May 26, 2014
by Dafyd Martindale*
South Burnett soccer was a mixed bag this week but football fans got to see some good games nonetheless.
The Women’s match between West and Gunnettes was postponed a fortnight and will now be played mid-week at a date and time yet to be announced.
The postponement was requested by Wests, who have suffered some injuries in recent weeks, and agreed to by Gunnettes.
The same will also apply at next Saturday’s Wests v Barambah match set down for Kingaroy, after Barambah agreed to a similar postponement while Wests Women’s team find their feet again.
Fans will be hoping that Wests’ temporary two-week absence from the competition won’t affect their form.
Prior to this hiccup, Wests were number 2 on the Women’s Division ladder and seemed to be steadily gaining on arch-rivals Nanango as the season progressed.
* * *
The postponement of the Women’s Division game meant that fans who turned up to Tom Alford Oval on Saturday only had two matches to barrack for.
Game times were adjusted upwards to compensate, with the 2nd Division hitting the park at 3:00pm and 1st Division following at 5:00pm.
The 2nd division clash between Wests and Gunners turned into a bit of an arm-wrestle.
Both teams battled it out valiantly, moving the ball from one end of the park to the other as each side slogged it out for dominance.
But neither could find the back of the nets, and the day ended in a frustrating nil-all draw.
Wests, who’ve been running at the bottom of 2nd Division table, can console themselves that their skills seem to keep improving from one week to the next as this season’s new players become accustomed to one another, improving the team’s dynamics.
And Gunners can take consolation that despite Wests’ continuous improvement, they still held them to a scoreless draw.
* * *
In 1st Division, it was a different story with Wests finally gaining ascendancy over Gunners after a string of losses this season.
As with the earlier game, the first half was scoreless.
Both teams pushed hard and the standard of play was good, but neither side could penetrate their opponent’s defences.
In the second half, Russell Hutfield finally found the back of the net for Wests in the 74th minute.
And just 14 minutes later, team-mate Joel Cooper repeated the effort to see Wests emerge 2-nil winners.
* * *
Fans who went to the Nanango v Barambah clash at the Murgon Sportsgrounds enjoyed some very interesting football.
At the moment the Panthers and Barambah United lead the table in 1st and 2nd Division, and they came up against one another in two of last week’s President’s Cup games.
As things turned out that day, Nanango won the 1st Division match 2-nil and the 2nd Division match 5-2.
Both sides were clearly up for a rematch, and they had it at Murgon on Saturday afternoon.
* * *
After last week’s game, the 2nd Division match between Nanango and the home team was expected to be an outright win for the Panthers.
But it didn’t quite work out that way.
Both teams proved much more evenly matched than their President’s Cup tussle may have suggested.
While Nanango ultimately took out the win, it was a narrow 1-nil victory this time after Karl Pichlis managed to find the rear of the net in the 16th minute.
This was a big change from last week’s 5-2 thumping, so it seems Barambah have learned a thing or two from that match.
Only time will tell…
* * *
Things were tighter in the Women’s Division, too, and it was a good match to watch.
At present Nanango lead the Women’s league table and Barambah occupies third place.
So there was a school of thought – doubtless not shared by Barambah supporters! – that Nanango would win the match easily.
However this thinking overlooked that part of Barambah’s rankings have been caused by fielding under-strength sides in a few recent games which cost the team dearly.
In Saturday’s match on their home turf, however, Barambah’s women really showed their stuff and fought the Panthers doggedly to a 1-all draw.
* * *
After such close games in the lower divisions, Barambah fans could have been forgiven for thinking they were in for an all-star day. But it was not to be.
Nanango proved the vastly stronger side in the 1st Division game, giving Barambah a 7-2 drubbing thanks to an early trifecta by Elliott Mangan, and doubles by Thomas and Keiran Mangan between the 5th and 55th minute – a barrage of scoring that would have left many a lesser team in the dust.
To Barambah’s credit, they kept their heads up and redeemed themselves in the latter part of the game, keeping Nanango away from their nets while Sheldon Livingstone landed a goal against the Panthers in the 71st minute and Chris O’Loughlin a second in the 85th.
Barambah played hard-paced, fast football throughout, showing they’re not easybeats and can never be taken for granted.
A great game from both sides.
* * *
Results:
In Murgon:
- Division 2: Nanango 1 (Karl Pichlis 16th) – Barambah 0
- Women’s Division: Nanango 1 (Riley Campbell 20th) – Barambah 1 (Elle Mollenhauer 5th)
- Division 1: Nanango 7 (Elliott Mangan 5th, 10th, 34th, Thomas Mangan 16th, 47th, Keiran Mangan 50th, 55th) – Barambah 2 (Sheldon Livingstone 71st, Chris O’Loughlin 85th)
In Kingaroy:
- Division 2: Wests 0 – Gunners 0
- Women’s Division: Postponed
- Division 1: Wests 2 (Russell Hutfield 74th, Joel Cooper 85th) – Gunners 0
Next Week:
- Wests v Barambah in Kingaroy (Women’s Division postponed)
- Nanango v Gunners in Nanango
*Note: southburnett.com.au’s regular football columnist Martin Stern is away this week.
[UPDATED with correction]
