NORTH Armidale Redmen won their way through to the next round of the Westfields FFA Cup after a 2-nil win over Tuncurry-Forster at Doody Park, Armidale on Saturday.
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Goals from Liam Georkas and James Birmingham were enough to earn the Redmen a berth in the June 18-19 finals in Newcastle.
It was a team effort too, co-coach Scott Freeman said.
“It was a great win,” Freeman said.
“We haven’t played a team like that for a while and it wasn’t as easy as some of our boys thought it would be.
“They really stuck it to us.”
Freeman said skipper Mitch Wilson led by example but there were no real standouts.
“The whole 14 stood up and played their best – they all played well together.”
The Redmen now prepare for tomorrow night’s deferred game against South Armidale Scorpions.
“That will be enormous,” Freeman said.
“It’s always a solid effort between the two sides no matter where you are running on the table.”
In Tamworth, reigning Northern Inland Premier League champions Oxley Vale Attunga won their local derby with Tamworth FC 3-nil.
Goals from Adam Watson and Luke Purcell (2) earned the Mushies a good win against a side which had much of the running.
OVA coach Tim Coates agreed with stand-in FC coach Greg Bartlett that FC had the better of the first hour or so at Johnson Field.
“FC were on top for the first 60 or 70 minutes,” Coates said.
“Troy (Keyte) had made four or five outstanding saves too.
“It’s one of the best games I’ve seen him play.
“But in the end the Watto football brain took over.”
Watson converted a free kick in brilliant fashion to give the Mushies a 1-nil lead before Purcell, who had played a full game in second grade on his first day back, scored two late second-half goals to seal the game.
“We were the better team for the first 70 minutes,” Coates said.
“We had chances in the first half but couldn’t convert.
“Troy had a great game for them, magnificent.
“And then we couldn’t take our chance and they did.”
Jake Thompson and Ross Price were best for FC while new Irish import, James McIlwain, played well in the first half “before he ran out of legs”.
In other Premier League games, North Companions defeated Namoi United 3-1, Demon Knights beat Inverell’s Joeys FC 6-nil and East Armidale had a 3-nil win over Moree FC.
