McDougall brace stuns Balcatta
Report by Kelechi Osunwa
Perth Glory produced a brilliant second half display to come from behind and beat Balcatta 3-2 in their PS4 National Premier Leagues match at Inglewood Stadium.
The Glory found themselves down 1-0 after 25 minutes when Steve Sokol confidently finished past goalkeeper Jordan Franken.
But a stunning free kick from Nikola Talimdzioski and a Michael McDougall brace either side of a fine effort from Balcatta skipper James Sammut proved to be enough.
Perth Glory assistant coach Jacob Burns was content with the result but was equally quick to call for improvement.
“We still want to improve. It’s not only about the result, but it’s to do with our performance and there are a lot of areas that we need to be better in,” he said.
“We couldn’t be happier but there is still areas we need to improve on.”
The story of the first half seemed to echo the Glory’s season with dominance of possession and probing passes failing to result in any goals.
The Glory were punished when Gustavo Catarcione rode a challenge in the midfield before playing strike partner Steve Sokol through on goal to give Balcatta a goal against the run.
The halftime team talk must have done the trick for the Glory, as they increased the tempo, attacked with purpose and found themselves level in the 54th minute.
A clumsy tackle just outside area presented Talimdzioski with a fantastic opportunity to level. It was an opportunity that the Glory would take as the in-form striker wrapped an effort over and around the wall and into the top corner.
The goal confirmed the shift in momentum and minutes later Michael McDougall took full advantage.
The young striker who had been promoted from the u20 squad picked the ball up around the halfway line and waltzed his way past three Balcatta defenders before stroking home with aplomb.
Glory’s lead was short lived as Catarcione was afforded too much room in the midfield again. His pass to release an onrushing Sammut was exceptional and was met by a calm finish from the captain.
Sammut’s equaliser caused another momentum shift as Balcatta looked to push on with Catarcione proving to be a nuisance.
Balcatta would be undone by a defensive error that proved crucial as their defence failed to clear their lines.
McDougall took one touch to control and his second was a precise finish into the bottom corner, much to the delight of Burns.
“His (McDougall) opportunity has come not only through his hard work and endeavour but we’ve had a hell of a lot of injuries,” he said.
“There are opportunities there for the guys to come in and he’s taken his opportunity well.
“He’s come in and scored goals and effected games and he’s just one of a number of guys who have come in and done really well.”
The Glory held on for a tense final 15 minutes that saw Balcatta spurn chances with errant final passes.
Balcatta had a late penalty appeal when Catarcione's flick looked to strike the hand of a Glory defender only for a well-placed Matt Southern to wave away appeals.
Balcatta captain Sammut was left to rue errors, which he felt were crucial.
“They were a bit sharper and they took their chances very well,” he said.
“But (we had) too many errors and it cost us in the end.”
Perth Glory 3 (Talimdzioski 54min, McDougall 61’ 75’)
Balcatta 2 (Sokol 25min, Sammut 66)
Inglewood Stadium
Kick-off: 3:00pm
Referee: MattSouthern
Assistant Referees: Scott Cairns, Tim Keeble
Perth Glory FC: GK. Jordan FRANKEN, 5. Ali GHOLAMI, 8. Dejan SPASEKI, 6.Calvin WHITNEY, 3. Ross MILLARD, 2. Gian ALBANO, 11. Nikola TALIMDZIOSKI, 9. Michael MCDOUGALL, 4. Nathan COSTELLO, 7. Waliedin ISMAIL (12. Matthew NTOUMEMOPOLOUS 72’), 10. Sam MACKEARNAN
Substitutes not used: 13. Jesse LAZZARO, 14. Alex TANESKI, 15. Hayden STEVENS, 20. Riley STEPHENSON
Yellow Cards: Whitney 34’, Ntoumemopolous 88'
Red Cards: nil
Balcatta SC: GK. Clint DAVIES, 17 Kieren COLWELL, 23. Marc ZAGAMI (50. Blamo QUAQUA 73’) , 7. James SUMMUT, 18. Shazalee RAMLEE, 11. Gustavo CATARCIONE, 14. Steve SOKOL (16. Jackson AMOSA 78’), 15. Carmelo GIUFFRE, 6. Ross DIAMOND, 12. Scott JOHNSTON, 8. Simon LEDUN (9. Slade RULE 78’)
Substitutes not used: 21. Daniel PASSARELL , 5. Joel Martin
Yellow Cards: Zagami 21’, Colwell 31’, Diamond 63’, Johnston 68’, Catarcione 71’, Summut 85’
Red Cards: Nil
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