Ron Corry to be appointed WSFC Goalkeeper Coach

Sigh...

BLACKTOWN CITY BEAT THE WANDERERS AT WANDERERS FOOTBALL PARK The Wanderers suffered a 3rd straight loss at Wanderers Football Park today against Blacktown City with Blacktown winning 4-0 and the Wanderers going down to 9 men for half of the match. One of the goals coming from Blacktown City's Danny Choi could be a contender for goal of the season. The Wanderers played against Blacktown City at Wanderers Football Park that was originally scheduled to be played at 7pm but was moved to 3pm. The Wanderers were looking to end their back-to-back defeats after an own goal from Aiden Simmon saw the Wanderers had a 1-0 loss against St George City at Penhurst Park last week. Blacktown City were heading into this game with 5 games unbeaten heading into this game and sitting 4th on the ladder. There were 5 changes made to the squad. Lachlan Tilt, Awan Lual, Tristan Arrarte, Antony Barbic, and Marcus Petrovski were not selected. Tristan Vidackovic returned from injury, Nathan Barrie returned after serving his red card suspension, Ryley Hollingdale was moved to the starting eleven after playing several games from the bench, Luka Knezevic rejoined the squad, Kaan Nizam was moved from the starting eleven to the bench, Jesse Cameron returned from injury to the bench, and 18-year-old Lachlan Henderson made his NPL debut. The left back was previously a Blacktown City junior and joined the Wanderers Academy this year. The Wanderers commenced the match with a strong offensive strategy. In the 8th minute, Julian Cop assisted Alaat Abdul-Rahman in advancing past Blacktown’s defense. Abdul-Rahman had Knezevic on his left for support and eventually crossed the ball to him. Knezevic attempted a shot at goal with only Cayden Henderson in front of him, but the shot went over the crossbar. Another opportunity arose in the 18th minute when Lachlan Campbell Blacktown City tried to clear the ball with a header. Alaat Abdul-Rahman gained possession and took a shot that was on target. Although Cayden Henderson managed to get a hand on the ball, it hit the crossbar. Blacktown City had their first chance in the 24th minute when Mitchell Mallia crossed to Travis Major, who dribbled past Wanderers' defenders before passing to Danny Choi. Choi's shot was saved by Tristan Vidackovic, keeping the score at nil all. In the 26th minute, Mitch Mallia attempted a cross cleared by Saxon Hillyer but regained possession and sent another cross to Nicholas O’Brien. O’Brien's shot reached Travis Major, who chipped it into the net, making Vidackovic lose his footing. Blacktown scored again in the 32nd minute. After a Wanderers corner kick, Blacktown counter-attacked with Mitch Mallia passing to Danny Choi, who lobbed a long shot from 30 yards out, beating Vidackovic and scoring a sensational goal that could be a contender for goal of the season. In the 37th minute, Edmun Haddad outplayed Jackson Bandiera down the right side and entered the penalty area. Haddad fired a shot that went wide and hit the side nets. A few minutes before the end of the first half, Julian Cop was carried off the field due to what appeared to be an injury. Kaan Nizam came on the field as his replacement. In the second half, Blacktown City showed determination to secure their third goal. Danny Choi delivered a cross which Ricky Fransen was unable to clear effectively, resulting in Travis Major gaining possession. Major attempted a tap-in, but the effort lacked sufficient power and was comfortably saved by Tristan Vidackovic. In the 48th minute, Edmun Haddad sought to aid the Wanderers by executing a cross aimed at Alaat Abdul-Rahman. Abdul-Rahman headed the ball towards Cayden Henderson. Blacktown's defense and Henderson appeared to be focusing on the ball as it approached him. At this moment, Kaan Nizam made a sprint to attempt a quick shot at goal. Although Nizam reached the ball, his shot was unfortunately off target. From then onwards, the Wanderers faced numerous challenges for the remainder of the second half. In the 51st minute, they were awarded a free kick. Saxon Hillyer kicked it backwards downfield to Ricky Fransen. Fransen was closely defended by Jak O’Brien, who almost secured the ball. In an unfortunate turn of events, Fransen grabbed O’Brien’s feet while attempting to gain possession, resulting in the referee issuing a red card to Fransen, reducing the Wanderers to ten men. Just nine minutes later, the Wanderers found themselves down to nine men when Benjamin Berry possessed the ball and Kaan Nizam’s high slide tackle earned him another red card. Under mounting pressure, the Wanderers chose to play defensively. Nathan Barrie passed back to Tristan Vidackovic, who was under intense pressure from Blacktown's attackers. Vidackovic's attempt to quickly pass to a teammate was intercepted by Nicholas O’Brien, who promptly fired the ball into the net, extending the lead to 3-0. In the 71st minute, Martin Fernandez penetrated the Wanderers' defense and entered the penalty box area. Richard Nkomo attempted to dispossess Fernandez but shoulder-charged him, causing Fernandez to fall and the referee to award a penalty kick. Martin Fernandez took the penalty kick; although Tristan Vidackovic dove to the left side where the ball was headed, he was unable to make contact, allowing Blacktown City to extend their lead to 4-0. In the final minutes of the match, Tristan Vidackovic prevented Blacktown City from increasing their lead several times as the Wanderers struggled in defense, and Blacktown City played predominantly in the Wanderers' half. The Wanderers made one last attempt to score in the 85th minute. Following a goal kick, Tristan Vidackovic effectively cleared the ball to Blacktown City's half. Noah Peacock headed the ball, allowing Aiden Simmons to connect and sprint towards Blacktown's goal. Aiden Simmons attempted a shot at goal but struck the side post. An additional two minutes of extra time were added, but the Wanderers did not manage to score, resulting in Blacktown City's fifth consecutive win and the Wanderers' third straight loss. To highlight the exceptional performance of Tristan Vidackovic today, it is noteworthy that Blacktown had 32 shots at goal, with 16 on target. The fact that Blacktown only managed to score 4 goals underscores the quality of Vidackovic's efforts, arguably making him the man of the match for the Wanderers in today’s game. Plus, Vidackovic shows promise for a future in the A-League squad. However, the squad lacks an effective goal scorer, as evidenced by their 8 shots at goal, with only 1 on target. Ricky Fransen’s red card adds to his growing record of mistakes and errors he has done this season. Surely, a release from the club seems necessary at the end of the season. Kaan Nizam's red card appeared justified after reviewing the replays, which showed a high challenge. With the squad reduced to 9 men, the outcome was inevitable, leading to speculation regarding the number of goals they would concede thereafter. The squad remains last on the ladder with 5 points and we’re almost at the halfway point of the season. The remainder of the season is going to see the Wanderers struggling to avoid relegation into League One and eager to get as much points as possible. Next week the Wanderers NPL squad play against St. George FC at Barton Park, Banksia on Friday 9th May, 2025. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30pm.

Wouldn't be surprised to see Jack Duncan leave Vuk as he was shafted for Langerak. Duncan was doing pretty well and should be playing. Better than a few other keepers making starts in the A League.