QUARRIERS AND TARRAWANNA BATTLE OUT DRAW.

 

Last Saturday afternoon the Kiama Quarriers Soccer Club battled out a tough 1 – 1 draw with Tarrawanna S.C. at the Kiama Leisure Centre.  In a torrid afternoon the Quarriers finished a man short and with another four players with yellow cards after a fairly lopsided refereeing display. No Tarrawanna players were cautioned.

 

This was a top of the table clash with the two sides being the only undefeated teams left in the First Division competition.  Kiama have a deferred game in hand and if they win that match can leap frog over all their opponents and take top spot. 

The draw did no damage to Kiama’s title hopes as they battled away to share the points with an equally determined Tarrawanna.  Both teams were in good recent form and were keen to get on top of this fixture.

 

The Quarriers tested their new found depth and were forced to replace Boardman, Jovanov and Berry who were all out with injuries.  New signing, Alex Cross came in for Berry while Wollongong Wolves Youth Grader, Nathan Broad, started in midfield.  Ryan Omrod from the Youth Grade also came into the midfield. The game exploded after three minutes when Kiama scored a terrific goal through striker Luke Bedford.  It was to be a sign of things to come as the referee turned the situation into a farce.  Bedford beat the defence with sheer pace and took the Tarrawanna goalkeeper on.  As he went around the keeper he was mercilessly up-ended in a crude foul.  As Bedford fell he was able to guide the ball into the net for a goal.

 

In a ludicrous decision the referee allowed the goalkeeper to stay on the park after a sending off offence, disallowed the goal and awarded Kiama a penalty kick.  This did nothing but reward the goalkeeper for his efforts and give him a chance to redeem the situation.  Fortunately Nathan Broad was on form and smashed the ball past a diving goalkeeper for the opening goal. Kiama continued their opening domination and it looked as if they may swamp the visitors.  But a combination of poor finishing and tough defence by Tarrawanna saw them fight their way back into the game.  They were aided by some terrible refereeing decisions that confused both sides and missed chances by Kiama.  The worst of these saw Omrod slide the ball into the side netting from less than a metre out, albeit in a sharp angle, with the defence and goalkeeper beaten.

 

Cross was also finding it tough and must consider himself lucky to stay on the park after some rash tackles, which had more to do with exuberance than dirty play.  A more controlled referee would have had him in for an early shower. Midway through the first half the Quarriers ran out of ideas and it was Tarrawanna’s turn to do a bit of attacking.  They threatened Kiama’s goals without causing goalkeeper Tidswell any problems but the warnings were there.

 

The second half was every bit as torrid as the first and both sides appeared to have the impression that it was a test of endurance rather than a game of skill.  Tarrawanna had the first say in this half and scored an equalizer shortly after the break.  They had been more aggressive in attack than in the first half and the goal was a good reward for their toils. 

But, as had happened in the first half, the game swung around and Kiama again took control and bombarded the visitor’s goals.  Bedford was involved in a freaky affair when he got up for a header two metres out from goal.  The ball hit him in the back of the head and rebounded to safety.  If he had of missed it the ball would have gone into the goal.  Three minutes later Gillespie got onto the end of a good cross and from two metres out put the ball well over the bar.

 

The Quarriers were playing well without being at their best but it can be assumed that both sides were having the same effect on their opponent.  Just when it seemed that Kiama were getting into top gear Tarrawanna fought back and forced two very good saves from Tidswell in the space of a few seconds. This was a good game and was boiling along nicely until the referee decided that the spectators hadn’t noticed him enough.  Nathan Broad was involved in a clumsy tackle midway through the half and was shown a yellow card.  It looked a lot worse than it was and really should have been nothing more than a free kick and a warning on the run.  The matter was compounded a few minutes later when he slipped while running I for a tackle and clattered into his opponent, right in front of the coach’s boxes.  Amid howls of protest from Tarrawanna's bench the referee pulled out his red card and sent Broad off.  The boy hasn’t played for a number of weeks and this tackle was nothing more than an indication of that.

 

The send off had the desired effect for Tarrawanna and they came home strongly.  They pushed players forward and the Quarriers made a terrible error in falling back into defence.  The more players you drop back, the more the opposition can throw forward.  The last ten minutes of the match were all Tarrawanna as Kiama battled away for shared points under coach’s instructions.  Tarrawanna had the last say in the match and two minutes from time rattled the Kiama cross bar with a tremendous shot from fifteen metres out. The full time score of 1 – 1 was a fair result for both sides and none could think they deserved better under the circumstances.  It was not a pretty match, but points are points and the single point for the draw keeps the boys well in the hunt for top spot. 

 

The game was fought out in the midfield and it was no surprise that Kiama’s strongest players were in the thick of it.  Mick Gillespie gave his normal gutsy performance, as did Damian Mason.  These two put the bight into the midfield and battled strongly all day.  The Kiama Leagues Club Man of the Match was defender Mike Broad who put in a sensational effort and was hand when things needed doing.

 

The Kiama Quarriers were thrown into complete disarray after the game when they were advised during a casual conversation with the referee that they were to play their deferred match against Warilla Wanderers the next day.  With less than 23 hours notice it was impossible for the Quarriers to field a full First Grade team and Coach Brod Crighton was also unavailable.  At least five regular players were unable to play in what is now a vital match for the Quarriers and to go into the match with a “make-up” team is sheer folly. A number of hasty telephone calls and meetings were called before the Kiama Quarriers Executive Committee made a decision that could well see them fronting an inquiry panel with the Soccer Illawarra Board.

 

Quite simply, the Quarriers received no information in regards to the deferred match and were unaware that it was to be played on the Sunday.  It is now up to Soccer Illawarra to sort out the mess while Warilla Wanderers sit on the sidelines hoping for a forfeit.

 

Next Saturday the Quarriers are away to Highlands United at Bowral in what is always a tough game for Kiama.  Highlands breed them big and tough and they always save their best for Kiama.  All supporters are welcome with First Grade kicking off at 3.00pm.