The defending Northern Inland Premier League champions pumped in four goals in the last 20 minutes to shut out Moree FC 6-nil and ice the man they call “grandad’s” 43rd birthday cake.

They should have won by more but that finishing polish just wasn’t quite there.

The signs were ominous for the visitors when about seven minutes in, a good clearance from Chris Fenton found Jack Diebold out on the right. Diebold flicked the ball over the top to himself to beat the man but the cross to the centre didn’t quite connect.

It turned out to be one of Fenton’s last acts for the game, the skipper forced off with a hamstring injury a few minutes later.

They eventually struck on 20 minutes, albeit rather ingloriously, with one of the Moree defenders – trying to clear the ball from the square – knocking it back into the goal.

Five minutes later Dan Cannon got a light touch off his head from a free-kick from Lachlan Browne to make it 2-nil.

Much to coach Tim Coates’s consternation that was what the score remained at half-time.

Through no lack of opportunities though. 

Barely a minute after Cannon’s strike, Diebold created space for himself but Moree keeper Jackson Kelly’s outstretched right leg parried the ball away.

Then with around six minutes to go, Ben Genardini missed a sitter, slicing the ball over the top after he dragged it to his left to beat Kelly.

Things compounded a couple of minutes later when Tim Sweeney received his second yellow after bringing down Kenny Wright.

It left them with 10 for the second half and for a while the sting seemed to go out of their attack.

They eventually found the back of the net about 25 minutes in, Diebold finishing off a bit of messy play.

Genardini followed with two quick goals before James Bailey completed the scoring.

For Coates it was a case of “a win is a win”.

“There was some passages of really good play,” he said.

Frustratingly they weren’t always turned into goals.

Coates couldn’t fault their defence though.

“We played the whole of the second half with 10 men so it was a really good defensive effort,” Coates said.

“It was good to see Lachlan Browne off his own back move himself from the forwards to centre back.”

Despite having a player less they really held their defensive shape well.

“Only having 10 it didn’t make any difference. You didn’t know we were missing a player,” he said.

“That’s what tells the story.”

Genardini threaded through some great balls and was one of their best in Coates’s  mind.

“Cameron Skewes had a great defensive effort at the back and James Bailey worked well in centre midfield,” he said.

In other games Tamworth FC won their top-of-the-table clash with Demon Knights 1-nil in Armidale after a Beau Langenbaker strike.

North Armidale Redmen continued their winning way with a 10-nil demolition of Namoi United at Phil Wheaton Oval, North Armidale, East Armidale beat South Armidale Scorpions 2-1 in their local derby and North Companions brought a 2-nil win home to Tamworth after a good effort  against Inverell’s Joeys FC.