Reserve grade

RESERVE grade returned to the pitch after a two week hiatus, and certainly appeared rusty in the early exchanges. 

It was taking a new back four of Aquilina, Elliott, Chipperfield and Riley some time to settle, and after a wayward free kick they found themselves caught out of position by a quick Saints counterattack that saw the home side take the lead after 15 minutes.

They should have doubled their lead shortly after but for some wasteful finishing, and they were left to rue that later on. The game became a real wrestle, with limited chances for both sides. It was beginning to look like the home side would bag all the points when late in the game Matt McGarrigle and Adam Christensen combined to send Christensen free of the defence, the striker hit a very composed ball back to McGarrigle’s feet, and a delicate finish saw the Tigers square the game up, with the score finishing 1-1. The draw keeps the Tigers reserves at the top of the table going in to Tuesday night’s clash with Wallis Lake. Rod Yanez was a deserving player’s player.

First grade

IN the first grade encounter the Tigers were keen to register their first win of the regular season against a Kempsey Saints side, who are always difficult to play against on their home ground.

Despite the threatening skies the rain held off throughout the match and some excellent football was played. The Tigers very quickly got back into the groove they had found the previous week against South Armidale, and only five minutes had gone when Mark Mallia showed all his skill to beat two players in the box, finishing calmly from close range to put the Tigers in front. The lead lasted for another 10 minutes when poor marking from a corner allowed the Saints an equaliser. This didn’t deter the Tigers who began to dominate the game with great combinations across the park. Codey Chick was dictating the pace of play from the back, behind a dominant Tigers midfield of Nash, Ward and Mallia. The pressure from the Tigers eventually saw Yeates brought down in the box, and he picked himself up to put the Tigers back in front from the penalty spot. Moments later the Tigers suffered a big blow when club legend Ian Redman strained his hamstring and had to be substituted. This brought Joey Newman on for his first grade debut. 

The visitors looked to have increased their lead through Yeates again, this time with a superb header but the celebrations were short lived as the linesman declared him offside despite appearances to the contrary. Undeterred, Yeates added to his tally before halftime, rounding the keeper after a great pass from Zac Mooney to put the Tigers 3-1 up at half time. 

The second half saw the home side lift and the game became a battle, with the Tigers reverting to a counterattacking style in the face of unrelenting pressure from the Saints. James McBride kept the Tigers lead intact with a great penalty save, but could do little to keep out the Saints’ second while a static Tigers defence watched a looping effort hit the post and bounce back to a lurking Saints striker. At 3-2 the game looked like it could go either way with chances at both ends, but good goal keeping kept both teams at bay. The Tigers suffered another big blow when skipper Jason Ward was sent from the field for a second bookable offence, leaving his team to battle out the last 10 minutes a man down. After an extraordinary amount of time added on for stoppages, the referee finally blew his whistle with the final score Kempsey Saints 2 TFFC Tigers 3. Mark Mallia just edged Jack Yeates for the Tigers player’s player award, but excellent performances were seen across the park for the Tigers. 

The Tigers have to do it all again with a midweek fixture against premiers Wallis Lake, who have had the luxury of a weekend off. 

“It was great to come away with the first grade points,” coach Jonathon Newman said.

“But it’s been costly with the injury to Redo and losing Jason Ward. Once again our depth will be tested going into Tuesday night’s games.”