The Wanderers Academy youth teams took on the Central Coast Mariners Academy at the Wanderers Centre of Football over the weekend.
U13s coached by Peter Kofinas
5-0 win
You could feel the excitement as soon as the U13s arrived at the Wanderers Centre of Football. From the moment the players walked into the change rooms, they had the mindset that they really wanted to get a result in this fixture. A dominant start to the game allowed the youngsters to gain control early on and dictate how they wanted to play. The Red & Black created many opportunities to finish the game off in the first half but failed to capitalise on some really nice passages of play. The second half was more of the same except they took the chances we created and rewarded ourselves for the hard work though the week at training and effort on the field. Goalscorers were Christian Lardieri, Nicholas Badolato, Dom Trovato, Oscar Morrison and Riley Nolan.
U14s coached by Rob Bradshaw
1-1 draw
The U14s got off to a slow start in this match. Decision making in possession needed to be better as did the speed of build-ups with ball circulation not to the standard required to allow players to take advantage of spaces. The Wanderers conceded a goal to the Mariners from our own accord early in the game from a corner. This was due to ball flight judgement and the fact that the wind was blowing heavily making things difficult. The U14s had a few chances to equalise but went into half time down 1-0. After a review of the performance, the youngsters knew where they needed to improve and were a far better side in the 2nd half. The Wanderers players were moving better on and off the ball and opened the opposition up more frequently. The side managed to pull back a goal with a good finish from Max Hately. The Wanderers pushed for a winner and were unlucky after hitting the crossbar and coming close on several occasions however it finished a draw.
U15s coached by Geoff Abrahams
4-0 win
After a big away win midweek against top four side Wollongong 3-1, the Wanderers were again victorious in another top of the table clash against a very strong Central Coast Mariners 4-0. 2 goals to Dean Bosnjak capped off an excellent performance while a special performance from Mansour El Masri was rewarded with a goal. Miguel Dipizio rounded out the scoring which meant all goals were scored by players playing above their age group. This side has been putting consistent high level performances for a while now but are aiming to keep improving individually and collectively. Goals midweek were scored by Ryley Hollingdale (2) and Max Hately.
U16s coached by Shaf Sagol
0-0 draw
A game in which saw the U16s side dominate possession and pin back the opposition in their own half frustratingly finished 0-0. Unfortunately, the youngsters did not take the many chances that they had to break the deadlock but retained possession and created transition moments. Overall, it was pleasing performance against a tough opposition in windy conditions.
U18s coached by Tom Vidovic
1-0 win
Building on last week’s performance, the U18s defeated Central Coast Mariners 1-0. The Wanderers dominated the first half and should have lead by several goals but went into the break at 1-0 after a fantastic long-range effort from Tommy Ruperto. The Mariners started the second half strongly but the. U18s were able to withstand the periods of pressure whilst creating a number of changes of their own.
U20s coached by Yianni Tsattalios
3-1 loss against Marconi Stallions
The Wanderers U20s played Marconi over the weekend in some very difficult conditions. In a tense first half where the Red & Black created some great chances to score, they weren’t able to convert any of the dominance of possession into goals. In the second half Marconi capitalised on opportunities which ultimately proved the difference. The Wanderers scored a late consolation goal through Paulo Bonanni and will be looking to get back on track this week against Mt Druitt.
