Narrabri FC will compete in the Australia Cup for the first time in four years on Sunday, and the club’s first grade coach Neil Brayshaw has named his team for the match against South Armidale United FC.
The two sides will meet at Doody Park in Armidale in round two of the national knockout tournament, formerly known as the FFA Cup, and the Narrabri men go into the match with one trial game under their belts.
Narrabri FC travelled to Tamworth on Sunday, where it challenged Oxley Vale Attunga in two grades. The first grade match kicked off first and saw the hosts win 4-1 before the OVA side ran away with the reserve grade game 5-0.
Narrabri FC travelled to Tamworth with just 19 players for the two games, which meant that several players were required to back up and play a second game in hot conditions.
Brayshaw told The Courier that he could not have been any prouder of his players.
It was the first hitout for both grades in their new formation as the coaches have gone away from the 4-3-3 that the club has played under in recent years to play to a 3-5-2 formation.
“It was an extremely great effort in really trying conditions,” the club’s first grade coach said.
“A great effort by everyone in both grades.
“There were a few little technical issues with the new structure, but I was pleased with it.
“We’ve just got to work on a few things, though. Where to be and where not to be.
“Our wingers and midfielders were too high at times, but that’s a matter of us being an attacking side and just wanting to score goals all the time.
“We just have to learn to not be so high at times and sit in.”
Narrabri FC went behind off the back of an own goal in the seventh minute of the first grade game on Sunday when defender Adam Pryor flew into a tackle to stop a cross, but the ball rebounded off his foot and snuck inside the near post after the deflection caught goalkeeper Zaac Brayshaw off guard.
The visitors regrouped and scored through debutant Bailey Campbell in the 12th minute. Campbell netted for the first time for his new club after making the switch from Narrabri Eleven FC when he found the bottom-left corner from just outside the 18-yard box after capitalising on a failed clearance.
OVA went into the break with a 2-1 lead after converting a 39th-minute penalty kick, and then made the score 4-1 early in the second stanza after converting two one-on-one chances off the back of through balls in behind the Narrabri FC defence.
Neither side added to the scoresheet in the final 35 minutes of the match, and Brayshaw said he was pleased with the way his team shaped up against a quality side.
Narrabri FC went into that trial match without Cooper Brayshaw, Rhys Hayne, Tom Holland and Colby Williams, who will all return for this Sunday’s Australia Cup match. However, the side will be without Vincent Labonte, who suffered a minor knee injury in the Tamworth trial game.
The full team for the Australia Cup game is as follows:
Zaac Brayshaw, Nathan Trindall, Adam Pryor, Jess O’Neil, Rowan Keeler, Zac Stait, Cooper Brayshaw, Jake Brayshaw, Bailey Campbell, Colby Williams, Tom Holland, Oscar George, Connor Hill, Jakeb Nipperess, Ollie Stait and Rhys Hayne.
