Caretaker coach Goran Stajic was given his first taste of victory after Inglewood United fended off a spirited Subiaco AFC outfit 4-3 this afternoon at the WA Athletics Stadium. Teeboy Kamara set the wheels in motion with a first half brace to which Greg Sharland and Ryan Clarke added after the turnaround, giving Inglewood maximum points for the first time in two months.
Stajic endured a nervous final few minutes in which Subiaco, who were three-goals down with thirty minutes remaining, cut the deficit to a single strike. “To be up three-nil and then come close to drawing at the end would have been disappointing for the lads,” he said. “We haven’t won for a while so obviously the boys have forgotten what it’s like to be winning and how to win the game.”
Inglewood’s focus on attack was handsomely rewarded with a two-goal advantage at the interval. The opener came after 19 minutes when Kamara slotted past goalkeeper Henry Davies after meeting Clarke’s flick through the defence. Kamara doubled his and the teams’ tally nine minutes later with a tidy finish courtesy of Sharland’s pass lofted ball over the defence.
It seemed the result was put beyond doubt on the hour when Sharland’s free-kick found the back of the net despite the best efforts of Davies, who managed to get a glove on the shot. But Subiaco were not reading the same script and five minutes later Rory Feely provided a timely confidence boost in the form of a close-range volley. Feely was involved again soon after, the attacker teeing up Ian McMurray to make it three-two.
It took less than sixty seconds for Inglewood to hit back through Clarke, who surged straight through the middle of the home defence uncontested before tucking into Davies net. Again Subiaco refused to concede the game and with 86 minutes on the clock Rowdy Yates crisp drive flew set up a tense finish. Luke Martino breathed a sigh of relief when an unmarked Jordan Rhodes lifted high the last chance of the afternoon.
Although Inglewood are out of the finals race, Stajic maintains there is still a lot at stake in the final three games of the season. “We’ve got Clarke up there chasing the Golden Boot, which would be a fantastic achievement for not only him but also the club,” said the coach. “A lot of these boys are playing for a spot next year – if not at Inglewood then at other clubs – so there’s a lot to play for still and a lot to prove.”
Match stats
Subiaco AFC 3 (Feely 65, McMurray 73, Yates 86)
Inglewood United 4 (Kamara 19, 28, Sharland 60, Clarke 74)
Subiaco AFC: Henry Davies, Nathan Diaz, Rowdy Yates, George Tchami, Alex Randell, Brad McDonald, Jordan Rhodes, Guy McDonald, Dave Timmins, Rory Feely, Ian McMurray
Inglewood United: Luke Martino, Jarrod McNally, Shane Pickering (Matt Danskin 75), Scott Blackmore, Jason Colli, Ryan Clarke, Sean Browne, Joshua Demarte (David Perich 53), Andrija Jukic (Jordan D’Souza 90), Greg Sharland, Teeboy Kamara
Bookings: Blackmore (82), Jukic (85), Browne (90)
Dismissals: Nil
