CONNECT FOUR

2015_06_13_Joondalup_v_Inglewood_4931Inglewood United extended their winning run to four games with a 2-1 away defeat of ECU Joondalup. Goals inside the opening half hour by David Micevski and Ryan Clarke made all the difference and moved the club to joint fifth – only two points behind third – on the National Premier Leagues ladder.

Coach Michael Garcia was pleased to pick up another three points, especially after watching his team at times ride their luck. “A couple of mistakes we made put us under a bit of unnecessary pressure,” he said. “The backline’s been outstanding all season, and I’m glad they didn’t get punished for those errors.”

Micevski opened Inglewood’s account after 6 minutes by lashing low and inside the far post after Abdul Sesay nodded down a Jarrad McNally cross. One became two midway through the period when Kenny Keogh forced Charlie Comyn-Platt into conceding possession and Clarke arrow his shot past an exposed goalkeeper.

Joondalup weren’t without their chances but neither Jon Stynes nor Tommy Amphlett was able to capitalise when the opportunity arose. Half-time was just minutes away when Jason Colli almost put a third goal on the board, the defender hitting a dead ball towards the top corner only for Jamie Serra to make the save.

Joe Smith brought the home team back in to the game after the break, his deflected shot beyond Aleks Vrteski’s despairing dive. The Inglewood custodian was in no mood to be beaten again and ten minutes later he was at full-stretch in pushing away an Amphlett strike from 16-metres.

Inglewood’s two-goal buffer should have been restored on 69 minutes when Jovo Pavlovic flashed over the top from 5-metres in a goalmouth scramble. Clarke also lifted high from similar range before Serra courageously smothered at the feet of substitute David Sesay as the visitors sought to kill off the game.

As the minutes ticked down proceedings became increasingly physical, prompting referee Steven Gregory to intervene on a number of occasions. However, that failed to halt Inglewood’s momentum with Micevski’s stretching Serra with a free-kick and David Sesay blasted into the side netting late on.

Match stats

ECU Joondalup 1 (Smith 50)
Inglewood United 2 (Micevski 5, Clarke 25)

ECU Joondalup: Jamie Serra, Josh Tucker, Charlie Comyn-Platt, Ryan Lowry, Cian Hirrell (Joel Prout 85), Guy McDonald (Stuart Montgomery 71), Ollie Annis, Tommy Amphlett, Jon Stynes, Yates (Bayley Montgomery 56), Joe Smith
Inglewood United: Aleks Vrteski, Jason Colli, Jovo Pavlovic, Rikki Smith, Jarrad McNally, Ryan Clarke (Davide Panaia 91), Andrija Jukic (David Sesay 59), Tim Gould, David Micevski, Abdul Sesay, Kenny Keogh (Scott Witschge 74)
Bookings: Tucker (87), Comyn-Platt (93)
Dismissals: Nil