Match of the Round
Port Saints FC 2-3 Moore Creek FC
Moore Creek FC coach Andrew Cygan said his side’s 3-2 win over Port Saints FC in the UNE Regional Super League semi-final at Coffs Coast Synthetics on Saturday was one of the best games he has ever been involved in.
Defending champions Port Saints entered the contest determined to secure their place in back-to-back grand finals, while the Mountain Goats were motivated to become the first side to defeat them in the competition across two seasons.
The opening half saw momentum swing between the two sides as they looked to take control of the contest, but neither could find the breakthrough as they went into the sheds locked at 0-0, setting up an entertaining second half.
It was Port Saints who struck first after the break when Daniel Peel launched a free kick forward to find Alexander Brown inside the penalty area. Brown’s effort looped high into the air and aided by the wind, sailed over goalkeeper Joshua Magann and into the back of the net in the 48th minute.
The sides continued to battle throughout the half, with Port Saints searching for a second goal to put the game beyond doubt while Moore Creek pushed for a way back into the contest.
The Mountain Goats’ persistence was rewarded three minutes into stoppage time when Ivan Fernandez latched onto a Ben Cini through ball and slotted his finish underneath an advancing Cameron Hunt to send the match into extra time.
Port Saints regained the lead in the 104th minute when Anthony Jamieson delivered a free kick into the penalty area. Magann initially collected the ball, but it spilled into the path of Port Saints’ Michael Finlayson, whose attempt was inadvertently turned into his own net by Moore Creek defender Matthew Rushbrook while attempting to clear.
With time running out in extra time, Moore Creek continued to fight and found an equaliser in the 116th minute. A long ball from almost halfway was sent into the box, where Rushbrook rose highest to head it into the back of the net.
The Mountain Goats were not finished yet and with just one minute remaining, Rushbrook secured the lead. He pounced on a deflected shot at the top of the box before calmly slicing his effort into the bottom-left corner to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory and book Moore Creek’s place in the grand final.
“It was amazing. I’ve been doing this for 30-plus years and it’s probably one of the best games I’ve ever been involved in,” Cygan said.
“Just the character of the guys, the fight back and the never-give-up attitude.
“It was as though everyone knew we deserved to win, and they just kept fighting and fighting. To score the two last goals was really special.
“It was just a case of keep believing. We created a few chances and we defended really, really well.
“We just kept saying, ‘keep going, keep going, we’ll get another chance’.”
Cygan was thrilled to be the first team across two seasons of the UNE Regional Super League to defeat Port Saints and believed his side deserved the result.
“The feeling around the boys after the game, the atmosphere with everyone there, we had the dedicated supporters that came to watch and it was just amazing,” Cygan said.
“We knew Port Saints hadn’t lost in the competition yet and they won it last year, so we just went out there to do what we could and gave it a crack.
“I felt that we deserved to win that game. I think we were slightly better.”
Moore Creek will return to Coffs Coast Synthetics on Saturday 8 August to take on Alstonville FC in the grand final.
Alstonville FC 5-1 Inverell FC
Alstonville FC coach Andrea Zubani wanted his side to be switched on from the start against Inverell FC in the UNE Regional Super League semi-final at Coffs Coast Synthetics on Saturday and they did exactly that to secure a 5-1 win and a place in the grand final.
Alstonville came out firing, with Eli Gambley sending the ball into the penalty area for Jonathon King, who sliced his finish into the bottom-left corner inside the opening two minutes.
King doubled his side’s advantage in the 12th minute, half-volleying a Jacob Bazar cross from close range and finding the back of the net.
A hat-trick was on the cards for King when he received the ball at the top of the penalty area before running into the box unmarked and firing into the bottom-right corner in the 30th minute, sending Alstonville into the break with a 3-0 lead.
Inverell entered the second half determined to fight their way back into the contest and found a way through in the 50th minute. Alessandro De Araujo played the ball into an unmarked Paul Leo, who calmly lifted his effort over an advancing Ben Hudson and into the goal.
The sides continued to battle for momentum in the wet conditions, but it was Alstonville who struck next.
Thomas Bazar charged forward before delivering the ball from the side of the box into Joshua Cole, who guided his finish underneath the diving Ryan Burns in the 70th minute to restore Alstonville’s three-goal advantage.
The result was put beyond doubt three minutes into stoppage time when Bazar crossed into the path of an unmarked Gambley. As the Inverell defence closed in, Gambley weaved his way around the challenges before calmly finishing to seal the 5-1 victory.
“It always helps when you score early. I was hoping for an early goal, but I wasn’t expecting it to come that early. It definitely made our job a bit easier,” Zubani said.
“We spoke a lot before the game about being really aggressive from the start, and that’s exactly what they did.”
Zubani admitted his side lost their way early in the second half but was pleased with how they responded to Inverell’s challenge.
“When we came back out for the second half, Inverell scored to make it 3-1 and my boys lost their way a little bit,” Zubani said.
“But then we got back on top and scored a couple more goals, which sealed the win.
“Considering we had a few of our regular players out injured, it was a really good performance.”
Alstonville will now face Moore Creek in the UNE Regional Super League grand final at Coffs Coast Synthetics on Saturday 8 August in a rematch from earlier in the competition.
“It’ll be good to have a rematch with Moore Creek. We’re really looking forward to it,” Zubani said.