Saints were forced to make the trip west on five days notice but still managed to field a strong side and the club thanks the 14 players who made themselves available.

Armidale managed to fire an early warning shot at Saints as they hit the crossbar in the opening minute.

However, it wasn't long until Saints took control the contest and dominated possession.

The away side took a 2-0 lead into the break and piled on the pressure in the second half.

Troy Ward (2), Sam Mahoney (2), Kurtis Smith (2), Liam King, Issac Cook and veteran Toby O'Brien banged in the goals.

Preparations for the remainder of the club continue for the 2019 season.

The combined pre-season training, where all players eligible for any Saturday afternoon football are welcome to attend has come to an end.

The five weeks saw juniors; ladies and men put through a multi-station session interspersed with core and cardio training. This week will see all senior teams break into their grades.

The ladies, under the guide of Coach Amy O’Brien, will be training on Tuesday and Thursday at 5.30 pm. They will start their competitive season with two teams heading to this weekend’s Nambucca Cup.

News in the Northern League division is the commencement of two grades this year and Saints will field one team in the A Grade division and two teams in the B Grade division.

Premier League has been busy with several trial games; an FFA Cup game and the upcoming Nambucca Cup.

Saints have played regular pre-season rivals Boambee and then Matt Baker took the squad to Port Macquarie to play Port United.

Results were set aside to give as many players as possible an opportunity to show where they are up to with the season approaching.

The Nambucca Cup is the next focus with two men’s team and two ladies teams heading north for the weekend competition.

Matt Baker will be running the squads and it is another opportunity for all involved to push for a spot in the highest grade possible.

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