The Old Bar Barbarians have caused the upset of the season in the Men's Southern League competition to set up a thrilling top-of-the-table clash between Wallis Lake and Tuncurry Forster ZPL this week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Old Bar scored two unanswered goals against Wallis Lake at Old Bar on Saturday, handing the competition favourites their first loss for the season.
The result sees Wallis Lake relinquish their position at the top of the ladder to cross-town rivals Tuncurry Forster ZPL, who continued their strong form with a dominant 7-0 win over Wingham FC on Saturday.
Tuncurry Forster ZPL and Wallis Lake will meet at Boronia Park this Wednesday evening at 7pm in a game that could ultimately decide the Men's Southern League competition, which is following a first-past-the-post format in 2020.
Tuncurry Forster ZPL coach, Scott Fletcher, says while Wallis Lake's loss gives them some confidence coming into the clash, his team knows better than to underestimate their long-time rivals.
"Wallis will grow an extra leg to play us," Mr Fletcher said.
However, given the steady improvement Tuncurry Forster ZPL has shown and what's at stake, he says his players will be doing their utmost to cement their position at the top of the ladder.
"I think we're capable," Mr Fletcher said.
"If we don't beat Wallis once in the year, we don't deserve to win."
Mr Fletcher said Tuncurry Forster ZPL maintained their structure well against Wingham FC, which was pleasing considering how many goals they scored.
"We got off to a bit of a flyer," he said.
"We scored a goal in the first 40 seconds."
Lachlan France was a standout for Tuncurry, bagging a hat trick, while Reece Chapman and Regan Bramble also turned in strong performances.
For Wallis Lake, the loss to Old Bar was something of a wake-up call, according to Great Lakes United Football Club secretary, Kevin Stevens.
He said the team paid the price for underestimating Old Bar.
"I don't think we turned up," Mr Stevens said.
"Old Bar played well. Their keeper was very good."
You may also like: Great white shark bites boat off Forster
With a number of key players coming back for Wednesday's clash, Mr Stevens said there was plenty of motivation to turn around their poor performance.
"We're playing for bragging rights," he said.
"The boys will want to win on Wednesday night."
Thank you for valuing local journalism with your subscription. While you're with us, you can also receive updates straight to your inbox from the Great Lakes Advocate. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, sign up here.
