Tamworth FC lines up behind its haul of silverware. 220912GRB99
TAMWORTH FC 2
OXLEY VALE ATTUNGA 1
TAMWORTH FC’s first premiership celebrations will still be in full swing today after Saturday’s 2-1 grand final success against local rivals Oxley Vale Attunga at Scully Park.
Four years after the club was started from scratch the sky blues took the Northern Inland Premier League’s first grade title thanks to two set-piece goals in the first half.
The first of those came after just three minutes.
Chris Fenton was penalised for a challenge on Caleb Richardson inside the OVA box in the very first attacking foray of the match and TFC skipper Tim Smith stepped up and slotted the dot shot past keeper Matt Dunn.
It was the perfect start for Tamworth but OVA had a couple of chances to equalise.
Brendan Fergie almost latched onto a Luke Purcell cross and then fired in a free kick that was eventually cleared of the like by TFC.
Meanwhile, at the other end, the second goal came from a Tamworth free kick.
Rob Jeffery placed it perfectly for the towering frame of Damien Puyenbroek, who rose above the pack and headed the ball past Dunn, who had come off his line TO claim the kick.
At 2-nil up Tamworth couldn’t have been happier with proceedings, until an awful error at the back gave OVA a lifeline before the break.
Just like last week’s final, the goal that put the Mushies back in the game was an own goal as Jeffery got his head to a cross and steered it into his own goal.
That seemed to spur OVA on and the last portion of the half belonged to the Mushies.
One shot was tipped over the bar by TFC keeper Juan Blanco and then cleared away before Fergie blasted a ball from outside the area and struck the under-side of the bar.
The ball bounced dangerously close to the inside of the line but despite OVA’s goal claims the referee waved it away.
Fergie must have been wondering what he had to do to score and only moments later had another chance.
From closer range, but on a tougher angle, he hit the wood-work again, the left upright this time.
That saw the game to half time and a chance for Tamworth to re-group.
It started the second half in similar fashion to the start of the first, but this time there was no goal.
The best chance of the second half did go TFC’s way though.
Chris Soto beat the off-side trap to go one on one with the keeper, only for Dunn to close the angle and get a boot to the shot and deflect it away.
Both sides had the odd chance after that but the equaliser never came.
Purcell was red-carded near the end after clashing with Will Kam and earning his second yellow.
But time was almost up anyway and only a few minutes later the sky blues were celebrating their maiden title, two minor premierships and the club championship.
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