Moree Soccer 1 has defended their title as grand final champions, after the team beat Narrabri FC in a close, nail-biter match last Saturday.
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“We were a bit scrappy the whole day and it was a pity that we played like that for the grand final, but we defended well and still managed to win,” coach Darrel Smith said.
This year marked the second time Moree 1 faced off Narrabri at the grand final, the first time back in 2017.
“We won on the same score as well, one-nil,” Smith said.
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Despite the wind behind them during the first half, Moree 1 started on the defensive.
“We put an extra player in midfield and only had one player up front,” Smith said.
Teammate Brad Mclaine made the cross to Alex Madden but a misdirected header led the ball to hit the crossbar.
After another shot at goal and a rebound off the post, the game rolled into the end of the first half, nil-all.
Moree almost ceded a goal in the second half after Narrabri’s goalkeeper took a shot from his box. Moree’s goalkeeper made a miscalculation and ran out to grab the ball, but it bounced over him and narrowly missed the goal.
Teammate Leonard Maharaj suffered an injury and Mclaine had to be escorted off the field from a head clash.
Despite only one interchangeable player left on the team, Moree managed to hold off Narrabri until the end of the second half.
The game rolled into overtime and it wasn’t long before Moree’s Sam Phelps drove home the winning goal from outside the 18 yard box and into the back of the net.
Credit was given to players Adam Ha, Sam Adams, Adam Sweeney and Ryan Kemp for playing to their position well.
“The win is a really good result for the club,” Smith said.