With the conclusion of the 2010/11 National Youth League last weekend, here is a look at how the top three teams fared in this year’s competition:
With the conclusion of the 2010/11 National Youth League last weekend, here is a look at how the top three teams fared in this year-s competition:
The exclusion of finals football from season three meant that Gold Coast were crowned this season-s winner after finishing on top of the NYL ladder at the end of the home and away fixture.
Gold Coast United: Gold Coast United secured their second National Youth title in two years, winning the competition with two games in hand. The defending champions finished the season with 41 points (13 wins, 2 draws, 4 losses) and had the best scoring and defensive record in the league. A 4-1 loss to Sydney and Melbourne Victory and two more losses to Brisbane and AIS in the month of November were not enough to prevent the trophy from leaving the Gold Coast. Having been the most consistent team throughout the season, Gold Coast led the pack from the start and a win at the end of Round 18 out of 20 meant that Gold Coast have placed themselves 6 points clear of Central Coast Mariners and deserving winners of the 2010/11 NYL trophy.
Key Stats: Chris Harold (7 goals in 13 games), Ben Halloran (6 goals in 16 games), Steven Lustica (6 goals in 15 games)
Players with 15 or more appearances: Zachary Anderson (19), Joshua Brillante (19), Ben Wearing (18), Mitch Cooper (17), Bob Russell (17), Ben Halloran (16), Steven Lustica (15), Matija Simic (15)
Central Coast Mariners: Last season-s premiers, Central Coast Mariners, had to play second fiddle to Gold Coast this year finishing the competition with 35 points (11 wins, 2 draws, 7 losses). The Mariners did not have a good start to the season, losing their first two matches against Gold Coast and AIS, followed by three consecutive defeats in November. A win against Sydney in Round 9 started a change of luck and they managed to finish the season strongly, recording 8 wins in 10 matches but it was not enough to challenge Gold Coast for the title. Bernie Ibini-Isei finished the season as the league top scorer with 12 goals and followed closely by team-mate, Mitchell Duke with 11 goals. Bernie-s four goals against Adelaide United is also the most number of goals scored by a player in the NYL.
Key stats: Bernie Ibini-Isei (12 goals in 17 matches), Mitchell Duke (11 goals in 19 matches)
Players with 15 or more appearances: Mitchell Duke (19), Nick Fitzgerald (19), Sam Munro (18), Bernie Ibini-Isei (17), Jimmy Oates (17), Sam Gallagher (16), Matthew Lewis (15), Mitchell Mallia (15), Brendan Griffin (15), Alex Mansueto (15)
Adelaide United: Since the inaugural NYL season in 2008, Adelaide has finish in the top three and this season was no different, coming in third with 31 points (10 wins, 1 draws, 9 losses). Adelaide recorded their worst ever defensive performance this season, letting in 41 goals with Melbourne Victory (8th) and Perth Glory (9th) letting in more goals. Adelaide and sixth placed team, Brisbane Roar, were separated by four points and despite having the worst goal difference compared to Sydney, AIS and Brisbane, Adelaide-s five wins in their last five matches helped them to secure third position. Evan Kostopoulos finished the season joint thrid in the goal scorer chart with 9 goals.
Key Stats: Evan Kostopoulos (9 goals in 19 games), Francesco Monterosso (7 goals in 17 matches)
Players with 15 or more appearances: Evan Kostopoulos (19), Matthew Halliday (19), Perry Mitris (18), Jackson Groves (18), Francesco Monterosso (17), Bradley Norton (17), Jordan Elsey (15), Matthew Mullen (15), Mitchel Nicholson (15), Brett Rayner (15), Daniel Scordo (15), Jordan Spadavecchia (15), Alan Welsh (15)
