If the Wollongong Wolves are to secure the NSW Men's National Premier League double, they will have to do it the hard way after they suffered a shock loss to APIA Leichhardt on Wednesday night.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
An 81st minute Chris Payne goal proved the difference between the two sides, the Tigers claiming a 1-0 victory at WIN Stadium.
Wollongong will now play in a sudden-death final this weekend, where a victory would set up a rematch with APIA Leichhardt in the grand final at Bankwest Stadium next Saturday.
The Wolves may have dominated APIA throughout the regular season, however it was the Tigers who largely controlled proceedings in the first half.
Wollongong made a number of uncharacteristic errors throughout the opening 45, many of which put the side under immediate pressure.
Fortunately for the Wolves, APIA Leichhardt were unable to make the most of their chances, with a number of shots well off the mark.
While APIA Leichhardt were on top for much of the half, Wollongong had a number of opportunities of their own. Each time they pushed forward, however, the Wolves struggled to generate genuine goal-scoring opportunities.
While Wollongong were sloppy at times throughout the first half, they played with far more intent following the resumption of play.
It took less than a minute for Thomas James to produce the first chance of the half, his shot saved by Tigers goalkeeper Ivan Necevski.
The match was a physical affair, with referee Adrian Arndt largely letting the two teams jostle and contest for the ball.
Tensions threatened to boil over early in the second half, however, with both teams making a number of hard fouls. Eventually APIA's Adrian Ucchino pushed the limits too far, a heavy challenge on James drawing a yellow card.
As the teams tired throughout the second half, the game started to open up, with Wollongong able to push forward and generate a number of close chances.
The Tigers were not without opportunities of their own, Payne finding himself in space in front of goal on a number of occasions.
As the second half progressed, the match developed into an end to end affair, with both teams pushing forward on the counter attack in a bid to break the deadlock.
It was Scott who had one of the best chances to do so, the former Western Sydney Wanderer coming close to latching on to a near perfect Thomas James cross in the 76th minute.
Ultimately, however, it was the visitors who broke the deadlock, Payne latching on to a Sean Symons cross to hand his team a 1-0 lead.
The Wolves pushed forward in a bid to claim a late equaliser, however they were unable to find the back of the net, Wollongong ultimately falling 1-0.