June 16, 2014
By Martin Stern
Football South Burnett
After a week’s break for the Queen’s Birthday holiday, football returned to the South Burnett with a vengeance on Saturday for the ninth round of this year’s Evolution Solar Football League.
Some fans, of course, are currently in the grip of World Cup fever and elected to stay home to watch the games in Brazil.
But others came out in rainy weather to watch local football.
And they were rewarded with some very good games at both the Nanango and Kingaroy soccer fields, with upset wins on both grounds.
* * *
Barambah Back On Top
In Kingaroy, Barambah took on Gunners in all three divisions.
Barambah needed a win to reclaim their top spot in Second Division after recording poor results in their President’s Cup loss to Nanango.
The match was fairly even at the start of play, and it wasn’t until the 23rd minute that John Shaw put Barambah ahead from a close range tap in.
Just over 10 minutes later, Gunners youngster Gary Honhold equalised after cutting through the Barambah defence.
Then a minute after that, Joseph Copas put Gunners ahead when he found himself with a free run on goal.
This gave Gunners a 2-1 lead that took them to halftime.
But four minutes into the second half, Barambah were awarded a penalty which was scored by John Shaw to both sides level.
And in the 64th minute, Brendan Kelly broke through the Gunners defence to give Barambah the lead once again.
With ten minutes to go, Scott Prendergast made it 4-2 after having a goal disallowed for offside in the first half.
The match was halted a minute from full time after an injury to Gunners Jack McBlane (see story elsewhere on this page).
Full time was called as the player could not be moved until he got ambulance attention.
The match was closer than the score suggested but Gunners have to learn to take a couple of touches on the ball to gain better control.
Best for Barambah were Rob Smith, John Shaw and Aaron Vanderkolk on debut.
For Gunners it was Dale Warren, Joe Copas and Jack McBlane.
* * *
Gunnettes Win At Last
After a lot of hard work and training, the Gunnettes had their first win of the season on the weekend.
And they didn’t have to wait either, with Kiara Wright finding the back of the net in the 3rd minute of the game.
The Gunnettes seemed to have a spring in their step, and were playing some attractive football with accurate passing.
And in the 9th minute, Kiara Wright scored again to put her team 2-0 ahead.
Barambah had difficulty breaking through some excellent defence, and when they did their attempts were thwarted by some great goal keeping by Lucy Montgomery.
The second half was much the same, with Barambah striker Elle Mollenhauer being starved of the ball.
Then in the 55th minute, Kiara Wright completed her hat trick and Gunnettes went on to record their first victory of the season.
Best on the park for Gunnettes were Kiara Wright, Steph Mumford, Sharna Raddatz and Lucy Montgomery.
Barambah’s best were Michelle Howson, Kristy Murray and Emma Sippel.
* * *
Barambah Boles Over Gunners With A Hat Trick
Barambah consolidated their second position on the league table with a hard-fought victory against Gunners in the First Division game.
The first half was a midfield battle and both teams pushed the ball around well in wet conditions.
It was not until the 36th minute that the deadlock was broken when Richard Boles put Barambah ahead.
The second half was similar, with much of the play contained in the midfield and with few shots on goal.
In the 61st minute, Boles scored his second to make it 2-0 to Barambah.
But four minutes later as Barambah pressed forward, Gunners scored on the break through lone striker, Ike Sililat.
In the 71st minute Barambah were awarded a penalty after a foul inside the box and Sheldon Livingstone made no mistake, restoring the two goal buffer.
With five minutes remaining, Ike Sililat scored once again on the counter attack to make it 3-2 and give Gunners some hope.
But with just a minute to go it was Richard Boles who scored a long distance screamer from the left outside the penalty box, to complete his hat trick in his first game as a striker.
Best on the park for Barambah were Richard Boles, Sheldon Livingston and newcomer Alberto Gillardi.
For Gunners, Neil Gurnett, Peter Collins and Luke Vandenberg all had good games.
* * *
Wests Do Well Against Panthers
In Nanango, Wests continued their good run with a 1-1 draw with the Panthers in 2nd Division, and a 1-nil win aginst Nanango in the Women’s Division (which was Nanango’s first loss of the season).
In First Division, though, the Panthers continued their unbeaten run with a 3-0 victory and Myron Tunstall helping himself to a brace.
Next week, the Panthers will come up against Barambah at Nanango.
And that promises to be an even more interesting match.
* * *
Evolution Solar Football League Results June 14, 2014:
In Kingaroy:
- 2nd Division: Barambah 4 (John Shaw 23rd, 44th, Brendan Kelly 64th, Scott Prendergast 71st) – Gunners 2 (Gary Honhold 34th, Joseph Copas 35th)
- Women’s Division: Gunnettes 3 (Kiara Wright 3rd, 9th, 55th) – Barambah 0
- 1st Division: Barambah 4 (Richard Boles 36th, 61st, 89th, Sheldon Livingston 71st) – Gunners 2 (Ike Sililat 65th, 85th)
In Nanango:
- 2nd Division: Nanango 1 (Ty Flevill 64th) – Wests 1 (Harry Pratt 43rd)
- Women’s Division: Wests 1 (Cassie Firman 72nd) – Nanango 0
- 1st Division: Nanango 3 (Kyron Tunstall 28th, 65th, Elliot Mangan 64th) – Wests 0
Next Week:
- Nanango v Barambah in Nanango
- Wests v Gunners in Kingaroy
* * *
Jack’s Spill Delays Game
Like any sport, football has its fair share of injuries – and Gunners 2nd Division player Jack McBlane suffered a spectacular one at the Kingaroy Soccer Fields on Saturday that saw him stretchered off to hospital.
Jack had been attempting to block a Barambah player with a slide over the wet grass, but the move went badly wrong.
McBlane was left writhing on the ground in obvious pain, and anxious team officials who rushed to the young player’s aid immediately called for an ambulance.
Paramedics attended promptly and after administering pain-killers, put McBlane on a stretcher and took him to Kingaroy Hospital for further tests.
The 2nd Division match was halted a minute from full-time to allow the young player to be properly cared for, and the succeeding Women’s Division match was delayed by 30 minutes until the ambulance left the grounds.
The accident was a stark reminder to both players and spectators that football isn’t entirely risk-free.
But I’m sure everyone wishes this brave young player a speedy recovery and a rapid return to game.
[UPDATED with correction]
