The Western Sydney Wanderers have secured their place in the 2024 NPL NSW 1 season after a 2-1 victory over Mt Druitt Town Rangers on Sunday.
They only needed a point to stave off the threat of relegation, but a stoppage time winner from Marcus Younis gave the Red & Black a deserved three points and they now sit seven points clear of Rangers with just one match left to play.
The Wanderers started strongly, as Younis and Nathaneal Blair had two chances in two minutes early on, before George Antonis won a penalty in the 14th minute when he was brought down by a Rangers defender in the box.
Sapsford stepped up and emphatically converted the spot kick to put the side in front. Younis created another good chance when he cut inside and let fly, but Dylan Niski did well to deny him.
Just after half time, the Wanderers had two great chances, with Sapsford somehow denied by a brilliant Niski save, before Josh Hong put the ball in the back of the net but was denied his first goal for the Wanderers due to being offside.
Rangers, knowing they needed a win to have any chance of avoiding the relegation playoff, began to push numbers forward and forced Jack Gibson into a good diving save, before they equalised with a well taken free kick from Jackson Bandiera.
As Rangers pushed forward for a winner, space opened up for the Wanderers, and they were unlucky not to score in the 92nd minute when Nicolas Milanovic had his initial effort saved before the follow up cannoned off the post.
Younis would have no such problems just a minute later, when he won the ball in the middle of the park, went on a lung busting run past the defence and finished wonderfully off the inside of the post to snatch a victory for the Wanderers to make the points and their status in the league safe.
They round off the season next week with a home match against NWS Spirit.
