Reigning NPL WA champions Bayswater City will seek to continue their winning start to the Australian Championship when they travel to take on former National Soccer League side Sydney Olympic this weekend.
The Australian Championship is a national second tier competition now in its second year involving eight foundation clubs and the eight winners of National Premier Leagues competitions around the country.
The back-to-back NPL WA champions qualified for the second time and will play six home-and-away matches, with the top two teams in each group going through to a knockout finals series.
Bayswater kicked off the competition with a 3-1 victory over Marconi, continuing their unbeaten run at home in the championship, though they narrowly failed to advance to the knockout stages last year on goal difference after a final round away loss.
Marconi have a rich history, formed in 1958 and a founding member of the National Soccer League from 1977 to 2004 before it became the A-League, winning the title four times as well as the NSL Cup once.
They were also runners-up in last year’s championship.
Bayswater struck first at Frank Drago Reserve through a clever free kick that saw Patrick Loughrey bend the ball around the wall and into the bottom corner of the net.
Marconi replied quickly in the 32nd minute as Damian Tsekenis headed home uncontested from a free kick.
The scores were tied going into half-time but the deadlock was broken in the 61st minute as Chok Dau took down a wayward cross on the edge of the box and buried the ball in the top corner of Joel Wade’s goal.
Cameron Teece then secured the three points for Bayswater City when a long ball from goalkeeper Lewis Italiano was flicked on by Oliver La Galia into the path of Teece, who coolly lobbed over Wade.
It went from bad to worse for Marconi in the 88th minute as substitute Teng Kuol was shown a second yellow card and the visitors were reduced to 10 men.
Sydney Olympic lost 2-4 to NPL Victoria champions Oakleigh Cannons in the other group game.