Report by Aisling Lawless

Stirling Lions ended their four game winless run in the PS4 National Premier Leagues WA with a 5-4 win at ECU Joondalup on Saturday.

It was raining goals as Bayley Montgomery, Alen Patarov, Billy Quinncroft and Tommy Amphlett all scored in the first half.

After the restart Shane Malcolm scored two goals in three minutes before Keylon Pollard pulled one back for ECU.

But Nathan Bowden-Hasse sealed the win for Stirling in the 86^th minute before Ollie Annis’ consolation goal in added time.

Stirling captain Miki Vujacic said it was the first time his side were able to sing their team song in a while, joking that they had almost forgotten the words.

But with their sights firmly set on ending the season in fifth position he said they need to improve on their consistency in defence.

“It’s been a problem of ours all season where we do so well going forward and then get sloppy in defence and make a few silly mistakes,” he said.

“Luckily it didn’t cost us the game today.”

It was the ideal start for ECU when Montgomery beat two defenders on the left wing and rolled the ball into the net 13 minutes in.

But seven minutes later Patarov coolly took a shot from the middle of the box, before Quinncroft headed in Vujacic’s cross in the 41^st minute to give the visitors the lead.

A minute later Amphlett equalised with a stunner of a goal, curling the ball into the top left corner of the net from distance.

The heat had prompted the early replacement of an assistant referee, resulting in a late end to the first half.

Vujacic said no one was really prepared for the unseasonable hot day.

“A few of our English boys aren’t really used to it and it did take a toll, especially towards the end where it was a bit like walking pace,” he said.

ECU switched off after the restart and Malcolm took advantage, netting twice in three minutes, assisted by Steve Purton’s stellar run up the field.

Pollard then prompted an own goal with his first touch for the first team, his shot knocking off a defender and into the net.

To the dismay of the home crowd, Jon Higgins had his free kick bounce off the underside of the crossbar, before Bowden-Hasse’s powerful header from a corner put game out of reach in the 86^th minute.

Annis scored a fantastic goal from outside the box five minutes later, but it proved too little too late.

McCulloch said they’ve got to keep working harder on their defensive qualities.

“When you score four goals you expect to win a game of soccer and we gave them too many easy goals while having to work hard for ours,” he said.

“I thought if you look at the play overall, we were probably the better side with the consistency.

“But it just kills us when we have an off ten minutes and we concede too many goals in a cluster.”

ECU Joondalup 4 (Montgomery 13mins, Amphlett 42, OG 23, Annis 90+ 1)
Stirling Lions 5 (Patarov 19mins, Quinncroft 41, Malcolm 55, 57, Bowden-Hasse 86)
Saturday 15 August, 2015
ECU Joondalup Football Stadium
Referee: Tim Mihevc
Assistant Referees: Roland Hunt, Frank Laval 

ECU Joondalup: 1. Andy BANKS (GK), 2. Ryan LOWRY, 3. Jon HIGGINS, 4. Charlie COMYN-PLATT, 5. Cian HIRRELL, 6. Josh TUCKER, 7. Ollie ANNIS, 8. Joe SMITH, 9. Harry BISSETT, 11. Bayley MONTGOMERY, 13. Tommy AMPHLETT, (14. Keylon POLLARD 65)
Substitues not used: 20 (GK) Jamie SERRA, 12. Ronald RIXER, ,  15. Jack CAIRNS, 16. Kye DOUGLAS,
Yellow cards: Nil
Red cards: Nil

Stirling Lions: 1. Joel DRISCOLL (GK), 3. Steve PURTON, 4. Billy QUINNCROFT, 6. Brodie MARTIN, 7. Miki VUJACIC (c), 8. Tim HILL, 11. Shane MALCOLM, 15. Robert PETKOV (14, Lawrence SHURUMA 60), 16. Alen PATAROV, 17. Teeboy KAMARA (2. Boas MTWALE 87), 18. Nathan BOWDEN-HASSE
Substitutes not used:  13. Liam WOOD,12. Daniel CACCAMO, 20. Lance ALAVAKIS (RGK)
Yellow cards: Bowden-Hasse 18’
Red cards: Nil