THE LAST time the Nambucca Strikers men’s third division side played the Northern Storm they got thumped 14-1. The talk before the game centred on that and how to stop a repeat scoreline.
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No officials at all for this North Coast Football fixture, they must have forgot. Anyway, the Strikers started the better and had a Riley Hayden assist to Nick Hickey goal cancelled out for offside within the first 10 minutes, which only lifted Nambucca and they had Storm going backwards.
A goal against all that assent unsettled the Strikers and echoes of the last encounter began, but the Strikers held on through some excellent saves from young Kirby Cue which kept Nambucca in the game, along with defiant defence from Blake McNeil and Rick Welsh.
Unfortunately Nambucca dropped their concentration in the minutes before half time to let the Storm back in twice. Rattled but resilient, the Strikers held their nerve and re-applied themselves right up to the break to give themselves hope against the older aged men of the Storm.
Again Nambucca started the brighter, and began to out-pace the tiring opposition, to take the points decision for the second half. Although conceding one more, the Strikers showed skills and teamwork to work their way forward and in and around the back of the Storm defence to see at least eight one-on-ones saved by a fingernail or a scrape of a sprig.
Storm were out on their feet but Nambucca just couldn’t hit the net, for all their efforts.
Nambucca had a 10-minute session late in the game that could've seen them net six scores, and the crowd were loving it as chance after chance just inched wide.
Final score was 4-nil to Storm, but Nambucca showed that they are more than capable of excellent football, they just have to believe in themselves and build on all that teamwork that improves with every week.
On Saturday, the Strikers are away to Woolgoolga Sharks at 3pm while the Macksville Stingers have the bye. In 2nd division, the Strikers are at home to Bellingen from 3pm.