On an unseasonably hot afternoon, the Redbacks were firing from the beginning. Coming off the back of a disappointing loss last weekend, the Redbacks once again dominated the first half, only this time with goals to show for their efforts. The opening minutes saw four shots hit the crossbar or uprights, before Rob Holland made no mistake, securing a brilliant goal to give the Redbacks a 1-0 lead.

Wauchope though were quick to hit back, and a set piece from the visitors saw the scores levelled at 1-1 at the half time break.

With the second half underway, the Redbacks once again came out strong. Holland again converted the dominance with his second goal of the day, before a dangerous tackle on Scott Witchard in the box saw the Redbacks awarded a penalty, with Holland making no mistake, giving the Redbacks a 3-1 lead, and Holland a hat trick.

Despite the Redbacks dominance, a long range free kick from Wauchope managed to drift into the goals, and with the scores sitting at 3-2, the final minutes of the match certainly proved tense for coaches and supporters alike. But the Redbacks held firm, and as the final whistle blew, the roar of support from ‘the hill’ was undeniable.

Coach Billy Roe commented after the match just how happy he was with the result.

“Today was a great team effort, with some great finishes from Rob Holland helping us to secure the three points,” he said. 

“I’m so please for the boys who played today, and last year, that they stuck at it, and are now rewarded.”

Next week sees no games for Premier League, with the competition returning on April 28 with the boys travelling to Port Macquarie to take on Port United.

It was a disappointing result for the Reserve Grade squad on Saturday, April 14 as they went down 4-2 to Wauchope.

The Redbacks started strong, with two goals early on, giving them a decisive 2-0 lead. However at the 30 minute mark, with what seemed to be an unbeatable lead and level of dominance, the home side began to slip, and Wauchope took full advantage. By full time, it was 4-2 to Wauchope, with the Redbacks clearly having blown a prime chance to grab three points and a confidence boosting win.

The loss was definitely a disappointment to the side, who the week before had played incredibly strongly to secure a draw. But with the season still young, the Club is confident that the loss will be a lesson on the importance of playing a full 90 minutes, and see the squad come back even stronger in two weeks.

It was a tough day at the office on Saturday, April 14 as the Camden Haven Redbacks Ladies team travelled to Wauchope for Round 2 of their competition.

With six players out due to injury and absences, the match against last year’s champions was always going to be a tough one. Yet undeterred, the Redbacks took to the field determined to put up a fight.

The determination paid off when the first real chance of the match fell to the Redbacks. A perfectly placed ball from Molly Gamblin to Tamara Burns found Burns one-on- one with the keeper, however the shot failed to miss the keeper, and the Redbacks missed a golden chance.

From there, Wauchope began to find form and capitalise on a Redbacks team still developing with a number of new players. A number of opportunities to Wauchope were brilliantly shut down by Redbacks keeper Joanne Jones, however an own goal 15 minutes in saw Wauchope with a 1-0 lead and the flood gates opened.

Despite the Redbacks continuing to work incredibly hard, Wauchope’s form shone through, and the goals continued to follow. By half-time, the score was 4-0, and the Redbacks were certainly struggling.

“We were certainly exhausted by the half-time break,” captain Tamara Burns said.

“We regrouped, acknowledged our weaknesses, recognised our strengths, and built from there.”

The second half told a different story, as although the chances continued to fall to Wauchope, the only goal to follow in the second half once again came off an own goal. Again Redbacks had chances, including one in the dying minutes, with a perfect cross from Gamblin to Burns sailing just high.

“We definitely need to work on our goal scoring capabilities,” Burns said. 

“We need to be able to capitalise on those chances. But to their credit, Wauchope were a strong side, and deserved the win.

“I am proud of our team though in how they continued to give 110 per cent  despite the heat, lack of substitutes, lack of goals and ultimate loss.

“It would have been easy to give up, or go for the cheap shots, and they didn’t once do this, which is an absolute credit to every player. It was a tough game, but we’ll bounce back.”

This weekend sees no games in the Ladies competition being played. The Ladies are back home on April 28 when they take on Port United.