Draws spur Stratford to sprint to the finish
FOOTBALL AN all-or-nothing approach will be the only way forward for Stratford as a worrying string of draws threatens to derail the club’s premiership defence.
The Dolphins held on for a 2-2 draw away to Southside at the newly-opened ground at the Walker Road Sporting Precinct on Saturday night but skipper Gary Cunningham said while they would take it after being reduced to 10 men, they couldn’t afford to drop any more points.
Stratford and Southside both moved ahead of Marlin Coast on the ladder as a result of the draw, but Innisfail United jumped them both with a 4-1 win over Leichhardt.
Cunningham said while his side’s third draw in a row was not fatal, it made the rest of the season all the more important.
“It’s pretty much all or nothing now,” he said.
“We’re treating every game as a Cup final, because whoever wins their last four games is going to win the league.
“I’m sure everyone else is having the same chat.”
Cunningham said the positive was it seemed Stratford had turned a corner against the Comets, finding the typical fighting spirit that seemed to be lacking in recent weeks.
They were forced to scrap after Michael van Hooren was shown a red card in the 81st minute when the Dolphins seemingly had their tails up five minutes after a Simeon Malahoff equaliser.
It capped a frantic 15 minutes in which Southside equalised, took the lead, then conceded.
Cunningham said the red card was a “bizarre decision”, which players and coaches dismissed as a harmless collision between two players.
In the Premier Women’s, Leichhardt’s 2-1 win over Innisfail United has thrown the title race wide open again.
The Cutters are in second but have a game in hand to Southside, who are three points ahead.
Edge Hill player Rose Calvert said her side still felt well in the hunt now, just four points adrift of the Comets after beating Mareeba 4-0 on Saturday.
“It’s still there for the taking,” she said.
“With the twists and turns that have been happening this season – and you’ve always got to account for them – it has opened up for us again.”