It may have been a tough year for the Bulls FC Academy side, but they ended round 29 in style following a 1-0 victory over the Sutherland Sharks at Seymour Shaw.
Bulls FC Academy substitute Ariath Piol was the hero for Zeljko Kalac’s side scoring nine minutes form fulltime to help his team to just their third win of the National Premier Leagues NSW men’s competition.
With the Bulls’ young charges already relegated at the end of the 2023 campaign after a rugged season, it was an opportunity to play without fear and take it to their hosts. who were sitting just three places above them.
An unfortunate injury to Peter Grozos on the half-hour mark soured the visitors cohesion as he was assisted off the field and substituted by Mason Wells.
Sharks skipper Jordan Roberts fired an effort into the side netting after 33 minutes that had the home supporters up and out of their seats when the net rippled before realising it was just the wrong side of the upright.
With Wells on the field, the Bulls lifted their game in creating a couple of opportunities before the half-time whistle from good work down the left flank.
It was no coincidence that Wells’ introduction proved the catalyst for the best of the Bulls play during the half.
In an intriguing game of few chances, the teams trundled off at half time with the scoreboard 0-0 after 45 minutes.
The second half started brightly with greater intensity from both sides.
Jesse Photi did well to work an opening through the middle but his shot, the ball taking a bobble off the Seymour Shaw pitch, was wayward and sailed off into the night to produce a goal-kick.
Ariath Piol, on as a substitute, found himself clean through in the 70th minute but was unlucky not to gain enough purchase on the ball to slip it past Bulic for the Bulls to break the deadlock.
The Academy took a deserved lead after applying pressure for much of the second half as Piol fired home an unstoppable shot.
It was game, set and match as Kalac’s young guns finally tasted victory pushing their points tally to fifteen points for 2023.
