Your Monday morning reprieve is here as we examine all the action from around the grounds in the latest round of the BBC competition.
Both Abbotsford and Hurlstone Park secured vital home victories, Balmain got the job done in their fixture, Inter Lions were convincing in their win over Marrickville while neither side could be split tin the top of the table clash.
All the details from these fixtures can be found below as we give you a comprehensive rundown of all that was in round eight of the men’s premier competition.
Abbotsford Juniors – Leichhardt Tigers 4-0
A powerful performance from Abbotsford saw them dispatch of Leichhardt Tigers 4-0 at Campbell Park on Saturday afternoon.
It proved to be a debut to remember for Nathan Scicchitano who fired home a brace to spur his new side to victory.
The first of Scicchitano’s goals arrived just before the 10th minute mark to give his side a 1-0 lead which they were able to maintain until they completed the rout towards the end of the 90 minutes.
Luis Escalante doubled their lead in the 78th minute, then it was Scicchitano’s turn to complete his double on 89 minutes before Luke Simeoni wrapped up a polished performance with the fourth and final goal a minute later.
The three points sees Abbotsford keep hold of fourth place ahead of their trip to Henley Park to face off against Enfield.
Meanwhile, Tigers will be playing out of Lambert Park next weekend as they host Balmain.
Hurlstone Park – Strathfield 8-0
Hurlstone Park steamrolled Strathfield on Saturday with 8-0 the final score line at Ewen Park.
Strathfield went down to 10 men early in the first half which meant that life was always going to be difficult for them. However, to their credit they kept fighting and they only entered the break 1-0 down with Frank Calcagno’s goal proving the difference.
The second half is when the real damage occurred with Calcagno completing his hat-trick within the space of 10 minutes after the restart.
Image: Strathfield player challenges for the aerial ball. Credit: MMS Sports Photography
Jeremy Carboni then added to Strathfield’s woes on 57 minutes before Calcagno popped up again with his fourth and fifth goal of the contest in the 70th and 76th minute, respectively.
It was then up to Eric Martinez and Johnny Inati who weighed in with their side’s seventh and eighth goals to round off a ruthless display.
The eight goals will do wonders for Hurlstone Park’s goal difference as they turn their attention to a visit to Fraser Park to meet Marrickville while Strathfield will be eager to turn a new leaf as they entertain LFC Sports.
Balmain DFC – Cooks River Titans 2-0
Balmain leapfrogged Marrickville on the table thanks to their 2-0 triumph over Cooks River Titans at Birchgrove Oval.
Like many games throughout this time of year, there were a number of players absent for both sides and it was no surprise to see that these two teams only had one substitute each to call upon.
Image: Balmain’s Joseph Birds in possession. Credit: @photographedwithloveevents
The first of Balmain’s two goal haul arrived via Gavin Brackenbury-Soldenhoff after he hooked in an overhead kick from close range on the 25th minute mark.
The scoring continued 13 minutes later with Kelton Muir adding a second to the home side’s cause when he calmly slotted past the keeper in a one on one situation.
Cooks River through men forward in the second half but Balmain were able to keep them at bay as they held on for a well-deserved clean sheet.
Coming up for Balmain is a short trip to Lambert Park to take on Leichhardt Tigers while the Titans are back at Gough Whitlam to welcome Inter.
Inter Lions FC – Marrickville FC 5-2
Inter Lions returned to winning ways in spectacular fashion as they saw off Marrickville 5-2 at Ron Routley Oval on Saturday afternoon.
They had to come from behind to get the win with Alejandro Bonutto on hand to give Marrickville the lead after four minutes.
Peter Vassilis ensured that the score was level at the break thanks to his strike in the 25th minute.
They proceeded to take the advantage for the first time in the encounter via Callum Sinclair’s effort on 54 minutes but a stubborn Red Devils outfit once again restored parity through Bonutto two minutes later.
However, the equaliser did not deter the hosts who went on to score three without reply. The first of those came via Reuben Lagos in the 64th minute before Stefan De Jesus and Kristopher Holbrook increased the daylight between the two sides with their goals on the 73rd and 87th minute mark.
Inter will be targeting a second win in a row when they travel to Cooks River while Marrickville will be hoping that was just a small blip as they come up against a free-scoring Hurlstone Park.
LFC Sports – Enfield Rovers 0-0
The highly-anticipated clash between LFC Sports and Enfield ended all square with 0-0 the full time score.
The teams were met with windy conditions in the late kick off at Parry Park however that did not affect the overall quality of the match with a host of chances being manufactured at either end of the pitch.
Image: A 50/50 challenge between Enfield and Strathfield. Credit: MMS Sports Photography
There was one heart in mouth moment that could have brought Enfield’s unbeaten record to a grinding halt.
It arrived in the 85th minute as the hosts hit the crossbar before soon forcing a top-shelf save from the Rovers shot stopper following an equally impressive free kick.
A share of the points sees both side’s positions on the ladder remain unchanged with LFC in second and Enfield still leading at the top.
Strathfield await LFC next Saturday while Enfield have a date with Abbotsford at Henley Park.
By CDSFA Communications Officer – Samuel Greco Schwartz
