SOUTH Armidale Scorpions will have to make a third successive trip to Tamworth’s Scully Park on Saturday to try to win a Northern Inland Football (NIF) Premier League first grade premiership against Tamworth’s Oxley Vale Attunga.
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The NIF board met on Sunday and, after pitch inspections in Armidale, elected to play the Premier League grand finals in Tamworth at the soon-to-be-bulldozed Scully Park.
The Michael Lord-coached Scorpions have walked a tightrope in recent weeks, with knockout finals in Armidale and Tamworth.
After overcoming Gunnedah United 4-3 in week one of the finals at Armidale Sportsground, they then headed to Scully Park to beat Tamworth FC in a penalty shootout before overcoming North Companions 3-1 at Scully last Saturday.
It will be a third successive week at Scully for the Scorpions while OVA has also been winning away from home.
The OVA Mushrooms beat East Armidale 3-nil in their opening finals match but then travelled to Inverell and Armidale for 1-nil victories over Joeys FC and North Armidale Redmen.
NIF general manager Steve Griffith said it had been a difficult decision not to play the grand final in Armidale.
“We were conscious of the fact this would be the third successive year we’ve played the grand final in Tamworth,” Griffith said.
“But after some pitch inspections in Armidale we believe the best playing surface is at Scully Park.
“We inspected Bellevue Oval (Armidale) after the rugby union grand finals and found the playing surface there would be inappropriate to play it there.”
Saturday’s grand final day will start with the second grade grand final between Tamworth FC and North Armdale Redmen after FC beat OVA 1-nil in Armidale on Saturday and North Armidale accounted for South Armidale 4-1 on Sunday.
“It gives us four different clubs in the two grand finals,” Griffith said.
The second grade grand final is timed for a 12.30pm kickoff, with first grade around 3pm.
While the OVA Mushies are delighted to have a “home” grand final, they will be without one of the stars – Glenn McKnight.
The club stalwart picked up a second yellow card from the finals series late in Saturday’s win, coach Tim Coates said.
“He’s absolutely gutted,” Coates said.
“He didn’t do anything wrong all day and then just as they got a free kick he got pinged for kicking the ball away and got a yellow card.
“He can’t play in the grand final now.”
It was a cruel blow for the defender who was one of OVA’s best on Saturday along with Cameron Skewes, Ryan Searl and Dan Cannon.
