Wollongong Wolves have finished the regular season in style where they defeated Marconi Stallions 1-0 at WIN Stadium on Sunday afternoon courtesy of a late Thomas James penalty.
The match was a tightly contested affair between the two sides and both teams had their fair share of chances but ultimately it was the newly crowned premiers who came out on top.
Wollongong came out strong in the first half, dominating possession and getting plenty of balls in the box but Marconi were too solid defensively for Wolves to get on the scoresheet. The first real chance of the game arrived when Wolves winger Jordan Nikolovski was played through on goal and managed to dribble around the keeper only to run the ball out of play for a goal kick.
Both teams came out roaring in the second half and this game looked certain to end as a stalemate. Both teams would have shared the spoils on the last match day had it not been for Wolves being awarded a late penalty and it was leading goalscorer, Thomas James who stepped up and slotted it home to give his team the win as well as securing himself the golden boot for the season.
Marconi struggled to get themselves back into the game after conceding the penalty as Wolves created several more chances and the Wollongong faithful were left on the edge of the seat as their keeper managed a heroic save from close range in the 90th minute to deny Marconi an equaliser.
This weekend’s win will give Wollongong bags of confidence ahead of the finals series as they will be looking to secure the double, a feat that has only been managed twice in the last 10 years.
