THE weather was kind to Limestone Coast Football Association players on Sunday, with the sunshine a welcome change to the torrential conditions of the previous round.
With two blowouts at Casadio and Malseed Parks, the closest senior result was between Gambier Centrals and Apollo at Bishop Road.
A good crowd ventured to “the Den” for the undoubted match of the round and those in attendance were not disappointed.
Despite the 3-1 half-time score which favoured the Lions, the game lifted in intensity after the break and Apollo dragged itself back into the contest with a couple of quick goals.
Centrals opened the ledger for the match early in the piece through Nathan Fleetwood, before a penalty converted by Apollo captain Stewart Wallace tied the game.
However, despite possessing plenty of the ball in its half from there, Apollo was unable to threaten the goals and a couple of skilful plays allowed the Lions to steal the lead.
Youngster Broc Linden broke the deadlock, before a masterful corner taken by Christian Fleetwood found brother Nathan for a perfect header into goal.
Early in the second half Lewis March extended the margin to three goals when he scored Centrals’ fourth, but then Apollo started to find its groove.
Tobbei Kennett was a welcome addition for Apollo and came off the bench in the second half, as did Erike Irakoze – two valuable players who were uncertainties at the start of the season.
Kennett did well to convert from a free kick to reel in the margin, before an equally impressive goal from Wallace shortly after made it a one-goal game.
From there both teams had their opportunities, but a goal remained elusive until the final minute when Linden found the back of the net to ice the game at 5-3.
For Chris Fleetwood – who has joined Joel Thorne and Marc Perryman on the coaching committee and is father to Nathan and Christian – the scoreline did not reflect what he saw on the pitch.
“I actually thought we dominated the game to be honest,” he said.
“I thought we should have put away the game a lot earlier than we did – we had a lot of chances that we did not put away.”
Chris said he was comfortable at the break and even in the second half when Apollo applied scoreboard pressure, he was confident the Lions would keep the ship steady.
“We did get to 4-1 and then I made a few changes that I think made a little bit of difference to the balance of the team,” he said.
“I was always comfortable we would get the three points.”
Chris said he was most impressed with the work rate of Cameron Saint, who he gave the best player accolade.
“I thought Cam Saint did a tireless amount of work,” he said.
“I think he has lots more inside of him and we just need to get that out and get him starting to believe in his own ability.”
“Christian was pretty close to being man of the match as well.”
In his short time at the helm Chris said he liked what he had seen of Centrals as a club and looked forward to further developing the senior side with Thorne and Perryman.
“Moving forward I think we look good, we have to tighten up the defence a little bit, but our midfield is getting a lot of the ball and creating a lot of chances,” he said.
As far as having the opportunity to coach his two sons, Chris said it was a dream come true, as he had not coached them since they were juniors.
It was also revealed Christian Fleetwood will be a permanent addition to the team, which will be valuable for Centrals as the season progresses.
In other games it was an expected result for International when it hosted Naracoorte at Casadio Park.
The reigning premiers enjoyed their first outing at home for 2020 with a 10-0 win over the guests, with Matt and Sam Bueti on song again in front of goal.
With seven goals between them, Matt led the way with four to bring his season total to nine after just two rounds.
Also on the scorer’s list was Nick Morony and youngsters Noah Koko Htoo and Connor Prior.
After two easy games to start the year, Inter will match up against traditional rival Apollo this weekend, which will provide a more entertaining clash.
The final match of the round had a surprising outcome, as Blue Lake asserted its dominance over a visiting Millicent.
The Rangers welcomed back some valuable players in Jared Vause and Andy Armandi, while Braydon Patzel returned to the field after injury to help the hosts to an 8-0 triumph.
Blue Lake will hope to replicate that form this week when it hits the road to face Naracoorte, while Millicent will face a challenging task against Centrals.
