RISKY PLOY PAYS OFF

GOLDEN PLAINS ‘FLAWLESS’

GOLDEN Plains caused the boilover of the season, defeating neighbours Bell Park 1-0 in arctic conditions at the Bannockburn Recreation Precinct on Saturday.

Golden Plains coach Daniel Cucinotta went into the State League 4 derby with a risky tactic — to push midfield maestro Michael Radojevic up front alongside Sarbablu Bani and to move his other striking option Jake Krilcic into a left midfield role in an attempt to thwart Bell Park’s dominance down the right side.

The move paid dividends as the normally dangerous right-sided Bell Park combination of defender Adam Milenkovski and winger Nathan Munoz was suffocated, allowing the Eagles defenders to play with more composure and deal with less threatening attacking forays from the All Whites midfield.

Both sides adapted well to the conditions in the first half, with both defences holding tight every time their respective midfield lines were breached.

Radojevic had an opportunity to give the home side the lead within the opening 10 minutes, but was denied by veteran Park custodian Ang di Mauro.

In the second half, it was just as close a contest until the 77th minute mark, when the only goal of the game was scored by Bani, who managed to thread the ball through the smallest of openings following a delightful through ball by striking partner Radojevic.

After the match, Cucinotta said his team played flawlessly and put in a real team effort, led by youngster Ben Vanjek, who dominated proceedings across the middle of the park.

“If I had to give a beston-ground award to anyone, I would have to have given it to all the boys. There was not one weak link out there today,” he said. “It was a great game to watch. It certainly did not reflect our (lowly) position on the ladder. Everyone just lifted and played unbelievably well.

“It was an emotional win for me personally, as I have never coached prior to this season and to come up against a lot of my old teammates and win was an incredible feeling,” he added.

Cucinotta’s counterpart from Bell Park was understandably disappointed with his team’s effort. “Our players lacked effort and desire to grind out a result in tough conditions,” a dejected Ivan Biscan said

after the game.