The Raiders v Lions, look it’s the biggest day on the football calendar for most round ball aficionados in the Bellingen Valley easily rivaling the World Cup!!
It was the Raiders family fun day, and weather gods smiled as the Patch glowed under a thousand yards of sunshine. Today though it was the old foe. The Lions, they’ve been good of late, 6 blot over the Storm Wednesday night and 3-0 over the Wolves three days before, they’re climbing the ladder with a singular purpose no doubt bolstered by the return of their goal scoring talisman Ben Mackay.
Yes it was third v fifth, Raiders v Lions and I tell you now the Raiders had the dream start. Not two minutes in the game but a pup, when Grant ‘red bags’ Homes noodled his way along the right flank through several lunging tackles any one of which would have surely put him in a different post code, his cross perfectly weighted for Mitch Tutt to casually stroke in number 1 for the day. If you were in maroon and white and many were it was a strike to equal that of Brett Holman v Ghana. Nothing like an early lead at the Patch to lift the spirits and the Raiders well they leapt to the fray.
Ben Dooley linking well with Dom Inanisovitsch and Harry Gale. Arlen Horton chasing everything that moved including several stray kids and one black dog!. The Raiders second opportunity fell to Jaxen ‘the mailman’ Heward who was able to control a loose ball and with the crowd waiting for trademark flat cross, Heward drove at the heart of the Lions defense releasing a withering shot that Josh Wiseman managed to control with brilliant reflexes. It was close but not to be as the The Lions, well, they reacted well and Josh’s big brother Athony Wiseman seemed to be involved in most of their good work with the Mackay boys close behind.
For all their effort though the Lion could not break through and the sides went to the break with the Raiders holding a 1 nil advantage. The second half began like the first only this time it was the Lions that would draw the first goal after Nick Lambert rose above the pack as he does so often to nod in a Ben Mackay cross. Anyone who’s watched the Lions play would have seen the same thing many times and they do it so well. It was only 7 minutes into the second half and surely would not have been a part of Coach McCoy’s half time talk. But it restored parity and belief in the Lions.
For the Raiders, well, it was all hands to the pump. It was an intense period of the game with centre referee Dave Morgan doing well to control the sides. The match tipped in the home side’s favour on 71 minutes after Jai Waddick took control of a ball outside the Lions penalty area, he weaved around one defender, he danced around another, he fired a cross past the Lions goal. As lucky would have it Ben Dooley got on the end of it and thumped it with laser like precision past Wiseman to put the Raiders back in control at least in front 2-1. Well the Dooley strike almost instigated a pitch invasion with the ground staff acting quickly and professionally to get the crowd back in control.
For the final 20 minutes the Raiders defended like Australia should have V Germany grim determination, sweat and hard work turning back many attacking moves by the Lions.
Luke Pomroy, Dom Inanisovitsch and Bradd Danzey at the forefront of most of the barrage. The match finished 2-1 to the Raiders who next week are at home on Sunday to the Storm.
In other results the Youth Grade got toweled up 5-2 in a high scoring affair, with Zafiro ‘the Chiss” Chissioni bagging a brace for the Raiders and looking fine in the process. The Women had a 6-0 win over Corindi with the second division girls 0-0 with the Lions.
The under 16 boys 7 nil winners over Nambucca with unconfirmed reports that Adam Marks actually scored (need photo to confirm that). This weekend its 1 v 2 for the women as they line up against the Woolgoolga Wildcats that’s on Saturday at 1pm 2nd Div and 1st at 3pm the men of course at the Patch v Storm on Sunday and I say lets keep the dream alive!…see you on the hill.
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