APOLLO added yet another triumph to its string of victories on Sunday, when it travelled to Malseed Park to take on Blue Lake in Round 10 of Limestone Coast soccer.
The visitors had a solid start, with a lucky goal off the boot of Matthew Ferguson slipping through the experienced hands of Blue Lake goal keeper Matthew Sykes in the early stages of the match.
This was followed by two more goals to Apollo in the opening term, with Erike Irakoze and Mema Mahungu recording one each.
Going into half time with a 3-0 lead, Apollo took its foot a fraction off the accelerator after the break, which resulted in Blue Lake finding more of the ball in its attacking end.
However, despite the best efforts of the home team, Apollo continued to defend any opportunities at goal and held the margin to three.
This was until a passing error back to goal keeper Luke Odgers saw Apollo score an own-goal, putting the Rangers on the board for the first time in the match.
From there play moved back and forth as both teams looked to increase their tally, but any attempts at goal were missed or turned over, leaving the score without further change at the final whistle.
Apollo coach Derek Ferguson was pleased with the result, but said the drop in intensity in the second half was not the regular standard of his team.
“We got away with the three points,” he said.
“It was not our best performance of the year.
“Our first half was good, but the second half was atrocious to be quite frank.
“I think they thought they had the game won and just went through the motions without much energy and some players took the foot off the throttle.
“We didn’t let them in, but we didn’t play the way we should have, just knocked the ball around, so there wasn’t a lot of energy.
“It’s not what we are about.”
When asked about the stand-outs for the game, Ferguson said there were a number of players who performed well in the first half, but few were able to maintain that level after the break.
“In the first half we had plenty (of stand-outs), the second half we had none,” he said.
“I don’t think we had a player who played well for the whole game.
“Probably Wayne Lennon and Tom Inglis in the first half, but not many in the second half.”
With the anticipated match against International next Sunday, Apollo will need to uphold its intensity for the entire game if it is to claim the victory and retain its position on top of the ladder.
Numbers have looked good for the side in the past few weeks, after the start of the season saw it without its strongest team and Apollo should be fully manned for the Round 11 clash.
“We are starting to nearly be at full strength,” Ferguson said.
“We’ll get two or three back against Inter and we should be right.
“Inter and Apollo is always a high, intense match.”
Meanwhile at Casadio Park, International also claimed the points for Round 10, after Tatiara was forced to forfeit the game.
This will cause an essential three-week break for the side due to no games played this weekend, which could prove as a disadvantage going into its battle with Apollo.
Gambier Centrals upheld its fine form as it made the trip to Millicent, defeating its hosts with a final score of 4-1.
The first half saw Centrals hold a 2-1 lead, before it continued to hit hard in the second term.
Jake Blackwell, Tess Clark, Lewis March and Cameron Saint each made their mark on the scoreboard for the victors, while Millicent’s Brenden Robertson scored a single for his side.
In a battle between fifth and eighth on the ladder, Naracoorte narrowly missed out on its second win for the season, while Portland had to settle for half the points as it looks for a top four position, after the match concluded in a two-all draw.
Half time saw Portland lead 1-0, but Naracoorte was able to score after the break in what resulted in an even competition.
This weekend will see a break for soccer in the Limestone Coast, with a bye for all grades due to the State Talent Identification Championships (STIC) being held at the Burton Park Football Centre north of Adelaide.
