Report and Photo by Peter Simcox

A stunning early strike from skipper Daryl Nicol helped ECU Joondalup to a hard fought 2-1 win against Balcatta at Grindleford Reserve on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Scot added a second after half-time, before a Hayden Stevens goal with 14 minutes remaining set up a tense finish in which Balcatta had a goal disallowed with the last kick of the match. But the visitors hung on for three valuable points in their NPL WA top four quest.
 
ECU Joondalup head coach Dale McCulloch said it was a gutsy win in difficult conditions.
 
“It was a real scrappy game today and the pitch was slippery, but you have to deal with these situations and adapt and I thought we did today to get the win,” he said.
 
“I’m sure they will be disappointing with the disallowed goal at the end, and I suppose if I was in their situation I would be too. But I can see why the referee made the decision.
 
“Were on a good run of form, but we have to be to get in the top four and we have to keep winning and if that takes us in to the finals there might be a few teams worried about playing us.”  
 
Nicol agreed that it was a massive three points for the Jacks.

“Really happy to get the three points and at this time of the season it doesn’t matter how you get them, the points are vital and we had to grind them out today,” he said.
 
“We're still chasing that top four and we’re on a good run of form, so all we can do is keep winning and with two games to go the teams above us seem to be slipping up, but we’re coming for them.”
 
It was a vital game for both sides at opposite ends of the table and it was the visitors who made the perfect start, opening the scoring after only five minutes.  
 
Gordon Smith played Steven McGarry down the left and his cross picked out Nicol, whose volley from the edge of the box flew past keeper Kyle McDonald for one of the goals of the season.
 
The home side looked for an instant response but Alex Wild’s long-range shot flashed over the top, before Asher Nelson fired straight at Jack Nunn.
 
Both sides had late chances in the first half as gaps began to appear at either ends of the pitch. Nicol was played in again but his lob landed on top of the net, while Nicholas Challot’s glancing header from Robert Del Borrello’s teasing cross whistled just past the post.  
 
Balcatta keeper McDonald kept his side in the game five minutes into the second half after Cian Hirrell’s cross found an unmarked Nicol at the back post, but his header was superbly saved.
 
But there was little McDonald could do when the visitors doubled their lead on 66 minutes. A ball into the penalty area was dummied by Smith, leaving an unmarked Nicol at the back post and he finished clinically.

The goal took Nicol's league tally to 23, the same as Armadale's Chris Jackson. The race for the Golden Boot between the Scot and the Englishman is going down to the wire.
 
It looked game over but Balcatta had other ideas and they reduced the margin 10 minutes later. Del Borrello’s cross was headed home by Stevens at the back post.
 
Balcatta pressed late and they had a penalty claim turned down when the ball seemed to hit the arm of ECU defender Ross Millard, but referee Matthew Southern was well placed to wave away their protests.
 
Then in the fifth minute of stoppage time Balcatta thought they had levelled. A shot was spilled by keeper Nunn and in a goalmouth scramble Stevens fired home.
 
However Southern deemed he had kicked the ball out of the hands of the keeper and disallowed the goal, much to the frustration of the home faithful.
 
Balcatta coach Goran Stajic said that decision summed up their season.
 
“It’s tough decision on us, we thought the goal should have stood, but it’s been the story of the season for us,” he said.
 
“But it’s not the only decision that’s gone against us this season, hopefully with two games remaining it might change for us.  
 
“I thought we played well and deserved something from the game today, but the final pass in the final third let us down.”
 
Balcatta 1 (Stevens 76min)
ECU Joondalup 2 (Nicol 6, 66)
Grindleford Reserve
Saturday, August 11
Kick-off: 3pm
Referee: Matthew Southern  
Assistant referees: Arvin Shanmuganathan, Alexander Wright
 
Balcatta: GK Kyle MCDONALD, 3 Hayden STEVENS, 5 Tom PELLIZZARI, 7 Asher NELSON (2 Joseph MARINO 79), 8 Carmelo GIUFFRE, 9 Alex WILD, 10 Jonathan CORNESS (C), 11 Nicholas CHALLOT, 18 Robert DEL BORRELLO, 20 Shubham MOKALA (21 Rene ALBA 81), 24 Tom LOGAN (14 Lawrence SHURAMA 63)
Substitutes not used: RGK Damien STANOEVSKI, 16 Dougal KINDNESS
Yellow cards: Giuffre 11, Nelson 77
Red cards: Nil            

ECU Joondalup: GK Jack NUNN, 2 Cian HIRRELL, 3 Ross MILLARD, 4 Steven MCGARRY, 5 Adam TONG, 7 Tom HOUGH, 8 Josh WHITMORE, 9 Daryl NICOL (C), 10 Gordon SMITH, 11 Andy HIGGINS, 13 Lukas DE LIMA (17 Ethan BROOKS 75)
Substitutes not used: RGK George JACKSON, 12 Ryan McDARBY, 16 Liam MURRAY, 18 Roland RIXER
Yellow cards: Hirrell 58, Smith 67
Red cards: Nil