Narrabri FC returns to winning ways with two wins in three days

Narrabri FC put its worst start in five years of involvement in the Namoi Soccer League in the past on Saturday when the local club scored its second victory in three days to rise to third on the first grade competition ladder.

After losing two of its first three matches, Narrabri FC’s first grade side won a nine-goal thriller on home soil against Inverell FC under lights on Thursday night in a rescheduled round three clash and then returned to Hogan Oval on Saturday where it downed Narrabri Eleven FC by nine goals in the first derby of the season.

On Thursday, Narrabri FC came from two goals down to prevail 5-4 against the travelling Inverell team.

The score was locked at 2-all at half-time before the visitors capitalised on two defensive errors to go ahead 4-2 with 20 minutes left to play.

The home side pulled one back in the 76th minute and then equalised in the 85th before captain Cooper Brayshaw netted the winning goal moments after the game had entered stoppage time.

The loss was Inverell’s first in the 2022 season after the in-form ladder leaders won their first three matches a combined 17 goals to two.

In round five on Saturday, Narrabri FC defeated the Elevens 9-0 at Hogan Oval after leading 4-0 at the break.

The other round five first grade matches were won by Inverell FC and Gunnedah FC.

Inverell FC travelled to Cook Oval, where it defeated Wee Waa United FC 2-1 in their first meeting of the 2022 campaign, while Gunnedah FC took on Moree Services FC away from home and won 4-1.

Those results saw Inverell finish the round on top of the table on 12 points following four wins from five games.

Gunnedah is ranked second on 10 points following three wins, a draw and a loss, while Narrabri FC is third on nine points after scoring three wins and losing twice in the first five rounds.

Wee Waa United, Moree and the Elevens round out the bottom three. However, they all have at least one catch up game left to play.

At Hogan Oval on Thursday night, Inverell took the lead when Junior Padokana scored from close range after running onto a through ball in the 15th minute. However, the hosts hit back two minutes later when Colby Williams converted from the penalty spot after Inverell was penalised for a handball.

The visitors regained their lead in the 22nd minute when a thunderous Junior Mete strike into the bottom left corner from about 25 metres out made the score 2-1.

That looked set to be the half-time score as the break approached, but the hosts had other ideas and netted a 44th-minute goal when Blake Jarrett found the back of the net after getting onto the end of a pin-point cross that was sent into the box by Tom Holland from a corner.

The home side had worked hard to square up the score twice in the opening 45 minutes and it was forced to do that again in the second after Padokana netted a goal on the hour-mark and another in the 70th minute to make the score 4-2.

But once again, Narrabri FC was up to the task.

The side’s leading goal-scorer Jake Brayshaw converted a penalty in the 76th minute and then the side’s right back Izaac Jeffries headed home a curling Cooper Brayshaw corner in the 85th to lock the score up at 4-all.

The game was there for the taking for both sides and it was Narrabri FC that would claim all three points when the captain Cooper Brayshaw netted for the first time this season. He opened his 2022 campaign account with a sensational strike from outside the 18-yard box down the left edge that stayed low and curled just inside the right post to make the score 5-4.

The hosts then held on in stoppage time to deny Inverell an equaliser as they secured their second victory of the season, and became the first team to beat the competition newcomers and ladder leaders.

On Saturday, Jarrett opened the scoring for Narrabri FC with a volley into the bottom left corner from just outside the 18-yard box after running onto a Jake Brayshaw cross.

Williams made the score 2-0 on the half-hour mark before Jake Brayshaw added a third in the 35th minute.

Narrabri FC looked set to go into half-time with a three-goal lead, but Tom Holland made it four with his first goal of the year when he headed home a volleyed Williams cross from the right edge at the back stick.

It took Narrabri FC 20 minutes to find the back of the net after the play restarted in the second stanza, but the side scored five in the final 25 minutes of play.

Rhys Hayne scored a volleyed shot into the bottom right corner from just inside the box after running onto a Jarrett cross from the left sideline.

Cooper Brayshaw set up the side’s sixth goal five minutes later with a cross from a similar position on the left sideline as Jeffries stormed onto the end of it and netted his second headed goal in as many games.

Colby Williams made the score 7-0 in the 80th minute with a one-on-one strike into the bottom left corner from close range, then Jake Brayshaw scored Narrabri FC’s eighth goal two minutes later when he volleyed home a curling corner that was whipped in from the left by his brother Cooper.

Hayne scored his second of the game in the 88th minute when a he pounced on a loose ball following a deflected shot and guided it inside the right upright from 10 metres out to make the final score 9-0.

In reserve grade, Inverell defeated Narrabri FC 3-0 in the round three catch up game on Thursday and then downed Wee Waa 5-0 in round five on Saturday. Narrabri FC scored its first win of the season on Saturday as a late Matt Edmonds goal finished as the difference at full-time, and Moree Services FC beat Gunnedah FC 4-3.

Both Narrabri teams will travel for their round six matches this Saturday.

Narrabri FC will take on Wee Waa at Cook Oval and Narrabri Eleven FC will challenge Moree Services FC at the Moree Services Field. The other round six fixture will see Gunnedah FC travel to take on Inverell FC.