Match report

Although Strath was missing one of their key players, the home side knew it would be foolish to underestimate the 3rd-placed Strikers, who had drawn with the undefeated Stirling the week prior.

From kick-off, Mt Barker was braced for the Strikers to bring the heat, so placed 2 of their more experienced players in the central defensive roles. The communication and organisation of the defensive line was admirable, but what was perhaps more impressive was their ability to create counter-attacks from deep in the back half. 

And so, less than 10 minutes into the match, the underdogs had struck first; a counter out of the back line finding the feet of a lethal goal-kicker, whose speed and precision found the back of the net with authority.

The home side knew that a 1-goal lead would not do against such a strong rival, and by the 20th minute, the lead had doubled through some excellent passing out of the midfield, and another sizzling run by the striker. With the score at 2-0, Barker was starting to believe that they could cause another upset, after their memorable game against Murray Bridge the previous week. On the 30th minute, the Reds had scored yet again, after a cracking shot from the edge of the box deflected off a Strath defender and into the net. While a 3-0 half-time scoreline seemed an inevitability, some strong words of motivation from the Strath officials and players revved the visitors into gear; in the 35th minute, they had dragged one back, with a cracking run from the league's top goal scorer, stirring life into the Strikers.

 

 

As the 2nd half began, Mt Barker began to tire; with a quintet of absentees, the Crusaders had called upon an U11 and U12 to play up. After a heroic first 50 minutes dominating the midfield, the U12 super-sub limped off with a minor injury, leaving no fresh legs on the bench. Strath began to push the home side deeper into their defensive half, with the Crusaders absorbing an enormous amount of pressure. Even though the traffic in the Barker defensive half resembled Glen Osmond Rd at peak hour, the Crusaders continued to counter up the wings at every opportunity, and got perilously close to scoring a 4th, as a Strath defender-keeper mix-up led to an indirect free kick inside the box; the resulting shot clanged off the crossbar, and Strath countered back; a through ball from their defending half finding the feet of their central striker, who bolted into the space and had no troubles securing a brace for the match.

The scoreline remained at 3-2 until the final whistle blew, and Mt Barker rejoiced after another victory in an exciting, see-sawing, roller-coaster of a contest.

Although this is the only time Mt Barker and Strath play each other in the regular season, pundits will be watching the knock-out stages of the U13 Cup with intrigue, as both teams remain in the running to face-off again under the Wednesday night lights of the Summit later on in the year.