SOCCER
CHELSEA’S ace predator James Stinson grabbed his second five-goal haul of the league season as his side hammered Sandown Lions 6-0 at Ross Reserve on Saturday.
The former Sunderland youth striker is in his second year at Edithvale Recreation Reserve and has turned this season’s State 4 South Golden Boot award into a one-horse race.
Stinson played for English Universities in the 2017 Home Nations tournament in Scotland and arrived in Melbourne in September 2022 only to be sidelined through injury in 2023.
In 2024 he joined Chelsea and was scoring for fun during pre-season. Nothing changed when the league started and it’s now customary to see him listed as a scorer after a Chelsea game.
Last year he scored 17 goals and has doubled that count this season.
It was no contest by half-time on Saturday as the teams went into the interval with Chelsea 3-0 up. Stinson opened the scoring in the 18th minute and Daniel Lewis made it 2-0 five minutes later.
The pick of Chelsea’s goals came in the 27th minute and it broke Sandown’s resolve. It came from a sweeping interpassing movement involving half-a-dozen Chelsea players and ending with Stinson finishing past helpless Sandown keeper Rowan Crinall.
In the 53rd minute Stinson made it 4-0 and in the 79th minute his well-placed header from Adam Bartosy’s pinpoint free-kick made it 5-0.
Thankfully for the home side the onslaught ended in the 84th minute when Christian Murray’s through ball enabled Stinson to strike his final blow.
The big battle in State 4 is the race for a top-six finish, although we learned little from last weekend with fifth-placed Rosebud, sixth-placed Somerville Eagles and seventh-placed Baxter all winning.
Baxter’s 1-0 away win over league leader Endeavour United was the pick of the bunch. The killer blow came late in the first half when Keegan Myatt’s superb cross found Charlie O’Connell at the back post and his header proved to be the home team’s undoing.
Baxter is on a nine-match unbeaten streak and has Rosebud and Somerville looking over their shoulders. Of the trio, Somerville faces the worst run home having to play Endeavour United, Baxter then Chelsea.
However, Somerville’s first step towards the finish line was positive when it downed Lyndale United 3-0 on Saturday at Westernport Secondary College. Alessio Izzo opened the scoring in the 8th minute with a strike in off the crossbar and Marcus Anastasiou made it 2-0 in the 38th minute. Izzo grabbed his brace in the 65th minute, converting the penalty awarded after Joe Simmons was felled inside the box.
Rosebud made it back-to-back wins as they overpowered Mentone away from home on Saturday. Two goals from Connor Wharton along with strikes from Barney Johnson, Mark O’Connor and Luke Tsantefskis saw the visitors run away with the points after a 5-2 win.
Frankston Pines lost 5-0 to Monash University at Monterey Reserve last weekend.
In VPL1, Langwarrin lost 2-1 away to Western United on Sunday in the penultimate round of the league season. Youngster Mark Deacon scored for Langy.
In State 1, Mornington maintained its promotion push with a gritty 1-0 away win over Doveton on Saturday. It was a scrappy contest with the decisive moment coming straight from the second-half restart. Doveton’s Liam McCormick gave the ball away to Ziggy Razuki who passed to James Kelly and his low shot proved too strong for Doveton keeper Adam Di Domenico who got a hand to the ball.
The result sets up Saturday’s cut-throat Dallas Brooks clash with second-placed Bayside Argonauts. Mornington sits third, three points behind and with three games to go, so a win is a must for the local side.
In State 2, Peninsula Strikers struck a road hump on their promotion journey when drawing 1-1 at home to Berwick City while Skye defeated home team Mooroolbark 2-1 at Esther Park to record its first win over the Barkers since joining State 2 ranks in 2019.
Strikers blew a host of chances on Saturday. They could have put this one to bed at half-time; instead they went into the interval 1-0 down. After blowing a one-on-one in the dying moments of the first half they quickly found themselves defending only for keeper Faraz Zenoozi to make a fine save that struck Jaiden Madafferi and went in for an own goal. Straight after half-time it was 1-1 when Matt Harrington buried his chance from close range.
For the remainder of the match the list of missed opportunities continued to mount, mirroring the frustration of the home team’s players, coaching staff and supporters.
Skye and Mooroolbark played out a tough physical encounter in the first half which ended scoreless. But straight after the break, the hosts went ahead with Danny Aye lashing home a loose ball in the box. Five minutes later the visitors drew level after a clever ball from Jason Nowakowski to the far post was met by a diving header from Daniel Attard.
Enter super-sub Alex Van Heerwarden on the hour and the big man didn’t take long to make his mark. In the 73rd minute he latched onto Emmanuel Scarlett’s through ball and delicately chipped it over the advancing Barkers’ keeper to give Skye all three points.
In State 5, second-placed Mount Eliza maintained a four-point buffer over Seaford United and set up a blockbuster derby on Saturday between these local outfits. Last weekend Mount Eliza hammered visitor Cleeland United 7-0 at Emil Madsen Reserve while Seaford dished out a 5-0 thumping to visitor Pakenham United.
Mount Eliza had this one done and dusted when it led 3-0 at half-time through goals from Josh Luca, Fraser Keon and Angus Nath. The momentum didn’t change in a second half highlighted by a Ray Amiri hat-trick and a goal from Callum Drysdale.
Seaford had Pakenham on the back foot in the 2nd minute of their clash when a Blake Hicks’ corner was headed in by Conor Mcfall. Seaford extended its lead when a goalmouth scramble led to a Pakenham defender putting the ball into his own net. In the 34th minute Seaford talisman Dylan Waugh got on the scoresheet with a low shot from inside the box. When Backy Barakzoi scored with a well-struck half-volley after Pakenham failed to clear a Blake Hicks long throw in the 42nd minute, the home team was in complete control.
In the second half Tristan Stass was at the back post for a tap-in from a Mcfall corner that completed the scoreline.
Mount Martha went down 3-1 at home to Aspendale on Saturday which ended a horror run of six straight losses for the visitor. It took a world class strike from Kailan Smith in the 21st minute to break the deadlock in a scrappy game. Aspendale came out firing in the second half and scored twice a few minutes apart. Dean Mamos was played in by Felix Hampson to make it 2-0 and shortly after it was 3-0 when Smith pounced on a defensive mistake. Mount Martha hit back through Mitch Hawkins and put the visitors under pressure but Aspendale keeper Tom Carter was up to the challenge.
NEXT WEEKEND
Friday, 22 August, 8.30pm
Cleeland Utd v Aspendale, Thomas P Carroll Reserve
Saturday, 23 August, 3pm
Langwarrin v North Sunshine Eagles, Lawton Park
Mornington v Bayside Argonauts, Dallas Brooks Park
Skye Utd v Bentleigh Utd Cobras, Skye Recreation Reserve
Doncaster Rovers v Peninsula Strikers, Anderson Park
Frankston Pines v Baxter, Monterey Reserve
Endeavour Utd v Somerville Eagles, Reema Reserve
Mount Eliza v Seaford Utd, Emil Madsen Reserve
Saturday, 23 August, 6pm
Rosebud v Chelsea, Olympic Park
Mount Martha BYE
