Lions first grade lose to Leeton but third grade wins six in a row

Despite missing three key players, the Lions had a formidable lineup against the hosts, but from the kickoff, it appeared that Leeton’s inconsistent form at the start of the system was a distant memory, with well-timed passing and structure being assisted by Young turning over possession in critical areas. 

The first goal was scored after 10 minutes following a defensive mix-up from a corner and, although Leeton had plenty of opportunities to extend their lead, the halftime score remained 1-0.

The second half started just like the first, with Leeton scoring an early goal from another corner. The turning point of the game, however, came when Young was awarded a penalty for handball. The Leeton keeper saved the spot kick, and in the ensuing minutes, Leeton scored to make it 3-0. The hosts scored another shortly after that to complete a rout of the Young side 4-0. Best players for Young were Pat Hislop and Brad Galvin.

Young Coach Mark Mellish was disappointed with the performance with a few factors combining to hand the Lions the defeat.

“Leeton is a way better side than they have been showing this year and you could tell from the start they wanted the win,” Mellish said.  “In contrast, I think the loss was a reality check we needed as we have had some good wins recently but we need to approach teams below us on the table without the attitude that we are going to win easily.

“We obviously missed Duncan (Cameron – Wanderer's commitments), Isaac (Hines – injured) and Frazer (Burns – not available) in our midfield but to be honest, we just played poorly. Leeton wanted it more than us, and they got the points – for my guys though it’s important we look back and see where we went wrong and try to improve on these facets of our game”.

It won’t get any easier for Young as they take on ladder leaders Lake Albert in Wagga on Saturday night. The Sharks are unbeaten this year, but Young will be looking to hopefully avenge the 1-0 loss inflicted on them when the two sides met at Hall Bros earlier in the season.

The game will be televised on Facebook Live via Wagga Wagga TV so you can watch it from the comfort of your living room instead of braving the cold of an Autumn Wagga Night. Kickoff is at 7 pm.

On Saturday May 19 the Young Lions third grade men’s side travelled To Temora to try and keep their unbeaten start to the season going. 

The game kicked off in cool sunny conditions and both teams struggled to find their rhythm for the first 15 minutes.  Young yet again were slow to start and were failing to control the midfield, allowing Temora to place pressure on the Young goal, however, they failed to convert their chances.  Young then advanced and were given a penalty after a Temora player dragged a Young player back in the box when trying to score.  Tyson Doolan stepped up for the penalty and calmly stroked it in past the Temora goalkeeper.  The score remained 1-0 till halftime. 

After halftime, the Young senior players took control of the younger ones, and Young was now the dominant side, camping themselves in the Temora half.  Soon after Charles Crisp found himself in open space and scored with a shot from outside the box.  Young then had Jack Castle joining in with a misdirected cross that spun past the keeper into the net.  Crisp then again found the net giving Young a lead of 4-0.  Temora then gave away a handball in the box to award Young a second penalty.  Crisp stepped up trying to earn a much-deserved hat-trick, however, he blasted his shot over the crossbar high enough that it interrupted passing planes flight paths. 

Late in the second half, Javarn Hurcum showed impressive strength to hold off a Temora player from the halfway line until his shot on goal 20m later, earning him a much-deserved goal.  Young ran out winners 5-0 extending the winning streak to 6 games.  This weekend they take on Wagga United in Wagga on Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday, May 20 the Young Lionesses were attempting to extend their unbeaten start to the season taking on Cootamundra at Cootamundra in cool sunny conditions. 

Young were very slow to start and gifted Cootamundra an easy lead after only two minutes with a dubious shot that beat Maggie Davis in goals.  This caused most of the Young players to drop their heads and Young never got back into the game. 

A player will always have a bad game however it seemed that the Young team were doing it together, unable to link passes or find space like previous weeks. 

“We just seemed to be lacking the intensity of previous weeks.  We didn’t want the ball, " Captain Jemma Long said. 

Cootamundra continued with aggression winning the majority of the 50/50 balls allowing them a lot of field possession. Young could not hold on and found themselves being defeated 4-0 by a side that although not stronger, just wanted the game more than Young, bringing on the ladies first defeat of the season. 

“Our back line were impressive today, however,” Long said. “We could of conceded a lot more if not for players like Tessa Long and Chloe Hunter who saved us repeatedly.  The girls just didn’t get going.  We just were not at our best” 

The next game the women will take on the only other unbeaten side, Tolland this Sunday at 9 am in Wagga.  Long said she hopes that her team can bounce back this weekend.