Samba Tigers 6 – 1 Opsoc
As phase one drew to a close, the fate of both of these sides was more or less decided, with Tigers needing a drastic defeat to block their passage to the premiership.
Pontcanna was its usual swampy self, and it was clear from the offset that playing some decent football would be a challenge.
This said, both sides started positively with half chances falling at either end. But it was the Tigers that broke the deadlock when an Opsoc defender kicked the ball against one of his team mates allowing Max Barrett to run onto the loose ball and round the keeper, slotting it into an empty net.
The momentum stayed with the Tigers as chance after chance went begging, Pepin Edgely and Kevin Goodwin with the best of them. Opsoc began to come back into it though and had some decent chances of their own, but a scrappy goal bundled over the line by Torik Holmes gave Tigers a 2-0 lead. Opsoc did grab one back before the break when Tiger’s goalkeeper Chris Jones struck the ball into the body of the opposing centre forward and couldn’t prevent it rolling over the line.
Tigers started the second half the strongest and were soon 3-1 to the good when Elliot Connolly slipped a through ball to Barrett who stroked it home to bag his second goal. It was soon 4-1 as a Holmes cross was flicked in by the head of an Opsoc defender. The tide turned, however, and Opsoc piled on some pressure with some great shots and intricate football.
Nonetheless. the Tiger’s replacement keeper, midfielder and man of the match, Pete Gardner, matched them with some world-class saves. From there the Tigers were fairly comfortable and shortly made it 5-1 when Holmes showed more desire than the defender and volleyed home from an Adam Hobson cross. Connolly rounded off the half by netting another Hobson assist to make it 6-1.
