The MWFA Men’s select team maintained its 100% record against Northern Suburbs with a 2-1 win at Charles Bean Oval last night, setting themselves up nicely for next Wednesday’s clash with Manly United at Cromer Park.
Goals in each half to Aaron Peters (St Augustines) and Luke Curnow (CC Strikers) sealed the win for the 7th consecutive year.
While the MWFA team was good value for the victory and kept its record intact, the Northern Suburbs team gave them a real run for their money in a game both sides acknowledged was the toughest the annual contest had seen.
“It was nice for the boys to get the win and keep the record going but I thought it was a really good game of football,” said MWFA Select coach Ryan Butcher, who coaches the CC Strikers PL side. “From start to finish they gave us a real run for our money and we had to be strong to get the win. Both teams had chances over and above the goals scored.
“It was a great experience for all of us and now we look ahead to playing Manly United next Wednesday night.”
The game started with Northern Suburbs surprising the MWFA side and both teams had chances to open the scoring before Peters finally broke the deadlock just before the half time break.
The end-to-end football continued on the resumption and Northern Suburbs deserved their equaliser midway through the second half, setting up a grandstand finish.
The winning goal came with 10 minutes remaining when Curnow ran onto a pin-point through ball from CC Strikers team mate Jim Van Weeren and coolly lobbed the ball over the advancing Northern Suburbs goalkeeper.
“One of the highlights for me was the way the team celebrated and enjoyed the moment when Luke Curnow scored the winner,” Butcher said. “There was a real sense of comradery and pride in the players and you could tell it meant something by the way they celebrated. In the lead up to the game we worked hard on ensuring the players enjoyed themselves and the experience and were proud to represent the area.”
Brookvale pair Josh Ciabatti and Mark McManus, Pittwater defender Aiden Curry and Wakehurst midfielder Taylor Cahill were string for the MWFA side, which now prepares to take on Manly United at Cromer Park next Wednesday night (17 February). Kick off for that game is 7pm.
