A gritty but deserved 1-0 win over Subiaco AFC has put Inglewood United on the cusp of the National Premier Leagues top five. A second half Kenny Keogh header may have been the solitary goal at Inglewood Stadium but it was enough to move the hosts to sixth on the competition standings with four wins from their past five outings.
“We probably didn’t play our best game today,” assistant coach Saul Contera conceded. “We gave the boys a bit of a rev up at half-time (and) we got the goal that we wanted, kept it tight at the back, we lifted the tempo and dictated the game to see it out.”
A somewhat dour first half was notable only for its lack of opportunities. Aleks Vrteski ensured the sides remained level on the quarter hour by tipping away a Kevin White header. Inglewood didn’t threaten until late in the half, Andrija Jukic’s shot on the turn was deflected wide and from distance Tim Gould flashed past the post.
It was only after the interval that the game began to spark. Ger Fitzgerald headed just wide of the target a minute before David Micevski’s half-volley flew over the crossbar. Subiaco claims for a penalty in the 55th minute were ignored by referee Mat Southern after Josh Booysen’s shot crashed into the arm of Rikki Smith.
Inglewood took note and Milan Ognjenovic tested Ryan Montgomery’s reflexes a few minutes later. Ryan Clarke provided the decisive moment just after the hour by chasing the ball to the touchline and clipping to the far post where Keogh got his angles right to put the home side into the lead.
Subiaco were in no mood to take this lying down and White’s low strike cannoned into the post after pouncing on a momentary defensive lapse. Referee Southern presented White an even better opportunity after he went down under Scott Witschge’s challenge, however, Vrteski dived correctly to leave the striker frustrated at the penalty spot.
The wind had well and truly been taken out of Subiaco’s sails and, not surprisingly, it was pretty much one-way traffic up to the final whistle. Abdul Sesay and Micevski each got themselves in good positions only to fire too close to Montgomery, who also did well in battering away Jukic’s fierce drive from 12-metres.
Match stats
Inglewood United 1 (Kenny Keogh 63)
Subiaco AFC 0
Inglewood United: Aleks Vrteski, Jason Colli (Scott Witschge 54), Jovo Pavlovic, Rikki Smith, Milan Ognjenovic (Shane Pickering 73), Ryan Clarke, Andrija Jukic, Tim Gould, David Micevski, David Sesay (Abdul Sesay 61), Kenny Keogh
Subiaco AFC: Ryan Montgomery, Siyang Zhang, Mitch Steinberg, George Tchami (Shahtoosh Bhat 88), Ger Fitzgerald (Ignacio Dominguez 82), Nathan Diaz, James Oliver, Josh Booysen (Ian McMurray 61), Jonas Dorling, Isaac Koomson, Kevin White
Bookings: Ognjenovic (3), Fitzgerald (9), Tchami (19), Colli (44), White (55), Jukic (70)
Dismissals: Nil
