The Young Lions first grade men’s side slipped to fifth on the Pascoe Cup ladder after losing 3-0 to Wagga United at Hall Bros Oval on the weekend.
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In wet and freezing conditions Young were unlucky not to be ahead after 4 minutes, but as the game progressed the Wagga side played themselves into the affair, moving the ball around and trying to find a way through the Lions defence. Their breakthrough came after 38 minutes when a Lions defender conceded a penalty after fouling a United striker in the box. Wagga doubled its lead after springing the Lions offside trap and the home side headed to the break with all their good work at the start of the game undone. As the second half commenced Young tried to rally and peg back the two-goal deficit but midway through the second half they conceded a third, this basically ended any resistance in the mud and Wagga United ran out deserved winners 3-0. Lions Coach Mark Mellish was disappointed with his teams' performance. “They were terrible conditions, but both teams played under them, so that is no excuse,” Mellish said.
Third grade
The Young Lions men’s third grade took on Tolland at Hall Bros at 1 pm in a top of the table clash. The game was played in freezing, wet and muddy conditions and both teams struggled to hold the ball and execute controlled passing. Young had scoring chances fall to Javarn Hurcum and Conor Quinn, but in slippery conditions, the shots went awry, over the crossbar. Young’s defence held firm and Tolland did not have a decent chance at the Young goal due to Alex Wark and Andrew Carberry snuffing out each attack. In the second half, Young remained the stronger of the two teams and kept pressing for a goal but could not find the net. Late in the second half, Tolland found an extra gear and Young could only defend. Tolland was then given a late free-kick which was headed clear and the ref blew the whistle for full time with the teams locked at nil all.
Women
The Young Lionesses travelled to Junee for another tough game against a side that sat at the top of the table. Young was up against it this week due to a few key absences in the back line, meaning players had to rotate into new positions that they were unfamiliar with. Junee showed why they are the top team in the Madden competition this year, easily accounting for Young 6-0. However, due to the ladies excellent start to the season, they maintain their position in fourth. Best players on the day were Bianca Roach, Cassandra Edwards and Emily Martens who had to play out of their regular positions. Captain Jemma Long said despite not winning the game, she was very proud of the attitude of the girls.
