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 20.
Alex Mullen celebrates his goal against the Adelaide Croatia Raiders in Round 20. (Image: Ken Carter)
Winners
Metro overcome fast-starting Panthers to go top
Calling South Adelaide's week leading up to their clash with the MetroStars less than ideal would be a gross understatement. Not only did Anthony Rideout's side officially suffer relegation, but their Round 20 match was reversed and hosted by Metro due to pitch issues at Panther Park.
Despite the aforementioned challenges, South Adelaide struck first, six minutes into the game, through Jonathon Rideout; a lead the Panthers took into half-time. Just 10 minutes after the break, Danny Graystone's side hit back when a headed clearance by Noah McNamara led to Ren Nagamatsu finding himself in on goal, with the forward making no mistake.
MetroStars wasted no time after equalising, and Cam Woodfin put them ahead when Eduardo Castaneda found him alone at the back post for a simple finish. Lochlan Czapla sealed the match late on, with Metro soaring to the top of the table, a spot that was consolidated after Modbury's loss to FK Beograd later in the day.
Beograd enter the six after knocking off the league leaders
Ahead of their five o'clock kick-off at Frank Mitchell Park, FK Beograd were desperate for a win in the race for a top six spot. Meanwhile, the Modbury Jets needed three points to return to the league's summit after MetroStars won their match earlier in the day.
Massimo Falco shocked the Jets by opening the scoring with a volley off a Jared Clark cross after a late run into the box in the 34th minute. Before the half was over, Tim Henderson headed the Jets level, setting up an interesting second half.
The home side restored their lead when Antoni Trimboli was fouled in the box and Jason Konstandopoulos converted the subsequent penalty. Beograd head coach Adrian D'Aloia celebrated a new two-year extension in style when Ninko Beric sealed the home side's win and return to the top six against strong opposition.
Massimo Falco opened the scoring for FK Beograd against the Modbury Jets, who entered Round 20 in first place. (Image: Ben Blaess/BDb.media)
Polli gives Olympic a fighting chance
Round 20 concluded at APEX Football Stadium with Adelaide Olympic desperate for a win in a massive relegation six-pointer against the Para Hills Knights. A tight first half saw the hosts go into half-time jubilant after James Polli's free-kick travelled through a sea of bodies without a touch, catching out Yanni Delengas for the game's opening goal.
The joy did not last long when Kairo Felix's exquisite top-corner finish brought Para Hills level minutes after the restart. A point would have seen Adelaide Olympic need to win both their last games to survive, so three points were of paramount importance, as Kristi Vangjeli implored his side to search for a winner.
The game was decided in the final 10 minutes, when Marco Torriani dispossessed Harrison Conant, which led to Binyam Kebede's shot being parried into the path of James Polli, the captain scoring his second of the night on the rebound. Polli's euphoric celebration included the entire Olympic bench, who now find themselves a single point from safety with two rounds to play.
James Polli's brace put Adelaide Olympic within striking distance of safety with two rounds to play. (Image: Pagonis Photography)
READ MORE ON FPF
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O'CONNOR KNIGHTS: The other Croatians: O'Connor Knights ready to represent the ACT
Losers
Croydon's leaky streak continues
While Croydon's new manager bounce under Iain Fyfe was evident, recent weeks have been marred by the high number of goals conceded, even in wins. Coming into Round 20, Croydon had conceded three or more goals in five of their last six games.
That habit continued in the first half against an Adelaide City side desperate to return to winning ways after two straight losses. Young goalkeeper Tumbika Kalua could have done better to keep out Daniel Bressan's opener, but he could do nothing to stop Matt Dawber's close-range header that extended the home side's lead on the cusp of half-time.
Minutes into the second stanza, Croydon defender Bol Mapor was sent off for a mistimed tackle as the last man, and to add insult to injury, Adelaide City star Nicholas Bucco placed the resulting free-kick in the top corner with aplomb. Yared Abetew then sealed City's return to the winner's list, while Croydon were dealt a significant blow in the race for a Finals Series spot.
Wasteful Raiders punished
Facing a challenging final three games of the season and in the thick of a relegation battle, the Adelaide Croatia Raiders welcomed Campbelltown City to the Croation Sports Centre desperate for points. That desperation was clear in the early minutes, with Anthony Costa and Katsuyoshi Kimishima going close to scoring with audacious efforts.
Campbelltown steadied the ship and even forced a crucial one-on-one save out of Vincent Barbaro, but the two teams went into half-time level. The hosts were undone 12 minutes after the restart when Alex Mullen's long-range effort found the top corner.
Minutes after scoring, Campbelltown head coach Michael Matricciani went to his bench for a triple change, putting his players on ice ahead of their Australia Cup Round of 32 clash with Moreton City Excelsior. Despite that, Croatia could not find a reprieve, which was even more troubling after Adelaide Olympic closed the gap to Vlado Blazeka's side to just one point with their win later that day.
Young Reds squander two-goal lead
Winless since late May, the Adelaide Comets' fortunes did not look like they were going to improve early against a Young Reds side missing most of its A-League Men players. The half-hour mark saw George Tsonis' men trail Adelaide United thanks to goals from Amlani Tatu and Ryan White.
With youthful exuberance comes inexperience, and the Comets' quality is primed to exploit that. Within 10 minutes of going behind by two goals, a Roberto Fernandez Garrido goal was followed by a Jayden LoBasso equaliser to astonishingly leave scores level heading into half-time.
With the game level and the wind in their sails, the Comets ensured they did not repeat their slow first half start. A Fernandez Garrido effort handed the home side the lead for the first time in the game. The forward was then joined again on the scoresheet by his partner in crime from the first half, LoBasso, who put the finishing touch on an overdue victory for his side.
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