was quoted as saying “a couple of squad members will be given an opportunity to step up to the starting line-up but he said “there could be a few surprises in store for Balcatta including the possibility of two new high profile signings making their debut on Saturday” but the astute Drca would not reveal their names or positions other then to say “All will be revealed on match day” !!

It could well also be the last game for the season for goal keeper Mathew Battigelli before undergoing the surgeons knife to correct a chronic hand injury – “But like always we will be expecting a big game from Matty – Drca said”.

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Matchday Program for Dianella White Eagles v Balcatta

Matchday Program for Dianella White Eagles v Ashfield

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Matchday Program for Dianella White Eagles v Fremantle Spirit

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Matchday Program for Dianella White Eagles v Shamrock Rovers

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RED LETTER DAY FOR 10 MAN DIANELLA WHO RALLY TO BEAT ASHFIELD WITH A HATRICK OF WINS

Dianella had a red letter day after their 10 man 1^st team rallied to beat Ashfield as did the Reserves & U18s.

Despite the 1^st team being down to 10 players after a straight red card was given to Goran Radinovic after his accidental stray elbow found the chin of Ashfield striker Martin Kelly who required stitches forcing coach John Castrilli to substitute him in the 30^th min. Earlier on Dianella keeper Mathew Battigelli was called into action when a Gareth Healy strike was palmed wide of the goal.

With key striker Stefan Smiljanic not starting due to injury it was left to inspirational captain Dragan Njegic to supply opportunities for his strike partner Wes Ryder which he did in the 28^th as his close control at pace saw him leave his marker for dead before passing inside to Ryder whose powerful shot was well held by the keeper. Ashfield’s Aaron Moschopoulos   was lucky not to be dismissed in the 38^th min as the last man when Ryder burst through only to be dragged down by the neck with no card issued much to the relief of the visitors.

As often happens with teams down to 10 men Dianella worked harder and thought they had scored their first in the 40^th min when a Rodrigo Aguirre free kick was met by Riste Stefoski whose powerfully volley found the net but was controversially disallowed for offside. Despite Dianellas dominance Ashfield took the lead in the 40^th min after keeper Mathew Battigelli failed to punch clear a cross which was headed in for Ashfield’s solitary goal with the score being 1-1 at half time.

Ashfield failed to capitalise on their own chances as Dianellas remaining 10 players rallied in the 2^nd half digging deep to defeat Ashfield 2-1 with a 90^th minute winner scored by Stefan Drca after Rodrigo Aguirre had earlier converted a penalty in the 45^th min following the legging of Wesley Ryder by the Ashfield keeper.

Dianella had numerous other goal scoring opportunities as they pushed for goal with Wesley Ryder’s efforts in the 60^th & 62^nd mins well saved by Ashfield keeper Mathew Darling who was outstanding for the visitors. Darling was called upon again in the 70^th min when Dianellas forwards failed to capitalise after a Pavle Kuvekalovic strike was spilled by the keeper but this and other opportunities were not converted forcing the nail biting finale for the home side. Ashfield rallied late with Namapobi (Kanu) Salvatore going close in the 75^th & 77^th mins but his shots were wide of the target. Coach Petar Drca desperately wheeled the changes bringing on substitute Kris Spaseski, Ognjen Radonic and surprisingly injured striker Stefan Smiljanic who turned the tide. Wes Ryder thought he had the winner in the 80^th after a great run down the right by substitute Kris Spaseski was powerfully struck into the grateful arms of the well position keeper. Dianella desperately continued to push for the winner as Rodrigo Aguirre 85^th min strike was well saved after more good work down the right by Kris Spaseski whose cross was well headed down by Stefan Smiljanic for his goal ward bound strike that was again well saved.  The winner eventually came in the 90^th minute after a good run down the right and passes exchanged between Kris Spaseski and Rodrigo Aguirre who set up Stefan Drca whose initial shot was blocked but he pounced on the rebound to score the winner in the 90^th min.

In the other games the Reserves won 4-2 with a great start to the coaching career of Adam Galvin whose season ending injury to 1^st Team player has finally got some good news. Adam put his UEFA B coaching license to good use as he commenced his coaching career with the Dianella Reserves with a winning debut following his successful knee surgery as he  re-establishes his connection with the club in a coaching capacity lookings forward to a successful 2009 season.

The U18s won 2-1 which was satisfying for new coach Stan Grostate whose team is comprised of mainly 15 & 16 year olds. The former Stirling Lions U16s Premier Coaches new team is quickly improving with players adjusting to their new team mates and positions.