Throughout the 2024 NPL SA season, Front Page Football looks at each week's big winners and losers from the action-packed South Australian top flight. Below are our picks from Round 19.
Luka Jovanovic took the match ball home after scoring a hat-trick for the second consecutive week in the NPL SA. (Image: Pagonis Photography)
Winners
Deadly duo strikes Campbelltown into third
ANZAC Day saw FK Beograd claim a point against Campbelltown City after Jared Clark's injury time equaliser. As the regular season entered its final month, the Red Devils welcomed Beograd and former assistant coach Adrian D'Aloia, eager to make up for those dropped points.
Former Beograd captain Josh Mori did the damage in the ninth minute when Alex Mullen used his body intelligently to let the ball run on to his forward, who made no mistake when he came one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Mori's former striker partner Ninko Beric equalised for the visitors in the 22nd minute after the Red Devils could not effectively clear a cross.
Mori restored his team's lead just after the half-hour mark when he beat the offside trap to meet a Yohei Matsumoto pass before finishing under the legs of Jamie Signorello. Only five minutes later, Marc Marino made it three from a tight angle, with Matsumoto again the architect.
Early in the second half, Marino joined Mori on a brace by making it four for his side, meaning that a Massimo Falco goal 20 minutes later was only consolation for FK Beograd. This win and Adelaide Comets' subsequent loss ensured that Campbelltown City will enter the final three rounds in third, and as the biggest threat to the Modbury Jets and MetroStars for the top two positions.
Marc Marino (left) found the back of the net twice, along with Josh Mori, in a 4-2 win over FK Beograd. (Image: Ken Carter)
Jovanovic hat-trick elevates Young Reds into the six
Round 18 saw Adelaide United end their month-long winless run, while Adelaide City's two-month unbeaten streak was also cut short by Modbury. With the race for finals heating up, the encounter between the two sides at Mount Barker was always going to be crucial.
Adelaide United clearly took the match seriously, continuing to field an array of A-League Men players and then being rewarded for that faith with Luka Jovanovic opening the scoring. Despite a shaky start, Paul Pezos' men were unlucky not to level the match before half-time, with Harry Crawford and Bailey O'Neil denying their opposition with two goal line clearances.
Jovanovic did the damage again when he earned a controversial penalty in the 70th minute, which he then duly dispatched despite Dakota Ochsenham getting a hand on it. Pezos went to his bench with a double change, but it was too late because the Young Reds then extended their lead with their next attack, thanks to Yaya Dukuly, who recorded his third goal in as many appearances in Mount Barker.
Jovanovic put the cherry on Adelaide United's win by recording his second hat-trick in as many games since his return from the A-Leagues mandated break. Importantly, this win shot the Young Reds into the top six and level on points with Adelaide City.
Modbury dismantle a fellow contender
The Adelaide Comets visited Smith Partners Stadium eager to make a statement against the Modbury Jets. In their previous encounter, the Comets nearly defeated the league leaders at the death before settling for a draw. It was the hosts who opened the scoring, though, as the Comets were caught napping at a corner, which allowed Modbury's Hamish McCabe to dispatch a short delivery into the top corner.
Daniel Vaughan could do nothing to keep McCabe's effort out. Just nine minutes later, the goalkeeper took too long to clear the ball, which allowed Luca Trimboli to smother the clearance and dribble the ball into an empty net to give his side a strong lead heading into half-time.
Minutes after the restart, the desperate Comets were caught on the counter, and Trimboli scored his second after following up on Hamish McCabe's initial strike. A commanding victory ensured Modbury retained their spot at the top.
Maurice Natale would have been overjoyed to see Luca Trimboli, who has recently been inserted into the starting line-up, justify his faith in him.
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Losers
South relegated after four NPL seasons
It was no secret that South Adelaide's margin for error in the final month of the NPL SA season was minimal. The desperation was clear when the Panthers shocked Croydon FC with an early goal in Round 19, after Alex Rideout's free-kick picked out the head of his brother Jonathon in the 15th minute.
The hosts fought back hard, and intelligent play from Tomas Greco allowed Daniel Bradshaw-Scott to equalise in the 30th minute. Minutes later, captain Luke Klimek put his side ahead from close range when the Panthers failed to clear the ball in their penalty area. South Adelaide captain Rob Parker scored his second goal in as many weeks with a strong header to equalise an entertaining affair heading into half-time.
The two teams exchanged goals early in the second period with a Jaiden Diamantis olimpico and a Bol Mapor own goal. Iain Fyfe's team eventually ran away with the match thanks to Bradshaw-Scott and Diamantis, who both recording their braces.
Unfortunately for South Adelaide, this result confirmed the end of their four-season NPL run. A disappointing start to the year proved too much for an improving team to overcome.
Knights and Raiders remain in harm's way
The Para Hills Knights and Adelaide Croatia Raiders both earned promotion from State League One to the NPL SA for the 2024 season. Despite campaigns that saw both sides occupy spots in the top six, the two teams entered the final month of the regular season a mere three points away from safety.
With thoughts of finals on the backburner and survivor instinct kicking in, the tension at The Paddocks was palpable when the two sides met in Round 19. That feeling was lifted for the hosts when their captain, Diego Santos De Oliveira, opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when he was allowed too much time and space at the top of the box.
Despite the hosts protesting for a foul, Oliver Trimboli drew Croatia level minutes later after a missed interception by Para Hills in the box, which allowed him a simple finish from close range.
The two sides could not be separated after half-time, and despite being a point better off than they were entering the weekend due to Adelaide Olympic's loss, neither side is out of the woods just yet with three rounds to play.
The Para Hills Knights and Adelaide Croatia Raiders could not be separated in a tense Round 19 match. (Image: Pagonis Photography)
Olympic make great escape more difficult
With South Adelaide relegated minutes before the late Saturday kick-off, Adelaide Olympic wanted to continue working towards avoiding the same fate. Coming up against the MetroStars is never easy, but Kristi Vangjeli's side beat the same opponent earlier in the season.
An even first half saw Olympic threaten, with a spectacular Cody Oestreich double save ensuring the hosts' blushes were spared heading into half-time. The relegation-threatened visitors were clearly up for the fight, but an off-the-ball altercation saw midfielder Arbi Mollas sent off, making their task harder.
As a result, Vangjeli shuffled the chessboard and made two changes, expecting Metro to apply the pressure. Olympic's undoing came from a set-piece, though, when a sea of players disregarded Noah McNamara's late entry into the box at a corner, allowing the defender to head home the game's only goal.
With four points and considerable goal difference to make up in three rounds, Olympic's margin for error is ever-shrinking. Their Round 20 match against the 10th-placed Para Hills Knights looks like a must-win encounter.
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