THE Boambee Bombers blitzed Sawtell FC 5-1 in the Coastal Premier League last Saturday at Toormina Oval.

It was another commanding display in the middle of the park for midfield talisman and Boambee captain Mitchell Brewster who intercepted Sawtell attacks, kept possession and attacked with measured passes in transition play.

“Compared to previous games this season today’s performance was by far one of the better we’ve put out all year and that’s filled the team with a lot of confidence going forward,” he said.

“We were able to move the ball around well today and we weren’t really troubled by much in defence which is a credit to our efforts in defence all over the pitch.

“We put a lot of emphasis on minimising our mistakes by not being wasteful in possession and by doing that we were able to comfortably see out the match,” said Mitchell.

The three points gives Boambee a four point cushion from their closest rivals in third position.

Boambee coach Adrian Pickup gave News Of The Area his assessment of the local derby.

“Boambee came to Toormina Oval with a plan to take control of the ball and play some good football for 90 minutes,” Adrian said.

“Well it played out in the first 45 minutes, our control in the first 45 minutes was outstanding, our passing and the movement of players created many chances.

“We knew that if Sawtell took control of the ball they could be dangerous, when they had the ball we defended well and won the ball back to create chances.”

Adrian said that elements of the game which his side had worked on at training contributed to the first two goals.

“Tyh Murphy won the ball in his own half and a determined run saw him pass the Sawtell players into the Sawtell penalty area gliding his shot into the net.

“We then controlled the possession with Luke France, Tom Frewen and Kyan Page causing the Sawtell defence all sorts of trouble.

“With a play out from the back right full back Brad Clancy was sent away down the right to supply Luke France with a great team goal slotting in from six metres out.”

Sawtell kept pushing however, forcing a sharp save from the Boambee shotstopper.

“To Sawtells credit they continued to play football when they had the ball, the only time young Kyle Wood in goal was tested was from a good combination play that Kyle stopped with a diving save.”

Sawtell’s persistence then paid off, bringing them right back into the contest.

“Sawtell found a play down the right and our midfield allowed the Sawtell midfield to slip the ball to Juan Medus who turned the defender inside out and finished with a great shot,” Adrian said.

“Half time 2-1 to Boambee with a deserved lead that could have been more.

As the second half began, Boambee controlled the ball better, creating several chances.

Sawtell wouldn’t go away however, creating a few chances for themselves, before the game changed when a Sawtell defender was sent off for a confrontation inside the penalty area on Kyan Page.

“Luke France sent the keeper the wrong way 3-1, Boambee then created many more chances but Sawtell continued playing football once they had the ball,” Adrian said.

“The Boambee defence slipped up on a few occasions only to see Sawtell squandering their chances, two more great goals from Jack Martin and Brad Clancy sealed a vital and deserved win for Boambee.

“With the game won we were able to see two injuries return to the first squad with Brad Parker and Adam Pickup showing they could soon be ready.

“100% effort and some great possession saw Boambee see off a spirited Sawtell team 5-1,” concluded Adrian.

Sawtell coach Joe Skyrtic is seeking to increase his team’s intensity in coming weeks.

“We needed a bit more intensity in the first half, we stayed in the game but didn’t create many chances,” Joe said.

“Boambee were causing our back line a few problems and scored two goals as a result, we managed to score just before half time with a great build up and finish.

“We started off well in the second half until an incident in the box had us down to 10 men, that was the turning point of the game.

“We still created some goal scoring opportunities and had some good possessional moments with 10 players but at the end of the day Boambee took their opportunities being a player up and played some great combinations in the final third,” said Joe.

The three points bolster Boambee’s position in second place, four points clear of the Northern Storm and Kempsey Saints.

The Bombers’ next match is against the Coffs Coast Tigers on Tuesday 6 July at Polwarth Drive with an 8pm kick off.

Sawtell FC will host the Kempsey Saints on Saturday 3 July at Toormina Oval with a 3pm kick off.

 

By David Wigley