Oxley Vale Attunga coach Tim Coates was blunt in appraising the Mushies’ 3-1 loss to Bangalow in a FFA Cup Northern Conference qualifying round encounter at Coffs Harbour on Saturday, saying his side was simply outplayed.
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For the region’s soccer, the loss was compounded by Demon Knights losing 4-0 to Byron Bay in Coffs Harbour on the same day.
The Premier League-leading Mushies travelled to Coffs Harbour having hammered North Companions 6-1 the previous weekend. But their chances were dealt a blow when skipper Chris Fenton was ruled out before the kick-off with an ankle injury he sustained against Norths.
“We gave him until the last minute,” Coates said. “We were missing a couple of talismen but no excuses – they were a better football side and played some nice football.
“It’s like everything. There were a couple of 50-50 calls that didn’t go our way, but that’s no excuse.”
Coates rated striker Luke Purcell his best, saying he “ran himself into the ground” as usual before coming off with a “knee niggle”.
Demon Knights skipper Morgan Quaife said the final scoreline was disappointing given it was 0-0 at halftime.
Byron Bay were too classy in the second half, he said. “You obviously can’t win games with just one half of football,” he said.
“Byron Bay are a fantastic team. They were what we expected – quick, fit and their touch was really good. They played a lot of one-touch football. We matched them for periods throughout the game, but unfortunately they were a little too good.”
