Like heavyweight boxers, Blacktown City and Bonnyrigg White Eagles slugged it out on a wintry Sunday afternoon.
The 1-1 draw was probably a fair result, but what this match did show was that these two sides will be well and truly in the thick of things when the whips are cracking in September.
Bonnyrigg dominated the first half, only to go behind to a sucker punch by Antelmi.
The second half was a bit more even, with Blacktown on top at the start of the second stanza before the game really opened up in the final 10 minutes as the sides traded blow.
Both staggered and swayed, but neither went down, and the points were split.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles came out swinging though, and landed blow after blow.
A Robbie Younis header was tame and straight at Blacktown City keeper Nenad Vekic. Barely a minute later a shot from Younis fizzed wide, before a Kokado shot was stopped by Vekic.
But it Blacktown who took a 1-0 lead into the interval.
Major was the man on the left and when his cross found Antelmi in the middle, he bundled the ball over the line with a combination, of neck, head, and shoulder.
Blacktown City were rejuvenated by their 45th minute goal and the half time break, and they came out with renewed vigour at the start of the second half.
When the Bonnyrigg equaliser came from Kokado, it was well worth the wait.
The midfielder was 30 yards from goal, but he had all the time in the world to look up and unleash a rocket that flew past Vekic and into the top corner.
It was the 67th minute and as good a goal as you’ll see anywhere.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]Both sides could smell blood in the last 10 minutes, and the game became far more open than either of the coaches would have liked.[/social_quote]
At the end both sides were out on their feet, and the final bell must have been welcome relief.
♦ The South Coast Wolves stunned Sydney United 58 FC with a comprehensive 4-0 victory at WIN Stadium, Wollongong. The game was as good as over seven minutes into the second half when the home side scored their fourth goal.
Sydney United coach Mark Rudan was honest in his assessment of his side’s performance:
“We were flat,’’ he said. “It’s always a tough place to come here and they showed up and we didn’t so the first 15 minutes they were eager to contest every ball and we were in second gear,” he said.
