PORT Saints FC weathered a physically and emotionally charged weekend, battling through two intense fixtures in as many days, earning hard-fought draws against Camden Haven FC and Kempsey Saints FC.
Saturday’s clash between Camden Haven and Port Saints was a tense, goalless affair that had fans on the edge of their seats until the final whistle. Both teams traded corners and came close on several occasions, but neither could break the deadlock.
With just ten minutes remaining Port Saints got three decent chances to break the deadlock, Port Saints forward Jordan Stevenson first had a chance but put it just wide, a moment later Stevenson found himself one-on-one inside the 18-yard box.
A goal seemed certain, but Camden Haven keeper Cody Lynch pulled off a miraculous close-range save to keep the scores level.
The final chance and moment of the match came when Bayley Lowe nearly stole the show with a stunning free kick that rattled the crossbar.
Despite the late drama, the match ended 0-0 in what can only be described as a fiery high-intensity stalemate.
Less than 24 hours later, a fatigued but determined Port Saints side travelled to Kempsey for a bruising Father’s Day encounter with the Kempsey Saints.
Drama unfolded early as Port’s centre back conceded a penalty, but Port Saints keeper Anthony Scarabello came to the rescue, diving brilliantly to deny Kempsey from the spot.
However, lightning struck twice just two minutes later, another foul in the box handed Kempsey a second penalty. This time, Corey Crotty made no mistake.
Not long after Port Saints found a lifeline and equalised just before the break, through Caiden Grimmett.
In the second half, Kempsey Saints dominated possession and territory but were constantly denied by Port Saints defence and keeper Scarabello, who saved a thunderbolt from Angus Patterson and stood tall as Port’s last line of defence.
In the dying minutes, Cedric Bloedorn had a golden chance to seal the win for Kempsey, but his shot flew agonisingly wide by just a metre.
In the end, Port Saints’ gritty, backs-to-the-wall defensive display earned them a valuable 1-1 draw.
Other results from the weekend:
Saturday:
Macleay Valley Rangers (MVR) defeated Kempsey Saints 5-2
Lake Cathie defeated Port United 4-2
Sunday:
MVR defeated Lake Cathie 3-0 (forfeit).
By Daniel GARDNER
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