Report by Aisling Lawless

Photos: Vince Caratozzolo

Sean Canham’s winner stretched Sorrento’s unbeaten run to six games after they beat Subiaco 1-0 at Percy Doyle Reserve in their PS4 National Premier Leagues WA clash. 

After a goalless first half, Canham scored the winner in the 65^th minute with a header, but both sides failed to convert subsequent chances.

Sorrento coach Jamie Harnwell said it wasn’t their most convincing win and poor decision making in the last 10 minutes allowed Subiaco to have a few chances.

“It probably should have been over at half time as we had two or three really good chances, but we didn’t take them, and it makes the game difficult for us," he said.

But he said confidence is riding high at the moment with their round of 32 Westfield FFA Cup game just around the corner.

“Maybe we need a defeat just before the cup game to bring everyone down a bit,” he jokingly said.

“But winning is a habit and it is a good one to get into and we are in that at the moment so hopefully we can continue.”

Match winner Canham said that while it’s taken the team a while to gel, they now feel like a solid unit.

“Obviously we aren’t in the ideal league position that we wish to be in, we would like to be pushing Bayswater really,” he said.

“But if we keep the same group together next year we should be pushing up the top end.”

The home side had an early chance five minutes in with Jack Salter’s volley in the box, before his second attempt ten minutes later was blocked by keeper Ryan Montgomery.

The partnership between Canham and Todd Harnwell was promising, and Canham twice headed the ball down in the box to Harnwell’s feet, but neither attempt hit the target.

Kevin White’s powerful effort from long range thumped against the crossbar, as Subiaco pushed in the early minutes of the second half.

But it was Canham who broke the deadlock by positioning himself perfectly during a Sorrento break, using his height to head the ball into the net.

White narrowly missed out on equalising seven minutes later when his header was cleared off the goal line by a defender, and immediately after, Todd Harnwell scuffed his shot from a pass across the face of goal.

Ian McMurray threatened Sorrento’s lead numerous times; releasing a powerful shot five minutes before the end, but keeper James Morgan saved well. 

Subiaco have had a recent resurgence to drag themselves away from the bottom of the table and player-coach McMurray said their confidence is growing.

“Defensively we are quite tight, we don’t give a lot of goals away and we’ve got a good camaraderie,” he said.

“Our game coming here was to stay nice and compact and invite them onto us, but obviously Sorrento are a difficult opponent.”


Sorrento 1 (Canham 65min)
Subiaco 0
Saturday 11 July 2015

Percy Doyle Reserve
Local kick-off: 3:00pm
Referee: Josh Mannella
Assistant Referees:  Alex Kim, Marko Rajakovic 

Sorrento: 1. James MORGAN (gk), 6. Daryl PLATTEN (c), 8. Ryan PEARSON, 9. Todd HARNWELL, 11. Thomas BOSS (15. Scott BULLOCH 67’), 12. Jack EADES, 13. Steve MCDONALD, 18. Sean CANHAM, 19. Jack SALTER (4. Shaun KILKELLY 90+1’), 20. Brad MCDONALD, 22. Lewis HALL.
Substitutes not used: 60. Jordan BLANK (rgk), 2. Danny CAIN, 24. Scott HOYLE
Yellow Cards: Nil
Red Cards: Nil 

Subiaco: 1. Ryan MONTGOMERY, 2. Nathan DIAZ (c), 3. Ger FITZGERALD, 4. Jackson DONGRAY, 5. Mitch STEINBERG, 6. Daniel MILNE (9. Ian McMURRAY 45’), 8. Kevin WHITE, 10. Rory FEELY, 11. Joshua BOOYSEN (16. Jordan SCRAGGS 90’), 12. Siyang ZHANG (14. Ross JARMAN 79’), 13. George TCHAMI.
Substitutes not used: 17. Dylan ANDREWS, 21. Anastasis FARSALA
Yellow cards: Diaz 75’
Red cards: nil