THE Coffs Coast Tigers cruised to a 4-1 victory against Macleay Valley Rangers to consolidate their top spot on the ladder of the Coastal Premier League (CPL) reserve grade.

With one of the youngest squads in the league, what the Tigers lack in experience they make up with raw skill and speed.

The CPL reserve grade competition has become a two-horse race between the Coffs Coast Tigers and cross-town rivals Coffs City United Lions, with teams switching positions at the top of the ladder throughout the season.

Eighteen-year-old Tigers goalkeeper Lex Weiley said three points against Macleay Valley Rangers was crucial with their match against the Lions on the horizon.

“We had a game that we knew we had to win going into next weekend against Coffs United,” he said.

“We played extremely well and we were able to win the ball high up the field multiple times with our high-press and control the match tempo thanks to us having the majority of the possession.

“We’ve played well throughout the whole season in reserve grade, dropping only five points throughout the whole year, which is a big improvement on last year’s season.

“We took in a lot of players this season and we have just been going from strength to strength,” he said.

The Tigers play an attractive brand of possession football that starts at the training ground.

“This year we have trained really hard to implement our style of play into the season and with the hard work being put in each week, we are managing to keep the ball for 60-70 per cent of the game and play through the opposition,” said Lex.

“The highlight of the season for me was our two games down at Forster and Taree where we had a double header that weekend and with our squad being very low on numbers we had players step up from 35s.

“We managed to grind out a really hard fought 2-1 win against Southern, which gave us belief we could get the job done under any circumstance, even with our coaches stepping up to help out.”

The win gives the Tigers a four point lead over the Lions who have one game in hand over the Tigers.

The result sets the scene for Saturday’s king of the jungle contest where the Tigers face the Lions on Saturday 20 August at 3pm at Forsyth Park in a match which could determine the reserve grade premiership.

By David WIGLEY