A beautiful sunny afternoon in Lindfield at Charles Bean Oval, but a very small crowd to watch Chatswood Rangers play Lindfield in the Premier Division clash. Has the public spent too many nights watching the World Cup? Or has the International between Australia and France in the rugby kept people at home?
Chatswood Rangers came in to this match this afternoon one point behind Lindfield with a mixed record in the past four games (W-D-W-L) and Lindfield (W-L-L-W) needed a win to take them in to second position on the ladder overtaking North Sydney. So it was always going to be a tight contest.
Right from the outset, Lindfield and Chatswood went at this game hammer and tongs. Chatswood had the upper hand and thirteen minutes in to the half, they brought the ball down through the middle of the field, crossed out to the right and scored from outside the ten yard box.
Almost immediately, Lindfield returned the favour hammering the ball under the grip of the goalie and bringing the score back square.
Five minutes later Lindfield had a blistering shot from well outside the ten yard box that rattled off the left post but did not go in. But this frantic pace was maintained and on a corner, the ball sailed over the defence to be headed in to the back of the net, putting Lindfield ahead.
Just at the end of the first half, Rangers crossed the ball in from the left wing, a good shot on goal with some confusion clearing the line and Rangers had their second goal.
At the end of the half the scores were 2:2
The second half saw no goals scored, but did see a slow rise in the frustration of the players with a lot more assertive tackles, pressing with shoulders and a series of niggling fouls until one of the Lindfield players was booked.
Lindfield in particular had some good shots on goal, but the Chatswood goalie was not going to let anything past. Chatswood returned the effort with a stunning shot on goal that narrowly missed the right post.
Lindfield were looking tired late in the second half, but defended well and kept Chatswood at bay.
At the end of the second half the scores remained unchanged at 2:2
