Ross Kendall
Byron Bay High School’s U/15 boy’s football team beat St John’s Woodlawn 2–1 with a golden goal scored in extra time and progressed into the next round of the Bill Turner Cup knock-out competition.
The game was played last Wednesday at Byron’s home ground in front of a vocal school crowd.
Hani Addis scored a goal from the penalty spot in normal time before clinching the match with another goal in the last minute of extra time.
Other strong performers in the side included: Aaron Spry, Jack Crabtree, Jack Wilson, and Rufus Scott, coach Harley Schmidt said.
‘The strength of the side is that all the players know their roles and do them well. They are good listeners and put in a big effort for the full match,’ he said. ‘There is also a lot of individual skill in the side but all the players are happy to make sacrifices for the good of the team’.
The win made Byron the best-performing side in the competition from northern NSW.
The squad is now preparing for its round-of-16 clash playing away against Armidale next week.
Last year the Byron side played their way into the quarterfinals.
The Bill Turner Cup is played across east Australia and involves 850 school teams from NSW, Qld, ACT, and Victoria.
Byron coach Harley is not daunted by the trip to Armidale and believes it can be helpful because the time away together can help the team bond.
It is also likely the game will be played in town and away from the actual school grounds, which means the Byron team won’t have to play in front of an opposition crowd.
