1st X1 Match Report

Waitara (2) v FDMC CENTRAL FINANCE (0)

FDMC Central Finance handed the initiative to their title rivals, Waitara with a 2-0 defeat away from home but the Champions elect did not have it all their own way.

Some heavy early tackles from both sides set the tone for a fiesty encounter and it was Waitara who took advantage of posession and territory bombarding the penalty box with a succession of crosses and free kicks. Keeper Stefan WALSH was on hand to deal with a number of early chances well and saved superbly to deny the experienced striker John FLETCHER on two occassions. The build up of pressure was eventually rewarded with a very well taken goal from close range but therafter the home team struggled to maintain their dominance.

FDMC played their way back into the game with some very tough defending and incisive passing on the break but failed to make any in roads into a very well organised home defence. Tomas MOSQUERA toiled hard in a lone striker role but looked less effective without fellow striker Morgan HALL, who had withdrawn himself from the game shortly before kick off, due to illness. The lack of support up front made it difficult for the away team to sustain any real pressure but MOSQUERA nearly latched on to a pin point free kick to slide home an equaliser mid way through the half.

Good work from young Thomas SMITH in midfield supported superbly by the return of team captain Stephen KIBBY gave FDMC a solid base to play from and further chances were created for Shane GARNER and a long range effort by Ian MCGRATH whistled past the post. As half time approached the game sat evenly balanced at 1-0 and settled down into an intriguing contest.

The second half witnessed one of FDMC's best performances of the season as they quickly took control of the ball and enjoyed long periods of both territory and posession. Using width whenever possible, Rory and Shane GARNER tormented their opponents with some simple passing and clever movement and the more they received the ball the more the away team threatened an equaliser. Supported by both full backs in attack, Jaden HAREB and Sam SUTTON gave another dimension to the attack which really stretched Waitara to the limit but some good goal keeping kept the scoreline at 1-0.

It was Waitara's turn to play on the break in the second half but they only managed to threaten on the odd occassion as FDMC tightened up their team backline and put a stranglehold on the game. Keeper Stefan WALSH again denied John FLETCHER from close range and kept FDMC's hopes alive with a magnificent instinctive save. But Stephen KIBBY and Thomas SMITH continued to be emmense in midfield, winning every ball and using it wisely.

The home team were definately starting to feel the pressure as they argued amongst themselves, received two bookings for dissent and were very lucky not to have Eddie SMITH sent off for violent conduct after a blatent off the ball incident involving Domenico SQUATRITI. Despite losing their shape and facing real adversity, it was the experienced Champions who were able to dig deep and somehow just hang in there.

The best chance of an equaliser fell mid way through the half as a searching ball from deep fell to an unmarked Domenico SQUATRITI, who superbly took one touch and slipped a delightful through ball into the path of MOSQUERA. He proceeded to round the last defender and slide the ball into the net - only to be ruled off side.

With time running out for FDMC, they continued with a sense of urgency in attack as they searched for that elusive equaliser. In the last ten minutes Waitara used all of their experience to play cleverly on the counter attack which had the FDMC team scrambling back to clear their lines. With 5 minutes to go, Waitara finally got the bit of luck that they were looking for as a header at the backpost from a very dangerous corner took a wicked deflection off player coach, Ian MCGRATH and flew into the top of the net.

Waitara's ecstasy was apparant for all to see as they finally edged a thrilling game and realised the importance of grabbing a second goal which not only secured them three points but effectively handed them the title. Needing three points from their remaining four games to clinch a second successive league title, Waitara should be credited for their beligerent consistency, tough defence and threatening attacking football.

However, FDMC can be proud of the part that they played in an exceptional game of football between argueably the two best teams in the league. They now see themselves adjusting this seasons targets to taking second place in the league, getting to the Duff Rose Bowl Final and holding on to the Challenge Trophy that they won on day one of the season. Still much to play for!!