James Murphy
International 2 d Gambier Centrals 1
INTERNATIONAL emerged from the weekend on top of the Limestone Coast Football Association A Grade ladder.
The side visited Gambier Centrals for an anticipated Round 4 meeting and the game did not disappoint.
It was a match of two halves, with the home side dominant in the opening term.
The Lions appeared to have a hold on the match and were unlucky to only convert one goal through Sam Shoemark before half time.
There were plenty more opportunities and they will be disappointed to not have capitalised further, as Inter came out of the gates strong after the break.
Inter keeper Ka Nay Di Baw was responsible for denying many of those attempts in a strong performance which kept his team in the chase.
With the sun at their backs, the boys in black and blue surged in the second half and put the pressure on their hosts.
Chances came at either end with an Inter free kick saved early, while Centrals captain Jake Blackwell was unlucky to miss a header shot from a corner.
Eventually it was Inter’s Caleb Casey who scored the equaliser, with an impressive header goal off a Sam Bueti corner.
Suddenly it was a level playing field again and as intensity levels rose, a few cards were dealt to either side.
That seemed to rattle Centrals somewhat and Inter was able to take the upper hand.
Bueti got involved again and he found space down the wing to run in for a goal and put Inter in front.
From there the scoreboard remained untouched despite opportunities at either end.
Centrals narrowly missed out on a penalty, with a free kick awarded just outside the box.
However, Di Baw stepped up again with a reliable save.
The hosts started to settle late in the match and had a few more opportunities but the defences at both ends of the ground held firm and Inter claimed a 2-1 win.
Inter coach Vlada Gajic was happy to secure the points, especially with a few key absences.
Sar Hay Moo, Ricky McRobert and Nick Morony were all unavailable on the day, while Alex Sims is still yet to play this season.
“It was a really good game,” Gajic said.
“Centrals brought it early, but sometimes the toss of the coin decides a few factors.
“With the sun in our eyes it made it a little bit difficult to play.
“It gave them an opportunity to press us a little bit harder.”
However, Inter held firm and in a similar turnaround to its Round 1 meeting with Apollo, swapped the momentum after half time.
“They lost their way a little bit in that first half, but once we went back to our structured game it proved the difference I guess,” Gajic said.
Gajic gave high praise to his keeper on the day as the young talent continues to make the goal square his own.
He proved the difference on the day, while Bueti was also commended for his efforts.
However, Gajic said it was the team effort he was most pleased with.
For Centrals, Shoemark looked dangerous again, especially in the opening term, while Steven Hughes was also strong in goals.
Apollo 2 d Blue Lake 0
Apollo claimed its second win for the 2022 season when it hosted Blue Lake for Round 4 of Limestone Coast soccer.
After falling short against Centrals in last week’s grand final rematch, Apollo would be pleased to have returned to the winner’s list.
For Blue Lake it was its third consecutive loss, with the Rangers’ only success in the opening round against Millicent.
Shar Nay Than had the golden boot on the day and scored both goals for his team in a fine display.
Naracoorte 11 d Millicent 1
Naracoorte mad a statement when it travelled to Millicent on Sunday.
It has jumped from fifth to third on the premiership table with a huge 10-goal victory over the current wooden spooners.
Goals were shared around on the day with Muhammad Mehdi leading the charge with three.
Muhammad Haidar and Ciaran Shouksmith slotted two each, while and Cedar Sopha, Alfred Nokia and Augustine Halumwane scored singles.
An own goal rounded out the scoring for Naracoorte, with Millicent’s only celebration coming when Ben Tran found the back of the net.
This week Naracoorte will face a tougher challenge when it hosts Inter.
Inter will be favoured heavily and should continue its undefeated start to the year, while Centrals will look to bounce back when it visits Blue Lake.
Apollo can be expected to taste victory again as it hosts Millicent for the round.
