It is game on for the 2021 Steeline Limestone Coast Football Association premiership season after an entertaining finale to the Steeline Cup on Sunday which saw a rising force overcome the longtime kings of the sport.
It was an unforgettable day at the Lions’ den with a packedhouse bathed in sunshine, while the region’s two leading soccer sides threw everything at each other for the prestigious preseason trophy.
After 90 minutes of entertainment, Gambier Centrals won its first LCFA title in five years and inflicted Inter’s maiden defeat in 662 days. The Lions also managed to lift the cup in style by scoring five goals to two during the high-octane affair.
Being the first coach to not only knock Inter off its mantle after half a decade of dominance, but also be victorious at home, Chris Fleetwood was an immensely proud figure after the game when he spoke to The SE Voice. “The day was fantastic with a big crowd at home, so we wanted to put on a good show for all of the supporters and committee who did a lot of work around the club,” he said.
“We needed to perform and stay focussed, which the boys did. “To score five goals against a team that has dominated for so long was a massive achievement. “I believe they have not had five goals scored against them in over 20 years, so it is huge for the club. “It is very satisfying some of the work we have done on the track has come to fruition.”
The decider was always going to be an enthralling affair being the first time the rivals have met in anger since the 2020 Steeline LCFA grand final. Inter was determined to keep its perfect record intact, while the Lions were hungry for revenge and made their intentions immediately clear. Centrals raced out of the blocks with intent and produced a scoring chance inside the first 10 seconds of play.
The early chance woke everyone up and forced Inter on the back foot as the ball was locked at the Bruce Morale end. The hosts continued to apply pressure on young Inter goalkeeper Tyler Johnston with multiple shots at goal, but none could find the desired result. It took six minutes for the reigning champions to challenge the goals, but they made it count.
A free in front of the coaches’ boxes on the wing handed International possession and the side drove forward with captain Christian Cella leading the charge. Cella went deep into the box and his right boot was enough to find the back of the net. After Inter put the first score on the board, the game could have followed a familiar trend, but the Lions refused to give in and they almost found an immediate response.
Centrals’ captain Cam Saint thought he replicated the feat of his opposite number a minute later, but the referee adjudicated it as offside much to the dismay of the home crowd. However, Saint did not have to wait much longer until he could start celebrating for real after his sliding effort finished off an accurate cross from Sam Shoemark.
With the scoreboard equal once again, the intensity levels rose even further as aggressive tackles and shots at goal became common sights. After half an hour of pressure-packed play, the killer blow was made by the Lions. Running hard off the wing, Lewis March found an opening and put Centrals in front before scoring another goal for good measure minutes later.
In the blink of an eye, the Lions roared to a daunting 3-1 lead with their ferocious ball movement tearing apart Inter’s defence. At the other end of the pitch, Inter still managed to stay in the hunt and Erike Irakoze threatened the goals, but he could not find the right moment. Centrals’ two-goal lead remained at the half time whistle as fans welcomed the break the catch their breath.
With nothing to lose, Inter came out hard when play resumed and leading striker Matt Bueti was determined to make his mark on the game. After receiving a pass from Tyler Michielan, Bueti was assessing his scoring options until Lions’ defender Mitchell Cutting came in from the side. The referee saw enough to award Inter a free kick and Connor Prior lined up from the top of the box.
The youngster kept his composure and his clean strike sailed past Centrals’ wall and goalkeeper into the net to keep Inter’s chances alive. Unfortunately for the reining premiers, their fightback was only temporary when an unlikely name kicked the goal of his life. Midfielder Christian Fleetwood made a run through the centre and found himself one on one with his opponent at the right-hand edge of the box.
Fleetwood decided to throw it on his left boot and to everyone’s surprise he sent it to where the spiders live in the top corner of the net. As the Lions roared for the fourth time, Inter’s heads dropped as the game looked increasingly distant. As the sun set behind the trees, it became party time at MGA Park after Sam Shoemark kicked a junk time goal on his backside after going one-on-one with Johnston.
Chris Fleetwood said the key to success was his side’s electric pace shown when moving the ball forward. “One of the things we have developed this year is the speed of our ball movement,” he said. “I wanted to quicken it up because we have pace and younger players and we want to play entertaining football.
“Our wide players Broc Linden and Lewis March were outstanding creating a lot of goals. “I thought we dominated in large parts in the game because they were basically trying to go through the middle, so we counter-attacked wide and I do not think Inter knew how to counter that.”
With the Steeline Cup wrapped up for another year, attention turns to the premiership season which kicks off on Sunday with Centrals hosting Apollo, Blue Lake United facing Millicent and Inter travelling to Naracoorte. Fleetwood said the challenge for his team is to put the preseason success to one side and focus on the major goal.
“My message to the players will be it all starts again,” he said. “I have came here to win everything, so along that journey we will introduce a lot of young players to build a club from the ground up. “We won the cup fantastic, but we will start working hard again.”
