It was another impressive victory for the ladder-leading Cobram Roar over the weekend.
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The Albury Wodonga Football Association Division One Men’s team secured the points in emphatic fashion, defeating the Albury Hotspurs 6-0.
Sunday’s game at Cobram’s Apex Reserve was one-way traffic from the get go, with centre back-turned attacking outlet Marius Williams opening the scoring in the 23rd minute.
Just two minutes after the opening goal the home side found another through Spiros Vourgaslis, before an Anthony Corso goal on the cusp of half time saw the team take a 3-0 lead into half-time.
In the second half it was more of the same, with Williams scoring his second in the 47th minute, Vourgaslis scoring his second in the 52nd and Nathan Thomas joining the party in the 67th to round out an impressive win.
Cobram coach Vince Iannucci said he was happy with the performance.
“We’re starting to put some balls into the back of the net which is good,” Iannucci said.
“Early on in the season I said we weren’t a side that was going to score a lot of goals but we’ve changed a couple of things with our formation and it seems to have worked pretty well.”
Iannuci explained that the Hotspurs did not have too many scoring opportunities, with the Roar piling on the pressure via set pieces.
The Roar mentor was full of praise for Vourgaslis and his performance on the day with the goal scorer following a hat-trick with a two-goal haul.
“Anthony Corso as well, he’s another one starting to find a bit more freedom which is beneficial for us,” Iannucci said.
“Bill (Puckett) is firing them in there, getting it to the big boys in the middle and we’re looking a lot more dangerous going forward.”
Cobram will welcome Albury City to the Apex Reserve next Sunday afternoon, with the game another must win in the title race.
“That leads us into a block of three or four games, they are going to hinge the title on that.
“We’ve got Wangaratta, Myrtleford, Boomers and Albury United after that so it will be crucial.”
— Daniel Webb
Division two men
Cobram Roar 3 lost to Albury Hotspurs 5
It was a closely contested first half that saw the half-time score level at 3-3 lead thanks to a hat-trick from Junior (Rocky) Perri. The team could not sustain the pressure of the top team for the whole 90 minutes and ended up losing 3-5.
Under-16
Cobram Roar 3 def Albury Hotspurs 1
The under-16 team had a great win against a big physical team. Everyone played their role well, which is important as they move towards the end of the season. The boys came away with a well-deserved 3-1 win.
Goals: Riley Denny 1, Luke Goodin 1, Deacon Forster 1
Under-14
Cobram Roar 4 lost to Albury Hotspurs 6
The under-14 team was without a number of players this week and was pleased to be supported by players from the under-14 girls’ team. The team played with skills and effort for the whole game and was unlucky to be defeated.
Under-14 girls
Cobram Roar 0 lost to Albury Hotspurs 7
Roar played with a strong and consistent effort as they do every week, and Sunday’s game was no exception. It was another hard game against Hot Spurs with Roar showing improvement in their ball control and moving the ball around the pitch. Hotspurs made some clever intercepts and were able to use them to their advantage. Despite their best efforts the girls lost 7-0, which included an own goal and penalty.
Under-13
Cobram Roar 1 lost to Albury Hotspurs 8
Another valiant effort from the under-13 team as it faced the Albury team with courage and determination. Will Hutchinson scored the only goal for the match. The team showed commitment and gave its all until the final whistle.
Under-12
Cobram Roar 1 drew with Albury Hotspurs 1
The Cobram Roar under-12s boys were pumped from the moment they stepped foot into the changerooms, feeling exited for the match ahead. The game kicked off and the Cobram boys knew they were going to have a tough game ahead, with good link-ups plays between William Young and Alex Hawke creating chances for the young Roar side to get ahead. The first half ended with the scores being 0-0, Cobram Roar boys soaking up energy for the second half to begin.
Second half started and Albury getting on the board first making it 1-0 but the Roar boys knew the game was still alive. With Class defending from Cameron Brew, Will Hutchinson, Andre Corso, Will Young and Andy Smallwood keeping the boys alive. With five minutes left of the game the young Roar side equalised with Sam Osborne scoring a much-needed goal to force the draw.
The boys fought hard and got away with a point to move the Roar side higher up the ladder. Well done team.
Cobram is at home again next week and will take on Albury City.
Daniel is a passionate sports fan and proud Tasmanian.