An all-star performance from the Macleay Valley Rangers saw them cruise to a 4-0 victory against rivals Kempsey Saints in Saturday’s local derby.
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The writing was on the wall inside the opening 25-minutes, as the Rangers were relentless in attack and scored three quickfire goals.
The first came inside 10-minutes when Brent Ryan scored the goal of his life.
The midfielder fired a shot from 10m outside of the 18-yard-box and it curved across the face of goal and into the top corner.
Young gun Sam Applegate showcased his class to score the next two goals for Rangers.
The skillful player latched onto a through ball and held off the Saints defenders attempts at tackling him and fired into the back of the net for both of his goals.
The early flurry left Saints searching for answers but the Rangers continued to apply the pressure leading into half-time but were unable to extend their lead.
The break didn’t halt the Rangers’ momentum as their dominance was extended into the second 45-minutes.
They created opportunities but it wasn’t until the final 10-minutes when they would make it count on the scoreboard.
Striker Andrew Potter received the ball 30m from goal and took on the Saints defence, beating three players before firing home with class to put the icing on the cake on the victory.
Macleay Valley coach Keith Morn claimed it was the side’s best performance of the season.
“We were too good overall for them, we were a different class, I don’t know if we are getting better or they are getting worse,” Morn told the Argus.
“It’s normally a close game between us but I have never seen us play so dominant.
“We were never threatened at the back and created chances throughout the whole game, we could have won by a lot more.”
Morn credited midfielder Chris Walker as one of the standout players.
“Chris had a blinder in the midfield, controlled the pace of the game and found the open man constantly,” Morn said.
The victory cements Rangers’ spot in the top two on the ladder while Saints remain in fourth position after Port United suffered a shock 2-0 loss to the Tuncurry Tigers.
The two sides were playing for the Kay Clarke shield in remembrance of a woman who played an instrumental role with both clubs.
The shield will be up for grabs in the first meeting of the two Premier League sides each season.
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