Narrabri FC on top of the table in both grades following Moree sweep

Narrabri FC travelled to Moree in the fourth round of the Namoi Premier League campaign on Saturday and kept two clean sheets as it returned home with all six points on offer across both grades.

The Narrabri club took on Moree Services FC and prevailed 8-0 in the reserve grade fixture and then won the first grade game 3-0.

In reserve grade, Bailey Campbell scored his first goal for the side and then added two more to finish the game with a hat-trick, while Callum Wales and Jorian Fleming both netted twice and Jason Foxe scored once.

The victory saw Narrabri FC move six points clear at the top of the table. The side has won all four games, a combined 16-0, and has accumulated a maximum 12 competition points.

Moree Services FC is two wins back on six points in second place.

In the first grade game, Narrabri FC centre-back Nathan Trindall opened the scoring in the 14th minute when he headed home a

Cooper Brayshaw corner, and then Brayshaw made the score 2-0 on the half-hour mark with a powerful shot from just outside the 18-yard box.

Connor Hill netted Narrabri FC’s third from just inside the area about 15 minutes into the second half.

That win saw Narrabri FC move to nine points at the top of the table, two clear of both Wee Waa United FC and Inverell FC after those two sides contested a 3-all draw on Saturday.

Despite scoring more goals in the first half than the second, Narrabri FC’s first grade coach Neil Brayshaw told The Courier that his side was far better in the second half than the first.

He thought that the team responded superbly following a round three loss against Wee Waa United FC nine days earlier, but said that it was still not producing the 90-minute performance that he wanted to see.

“We are still only playing for one half,” he said.

“The second half, even though we only got the one goal, we were much better.

“I told them to go back to basics, and they did that. We used our width much better.

“We didn’t finish a fair few of our chances again, but we actually played some good football.

“It was a pretty hard field to play on out there. It wasn’t what we expected compared to what it used to be. It affected our passing game. You could see we were hesitant to pass the ball back to Zaac (goalkeeper Zaac Brayshaw) because there were quite a few divots.”

The coach declared he was pleased with his side’s defence as it kept its second clean sheet of the year but said the team would need to work on its attack.

“Every time we get the ball, we just want to go forward and score,” he said.

“They need to be more composed and be more patient in creating their chances.”

The Narrabri FC coach also said that he was pleased to see his side score from its first corner kick after the group had spent an hour on set pieces during the week.

He thought Trindall, who headed home that goal, was his Narrabri FC’s standout on the day, as he has been so many times in the past.

Narrabri FC will face its toughest test yet when it travels to Inverell this Saturday for a grand final rematch against the defending champions.

Narrabri FC beat Inverell 4-2 in the second game of the season in Inverell, but the 2022 champions are expected to field a tougher lineup in the sides’ second meeting of the season.