Broken Hill Soccer Association’s Knockout [KO] Cup Finals are set for this coming Wednesday, June 28 with West to take on St Joes in the women’s final after a forfeit by Celtic in the most recent semi-finals.
Alma booked their spot in the B-Grade final with a 2-0 victory over an understrength St Joes side. Alma took their advantage in the first half and were never really headed after that. St Joes pushed hard in the second half to bring some parity to the scoreline, but the numbers game was too great, and they will have to watch from the sidelines when the B-Grade final takes place.
It was a case of instant revenge, however, as St Joes defeated Alma 2-1 in the A-Grade semi, booking a mouthwatering clash with a resurgent Celtic A-Grade side.
It was a tense final that went all the way to extra time after the scores were locked at 1-1 after 90 minutes. Tyler McInnes was the hero, heading in from a corner in extra time to send St Joes through to the final.
“It was one of the best games of the year, for sure. Especially after getting beaten on Sunday by Alma 2-1,” St Joes coaching staff member and player, Pat Nash, told the Truth.
“Alma just kept coming and coming and we had the tank on just about empty and were praying for the whistle,” Pat said.
“It was such a such a good game that when I got home, I was still amped up and wandering around the house. I had to take a bit of time just to calm down and soak it all in. It was a hot contest for 120 minutes.”
Kade Menz opened the scoring for St Joes, latching on to a horrendous back pass and taking the ball around the Alma goalkeeper for his first goal of the season.
“It was his first ever A-Grade goal for St Joes. The perfect time to get it,” Nash said.
Focus now switches back to this weekend’s league fixture, before the big cup final against Celtic on Wednesday.
“We take every game on its merits, and Celtic have been very competitive this season. There is no way we will take it lightly,” says Nash.
“The victory against Alma last night was a measure of what we are capable of, and we will look to take that form into next week’s final.”
KO CUP FINAL FIXTURES (June 28)
B-Grade: West vs Alma (6.30pm O’Neill Bottom)
Women’s: West vs St Joes (6.45pm O’Neill Top)
A-Grade: St Joes vs Celtic (8.30pm O’Neill Bottom).
