The Macleay Valley Rangers were handed a stern wake up call on Saturday when they suffered a humiliating 6-1 defeat against Port United.
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Macleay Valley remain in second position on the table but their chances of lifting a consecutive minor premiership are all but dashed.
However, that’s the last thing on Rangers’ coach Keith Morn’s mind as he tries to decipher the puzzle of what lead such a poor performance.
“They dominated us for the majority of the match and we failed to control the ball and create many quality chances,” Morn told the Argus.
“They were a much better side than us on the day and it’s concerning when we are so close to finals.”
It was hard for Morn to pinpoint what exactly went wrong but he believes his side didn’t handle the pressure well.
“They pressed us and forced us into quick decisions and we really struggled to maintain possession,” Morn said.
“We were still in it until late in the game though but then they piled on the goals.”
The scores were locked at one-a-piece heading into the final 15-minutes of the contest but the match was blown open when Ben Mitchell was sent from the field after picking up his second yellow.
In the same act, Port United were awarded a penalty shot and they made no mistake.
United went on to convert two more penalties and score two more goals from open play to hand Rangers one of their worst defeats in their club’s history.
It’s a big wake up call for a side that had been cruising near the top of the table for the majority of the season.
The Rangers had dropped points in only one game heading into the clash against United on Saturday but now they sit four competition points adrift of leaders Wallis lake.
Macleay Valley will attempt to get their hunt for a premiership back on track this Saturday when they host the Forster-Tuncurry Tigers, who are currently in seventh position and will be fighting for their season.
Rangers escaped with a 3-2 win when they met earlier this season but Morn is hoping his side will bounce back to their best.
“We are better than how we played against Port and we need to get over that game and move on,” Morn said.
“We know what we are capable of and hopefully we come out with something to prove against the Tigers.”
The match kicks off at Dangar St at 3pm.
Meanwhile Rangers’ reserve grade side went down 2-1 against United on Saturday but they still remain in the finals hunt as they sit in fourth position on the reserve grade table.
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