A Gutting Late Loss at Lambert Park

A late strike from substitute Alex Denmead condemned us to a 2-1 defeat at Lambert Park on Saturday night, in a result that will hurt, but one that showed plenty of character from the group.

We made a bright start against an APIA side who controlled early possession. Despite their dominance of the ball, the Sharks defended well in the opening exchanges and limited the hosts to half-chances. Ryley Hollingdale was again at the heart of things, and it was his dangerous corner in the 30th minute that gave us the lead. Tariq Maia got on the end of it and turned home to make it 1-0.

From that point, we had a lead worth defending, and for much of the first half, we did exactly that. Danijel Nizic was sharp when called upon, producing a fine tip-over to deny Edward Caspers and keeping us in front at the break.

APIA came with more purpose after half-time and found their equaliser in the 58th minute, with Jordan Segreto smashing home via a deflection to level things up. From there, APIA dominated possession and poured forward, with Nizic doing everything he could to keep us in it.

We stayed in the contest through sheer resilience, threatening on the counter, but ultimately couldn't hold on. Deep into stoppage time, substitute Denmead found space on the edge of the area and struck cleanly to seal it 2-1 for the hosts.

It's a difficult one to take, but the character shown in defending a lead away from home and the quality of Maia's opener are things to build on.

Brendan Gan was recognised as our standout performer on the night.

The boys are back at Seymour Shaw next week as they take on Manly United FC. Pushing to make it back-to-back home wins, we’d love for you to come down and cheer them on. CREDIT: All images shot by Alen Delic.

NPL Men's NSW Round 7 Highlights –APIA v Sutherland SharksWatch on YouTube