Manly United’s impressive late-season resurgence shows no signs of slowing, with a commanding 4-0 victory over Sydney Olympic extending the club’s unbeaten run to seven matches and lifting the side to seventh on the NPL NSW Men’s ladder.
After collecting just one win from their opening 13 matches, Vladimir Knežević’s side has transformed its season through a run built on resilience, discipline and growing confidence. With five rounds remaining, Manly now finds itself firmly in the race for a coveted finals berth.
The hosts controlled much of the opening half at Cromer Park and deservedly took the lead midway through the first period. Darcy Burgess reacted quickest after his free kick was only partially cleared, with his follow-up effort taking a deflection before finding the back of the net.
While Sydney Olympic created chances of their own, goalkeeper Mackenzie Syron produced another assured performance between the posts, making a string of important saves to preserve Manly’s advantage heading into the break.
The contest swung decisively in Manly’s favour immediately after half-time.
Ben Koop doubled the lead within moments of the restart, reacting quickest after the initial save before adding his second just minutes later with a composed finish at the back post following excellent work from Cai Evans.
The icing on the cake came 12 minutes from full-time when Under 20s forward Aston Hulme continued the club’s exciting youth story, calmly converting his first goal for Manly United’s First Grade side after Steph de Robillard’s effort was pushed into his path.
With seven matches unbeaten and confidence growing by the week, Manly now heads into the final five rounds knowing its destiny remains firmly in its own hands. The run home may present some tough challenges, but with Cromer Park becoming a fortress and belief surging through the squad, the race for the finals is very much alive.
U20s Join the Party
The good news continued earlier in the evening, with Manly’s Under 20s producing a six-star performance of their own in a comprehensive 6-0 victory over Sydney Olympic.
Will McCreery opened the scoring before the break, with the hosts taking complete control after half-time as Rhys Webster, Dom Ross, Henry Rumler, Hamish Purdy and McCreery’s second goal completed an outstanding team display.
The result keeps the young side firmly in the hunt at the top end of the competition while continuing the club’s exciting run of performances across both senior grades.
Next up, Manly travel to Rockdale on Sunday August 2 for Round 26 of the NPL competition. First Grade KO – 3pm.
See full match stats here.
Image credit: Football NSW
