Late Penalty Seals 2-1 Win For O’Connor Knights Against Panthers

O’Connor Knights came from behind to record a second win of the season and consign the Monaro Panthers to a second defeat as a late penalty from Patrick O’Rourke secured a 2-1 win for the hosts on a damp and dreary day at O’Connor Enclosed.

O’Rourke, summoned from the substitutes bench by Head Coach Miro Trninic, kept his calm to slot home from the spot with six minutes remaining to claim the points after Phakedi Manda had been upended in the box, the winger brought down by central defender Robert Tkatchenko after picking his pocket inside the area. The goal completed a superb turnaround by the Knights who had trailed for large portions of the encounter having fallen behind to a Panthers opener just before the match hit the half-hour mark. Inevitably, it was former Knight Connor Mynott-Smith that forced the breakthrough. Ben Basser-Silk sent a hopeful pass forward which Knights defender Connor Bill misjudged, the ball bouncing over his foot and sending Mynott-Smith clean thro- ugh. He kept his head to slot a �inish beyond Seb Arranz for 1-0. Jordan Thurtell, in the opposite goal, had been forced to splendidly push away a Micheal Adams free-kick and was in athletic form later when tipping over a �ierce hit from Tyson Livermore, as the O’Connor side went in search of a goal to get themselves back into the �ixture. And they did so with twenty minutes remaining. James Driscoll set off on a penetrating run down the left �lank and cut inside the area, his low ball into the six-yard box steered past his own goalkeeper by the unfortunate Tkatchenko. That swung the momentum and O’Rourke’s dead-eye penalty did the rest. The game at Deakin Stadium between Canberra Croatia and West Canberra Wanderers was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch. This Saturday May 6th, O’Connor Knights are at home where they will host Gungahlin United with Kick off scheduled for 15:00 and, Canberra Croatia will face Monaro Panthers away at Riverside Stadium with kick scheduled for 17:45.