Match report

Match report

In a high-stakes 3rd vs 4th clash, Mt Barker U12 hosted Murray Bridge Gold U12 at the Summit Sport and Recreation Park. The last time these two sides met, it was a nail-biting 2-2 draw, so both teams knew they would have to bring their A-game in this round 18 matchup.
Unfortunately for the visitors, they were taking to the pitch with no subs, having a few late withdrawals including their star #13, who leads the individual goal tally and causes headaches for every opposing team.

From the opening whistle, Mount Barker looked to hold possession and structure some dangerous raids into the forward half. The central midfield of Thomas Honner and Lincoln Denley did a fine job of sending through balls to strikers Taya Kumnick and Arlo Turner, and played the ball out to the wingers Danny Paterson and Joseph Main when the Bridge defence fortified the middle of the ground.
It didn't take long for Mt Barker to open the scoring: Harrison Burt sent a perfect free kick into the path of Turner, who threaded the needle into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. 4 minutes later, Beau Curran, who was in *checks notes* right defence (?), joined the party, running all the way up the wing and shooting from inside the box to make it 2-0. Murray Bridge hit back in the 23rd minute, a concentration lapse in the Barker defence allowing them to make it 2-1. Game on!
The home defence and midfield started working overtime, determined to hold the lead into half time. Eric Liemareff came into the midfield and played very well, providing extra energy to the Barker side in the closing stages of the half.
Minutes before the main break, Denley capitalised on a ball that had bounced around in the box for a while, taking it to ground and slotting it home, the equation 3-1 at half time.
Felix Koral, who was captain for the day, handed out a bag of lollies to everyone, including the coach, at half time. Maybe he should be captain more often..?
After the break, the home side had intent on growing their lead. Murray Bridge, although undermanned, was creating some strong offensive pressure, causing Rory Martin to slot into a CDM role in order to support central defenders Burt and Koral. The Barker defence had a great game, shutting down any attacks and passing back to Tyler Raven in goals when other options were unavailable.
Curran moved from defence into attack, with Main taking his place at Right Back. This move paid off in the 9th minute of the half,  when Curran went on to score his 2nd goal for the match.
6 minutes later, Murray Bridge unfortunately handballed in the box, giving the home team a penalty. Max Barrljung Hummel, who had not scored a goal this season, stepped up to the spot. You could forgive him for being nervous, but he looked anything but that - sending the ball into the net with the power and composure of a young Swedish Ronaldo. The home team and crowd were ecstatic, and he could not stop smiling!

In the 52nd minute, a Bridge player went down in a contest for the ball. Play continued, and Kumnick got in behind the Bridge defensive line and appeared to kick her second goal for the season. However, the goal was then disallowed as the ref called play back to the incident involving the Bridge player. Those from the Barker camp thought the striker was very unlucky to have the goal taken away, however they respected the referees verdict, and play went on.  There was still a game to be finished!

In the closing minutes of the game, Denley scored again, and Murray Bridge kicked their second for the match - a brilliant shot into the top right corner that keeper Raven had no chance of stopping.

Mt Barker came out of this contest with a strong and deserved win however there is concern for Liemareff,  who came off during the second half with a knee injury.   Credit must go to Murray Bridge Gold for putting up a great fight with no spare players on the bench.
The home team unanimously decided that T Kumnick deserved player of the match, with M Barrljung Hummel and F Koral receiving honourable mentions (disclaimer: not because of the half-time lollies...)
With only 2 rounds to go, the 6-2 result sees Mt Barker secure 3rd on the ladder, and Murray Bridge hold 4th. Murray Bridge will finish the season taking on Bridge Blue, then Woodside; whilst Mt Barker will play ladder leaders Stirling Districts twice in a row.