Petratos Double Powers Us to Vital Win Over Wanderers
We’ve come away with a massive result at Seymour Shaw on Saturday, defeating Western Sydney Wanderers 3-1 in a crucial six-pointer that gives us real belief heading into the final third of the season.
Both teams entered the match under pressure, with us sitting 14th and the Wanderers just a spot above in 13th. But from the first whistle, the boys showed they were up for the fight.
After a tense opening period where chances were hard to come by, a moment of brilliance in the 21st minute set things in motion. A neat move down the right saw Lachlan Fields backheel cleverly out wide, receive it back, and after his initial shot was blocked, Maki Petratos was there to bury the rebound. That finish not only gave us the lead but also made Petratos our leading goalscorer this season.
Just seven minutes later, Maki was at it again—this time finishing off a sharp move with a classy strike in off the post to make it 2-0. The energy lifted across the pitch and in the stands as we started to dominate proceedings.
The Wanderers had their moments, including a goal-line clearance from Mo Ahmed to deny Awan Lual, but we stayed strong and saw out the half with a deserved two-goal cushion.
Early in the second half, Lual pulled one back for the visitors, making it 2-1 and reminding us the job wasn’t done yet. But the boys didn’t panic. We dug in and controlled the tempo, with Petratos continuing to cause problems and almost setting up a third when he found Tye McGowan six yards out, only for the Wanderers’ keeper to pull off a quality save.
We sealed the win in the 74th minute, just moments after the Wanderers made a sub. McGowan pounced on a loose ball and smashed home a beauty to restore our two-goal buffer and all but secure the result.
There were a few nervy moments late on, including a scuffle that saw a handful of cards handed out, but we held our nerve to claim our first win since March—and what a time to do it.
This result sees us leapfrog the Wanderers into 13th, just four points behind 12th spot. With a huge clash next week against 10th-placed Sydney Olympic, the belief and momentum from this win could prove vital in our push to climb the table.
Massive shoutout to Maki Petratos for his brace and all-round performance—he was everywhere on the day.
