The Dingo, canis lupus, a wily creature an adept predator and survivor, closer to a wolf than a dog but they didn’t survive the onslaught that the Urunga Raiders bought to the table in round 13 of the North Coast Premier League Football competition. Raiders coach Paul Pomroy had the Raiders at the home side from the first blast of Dave Connor’s fox four whistle. Jai Waddick leading the charge constantly pressing Orara Valley’s defensive line giving the home side little or no time to control proceedings. The pitch didn’t help either, the clay subsurface had congealed to a concrete like consistency testing the ball control of the some of the best players on the midnorth coast. Ben Dooley opened the scoring for Urunga, he’d scrapped had Dooley like a dog at a barbeque perhaps scenting an opportunity as Asama Radford skated down the Raiders left flank. Radford’s cross glanced off Jamie Arthur’s prodigious frame and by the grace of the football gods fell close to Dooley. Still some work to do for Dooley though as the Orara defense closed but the strike was as unerring as the stare of the Night King (the bad man in Game of Thrones) and the Raiders 1 to the good.
Fabrice Wamara extended that lead on 33 minutes fed a delicious ball from Kale Hopper slicing between defenders the ball enticing the Dingo’s keeper Josh Harrigan out of his den into that place where no keeper wants to be halfway to the ball and advancing striker, he might have got there too but Wamara is quick and already in motion his deft chip had the Raiders 2 up at the break.
Probably the closest the Valley side got was after Jacob Riles-Hills bounced his shot off the Raiders goal only minutes into the second half. Hit with plenty of power the shot looked good and an inch to the left might have been but not today. Urunga holding possession for longer periods now, Craig ‘turtle’ Simpson the architect of many of Orara’s problems steering the Raiders around shifting the focus of attack or equally slowing the pace of attack. The turtle threaded a raking pass over the Dingoes defensive line midway through the second half, Wamara fastest to act getting his body between the ball and the Dingo’s Jamie Arthur. On goal now and Arthur’s miss timed tackle bought down the Raiders striker inside the Dingo’s penalty area as Wamara was about to release, Dave Connor ignoring howls of protest points to the spot and Simpson sends Harrington the wrong way to produce a final 3-0 score line.
Injury to Ben Dooley perhaps the only disappointment for Raiders coach Paul Pomroy on the day as his side bounced back to some form after a lack luster match V Storm. Not much time to recover either as they face Coffs Coast Tigers Wednesday night (26/7) at Polworth Drive in a catch up match kickoff set for a bracing 8pm reserve grade at 6.
In other results the Raiders reserve grade 3-0 winners, a brace for Grant Homes and 1 to Thomas T Rixon, the women’s first grade 5-2 winners over Coffs Lions while the reserve grade went down 4-0. Go you Raiders!