TAREE’S late season resurgence continued when the Wildcats downed Kempsey Saints 2-0 in the Football Mid North Coast Premier League elimination semi-final at Omaru Park.
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The Wildcats will now meet Port United in another sudden-death match at Dixie Park, Port Macquarie next Saturday. Wallis Lake tackles Macleay Valley in the other match, with the winner advancing to the grand final.
Going into the match Taree coach Rod Bartley was critical of his side’s inability to put away chances. He noted that Taree had only scored 27 goals this season.
But Taree has now scored six goals in the last two matches following a 4-1 hammering of Camden Haven in the last competition match.
“We seem to be coming good at the right time of the season,’’ Bartley said.
Bartley said his side’s performance in the opening 30 minutes was probably the best they have .produced all year.
“We totally dominated them,’’ he said.
Jackson Witts gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead with a goal within the first 10 minutes. However, Bartley said it was a concern that the Wildcats could only manage the one goal in this time when they were all over the opposition.
“We should have been up by three,’’ he said, adding that Kempsey’s goal keeper was outstanding, denying Taree on a number of times.
Kempsey came out strongly in the second half but Taree’s defence was equal to the task. When Ricky Campbell converted a penalty midway through the second half the Wildcats had secured a path to next weekend.
“I think Kempsey started to think about their bus trip home then,’’ Bartley said.
Witts, Campbell, Brendan Sheppard and Jordan Howard were outstanding up front for the Wildcats. Howard’s performance allayed any doubts about his fitness, as he had been worried by an ongoing hamstring concern. Aaron Green deputised for Curtis Jones in goals and did everything asked of him.
“The effort was there all game,’’ Bartley said.
“That was probably the most pleasing part of the performance.’’
Taree went into the game without Jones, Josh Ferris and Justin Atkins. Ferris and Atkins are expected to be right for the clash against Port United although Jones remains in doubt.
“We’re going to have 17 players vying for 11 places – it’s a good position to be in,’’ Bartley said.
However, it wasn’t all good news for the Wildcats. Kempsey crushed Taree’s reserve grade 7-1 to end the season for the Wildcats in what Bartley admitted was a poor performance.
