By Martin Stern
Football South Burnett
July 28, 2014
Barambah Miss Opportunity
Barambah went into this weekend’s 2nd Division match knowing that nothing less than a win would do if they were to have any chance of winning the 2nd Division Minor Premiership.
Wests started the match off well with a very good possession game.
But it was Barambah who went ahead in the 24th minute through Sam Kemp when Wests failed to clear the ball from defence.
However, Wests continued to push and in the 32nd minute Jonathon Litzow was brought down in the penalty box.
Harry Pratt stepped up to take the penalty and made no mistake, squaring the ledger at half-time.
In the second half, Wests came out attacking and five minutes in Jack Fleming put them ahead, scoring from a loose ball in close range of the Barambah goal.
Then four minutes later, Fleming struck again to make it 3-1 by picking up another loose ball.
Barambah seemed to be a little rattled by this, but in the 63rd minute an unmarked Brendan Kelly scored with a header from a pin-point cross to the far post.
And just three minutes later, Golden Boot nominee John Shaw equalised for Barambah at close range from a tidy cross.
Barambah searched for a winner but were ultimately beaten by the clock.
It was admirable performance from both sides in a very good quality 2nd Division game.
Barambah will be kicking themselves that they didn’t win because 2nd Division leaders Nanango crashed in a surprise upset 2-0 loss the Gunners at the Burnett Street soccer fields in Nanango the same day.
All eyes will now be on 2nd Division semi-finals in a few weeks, as it will be down to who plays the best on the day and whose side luck favours.
Best for Wests were Jack Fleming, Paddy Want and Troy Schultz.
And for Barambah: Brendan Kelly, Ryan Sommerfeld and Sam Kemp.
* * *
Wests Women Too Strong For Barambah
Once again, Barambah’s Women’s side were short on numbers but they put in a mighty effort to try and hold Wests in Saturday’s clash between the two sides.
The match was a contrast to the last time these two teams met, when Barambah won 3-0 with an Elle Mollenhauer hat trick.
But this week Barambah were forced to play Elle in more of a midfield role, and this took the impetus out of their attack.
Wests have also been having issues with scoring goals this season – playing without a recognised striker – and their results have been built on the foundation of their strong defence.
So it wasn’t surprising that it wasn’t until the 26th minute that Wests made the breakthrough when Katrina Parsons put her team 1-0 up.
Barambah had a few chances to equalise early in the second half.
But Wests were assured victory when Katrina Parsons scored her second with just five minutes of the match remaining.
Then the heavens opened up, and both sides (and match officials) were rewarded with a cold shower.
Best on the park for Wests were Katrina Parsons and Anna Logan, while Sarah Vanderkolk and Elle Mollenhauer worked hard for Barambah all day.
* * *
Barambah Handle Wet Conditions Better
The rain which capped off the Women’s Division match returned with vengeance at the start of the 1st Division game.
In fact, it was as heavy and hard as it gets, and before too long the pitch got slippery and spectators got to enjoy a great game of wet weather football: a bit of a rarity this season.
Barambah were running into the driving rain, but they seemed to handle the conditions better than Wests.
And it was an even bigger surprise to see defender Daniel Kelly put Barambah ahead in the 14th minute when he knocked in the first goal for his team.
The rain just kept coming down but both sides still played attacking football.
In the 41st minute Sheldon Livingston scored Barambah’s second goal.
And just a minute later Barambah were in again when Richard Boles put his side 3-0 up.
The rain subsided somewhat in the second half but the pitch was still very soggy.
Wests came out and played a more expansive game, switching play from left to right and vice versa which made Barambah’s defence work hard.
They were rewarded for this strategy in the 63rd minute through Luke Smith.
Then three minutes later, Wests were awarded a penalty for an infringement in the penalty box.
Daniel Favier made no mistake as Wests started coming home with a wet sail.
Barambah’s tireless defence did well to keep Wests at bay and they had several chances to go ahead themselves.
But in the end it was a well earned 3-2 win to Barambah in a hard-fought physical encounter.
Best for Barambah were Sheldon Livingstone, Ashley Burns and Andrew Fennell.
Best for Wests were Marty Perett, Thomas Carroll and Russ Hutfield.
* * *
Panthers Secure Minor Premiership Troika
In Nanango – in dry conditions, since the matches were held earlier in the day – the Panthers continued their winning ways with wins in the 1st and Women’s Divisions, but and upset 2-nil loss to Gunners in 2nd Division.
Congratulations still go to Nanango, though. Despite their loss, they’ve won the 2nd Division Minor Premiership.
This means they’ve won the Minor Premiership in all three grades this season, which is an awesome achievement.
Congratulations Panthers!
* * *
Full Results:
In Kingaroy:
- 1st Division: Barambah 3 (Daniel Kelly 14th, Sheldon Livingstone 41st, Richard Boles 42nd) – Wests 2 (Luke Smith 63rd, Daniel Favier 66th)
- Women’s Division: Wests 2 (Katrina Parsons 26th,65th) – Barambah 0
- 2nd Division: Wests 3 (Harry Pratt 31st, Jack Fleming 50th, 55th) – Barambah 3 (Sam Kemp 22nd, Brendan Kelly 63rd, John Shaw 66th)
In Nanango:
- 1st Division: Nanango 1 (Thomas Mangan 20th) – Gunners 0
- Women’s Division: Nanango 2 (Jacqui Downie, Jess Ehrlich) – Gunnettes 0
- 2nd Division: Gunners 2 (Luke Holland 21st, Joseph Copas 75th) – Nanango 0
* * *
Next weekend’s matches are the last for the season before the semi-finals in Murgon on Sunday, August 17, when all six semi-finals will be played on “Super Semi Final Sunday”.
Next week Barambah will host Gunners at the Wondai Sportsgrounds, and Wests will host Nanango in Kingaroy.
