It was closer than Greg Bartlett would have liked but at the end of the day, as the Tamworth FC coach put it, “a win’s a win”.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Tamworth FC beat Norths United 4-2 on Saturday in the first round of the Northern Inland Premier League.
Bartlett said his players made things difficult for themselves at times through missed chances and defensive lapses.
NORTHERN INLAND PREMIER LEAGUE FIRST GRADE LADDER
“We’re not clinical enough at the moment,” Bartlett said.
“To be a force in the competition, we need to be better than what we are. They scored a couple soft goals.
“It’s not all doom and gloom, though. It’s the first game of the season and we just need to fix a couple things up.
“I have to give them credit, too. They didn’t come down with a full complement and stuck it to us all the way.
“That was pleasing on our end because we had to play the full 90 minutes. It was a good, solid game.”
Bartlett said the goals Tamworth FC scored were all “really good”.
They came from four different scorers in Jackson Haussler, Matt Gardner, Josh Bartlett and Kurt Barrow.
RELATED STORIES:
The shared goals-coring was another positive Bartlett took from the game along with the drought of sorts Tamworth FC broke by beating Norths United.
“It’s been a long time, probably three and half years since we beat them. They’ve always been a tough side.,” Bartlett said.
“A win’s a win. We’ve got three points and kicked off on the right foot which is the pleasing part.
”We’re going to get better but they’re going to get better, too. They’ll be tougher later on. I think the comp’s going to be pretty close this year.”
The other two games in the first round saw East Armidale clash with Oxley Vale Attunga and Demon Knights take on defending premiers North Companions while South Armidale had the bye.
Easts won 4-0 in their game while DK also had a shutout win by beating North Companions 3-0.