The Southern team regained supremacy over the Northern team as the annual Northern Inland Football (NIF) men’s All-Stars match took place at Hogan Oval in Narrabri on Saturday.
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Southern triumphed 3-0 after winning the inaugural battle two years ago before Northern won last year’s fixture.
Jack Diebold shone like a beacon as he scored all three goals while team-mate Isaac Wood also played well.
Southern generally had the better of play without dominating as its players came from Tamworth FC, North Companions, Oxley Vale Attunga, Namoi and Moree.
The Northern line-up contained players from Norths United, South Armidale, East Armidale and Inverell, while Namoi’s Thomas Kable was a late inclusion as the team underwent a notable reshuffle.
The Northern goalkeeper was required to field the ball in the first 20 seconds before Southern had a corner kick soon afterwards, but the revamped team looked sharp early on.
It didn’t take long for Southern to gain the better field position, although scoring opportunities were at a premium for much of the first half.
An offside call prevented Diebold from pressuring the keeper in the 21st minute, but he was not to be denied 14 minutes later.
Diebold beat the advancing keeper in a one-on-one situation following a well-timed through ball, although it appeared that the goal could have been stopped.
Southern gained a few corner kicks, and then the keeper made a great save before the margin expanded to two goals less than a minute later.
In bizarre circumstances, the ball dribbled feebly off Diebold’s boot but it trickled past the keeper’s hands and went across the line.
The final goal occurred 11 minutes into the second half and was easily the highlight of the match. Diebold steadied and took aim from 20 metres out before driving the ball into the net as he found a space that eluded the keeper’s reach.
Southern had a number of corner kicks, and on one occasion a goal beckoned when a header flew well over the target.
Southern was well-placed to score on another occasion, but a chip-kick from close range went several metres too high.
Northern also had a couple of scoring chances without taking advantage as there was no let-up in intensity from either team.
On one occasion the Southern keeper tapped a potential scoring kick over the crossbar, before a promising raid from Northern failed to yield the finishing touch as less than 10 minutes remained.