EAST Armidale United Football Club sits alone at the top of the Premier League’s Northern Conference following another big win and with a chance to go even further ahead on the table at home this Saturday.
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A 4-1 victory over Moree FC at Inverell Sporting Complex has the side perched on 12 points on the NIF Premier League table, two points ahead of Inverell’s Joeys FC.
They play Joeys at home (Doody Park) this Saturday.
A hat-trick from Jake Davies ws the highlight of Saturday’s latest success for East.
He had scored in the first half with a good individual goal for a side which was slow-starting.
A halftime rev produced a better result, East playing more constructive football and keeping the ball on the ground.
Davies added two more to snare his hat-trick with Scott Breen also adding another.
While Davies was one of his side’s best, Reece Andrews and John Vanry also earned praise from their coach.
Kevin Goard, Shannon Cochrane and Ryan Assef starred in the club’s 7-2 second grade victory over Moree.
Cochrane also notched a hat-trick while Assef scored twice and Stuart Pullar added another in a win where East started slowly, slipping 1-nil down early before scoring twice before halftime for a 2-1 lead at the break.
They dominated the second half to score five more.
Tamworth FC also scored five goals in the first half of its 6-nil first grade win over Guyra United at Johnson Field, Tamworth on Saturday.
The win was vital for Tamworth FC, enabling it to go top of the Southern Conference table.
“With a little bit of luck we will be top,” said Tamworth FC coach Wayne May straight after his side’s win in the knowledge both Oxley Vale Attunga and North Companions, who were ahead of them entering Saturday’s fifth round, had touch matches in Armidale.
It proved true as OVA fell to North Armidale and North Companions lost to South Armidale.
Both North Companions and OVA led in those games but were run over by the Redmen and Scorpions.
No such worries for May and his sky blues though.
They played some of their best football in the first half.
“It was hard to get motivated in the second half,” May said.
“We had plenty of chances but didn’t capitalise.
“They (Guyra United) did play well and put a lot of pressure on us.
“They didn’t throw the towel in.”
Young Guyra United coach BJ Kliendienst thought his side worked hard all game.
“Everyone tried hard,” he said.
His side plays North Armidale this Saturday while Tamworth FC tackles Gunnedah United at Wolseley Park in Gunnedah.
“We’ve had a lot of changes this year,” he said of a rebuilding defending premier.
“We haven’t got that cohesion yet, not gelling yet.”