A JACOB Robson second-half penalty lifted Moorland Devils to the under-15 Football Mid North Coast southern zone premiership at the weekend.
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The 2-1 win means they will take on Port Saints Sharks at Regional Stadium on Saturday.
It was their fourth-straight grand final appearance and third-straight premiership success.
Club treasurer and assistant manager Donna White said history almost repeated when the scores were locked at 1-all in the closing stages.
That was until Robson’s goal with what turned out to be one of the final kicks of the match.
“It went until the last minute and we thought it was going to be a repeat of last year,” she said.
On that occasion, the Devils won a penalty shoot-out over the same opponents they defeated on the weekend.
“I think our goalie was happy it didn’t go that far again,” White said.
“No Moorland team has done this before, so it’s a great achievement for the team because we’re only a small club of 74 players.”
White said the secret to the team’s continued success over the last four years could be tracked back to the same playing group that return every year.
“The coach has been with them for the last seven years so that’s the trick I guess,” she said.
“Most of them have played in the same team since under seven’s and eight’s and half go to Camden Haven High School, while the other half go to Taree.”
Port Saints Sharks – their opponents this weekend – were also minor premiers.
“It’s a bit of a scary match-up,” White said.