Inglewood United finished the season in seventh place following this afternoon’s 4-2 home loss to ECU Joondalup. There was plenty of enterprise and effort shown by Michael Garcia’s team, as highlighted by goals to teenager Ryan Sardi and David Micevski, but it wasn’t enough to earn a spot on the top half of the National Premier Leagues ladder.
Bayley Montgomery put the visiting side ahead on 17 minutes after being picked out by Joe Smith’s centre. Inglewood countered immediately with Kenny Keogh racing onto a tidy back-heel only for his shot to be blocked by Bayley Montgomery’s last-gasp challenge. Joondalup increased their lead just after the half hour when Stuart Montgomery finished calmly from 9-metres.
Sardi cut the difference just sixty seconds later by heading in Jason Colli’s cross from the right. Spurred on, Inglewood returned to the attack a few minutes later but David Sesay’s effort was wide of the mark. Jarrod McNally had a shot cleared off the line and Keogh was thwarted by goalkeeper Jamie Serra as the hosts pressed to equalise.
The goal they sought arrived nine minutes into the second period through Micevski, who converted a penalty awarded for handball. Unfortunately, that was a good as it got for Inglewood. Aleks Vrteski got a glove on Bayley Montgomery’s shot but was unable to keep it out of his net, and Jon Higgins side-footed in the visitors fourth goal just before the final whistle.
Match stats
Inglewood United 2 (Ryan Sardi 36, David Micevski 54)
ECU Joondalup 4 (Bayley Montgomery 17, 56, Stuart Montgomery 35, Jon Higgins 88)
Inglewood United: Aleks Vrteski, Jason Colli, Jovo Pavlovic, Rikki Smith, Jarrod McNally, Ryan Sardi (Scott Witschge 86), Tim Gould, Andrija Jukic, David Micevski, David Sesay (Kurt Kouakou 70), Kenny Keogh (Brian Woodall 70)
ECU Joondalup: Jamie Serra, Josh Tucker, Coire McGuigan, Ryan Lowry, Cian Hirrell, Paul Miller, John Higgins, Tommy Amphlett, Bayley Montgomery (Keylon Pollard 92), Joe Smith, Stuart Montgomery (Ollie Annis 58)
Bookings: J.Smith (8), Miller (54), Lowry (86)
Dismissals: Nil
