AFTER waiting all season to get stuck into their rivals, Wallis Lake demolished the Macleay Valley Rangers 4-1 during their Great Lakes United Football Clubs premier league home match at Boronia Park on Saturday.
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Only a goal has separated the two clubs for the past five years.
Both clubs played quality attacking football and a warm August afternoon set the stage for the clash.
The game kicked off at a frantic pace with both teams out to prove a point and start the game on the front foot.
Wallis Lake and the Rangers had control in the central-midfield rolls and it was clear from the early stages that whoever could control the midfield would have the better chance of taking the three points.
Beau Wynter and Griffin Prestwidge, got on top of their markers in the middle and won important challenges to slow the game down to Wallis Lakes pace.
Wallis Lake held most of the possession in the first half.
They played patient football and used the whole pitch to wait for the right time to attack.
Player Sam Roche found plenty of space outside his man to get the ball into the Rangers box.
Striker Peter Master-Antonio, recently returned to the squad mid season, scored the first goal of the match.
Master-Antonio shook his defender and found himself free in the box driving the ball into the keeper's glove and into the goal.
Master-Antonio’s striking partner Roan Whiteman also kept pressure on the keeper and was unlucky to find a goal earlier in the game.
The Rangers had their chances to level the score before halftime, but goal keeper Dean Bensch pulled off a spectacular one-on-one save.
Wallis Lake dominated possession again in the second half and the Rangers began to run out of legs.
Right back Mitch Clarke had to exit the game with a knee injury about 60 minutes in and was replaced by Kaine Morgan, who has impressed coach Russ of late.
Whiteman managed to shake his mid-season monkey to score Wallis Lake's second goal after by Roche flicked a well contested ball onto Whitemans feet.
Loose marking allowed him to turn and carry the ball wide and forward.
A textbook "biggy turn" saw him leave a Rangers defender still looking for the ball on the sideline and Whiteman headed goal bound with just the keeper to beat.
Whiteman set up Dan Mansaur for the third goal after Whiteman found space on halfway and carrying the ball at his defender.
Drawing two defenders in, he opened space to slip Mansaur past his marker who went on to score.
Black their final goal off a poorly cleared ball.
The Rangers scored a consolation goal off a corner in the final minute
Mansaur was awarded players’ player and showed he wants to be a regular starter.
Wallis Lake play in Old Bar next week with points crucial to push first grade to top spot.