In what has been a long and drawn out campaign the Bellingen High School Football team has reached the last 16 in the state CHS football competition.
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With their first games being played way back in April after a number of delays due to wet weather, the boys have improved exponentially to this point. The first game was against Toormina - this was a tough challenge with the opposition having a number of strong players, but the Bello boys pulled together for a 2-1 victory.
This led into a second round game against CHEC. The CHEC boys hassled and harried throughout the game, with Bellingen taking an early lead, but, CHEC scored an equaliser early in the second half. Bellingen with just a little fortune managed to score the winner with mere seconds on the clock.
The third round saw Bellingen matched against local rivals Orara High School, a team they have faced a number of times who up until now have been the nemesis. Again in a very tight game the teamwork of the Bellingen side was to prove the undoing of Orara.
The fourth round took the boys further afield with a game against Camden Haven. This was to be the tightest of all the games, with the scores level at full time and again at extra time. This led to a penalty shootout, with Bellingen taking the win.
The Bellingen team then had to travel to Lismore to play against Alstonville on a unfamiliar turf surface. Alstonville are a very strong team having reached the last eight of this competition last year. Alstonville dominated much of the first half going in with a 1-0 lead at the break. But, the teamwork and determination of the Bellingen team came to the fore in the second half with two unanswered goals. Then with only four seconds left on the referees clock a despairing challenge in our box gave Alstonville a penalty to take the game into extra time. But, yet again lady luck was on Bellingen's side with our goalkeeper Jonty Neaves guessing well and saving the dot shot.
A mighty congratulations must be given to all of the members of the team for what as fantastic achievement.
The Bellingen team will be playing their next game against Georges River College from Sydney, at 10am on Thursday, July 16 at the Cabbage Patch in Urunga.