A confident and fluent Canberra Cosmos couldn't go the distance at a magnificent but cool Bruce Stadium as ill discipline, and a determined Newcastle Breakers, snatched the President's Cup out of their hands. Cosmos attacked from the outset and it looked plausible that their season would keep well on track, however an early shower for Michael Musitano in the 49th min ultimately proved fatal.
The two teams would have had different feelings coming into Friday night's game. Canberra's approachable Coach Tom Sermanni generally pleased with the season so far but wary of Newcastle. Wily Lee Sterrey, stung by a small section of the Breakers crowd last week and this week's loss (due to 4 yellows) of skipper and pivotal defensive player Shane Pryce, was looking to climb back up the ladder as soon as possible and knew this game should otherwise 'by rights' be a chance.
With Pryce out Sterrey promoted youth league and fringe player Glenn Moore into his position and gave the captain's arm band to stalwart flanker Glenn Sprod. The other surprise was the late inclusion of new signing (Blacktown City Demons Novocastrian goal ace) Damien Smith, who started on the bench.
Sermanni's main concern was to keep his tyro side treating each game with the necessary intensity and consistency required of top 6 contenders. 'We're not here to do better than last year, we want to do well this year, he stated.'
The teams took the field in front of a modest but enthusiastic and vocal crowd, including 30 or so travelling Breakers fans. Cosmos took advantage of the Breakers unsettled defence to attack and within 5 mins Daniel Watkins was twice in position to cause trouble should there have been any faltering. The Breakers responded at the 7th min when Johnny Buonavoglia hit a firm header but straight at Grant Barlow. Cosmos won two corners in quick succession shortly after when David Millin and Watkins and then Gabriel Gonzalez got behind the back four. Watkins then made a scything run through the Breakers defence only to see his shot cleared over the cross bar. This was Cosmos best passage of play and a head-up Jason Polak gave a great cross to Musitano only to see him 'sky' the shot from close range.
The game got bogged down in the middle and play was starting to get 'willing'. Andy Roberts who had been trying manfully to stamp authority in the centre of the park was judged to have stepped over the mark and was carded by Matthew Breeze at the 19th min. The pace of the game picked up and chances to Buonavoglia and Watkins came before the 25th min when ex Socceroo midfielder Jason Polak made space on the left, got into range, and let fly with a bullet that pierced big Bob Catlin's defence and bulged the top right corner of the Newcastle net.
At last Newcastle made some space wide and Travis Dodd made a surging run up the right side to the line and his cut back was met by Andy Roberts who seemed so surprised that he hit it over. Despite this miss one can look back at this as a turning point.
The affable Scot Sermanni stated after the game that 'I thought we played well for the first 30 minutes and I thought we were in control for most of the game, and I thought we were comfortable at that stage. Newcastle are a team that are very competitive, and they keep plugging away and never give up, they are very disciplined. They worked their way back into the game and the signs were there before the first goal, the signs were there that there was some danger, and we weren't alert enough'. Andy Harper's free header at the 44th min not only equalled the score but gave an inkling that the Cosmos defence was losing its way.
Could Cosmos wrest the game back? Well that was answered in the 49th min when in a tussle over a free kick in midfield Michael Musitano said 'welcome to the big league' with a sharp elbow jab into Glenn Moore's face. Whatever Musitano's complaint against Moore referee Breeze strode straight up and brandishing the red one pointed the Canberra striker firmly in a westward direction to the tunnel entrance.
Asked later whether this was crucial Sermanni demurred but admitted 'It certainly didn't help - you can't keep having ten players. I mean this is 3 times this year, twice we've ended up with 10 players and once with 9 players. You can't keep doing that, it tells on you. Even with 10 players we still had one or two chances and we didn't do that badly, but it's very very difficult to win a game with 10 players'.
The game see-sawed whilst Newcastle tried to settle against 10 men. Vision's of last week's inept adjustment to playing 9 men flooded back, however wide men Sprod and Brad Weiczorek started to find that extra space. Sprod's magic 40m diagonal through ball to Buonavoglia brought rookie Barlow out like a flash to take it off the diminutive strikers feet. Canberra were determined to stay in it but Ivo De Jesus's 56th min yellow card for diving in the Newcastle area was not the way to do it. Again 'Witchy' Wieczorek made space on the left in the 61st min, made it to the line and his well struck cross was met by Buonavoglia whose powerfull header gave Barlow no chance. Newcastle now put into action what they had been learning all week as they used classic tactics to create space against a team reduced in numbers, with good use of the width of the park and variation in attack.
Canberra fought back with Gonzalez, Popovich, and substitute Kolpak all giving Cosmos hope of a breakthrough. The Breakers defence now was looking a hard nut to crack with Moore looking majestic and like he had played 100 games not a handfull. Sterrey countered the Canberra surges by bringing on fresh legs. Damien Smith came on for his season debut to assist Roberts to grab back the midfield and from that 71st min change Newcastle dominated. A 'well done' was later given Roberts by releaving him to introduce the pace of Peter 'Junky' Juchniewicz.
To give Cosmos their due they never gave up and may have caught the Breakers out with a late corner from which Catlin had to palm the ball out and then it return, fortunately wide. The final whistle blew and some very happy Breakers fans cheered their team as they received the shiny President's Cup for this year and the precious 3 points.
After the game Sermanni when asked about the season so far said 'I'm happy and unhappy with the season. I'm not happy with things like tonight's game. I've been happy with general things we've been doing. Tonight the general feeling of intensity around the team was not to the standard required'.
Breakers coach Sterrey wasn't in the least bit getting carried away - after all they only have 10 points from 27. Interviewed afterwards he claimed: 'We're still only 60% there with our play - our crossing was woefull. Although we scored 2 goals from crosses there were so many situations when we should have done better. We work on it over and over again at training and we still can't do it in on game situation'.
He was positive however about the long term. 'These guys have done well for 14 months and this was our first bad spell. It was great to see people come down and support the team. Realistically we have thrown 6 points out the window this year so we didn't deserve to be where we were - 4 draws and 3 (of those) we should have won'.
On the send-off: 'We still again, when the man went off, rushed it for 10-15 minutes and I was screaming to settle it down and slow it down and get it back to the defence and wide again when we needed to. When we did that we got our dominance'.
On Glen Moore's MOM performance - 'For a bloke who is still only 60-70% fit he was unbelievable. His reading of the game and coolness at the back was sensational so he'll put pressure on' (the squad).
On the future: 'I haven't seen a lot of great teams in the league either so if we can improve on what we are doing week by week we'll be there. The blokes have faith in their ability and they know I have faith in them'.
Sterrey also warmly praised and thanked the away fans for their faith and noisy support. 'To walk out to the 'Breakers, Breakers' chant really lifted the lads', he concluded.