Robinson hold firm for a hard-fought point

It was a point earned the hard way for the Bulls.

The Wanderers saw the lion’s share of the ball against their local rivals, but Macarthur stayed compact, held firm and leaned on the goalkeeping of Alexander Robinson to keep the visitors out, with fresh legs off the bench helping the home side see out the final stretch. Final score: Macarthur 0-0 Western Sydney Wanderers.

The Bulls lined up at Campbelltown Sports Stadium in a 4-4-2 against the Wanderers’ 4-2-3-1, and had to be switched on straight away. In the second minute Liam Gillion’s right-footed shot from the centre of the box was saved in the bottom left corner by Alexander Robinson, and Angus Thurgate sent an effort from outside the box high and wide moments later.

Apostolos Stamatelopoulos was shown a yellow card for a bad foul in the seventh minute, but the Bulls kept their shape. In the 10th minute Miguel Di Pizio hit the left post with a left-footed shot from outside the box following a corner, and Macarthur held firm.

Macarthur showed some intent of their own in the 22nd minute. Connor Pain’s right-footed shot from the centre of the box was blocked after a Dean Bosnjak cross, and moments later Nathan Paull sent a left-footed effort from the left side of the box just a bit too high.

Robinson was called on again in the 32nd minute, saving Brandon Borrello’s header from the centre of the box in the bottom right corner. Paull was booked for a bad foul in the 35th minute, Robinson stood tall two minutes later to keep out Gillion’s left-footed effort from a difficult angle on the left, and Bosnjak had a right-footed shot from the right side of the box blocked in the 38th.

Three minutes of added time became five as the Wanderers piled forward. Liam Rose cleared Nicolas Milanović’s header off the line, a string of further efforts were blocked and Robinson kept out Milanović’s right-footed shot from the centre of the box, before Nathan Barrie headed high and wide from very close range following a corner. The Bulls went in level at 0-0, resolute and well organised without the ball.

Sasa Ognenovski made his first change two minutes later, sending on Ben Gibson for Bosnjak, and the Wanderers answered almost immediately with Atiya Waraga and Aydan Hammond replacing Gillion and Borrello.

On the hour Ognenovski went again, with Ryan Fraser and Musa Touré replacing Pain and Luke Vickery, and the Bulls looked more threatening almost straight away. In the 62nd minute Fraser’s corner found Stamatelopoulos, whose header from the centre of the box missed to the left, and Fraser’s next cross found Gibson, whose right-footed shot from the centre of the box slid just wide to the right.

Dylan Scicluna went into the book for a bad foul in the 66th minute, and Dylan Rose tested Lawrence Thomas a minute later, his left-footed shot from the left side of the box saved in the top left corner.

Touré was booked for a bad foul in the 79th minute, but the Bulls refused to sit back. A minute later Fraser crossed again and Stamatelopoulos headed from the centre of the box, only for Thomas to save in the top left corner. Zane Helweh replaced Stamatelopoulos in the 83rd minute, and Marcus Savic came on for Jarrod Carluccio three minutes later.

Robinson had the last word, diving to his right deep into stoppage time to keep out Hammond’s right-footed shot from outside the box, and the Bulls saw out a goalless draw and a clean sheet.

Full time

The numbers tell the story of a night spent defending. The Wanderers finished with 61.7% of the possession to Macarthur’s 38.3% and 16 attempts to the Bulls’ seven, six of them on target to Macarthur’s two, yet Robinson’s five saves and a well-drilled back four of Paull, Aspropotamitis, Nara and Talbot delivered a clean sheet and a 0-0 draw. Both sides won six corners, a small sign that the Bulls were still able to put the visitors under pressure, and the home faithful went away with a point against their local rivals.

The head-to-head remains tight. Before this match Macarthur had six wins to the Wanderers’ seven with four draws, so this result makes it five stalemates in the series, and the point stretches the Bulls’ unbeaten run in the A-League Men to four games and leaves them third on the ladder, level on five points with the Wanderers. The challenge now is to pair that solidity with a sharper cutting edge in the final third, because two shots on target will not always be enough to turn a hard-fought point into three.

Next match

The Bulls are back at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on Sunday 8 November to host Brisbane Roar, with kick-off at 3:00pm local time, in a meeting of third against fourth on the ladder.