SOCCER
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The Western NSW Mariners have continued to tune up for the coming season and an FFA Cup campaign with a 2-1 win over Port Kembla at Proctor Park on Saturday in a trial match.
In a game where the scoreline was a lot less important than tactical other outcomes coach Andrew Fearnley was looking for, the Mariners ticked most of the boxes in dealing with the Illawarra Premier League side.
A goal either side of half-time for the hosts was enough to earn the win, one which pleased the coach.
“They are outside of the State League competitions, but they were still a pretty good side and the Illawarra Premier League is a good level of football,” Fearnley said.
“It was a fairly even match most of the way through, they missed some shots they probably should have put away and we did likewise.
“I thought we probably lasted a bit longer in terms of our intensity and it was a big improvement as far as I’m concerned on our previous trial. The result was pretty irrelevant compared to some of the things I wanted to see.”
Mitchell Rooke opened the scoring for the Mariners, with his first half strike cancelled out by a goal to the visitors.
But Adam Scimone put the home side back in front in the second half and they managed to hold on from there.
The last 45 minutes in particular pleased the coach.
“For the most part we achieved what we wanted to,” he said.
“They played a three-five-two formation and after half-time I thought we adjusted to it a little bit better.
“We moved the ball better than we did in the first trial, and we were defensively a lot more compact and they were the two main things I really wanted to see in this match.”
Prior to the start of the State League 1 competition, the Mariners’ first major assignment of 2015 comes in a fortnight when they take on the Doonside Hawks in the nationwide FFA Cup.
If they build on what they showed on Saturday, Fearnley believes it will bode well for the start of both competitions.
“I think before in our pre-season we’ve been pretty individualistic on the field, but I thought on Saturday we really worked well as a team and did everything together,” he said.
“We want to get away to a good start and make sure we win this opening game in the FFA Cup, and then take some good form into the start of the State League.”