Moree Services FC might have suffered a heavy loss to Narrabri Sporties FC in round six of the Namoi League on Saturday, but there were still some positives for the club to take out of it, according to coach Matt Urquhart.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Moree scored the opening goal of the game but Narrabri proved too strong in the end, running away with a 7-1 win at Moree Services Club.
Moree remain in second place, but now sit nine points below Narrabri at the top of the ladder, who will be hard to catch before the regular season ends.
While it was a heavy loss, Urquhart said it was an improved performance compared to their 3-2 loss to Narrabri Sporties FC Elevens in round five.
"We started off well. We've been getting much better at controlling the ball and maintaining possession this week," he said.
"Two weeks ago was shocking, but this week just gone, I'm much happier with our game.
"We just got caught out on turnover of possessions where they countered really well.
"We've lost a bit of speed in the backline. We've got to look at reshuffling so we're not just getting done on the counter attack all the time."
READ ALSO:
Urquhart said they have some great defenders but can get outdone by quicker forwards which Narrabri had.
Three of Narrabri's goals on Saturday came from Moree mistakes that they were able to take advantage of.
"Going forward we just need to tidy up mistakes, do a bit of a reshuffle. Otherwise I'm happy with the effort," Urquhart said.
One of the more pleasing aspects of the loss was the effort Moree put in to be the first to the ball.
"Previous weeks, guys have stood there, saying someone else will get that," Urquhart said.
"This last week, they were going for it. I was really happy with that."
Kenny Wright continued his strong start to the season, producing another solid performance in the midfield.
"He controlled the ball really well. The ball's pretty much glued to his feet," Urquhart said.
"He did really well at controlling the midfield."
In a condensed season due to COVID-19, it will take something special for Moree to reach that important top spot, but the side is still seeing some improvement week to week.
"We've started to see a little bit of people putting passes together and putting certain players together," Urquhart said.
"People aren't just kicking the ball and hoping someone gets to it.
"Now they're more calculated passes and movements on the ball. We're just starting to see a lot more cohesion from the team in attack."
Moree will face off against Wee Waa United FC in round seven. Moree proved too strong in a 3-1 win the last time the two sides met.
