|
|
Last Saturday afternoon the Kiama Quarriers Soccer Club created history when it went to the top of the Illawarra Soccer Association First Division after
beating Dapto S.C. 3 – 0 at Kanahooka Lodge. The win, combined with a number of other fixtures that saw contenders for the top position beaten, jumped Kiama from third to first place,
two points clear of second placed Tarrawanna. The Quarriers still have a game in hand and a bye to take into
account with six games to go.
The Quarriers went into the Dapto game firmly wedged in third place and facing a tough battle against a mid table opponent. Dapto are always hard to beat and the problem is intensified when they play at home at Kanahooka Lodge, a difficult place for visiting teams.
To complicate matters for the Quarriers they were without four starters from the previous weeks games and were forced to re-shuffle the team. Fortunately, Coach Brod Creighton has put together a squad of quality players and the new faces brought into the
team clicked from the kick off. New signing Dean Triffett slotted into the midfield along with Jai Cartwright and
Youth Grade defender Brad Touhy.
The match started well for Kiama and they had Dapto deep in trouble from the kick off. It was constant
pressure for Dapto and things only got worse for them when they conceded an own goal after five minutes. A hapless
defender got his head to a long through ball from Kiama’s midfield and put the ball past his own ‘keeper. Jimmy
Berry may or may not have done the same thing as he was lurking behind the defender and well within range of goal.
The Quarriers really put Dapto to the test for the next ten minutes before sitting back and allowing the home team back into the game. For their part, Dapto played some very enterprising soccer and made great use of a giant, red-haired striker with loads
of pace. He was proving to be a real thorn in Kiama’s side and looked dangerous every time he got involved in
play. Creighton made a tactical change to his defence and ordered young Brad Touhy to man mark the big striker and
for the rest of the game both players cancelled each other out.
Kiama scored again in the thirty-fifth minute through Luke Bedford who is the clubs leading goal scorer so far this year. Bedford is not playing up to his normal brilliance but is still knocking in bags of goals. If a
player can score while in the doldrums then it augers well for him when he is in form. The goal was a compliment to
Bedford’s ability to be in the right place at the right time and was well deserved of a Kiama side playing well within themselves.
Both sides went to the break with Kiama holding a 2 – 0 lead and there really didn’t seem there was much for the Dapto coach to do to change the way
the game was running. They had played some very stylish football but Kiama seemed to be toying with them at times
and taking it easy in patches.
The Dapto coach took a bold step early in the second half and made three changes in an effort to kick-start his teams attack. If anything, the changes backfired on him and Dapto’s threat fizzled out. Whatever
threat they made to the Quarriers defence all but disappeared and it was all Kiama in the second half with the exception of a few long-range shots from Dapto.
Bedford got his second goal fifteen minutes into the second half and what a goal it was. He took the ball
just outside the penalty box and ran at the Dapto defence. He was hit by three defenders in a crude effort to stop
him, had his shirt pulled and was fouled before squeezing between the lot of them and sliding a well placed shot past a static ‘keeper. Brilliant play from the club’s leading goal scorer.
The Quarriers should have gone further ahead towards the end of the match when Triffitt jinked through some flimsy defence and sprinted into the penalty
box. A cover defender came across and made no attempt at the ball and tumbled Triffitt to the ground for a clear
penalty. Most of the people at the ground saw it that way but the man with the whistle had other ideas and waved
play on.
Full time saw Kiama continue their unbeaten run in the competition and the score of 3 – 0 was flattering for Dapto.
The Quarriers did not play to the standards they have set in some games but showed more than enough ability to see off the home team.
With all of the players doing well in a workmanlike performance few players really stood out. The best
performances came from the midfield and Nathan Broad was in good form. Young defender Brad Touhy also did well
against a tough opponent while the Kiama Leagues Club Man of the Match was midfielder Brad Boardman. The rangy
youngster was involved in everything and excels in the tough atmosphere of the engine room.
The players were in raptures in the dressing rooms after the match when other results filtered through. The
club song, and a few other tunes, were sung with great gusto in a dressing room that was chock full of players, officials and supporters. There is a feeling of great mateship and determination at the club and it is a great feeling to savor. There is still a great deal of work to do before the season ends but the boys have put themselves in a terrific position
and it is all up to them now, they don’t have to rely on any other teams knocking off opponents.
The day was even sweeter for the Quarriers with both the other Grades winning their matches and conceding no goals to give the club a clean sweep, and a
clean sheet, over Dapto.
Next Saturday the Quarriers are at home at the Leisure Centre to Illawarra United and are keen to keep on the winning tail. United have not been doing particularly well this year but have proven to be a “bogey” side for the Quarriers in
recent years. Their players seem to grow another leg against Kiama and play well above themselves, much to our
discomfort.