Namoi United's long-awaited return to Northern Inland Premier League football unfolded in Tamworth on Saturday afternoon and the combined Narrabri/Wee Waa/Moree team returned home with a point in each grade after a pair of 2 draws at the Riverside Sporting Complex. .
The NIPL newcomers challenged South United Lightning in the second round of the campaign, having been given a bye in the opening round a week earlier.
The first and reserve grade games were also Southern United's first of the season after their first round clash against Tamworth FC came to an end.
Namoi United fell behind early in Saturday's season opener when the Lightning capitalized on a defensive error by the visitors in the seventh minute to make it 1-0. However, they were back on level terms 10 minutes later when Rowan Keeler lifted the crowd with a blistering volley from outside the 18-yard box that flew into the top right corner to make it 1-all.
The visitors had the perfect chance to take their first lead of the game just before half-time after winning a penalty following a handball in the home side's box, but striker David Avery's shot into the bottom-left corner was saved by the keeper. /Lightning's coach Daniel York.
The Tamworth side won a spot-kick of their own early in the second half and put it away to restore their lead, but Namoi United equalized with another quality finish when Avery latched onto Jake Brayshaw's cross from the left and drove the ball into the back of the net with about 15 minutes to play.
Namoi United pushed hard for the winner in the last quarter of an hour but the game was still locked at 2-all when the final whistle blew and the two sides shared the points.
Narrabri/Wee Waa/Moree combined coach Neil Brayshaw, who coached Narrabri FC first grade in the Namoi Premier League for seven seasons, said The Courier His side had a nervous start to the game but were impressive in the second half.
“In the end, I was really happy to be honest. Coming away with a point on the road instead of none is always a plus,” Brayshaw said.
“All the players know it was a pretty sloppy first half. The first goal we scored was very sloppy, there was no reason for it.
“We just weren't composed and our touch wasn't there. I'm not sure if it was nerves from being in the new team, because we trained a lot better than we played in the first half.
“But then at half-time they took everything we said and you wouldn't have thought it was the same team out there in the second half. They kept the ball really well and we kept our structure, which was really pleasing in the second half.
“The South had five backs in defense and sometimes six with a midfielder just in front of the five. Our physical condition was too late.
“It was a game of two halves really, and like I said, it was great to come home with a point.”
The Namoi United coach added that everyone involved with the club was excited to return to the NIPL comp and said limited substitutions is a change his players will have to adapt to after spending the last eight seasons playing with unlimited substitutions in the Namoi Premier League.
Earlier in the day, Namoi United and South United played to a 2-all draw. Namoi United lead 2-1 at half-time after Colby Williams opened his side's account early in the match with a header, then Connor Hill added a second on the half-hour to put them 2-1 up. The Lightning then struck late in the second turn to earn a point as the contest ended at 2-all.
Brayshaw said he believed Namoi United's reserve side worked hard for each other and played quite well in their first game of the year, and said the depth between the squads is a positive.
The only first grade game played in the first round of the season saw North Companions earn a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Hillvue Rovers at Marius Street Sporting Fields. The North Companions were then able to make it two out of two on Saturday when they returned to this ground and thrashed East Armidale United 4-0.
Other matches in the second round saw Inverell beat defending champions South Armidale United 3-0 at home at Inverell Sporting Complex, 2023 minor premier and grand finalist Oxley Vale Attunga beat Tamworth FC 5-2 at the Riverside Sporting Complex, Demon Knights recorded a 3-1 home win against Moore Creek at Armidale's Rologas Sporting Fields and Armidale City Westside demolished Norths United 8-0 at Armidale's Phil Wheaton Oval.
Namoi United will play their first home games of the 2024 season this Saturday when they host Inverell at Moree Services Club Field.
Inverell were last season's first-grade Namoi Premier League champions and have been in strong form in 2024 after being crowned champions of the Johnson Cup Pre-season Championship in Tamworth after winning the preliminary round six of the Australian Cup knockout competition, and then in their season opener on Saturday.
Brayshaw, who coached Narrabri FC to both major appearances against Inverell in 2022 and 2023, is expecting a tough encounter with his club's rivals but said he believed the smaller ground at Moree would suit Namoi United in this match.
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