Narrabri FC enters break on top of the table in both grades following Moree road trip

Narrabri FC has gone into the Namoi Premier League’s two-weekend break on top of the table in both grades and is now eyeing off the season’s return on July 22 as it prepares for two minor premiership pushes.

The Narrabri club travelled to Moree on Saturday, picking up four points across the two grades against Moree Services FC following a 1-all draw in reserve grade and a 2-0 win in first grade.

The score was locked at nil-all at half-time in the reserve grade game and it was the visitors that struck first when Ben Stride got onto the end of a Bailey Campbell cross with about 15 minutes to go and headed the ball into the back of the net to make the score 1-0.

The hosts equalised five minutes later when Sanji Fernando became just the second player to score against Narrabri FC in reserve grade this year, and the score remained 1-all when the full-time whistle sounded.

That result saw Narrabri FC drop points for the first time this season but remain nine points clear of the second-placed Moree.

Narrabri FC went into the round having won nine from nine and it moved to 28 points as Moree rose to 19. Moree is undefeated against the other two teams in the competition but went down against Narrabri FC on all three occasions prior to that 1-all draw.

The other round 10 reserve grade match was won by Narrabri Eleven FC, which scored a 5-0 away victory at Cook Oval against Wee Waa United FC.

In the first grade match at Moree, Narrabri FC opened the scoring when Cooper Brayshaw curled a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box over the ball and into the bottom left corner to put his team ahead 1-0.

It remained that way until the 79th minute when striker Connor Hill got onto the end of a Brayshaw pass and calmly slotted it to make the score 2-0.

The visitors then held Moree out for the rest of the game to earn the three points.

Narrabri FC’s first grade coach Neil Brayshaw was content with his side’s performance and thought that Moree played well too.

“We had our moments again,” he said.

“You’ve got to give credit to Moree. A lot of them played reserve grade and then had to back up. They did make inroads and played some pretty good football.

“As we have been doing in recent weeks, especially against Wee Waa (in round nine on Saturday, June 24), we scrambled really well for one another when things weren’t going our way.

“It was a pretty good, sturdy team effort in the end.”

Brayshaw commended all of his players for the way they defended during the 90 minutes as Narrabri FC kept its fifth clean sheet in 10 games, and he also heaped added praise on the side’s centre-back Adam Pryor, who has led impressively from the back during Nathan Trindall’s spell on the sideline through suspension.

“He’s taken on the role in the centre there really well,” Brayshaw said of Pryor.

“A lot of the talk out there is coming from him. He’s directing players all around the field and he just knows where to be.

“The way that he gets to where he’s needed and shuts the other teams’ plays down has actually been one of the highlights of our game.

“He’s gone to another level and he should be applauded, which he was as he got voted players’ player.”

Narrabri FC’s first grade team went into the weekend five points clear of second-placed Inverell and eight points clear of third-placed Wee Waa United, and those two sides played against each other, which gave the Narrabri team an opportunity to go even further clear of at least one of the two.

Inverell prevailed 2-1 on home soil against Wee Waa, so when Narrabri FC beat Moree, it stayed five points in front of Inverell and moved 11 clear of Wee Waa with just five rounds remaining. Narrabri FC has 24 points, Inverell is on 19, Wee Waa has accumulated 13, and Moree is last on three.

A top-two spot is Narrabri FC coach Brayshaw’s goal for his side in 2023 and he said that Saturday’s results went a long way towards achieving that.

He also declared that the minor premiership was his side’s to lose, and he wants to see his men push hard for it when the competition resumes.

They will have the opportunity to all but seal it when they play their next game on Saturday, July 22.

They will travel to Inverell that day, where a win would see them finish the weekend eight points clear with just four rounds remaining.