Coniston have jumped back into second spot on the Illawarra Premier League ladder after claiming a convincing 2-0 win over Woonona on Saturday.
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After last week's shock 2-2 draw with lowly South Coast United, Rob Jonovski's men responded at Ocean Park, with Anthony Krsteski and Matt Tschentscher finding the back of the net. Conversely, the Sharks remain four points adrift of the IPL's top five, and last year's premiers haven't won a game since May 1.
Jonovski said he was really pleased with his side's performance on Saturday.
"I thought we were outstanding today. We controlled the game from the outset for the full 90 minutes and I was very happy with the way we played," the Coniston coach said.
"We retained the ball, created chances and limited their chances. Last week's result was one we weren't happy with, we should have scored five or six, and we should have scored five or six today. The chances were there last week so I wasn't concerned, and the boys are back on track."
The win came just before Wollongong went into a two-week lockdown, with Football South Coast confirming on Saturday afternoon that all matches will be suspended until at least midnight July 9.
When the Premier League resumes, Coniston will hold second place, after they leapfrogged both Wollongong United and Albion Park on the ladder. Leaders Wollongong Olympic and United both have a game in hand, while the White Eagles played out a 2-2 draw with Port Kembla at Terry Reserve on Saturday.
In the only other IPL game, the Blueys secured a 3-1 win over Cringila at Tarrawanna Oval.
"Obviously with the lockdown happening and a few other teams not playing, we got this game under our belt and got the three points. It puts us back in contention there with the top four teams," Jonovski said.
"We were happy that the White Eagles slipped up today. But at the end of the day, I'm not concerned about other teams and what they do because I can't control that. We can control only what we do, and today we thoroughly deserved it.
"It [football suspended] feels a bit like deja vu, but hopefully it's only a couple of weeks and we'll be back into it. It feels like the home stretch now, and hopefully it all settles down in a couple of weeks."
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Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
