Courtesy:
Mackay Daily MercuryHobbled Evans guides 1More to win24th February 2010A BRAVE performance by injured goalkeeper Mathew Evans helped his team 1More to an 8-4 win against Vintage in the Vikings Futsal men’s grand final at Mackay State High School on Monday night.
Evans, recovering from a compression fracture in his leg, should not have played but took his place between the sticks to ensure his team had a full complement of five players on court.
Had he not played 1More would have been left with only four players, because a replacement player brought in during the season had not played the required four games to qualify for the finals.
Vintage was unable to exploit Evans’ lack of mobility in the box, with the 1More defence holding firm for much of the match.
The 1More line-up included Evans, Leigh Daley, Kyle Johnson, Dave Brennan and Heath Paton. Their youth overcame the experience of the Vintage players, most of whom are in their late 30s.
The first half of the grand final was typically tight, with neither side giving much away.
1More went to the break with a 2-1 lead, with Vintage rueing some missed opportunities in front of goal.
Things opened up in the second half, with 1More gaining the upper hand and skipping away to a handy lead.
However, some magic from Vintage young gun Todd Willett and then a goal to Stuart Kendrick, his third of the night, brought their team back to 4-6 with a couple of minutes remaining.
Just as Vintage looked poised for a comeback 1More countered with two more quick goals to seal a comfortable win.
In the women’s final, Danaes prevailed 5-3 against Incredibles.
“Incredibles had some chances they should have finished and Delvine Icardi played exceptionally well in the goal box for Danaes, with lots of saves,” Vikings Futsal spokeswoman Debbie Burston said.
“The Danaes team used all of the court to their advantage and followed through with the chances they had, making them the stronger team on the night.”
Posted by
Luca Ranocchiari -->
luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com
