Comets savour gritty triumph
SOUTHSIDE proved it is still the team to beat in the FNQ Football premier competition after a 2-0 win against Edge Hill on Sunday.
A brace to young gun Dylan Soares in the second half gave the Comets the edge over the Tigers, who made the ladder leaders work for their victory.
Southside coach Dion Readman said his young side deserved to win, but said the scoreline didn’t reflect the contest.
“They are a good football team and we had to work hard to win that,” he said. “We played them in a midweek game a couple of weeks back and they beat us 3-1, so we knew it was going to be a tough match.”
In that game, star centreback Frankie Gallo broke his leg and caught the Comets on the hop as they scrambled to fill his presence.
But this time they were better prepared and were able to stick to their structures.
“It’s a small pitch and the surface isn’t easy to play on,” Readman said.
“They are a well-organised side and it took time to break them down. In the first half, we had a couple of chances we didn’t take and they had a couple that they couldn’t convert.
“It was a good win because Kev Ward is an excellent goalkeeper.”
Soares’ two goals made him one of the Comets’ best, while co-captain Andrea Ricita and William Monin also played well in defensive roles.
Readman also praised rising star Ryan Butterworth, who performed well in his 60 minutes of game time.
The Comets are just clear on top of the ladder, but still have four games to play.
Nipping on the Comets’ heels are Marlin Coast, who beat Stratford 5-0 on Saturday.
While favoured to win the minor premiership, Southside wasn’t getting ahead of itself, Readman said. “We’ve got a lot of injuries at the moment so we are just working our way through,” he said.
This weekend, Southside hosts Stratford, Mareeba United takes on Marlin Coast, Edge Hill travels to Innisfail and Leichhardt has a bye.