With three A-League pre-season ties left before the season begins in earnest a month from today, including one on Saturday against New South Wales rivals Newcastle Jets, Sydney FC used mostly teenagers and NYL players in Kogarah in a 2-1 loss to St. George FC on Wednesday night. The match at WIN Jubilee saw Jacob Tratt’s first goal for the Sky Blues but ended with a deflected goal giving the Saints the late victory.
Sydney FC drop St. George friendly, 2-1
Frank Farina played a half-dozen teenagers in the local friendly. Sydney have just three pre-season games left with the season rapidly approaching.
Against the New South Wales Premier League 2 side, Frank Farina gave starts to NYL players Anthony Tomelic, Darcy McCormack, Josh McDonald and Hagi Gilgor, as well as German trialist Manuel Marschel. Tratt, Daniel Petkovski and Mitch Mallia also were in the XI as the Sky Blues left most of the regular starters for Saturday’s Newcastle match. An early Petkovski handball gave St. George a 15th minute penalty, which was converted by Juan Carlos Chevaz. The goal scorer nearly doubled the Saints’ lead when he hit the post later in the first half.
Sydney came into the match in the second half and in the final twenty minutes made a case for earning a result. A Pascal Bosschaart free kick hit the post in the 73rd minute before the Sky Blues finally leveled the score. Tratt headed in a Mallia cross on 75 minutes for what looked like the final score line. Yet an 89th minute Sam Messam shot deflected off a Sydney defender and floated into the far corer of Ivan Necevski’s goal.
Saturday’s Sydney FC-Newcastle Jets match will take place at WIN Stadium in Wollongong.
Scoring:
SGFC Chevaz (pen) 15’
SFC Tratt (Mallia) 75’
SGFC Messam 89’
Line-ups:
Sydney FC: Necevski; Tratt, Bosschaart, Petkovski, McCormack (Stergiou 46’); Gilgor (Clifford 46’), McFlynn, Tomelic; Mallia, McDonald, Marschel
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