Together We Got It Done: 2-0 & NPL1 Safety Confirmed

We confirmed our place in the top flight of NSW football for another season with a crucial 2-0 win over Mt Druitt Town Rangers in front of a packed Seymour Shaw on Saturday afternoon.

It was a victory built on resilience, with the boys playing more than a third of the match with ten men, and yet holding firm to secure the points that lifted us to 26 and out of reach of the drop.

The Rangers had the first clear sight on goal in the 14th minute when a cross from the left flicked off Theph Theph and forced Danijel Nizic into a sharp diving save.

Just three minutes later we struck the opener. Richard Shoueiki slipped a perfect ball through to Maki Petratos, who drove into the box and fired, his shot taking a deflection that spun it beyond the keeper.

Maki Petratos celebrating his 7th goal of the season.

We nearly had a second in the 20th when Petratos returned the favour, finding Shoueiki in the box, but his effort curled narrowly wide of the post.

The visitors kept pushing, with Komura testing Nizic from distance in the 36th, but our keeper was equal to it. We thought we had doubled the lead in the 40th when Tye McGowan scored direct from a corner, but the referee called it back for a foul on the keeper.

The second finally came in the 52nd minute, and it was worth the wait. Tariq Maia met a loose ball with a half-volley from range, smashing it into the bottom corner to send the crowd wild.

Tariq Maia burying a long range shot to make it 2-0.

A twist came soon after when Shoueiki was shown a straight red card in the 55th minute, leaving us with ten men for the remainder of the match. Even so, it was us who went closest next, Maia almost catching the keeper out with a spectacular shot from halfway in the 70th minute.

We stayed solid at the back and saw out the match in control, the full-time whistle sparking huge celebrations as we locked in our NPL1 status for 2025.

After the game, coach Steven Zoric praised the boys’ effort and the fans who have backed us all year.

“We knew what we had to do, and the boys pulled through for the community, for themselves, the club and all the teams that represent it,” he said. “The fans have been massive all year, our 12th man, and we’re proud to give them this moment.”

It was the perfect way to finish our home campaign – united, together, and safe for another year.