A day of high drama ended with Bayswater City taking the spoils 4-2 from the National Premier Leagues clash at Inglewood United. Mohamed Awad and Scott Witschge opened and closed the games’ scoring, respectively, but it was the four goals Bayswater netted – two in controversial circumstances – in between that determined where the points went.
The game was preceded by a minutes silence and the release of blue and gold balloons marking the one-year anniversary of the passing of club patriarch Siggy Kramer. Once play got underway both sets of players were out to assert themselves, Awad rattling the frame of the goal before David Heagney stretched goalkeeper Aleks Vrteski.
Awad pushed forward again just before the quarter hour and this time curled brilliantly into the far top corner to put the hosts ahead. There were plenty of questions being asked of the match officials three minutes later when Brian Farrell was allowed to equalise at close-range despite a teammate appearing to be off-side in the lead-up.
Although bewildered, Inglewood soon enough returned to the attack where Brian Woodall’s header danced along the crossbar but refused to enter the net. Bayswater were still counting their good fortune when a long ball forward was met by Gustavo Giron-Marulanda, who speared it past Vrteski to put them in the ascendency.
Referee Steven Gregory stepped into the spotlight again eight minutes later by awarding the visitors a penalty, even though Jovo Pavlovic cleanly swept the ball off Heagney’s boot. Vrteski dived correctly to keep out Heagney’s low spot kick, but was helpless as his opponent blasted into the roof of the net at the follow-up.
Jason Colli scooped over the top on the end of a tidy move that featured Woodall, David Micevski and David Sesay as Inglewood sought to cut the deficit. Unfortunately, it was the opposite that happened right on the stroke of half-time with Heagney nodding in at close-range.
The pace dropped off for the second half, which had Bayswater enjoying the better of possession and territory. Inglewood slowly came back into the game, Woodall swivelling onto the ball only to lifted high and Witschge driving wide of the target after meeting fellow substitute Kenny Keogh’s low centre.
Their persistence was eventually rewarded on 87 minutes when, following some good lead-up play, Witschge finished low into the net from close-range. Witschge was unlucky not to add another in stoppage time when he got in behind the defence only for his low strike to flash across the face of goal.
Match stats
Inglewood United 2 (Mohamed Awad 15, Scott Witschge 87)
Bayswater City 4 (Brian Farrell 18, Gustavo Giron-Marulanda 21, David Heagney 28, 45)
Inglewood United: Aleks Vrteski, Jason Coli, Jovo Pavlovic, Rikki Smith, Jarrad McNally (Kenny Keogh 61), Mohamed Awad, Andrija Jukic, Tim Gould (Matt Izzo 71), David Micevski, David Sesay (Scott Witschge 46), Brian Woodall
Bayswater City: Jason Saldaris, Declan Hargreaves (Patiente Ilahambaye 80), Adam Tong, Jamie Coyne, Trent Kay, Danny Dixon, Todd Howarth (Paul McCarthy 73), Brian Farrell, Borbor Sam (Corey Barclay 73), David Heagney, Gustavo Giron-Marulanda
Bookings: Howarth (52), Heagney (54), Giron-Marulanda (90)
Dismissals: Nil
