Coffs Coast Tigers beat Bellingen FC to progress to Australia Cup fifth round Coffs Coast Sport Sport by News Of The Area - Modern Media - March 16, 2022 Marcus Field dribbling down the right wing. THE Coffs Coast Tigers pounced into round 5 of the Australia Cup with a 3-1 win over Coastal Premier League newbies Bellingen FC last Saturday. First half goals from Jacob Field and Christian Mirindi put the Tigers in the box seat but the Tigers were forced to fight in the second half as Bellingen fought back with a goal from Finn Baron which gave the Bats a glimmer of hope. Tigers captain Luke Kliendienst said it was a game of two halves. “The game was a good game, obviously football is a game of two halves and I think we dominated the first half having created a lot of chances. “Bello came out hard in the second half and showed they are going to be a strong outfit in the Coastal Premier League. “I’m proud of the boys for pushing through the whole 90 minutes in the very hot conditions,” said Luke. Bellingen FC coach Henry Gale was pleased with the performance considering the Tigers scored ten goals against CPL opposition the previous week. “Coming up against a Coffs Coast Tigers who had just won 10-0 against another Coastal Premier League side, we knew we had our work cut out for us especially as we couldn’t train through the week. “It started pretty scrappy with Coffs Coast getting the better of possession in higher areas and with a good high press. “We gave the ball away too cheaply in dangerous areas for us and we were a step off the pace for most of the first half. “We were happy to turn it around in the second half and pressure them in more awkward areas, but in the end our mistakes ended up costing us. “We haven’t been able to get any time on the ball at training due to our pitch being mostly underwater and a huge lack of areas to train indoors in Bellingen which was very evident that our fitness isn’t quite there. “Hopefully this rain stays away enough to get more sessions on the park so we can have a head of steam coming into the season. “That game being our first competitive game of the season and only third match this year, Coffs Coast having played five or more (games) shows. “Happy with patches but we still have lots to work on with a new team this year,” said Henry. By David WIGLEY Bellingen FC fought back in the second half scoring a goal to narrow the gap. Tigers celebrate a win against CPL rivals Bellingen FC. Christian Mirindi scored the second goal for the Tigers. New Coastal Premier League team Bellingen FC provided a test for the Tigers.
