MACLEAY Valley Rangers weathered a storm on two fronts last Saturday to book a meeting with minor premiers Wallis Lake in tomorrow’s Football Mid North Coast qualifying final.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Heavy rain earlier in the week forced the re-location of the semi-final from Port United’s Dixie Park home, across town to Wayne Richards Park.
And Rangers completed a 1-0 victory having been thoroughly outplayed in the first half, despite playing with the wind at their backs.
A late goal by defender Jeremy Masters secured the Macleay men a third win over United this season, just two weeks after the teams met at Dixie Park.
The margin of victory has been one goal on each occasion.
Rangers had goalie Shaun Glover and his defence to thank in the first half, as they survived wave after wave of attacks.
Glover pulled off several last-gasp saves, while Masters and Danny De Bono got just about every conceivable part of their bodies in the way of other goalscoring opportunities.
Teenage forwards Jarrah Wyatt and James Ting were well marshalled by the United defence, who used their experience and superior physicality to blunt Rangers’ attacking edge.
At half-time, coach Dean Riordan questioned his players’ performance and urged them to apply more pressure.
“They looked a bit timid were standing off their opponents too much,” he told The Argus.
“We were defending too deep, and there was no one taking the game by the scruff of the neck for us.
“Our saving grace was we didn’t concede, if we had it would’ve been a tall order for us to get back into it.”
Riordan’s team-talk galvanised Rangers into an improved second-half showing.
With Ting shackled by the United defence, the coach introduced switched him for striker Andrew Potter for the last 25 minutes or so, quickly followed by the substitution of Paul Thurlow, with Steve Morn entering the fray.
Rangers lifted their game further and mounted attack after attack of their own.
With about five minutes of normal time remaining, Potter burst through in the United area and was taken down.
The referee blew for a spot-kick that the home side did not dispute.
Morn stepped up and his penalty to the keeper’s left.
It was well saved, but rebounded to Daniel Saul, who fell over as he tried to get onto it.
Moments later, Josh Tynan hoisted a free-kick from close to the corner on the right wing into the box.
The first United defender failed to connect, and Masters managed to get between him and a second defender to head the ball downwards.
It bounced over the diving keeper for the only goal of the match.
Having been confined to ambitious shots from outside the box in the second half, United had an injury-time free-kick in a dangerous position.
It was met with a glancing header that man of the match Glover saved.
Rangers will travel to Tuncurry tomorrow for what could be their toughest fixture of the season.
They will take on the runaway minor premiers at the Harry Elliott Oval, in a 4.45pm kick-off.
Riordan could hand Potter and Morn starts against the team Rangers beat in last year’s grand final.
The winner will head straight to the grand final, while the loser will meet the winner of the encounter between Port United and Camden Haven Redbacks.