Southern Breakers 5 defeated Croydon Cougars 0 (‘A’ Grade)Senior Coach Nair started with a similar backline of Nicholas Barnett, Thomas Slager, Michael Weston and Matthew Cooper while Max Burgess was absent after being injured in the clash last week. In midfield, there was captain Mitch Bremmer, Aaron Houghton and Lee Small, which was exactly the same as the previous week and up front was Jed Polson, who played a good game the previous week, Jarrad Mitton, who scored the winning goal the previous week, and Rhys Sinclair.The Southern Breakers started the better team in the early stages of the first half, dominating possession and territory but with the exception of an ambitious volley from Rhys Sinclair, struggled to test the Croydon goalkeeper. Croydon fought back well and for a brief few minutes it looked like the momentum would shift. It was a real arm wrestle for the next few minutes, with neither team able to create any chances.Centre half Michael Weston had an opportunity from a free kick but was again denied by a smart stop from the goalkeeper. Mitton had a chance in the first half and almost scored but was denied by a block from a Croydon defender as the shot nearly deflected in. The half time score was 0-0.The second half started with the Breakers looking the most likely to score. After missing a volley a few minutes earlier, Houghton put the Breakers in front 1-0 after running around the goalkeeper and putting the ball into an empty net. The Breakers then scored their second goal, with Houghton again the scorer. Mitton should have made it three shortly after that when he also ran around the goalkeeper but was denied by the post. He soon made amends as he was played through one-on-one with the goalkeeper making absolutely no mistake.Substitute Beaton, who also played 90 minutes for the Reserve team, came on and caused numerous headaches for the opposition with his pace. He got a goal, in addition to the goal he scored for the Reserves, when the Croydon Cougars goalkeeper ran around 30 yards from the goal to intercept a through ball. Beaton got to it first, cut inside and put the ball emphatically into the empty net. It was the Southern Breakers Senior team’s first clean sheet of the season, and the first time the Southern Breakers had scored five goals this season. Southern Breakers 3 drew Croydon Cougars 3 (Reserves)The Southern Breakers Reserves were certainly the underdogs against Croydon’s reserve team, with their 8-0 loss against them in round three still at the back of their minds. ‘A’ Grade defender Josh Peters took charge of the Reserve team after Coach Munro was unavailable. He was boosted with former ‘A’ grade players Landyn Beaton and Fletcher Brunt, who were shifted to the Reserve team for this game.In midfield, there was Kingsley Anderson on the right, acting captain Peter Casey and the versatile Ben Sinclair in the centre, as well as ‘A’ Grade winger Landyn Beaton on the left, who played in Sinclair’s usual position. In attack was Fletcher Brunt who played as a second striker, and up the front was Troung Ngyuen. On the bench was utility player Bayleigh McDonald who started the previous week against the Adelaide Blue Eagles in Brunt’s position and played well. Attackers Judd O’Donnell and Kenny John completed the bench.Southern Breakers scored first but against the run of play, the Croydon Cougars Reserves equalized from a corner after a good delivery was not dealt with by the Breakers defence. The goal rattled the Breakers who looked shell-shocked. It lifted the Cougars Reserves who looked to threaten the Breaker's defence. The Cougars were an inch away from scoring a second goal after one of their players dribbled through the Breakers backline, cut inside, and smashed it into the crossbar.Croydon went ahead again before the Breakers hit back with the familiar face of Ben Sinclair, playing in an unfamiliar central midfield position, running through the defence in a one-on-one situation, scoring the equalizer for the Breakers and his third goal for the season for the Reserves. However, it only took a few minutes for the opposition to score their third goal after a great ball was played in behind the box, with a Croydon player cutting inside onto his left foot and blasting the ball past Secomb.The Southern Breakers were trailing 3-2 at halftime, with O’Donnell coming on to replace Anderson.Early in the second half, the Breakers were yet again close when attacker Brunt ran in behind the defence but was denied in a one-on-one against the goalkeeper. Beaton provided another excellent delivery which was met by goal scorer Ben Sinclair who clattered his shot into the underside of the crossbar. He was replaced by utility player McDonald a minute later due to hurting his ankle. Coach Peters later substituted striker John on for Ngyuen with around fifteen minutes to go. Substitute winger Judd O’Donnell was inches from getting the equalizer himself after having an ambitious shot from outside the box which beat the goalkeeper but came off the crossbar.When it looked like Croydon would hold on with only a few minutes to go, O’Donnell set up attacker Brunt who dribbled past the right back and put a dangerous ball across the box. An unmarked John sprinted past his defender, slid into the area and poked the ball hard and low into the bottom left corner from around five yards out, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance. The game ended in a 3-3 draw, with John rescuing a hard-earned point for the Southern Breakers Reserves, who remained in sixth position on the ladder.
