Narrabri Sporties FC goes nine points clear with a big win in Moree

The Namoi Soccer League’s 2020 minor premiership race is now Narrabri Sporties FC’s to lose as it chases a fourth straight first-placed finish.

Sporties FC travelled to Moree on Saturday where it downed hosts Moree Services FC 7-1 to continue a dominant campaign in which it has scored five wins and a draw in the first six rounds.

The Narrabri side entered the round six contest six points clear of Moree and the win saw it create a nine-point gap between itself and the second-placed side.

Sporties FC is 10 points clear of fellow round six winners Wee Waa United FC (third) and local rivals Narrabri Elevens FC (fourth) which are both on six points following Wee Waa’s 9-0 win in Friday night’s match between the bottom ranked duo at Hogan Oval.

Finishing first on the ladder offers higher stakes in 2020.

In previous years the top-ranked team would host the major semi-final in a first v second showdown, and the winner of that match would host the grand final.

However this year the team which finishes in first place on the ladder will go straight through to the decider which will be played at the minor premiers’ home ground.

Second and third will play off for the second grand final spot.

Sporties FC coach Neil Brayshaw said that hosting a fourth straight grand final was one of his team’s goals in 2020, and the round six win went a long way to achieving that.

But for now Brayshaw insisted that he will be taking it one week at a time.

“It’s still not over, there’s still six rounds left but we are three wins clear now which puts us in a great position,” Brayshaw said.

“Our first goal has been to get a home grand final again.

“But I really just want the team to take it one game at a time.”

Brayshaw said he was pleased with his side’s performance on Saturday, especially its response to going a goal down.

“I’m proud of the boys, to win a game like they did on the weekend they are doing a lot right on the field,” Brayshaw said.

“We went behind early from an own goal but from there on we played our own game and worked together as a team and things worked well.

“Our backline was excellent, I couldn’t be more pleased with the whole backline.

“Moree had three in the midfield and were trying to come through us down the middle but we shut that down.

“At times our wingers stayed too high up the pitch but when they did get back in defence everything worked well.

“And when we had the ball, especially in the second half we found the short easy passes and slowed things down and didn’t always look to go forward. We looked really good and controlled the play when we did that.”

When wing back Matt Dunn smashed home a penalty to complete the scoring late in the game on Saturday afternoon he became the ninth Sporties FC player to find the back of the net this season, while centre midfielder Cooper Brayshaw’s second half goal was his 10th which sees him lead the competition’s golden boot race.

The side’s coach Neil Brayshaw said that it was reassuring that goals were coming from all areas of the field.

“I’m happy with how the goals have been spread out, because that tells me that when it comes down to the crunch we don’t just have to rely on just two strikers,” Brayshaw said.

“Everyone can finish and that’s only going to be a good thing for the side at the end of the year.”

On Saturday, Sporties FC suffered an early setback when it conceded an own goal from a corner kick.

Moree headed a shot on goal from the set piece which was on target but was cleared off the line. However, the clearance struck centre back Nathan Trindall’s knee and rebounded into the back of the net.

The visitors responded in less than two minutes when Blake Jarrett equalised. The striker ran onto a Jake Brayshaw pass just outside the 18-yard box and charged into the box before finding the bottom right hand corner with a left-footed strike.

Minutes later Brayshaw and Jarrett combined again to put Sporties FC in front. Brayshaw flicked a through ball onto Jarrett who chipped a bouncing ball over a fast approaching Moree goalkeeper Will Hawker from just inside the 18-yard box.

That made the score 2-1, which became 3-1 just before half -time when Brayshaw netted himself after running onto a through ball from his brother Cooper before rounding Hawker and slotting a shot into the back of the net from a difficult angle inside the box on the left edge.

Early in the second half Sporties FC made the score 4-1 when Jarrett netted his third. A brilliant team play started when Dunn threw the ball in from halfway down the right sideline into the path of Jason Foxe who sent in a brilliant cross to Jacob Sunderland on the back stick. Unable to get a shot away, Sunderland chested the ball back to Jarrett who was waiting on the edge of the 18-yard box and he volleyed a strike into the bottom right corner.

Cooper Brayshaw was next to find the back of the net when he ran onto a through ball from his brother Jake before rounding a rushing Hawker to score into an empty net.

The visitors’ sixth goal came via an own goal, then late in the game Sporties FC scored its seventh and final goal which Dunn drove home from the penalty spot after Foxe was fouled in the box.

Sporties FC has played its past two games on the road but returns to Hogan Oval this Saturday when it takes on local rivals Narrabri Elevens FC. The Elevens will enter the match determined to bounce back from a 9-0 round six loss at home against Wee Waa United FC on Friday night.

In the other round seven game Wee Waa will host Moree at Cook Oval.