By ADEM SARICAOGLU
WESTERN Suburbs has slipped off the top of the State League One table after coughing up a one-goal buffer to lose 2-1 against Heidelberg United at Ralph Reserve on Sunday.
Both clubs went into the clash first and second on the table respectively, but by the end of the 90 minutes it was United who staked its claim as the team to beat in the division.
In cold but dry conditions at the Sunshine West venue, Suburbs struck first just 10 minutes into the contest through a brilliant Dale Thompson set piece.
The referee signalled a free kick on the edge of the box after a fairly uneventful opening period, before Thompson stepped up to curl it around the wall and inside the right post, leaving Heidelberg’s goal keeper no chance of stopping it.
The score remained 1-0 in Western Suburbs’ favour through to halftime despite Heidelberg’s continued charge into the front third.
Numerous chances for an equaliser went begging into the second half but it didn’t take too long for the visitors to finally strike, and two minutes before the hour-mark the match was drawn level.
It was United who began dominating all facets of the match and again it wasn’t long before the visitors took the lead.
Desperately defending a counter attack, Western Suburbs defender Sam Sweeney lost his footing at the wrong moment to leave goal keeper Chris Maynard exposed one on one.
Maynard could do little as the ball was sent through his defences in the 69th minute for what proved the final score of the match.
Afterward Western Suburbs coach Lenny Catalano was understandably disappointed, but remained pleased with certain aspects of his side’s performance.
“At 1-1, I probably thought it was a fair result, in the end it was a mistake in our back third that cost us the game,” Catalano said.
“Today we didn’t play well going forward, but we kept turning the ball over which granted them possession and that’s why they had so much of it.”
Catalano named Matthew Dimech, Thompson and Maynard as his best performers on the day.
The loss sets up a tantalising fixture on Saturday, when Western Suburbs will travel to Reddish Reserve to take on Moreland Zebras.
