GUNNEDAH Hawks were on the road to producing one of the big upsets of the Northern Inland Football Premier League season when they were 2-nil up against reigning premiers Tamworth FC at Marius Street, Tamworth on Saturday.
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Liam Griffin and Michael Cook had both scored to give the Hawks a dramatic 2-nil half-time lead after playing some exhilarating football.
However that excitement came crashing down in one horror half of football where they had three players red-carded and lost 4-2.
Coach Garry Sams was a stunned and devastated coach after the game.
“It was nothing else but stupidity,” Sams said.
“We should have been celebrating a win.
“Instead we do this.”
Sams, who apologised to the referees for his side’s lack of discipline, labelled his side “crazy”.
“To play that well in the first half and then let that happen.
“I told the boys at halftime, to control the game they had to control themselves.
“This is a good side. They showed it in the first half.
“They played the best I’ve seen but then we killed ourselves in the second half.”
While Griffin and Cook were the goalscorers, they also received second yellow cards in the second half to be dismissed along with Zac Farr.
Tamworth FC also had Bart Twyford red-carded on a day where they resurrected their match with a disciplined second half.
Damien Puyenbroek scored twice along with Ben Davis and Cameron Potter to steal a victory.
“We were 2-nil down but discipline won the day,” Tamworth FC coach Wayne May said. “We kept our heads, they didn’t.
“The Hawks have a very good side and played some great football in that first half.
“But they also had four yellow cards.
“I told our boys to keep their heads, they did and played well in the second half.”
Ben Davis was outstanding for FC.
In other Southern Conference PL games, Oxley Vale Attunga beat Moree FC 9-nil at Scully Park, with Adam Watson and Ben Genardini landing hat-tricks and Gunnedah United had a 7-3 win over Narrabri- Wee Waa.
Andy Cygem and Evan Lee scored hat-tricks for a United side which was down 3-1 at half-time but motored home in the second 45 minutes, scoring five goals in one 10-minute period.
In the Northern Conference, Joeys FC secured a huge 3-nil win over North Armidale to stop the Redmen’s unbeaten run and give the Inverell-based Joeys a four-point lead over an East Armidale side beaten 3-2 by North Companions.
Demon Knights beat South Armidale Scorpions 3-1.