Dogwhistle
Byron Bay’s youth footballers celebrated a great end to the Summer Youth League season on Friday night with two outstanding performances against strong Alstonville sides.
The Wildcats showed just how far they have come this year, dominating their match against a much-fancied Alstonville side and unlucky to go down 2–1.
Having improved markedly throughout the competition, the Byron girls finished the season in a credible fifth place and look like being formidable contenders in women’s football in 2017.
Despite the absence of some key players (including both senior mentors) the young Rams stepped up to Alstonville and took a well-deserved 2–1 win.
After a strong start from Alstonville, the Rams pushed back hard, with their midfield once again holding the centre of the pitch and controlling much of the play.
A smooth build-up from Ronan Karup, Zac Sezer, Hari Scott and Ethan Archer found Connor Congdon on the back post, putting Byron on the board with a clean finish.
A strong fightback from Villa bore fruit with an equaliser early in the second half.
The Byron boys responded by pressing harder and a late tackle on Hari Scott inside the Alstonville box saw Byron awarded a penalty. Ronan Karup’s clinical finish sealed the victory.
The win saw them take second place in the 2016 competition from Alstonville, and crowned a terrific season for the boys and for Byron youth coach, Jonathan Pierce.
