Ourimbah 2 – 1 The Entrance
This week’s match of the round was another special occasion. It was billed as the moment Ourimbah would be crowned champions and secure promotion back to the Men’s Premier League for the first time in 11 years.
The Entrance was the side looking to spoil the party, but in reserve grade, the Falcons had already done the job on a windy Ourimbah Oval, winning by a resounding 9-0 and clinching promotion for the club.
Now, all that remained was to secure the Division One championship, and despite it being a close game, the hosts would stay strong and prove once again why they are the gold standard of the men’s division this season.
From the onset, both teams looked to set the tempo of the match. While Ourimbah kept things fast and moved the ball forward quickly, it was The Entrance that almost got the first real chance.
A penalty shout kicked the game into gear early. It came when The Entrance’s Liam Taylor was pressing high into the Ourimbah backline. He caught Harrison Wedesweiler on the ball before they collided and collapsed in the box, but the ref waved away the calls for a penalty in a tight 50/50 call.
From there, Ourimbah looked to wrestle control of the match, and they began to do so. They largely dominated the midfield, allowing them to rapidly transition into attack, which they mainly did down the right wing throughout the game.
As they pushed, the Falcons’ right winger, Ethan Kennedy, seemed to play better and better, and soon enough, he would open the scoring with a spectacular solo goal.
The goal arrived when Kennedy received the ball just outside the box on the right before driving in and weaving through the defence to the 6-yard box before shooting across his body to send the ball into the far side of the net for 1-0 with a remarkable goal.
Things became difficult for The Entrance here. Although they did manage to hit the post after a dangerous ball in from a Rory Mitchell corner to the back post, they were still struggling to transition into attacks without simply kicking the ball long.
As such, the hosts would soon double their ascendancy. The second of the day began with a powerful freekick taken by Wedesweiler straight into the Entrance wall. So forceful was the shot that the ball deflected straight back to Wedesweiler, who shot again, this time drawing a solid save from Jaleel Coombe, but his parry only went as far as Spencer Wharton, who instantly tapped it home, making the score 2-0.
Now entirely on the back foot, The Entrance didn’t panic. Instead, they just kept looking for the best chance to throw everything they could forward and work themselves into the match.
One chance they did make was on the back of Mitchell winning the ball high up the field and sending it to Brayden Kenny, who got the ball in the left side of the box and attempted to cut in and shoot, but his shot would go just over the bar.
Just before halftime, however, they would make a breakthrough after winning a penalty. The call came when Kenny was battling for the ball in the box and was struck by an outstretched Ourimbah foot, leaving the ref no choice but to point to the spot.
Taylor stepped up to take and sent the spot kick to the right where a diving Drew Ryan-Lawther in goals for Ourimbah would make a stunning save. However, the Falcons’ defence couldn’t make it in time to clear the rebound, and Taylor got back onto it and sent a scuffed half-volley into the ground that did just enough to avoid the scrambling defenders and cross the line to make it 2-1.
This would be enough to send the game into halftime, with Ourimbah surely frustrated that they couldn’t go further ahead, and The Entrance spurred on by their late goal.
The second half would be a different story from the first; after the resumption, the game became a stoppage-heavy affair as both teams became prone to fouling one another, and tensions began to flare.
Chances were now coming at a premium as The Entrance defence further frustrated Ourimbah. This didn’t change their game plan, though, as when they held onto the ball, they still played down the right, where their wingback William Bowden was also in the midst of a strong outing.
The Entrance, in comparison, were a little too prone to launching the ball forward and hoping, leaving the game at a bit of a stalemate—one Ourimbah looked sure to break when the ref awarded the second penalty of the match, this time to them.
The second penalty of the game resulted from Phillip Holmes in the Ourimbah midfield refusing to give up on a play. As a wayward pass was destined for a goal kick, Holmes sprinted to the byline to keep the ball in, where a rushing Coombe met him and got the man and not the ball, leaving the Falcons with a penalty.
Riley Smith stepped up to put the game to bed from the spot, but the ball went sailing over the bar, and suddenly, it began to feel like Ourimbah were leaving the door open for an Entrance team refusing to say die.
Both teams went especially hard from then on, and both would have their chances to score.
Ourimbah’s Joshua-Adam Fletcher won plenty of ball back for his side and even sent a long shot onto the crossbar late in the piece. Meanwhile, for The Entrance, their best opportunities would come from set pieces, ones they couldn’t take full advantage of.
Ultimately, time began to work against the visitors, and things got even more complicated when one of their midfielders, Jack Weston, was sent off for receiving a second yellow card.
Try as they did in the few minutes they had down a man, The Entrance couldn’t generate a goal, leaving Ourimbah to be officially crowned champions, winning 2-1.
This is an excellent achievement for the Falcons, who have, from day one, been one of the premier teams in this competition and very deserving of the title of champions.
Their focus will now turn to the finals, where they are primed to make a significant impact as all their closest competitors gear up to take them down.
Speaking to The Entrance coach Andrew Ollier he noted the tight nature of the contest and wished the champions well for the finals series to come.
“It wasn’t a bad game, a pretty intense game,” Ollier began.
“We played quite well, we managed to hang in there for the whole game this week which has been our problem all year
“Good luck to Ourimbah, wish them all the best”.
While Ourimbah coach Andy O’Bryan was immensely proud of the achievement of his club and was happy his side controlled the game on the way to becoming champions.
“I’m just so proud of the boys, from both grades really, it was a good way to celebrate the day” O’Bryan began.
“We started off quite well, I was pleased with our possession when we kept the ball on the floor
“When we invited little one on one battles and when we disrupted our possession were the only times I thought The Entrance broke up our play,
“Issues with the bouncing ball and poor decision making
“But I was pleased with how we kept the ball when we kept it on the floor”.
Match Official – Michael Tohme
Written by Mark Goodyear
Men’s Division 1 Results –
Women’s Division 1 Results –
