A SLOW start eventually saw Gambier Centrals hit hard in the second term against Portland, as it hosted the Panthers for a 5-2 victory in Round 13 of the Limestone Coast Football Association season.
Down 1-0 at half time, some issues were addressed during the break and Centrals was able to bring the game back onto its own terms.
With an early goal to Centrals in the second half, Portland quickly replied to defend its lead, but from there the hosts were too strong and ran away with the game.
Centrals’ coach Robert Nagy said the opening term was below average, but in the end he was happy with the result.
“We definitely have a few defensive issues, but the result was good in the end,” he said.
“Portland played well, I’ll give them credit.
“They definitely played good counter-attacking soccer – they had their shots and they took them.”
When asked of the turning point, Nagy said it was mainly basic errors which saw his team down at the break.
Once these mistakes were addressed, Centrals was able to take control of the ball for the remainder of the match.
“We just made some fundamental errors (in the first half),” Nagy said.
“Players not working too much off the ball and not making basic passes, it was just a mixed bag.
“We had a bit of confidence and were knocking around okay in patches, we just needed it to be continuous.”
With finals only a couple of weeks away, Nagy said the main focus for his team will be to ensure its defensive game will the highest standard possible.
“Defensively we probably need to work on a few things,” he said.
“Across the board, B Grade and A Grade on Sunday probably wasn’t that great, but at the end of the day we got a result in A Grade and that’s all that counts.”
Despite its slow start, Centrals had a number of stand-out players in the second half, with some solid efforts at goal earning players a mention from their coach.
“Ronan McKenzie, I mean when you hit a half volley from 30-yards out and it goes into the goal its pretty impressive,” Nagy said.
“Lewis March always comes up trumps and he scored a couple of goals – he’s the leading goal scorer so its hard to go past him.
“James Fallas, I’ll mention him, he scored a good free kick.
“He’s pretty consistent up the back and he’s got a good voice.
“Going into finals that’s what you need, good team talk.
“It’s also good to have Norton Fuller back in goals.
“He’s the best keeper in the league in my opinion and he just continues to dominate the air every time the ball is near him, so it’s good to see.”
Mitch Thomson also made his mark on the scoreboard for Centrals with a single goal, while the young Jasper Whitehead once again played a solid game in the senior side.
With the tough task of Apollo this week, Centrals will need to bring its A-game if it is to knock the side off the top peg of the ladder.
“We’ll take a different approach, we have a bit of a different squad since the last time we played,” Nagy said.
“They want a home final, so I suppose we want to knock them off and make it difficult for them.
“We’ll see how that game comes next week at Apollo.
“It’s always difficult playing on a smaller pitch, so we’ll need to use all the width we can.”
In other games, International remained on a relatively tight leash as it defeated Naracoorte 3-1.
Leading by a goal at the half-time break, Inter extended its lead in the second half, with a goal each to Matt and Sam Bueti, along with Dan Bronca.
Inter will now have its eyes on this week’s game against Portland, as it is a must win if the side wishes to return to top spot on the ladder.
However, this will likely all come down to the result at Webb Street, for if Apollo can secure the points over Centrals, it will finish the main season as minor premiers.
Making the trip to Millicent on Sunday, Apollo easily accounted for its hosts, leading the game 4-0 in the opening half.
This effort was replicated after the break with another four goals, while Millicent was unable to make any mark on the scoreboard.
Lachlan Bytheway led the way for his team as he scored three goals, while Adam Hodge and Stewart Wallace bagged two each and Marvin Ngubane claimed a single.
Blue Lake has secured a finals berth and is set in the top four, after it hosted Tatiara for a solid win.
With the Rangers ahead four-goals-to-one at the end of the first term, they continued to hit hard and claimed an eventual 7-1 victory.
The standout performance for the side was Tristan Guess, with the quick-footed player scoring an impressive five goals for the match.
He was joined by Leon De Cesasis and Jacob Ellis, who each scored singles.
With this weekend marking the last minor round of the 2017 season, the final standings are all but set in stone.
However, there still remains some room to move within the top four and these teams will give their all on Sunday as they attempt to better their position.
