SOCCER - Tuncurry Forster Tigers
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THE Tuncurry Forster Tigers took on South Armidale United Football Club on Saturday in the last of the Northern NSW Football regional preliminary qualifiers for the Westfield FFA Cup.
The Tigers lost two goals to one.
Injuries and absences were still a big factor for the Tigers, with a makeshift back four including Ian Redman and coach Jonathon Newman, with a combined age of 100 years. Jack Yeates was also missing following the battering he received at Laurieton the previous week.
This brought another over-35 player into the line-up with Chris Ceccato leading the line for the Tigers. Mark Mallia and skipper Jason Ward also returned to the line-up along with Matt Scarff.
The Tigers had to endure a horror start, as they went a goal down almost immediately from their own kick off. A planned set play from the kick off went awry and the Tigers’ defence was caught badly out of position by a ball over their heads that fell to one of the South Armidale strikers and he made no mistake with a cool one v one finish to put the visitors ahead inside a minute.
With the crowd suddenly sensing a massacre, the Tigers were back at the centre spot kicking off again before anyone had even broken sweat. Instead of caving in though, the Tigers set to work showing that South Armidale would not have everything their own way.
With a very dominant midfield of Ward, Mallia and Nash dictating the play, the Tigers were soon in control of the game despite the scoresheet. Fantastic combination play by the wide players Minors, Camilleri, Scarff and Mooney saw the Tigers in behind the visitors with alarming regularity, and it was little more than 15 minutes in when Jake Camilleri rounded the keeper, and looked to have scored, only to have the ball cleared off the line by a desperate defence.
With their tails well and truly up the Tigers were straight back into action in the second half, with the visitors appearing happy to try to defend their slender lead. Great chances came and went for the Tigers until a sensational cross from Dylan Nash to Minors at the far post saw an audacious chipped finish over the onrushing keeper bring the Tigers level and from that point on it looked like there could only be one winner.
The Tigers’ central defence had become virtual spectators, with Mooney and Scarff foraging further up the field as the Tigers piled on the pressure. An injury to Newman saw Riley come into the fray with around 30 minutes remaining. Shortly after that a now rare Armidale incursion into Tigers territory saw Riley caught in two minds about passing back to his keeper or playing the ball out. The indecision proved costly as an under hit pass was swooped upon by the only Armidale player in the vicinity and he finished into an open goal to give the visitors a surprise lead.
Again despite a second shot in the foot, the Tigers to their credit lifted again. Christensen and Kianou were sent into action as the home side pressed for a deserved equaliser. Some spectacular keeping by the Armidale custodian as well as desperate last ditch defence was all that was keeping the Tigers from scoring - that and the crossbar, which was Armidale’s saviour from a last minute Dylan Nash free kick which would have sent the match to penalties.
So the match finished Tuncurry-Forster Tigers 1, South Armidale United 2. Even the most one-eyed Armidale supporters were prepared to admit that the better side had lost, with the Tigers playing as well as they had all season despite fielding what some may consider a depleted side once again.