B-Liga Third Round Summary

The third round of the B-Liga kicked off under lights and intense media scrutiny last night, as the giants of Broome football clashed on the pristine grass of Father McMahon Field.

Billed as the "poor cousin" of the matches of this round, Racing Guantanamo vs. Hagan's Heroes turned into a classic win for the orange underdogs who totally outclassed and outwitted their much more illustrious opponents. B-Liga history buffs will know that prior to this, Guantanamo had never managed to take even so much as a point off the Heroes. A flamboyant attack of key passes and excellent runs, built on strong defensive and midfield foundations were the keys to Guantanamo's success, but it must also call into question the tactics of the Heroes' coaching staff who again persisted with one lone striker. This time however, it was Mike Doyle who was battling alone up front, and it wasn't until late in the game when he was supported by Brett Claudius and Karen Salkilld that he looked even remotely threatening. Guantanamo however, didn't let up, and it was of great joy to the Orange fans that Martin Kessler stood up to have his best performance of the season so far - stamping his authority on the game. Irishman Joe Tighe also worked hard in defence to keep Hagan's Heroes to just one goal, while young gun Luke Turner netted a hat-trick to put the score beyond doubt.

Final Score: Racing Guantanamo AFC 6 - 1 Hagan's Heroes

The match of the round saw title challengers Broome City and Pearl Coast Pirates collide in a match that was expected to have its share of fireworks. It didn't disappoint either, with plenty of crunching tackles and exuberant goal celebrations delighting the spectators on the sidelines. Phil Sheridan was again the star performer on the night, but the talking point has to be the return of Ken Goatley to the B-Liga. The former Racing Guantanamo man has come in at the request of Pirates' captain Richard Brunger, upsetting many Mighty Orange fans. Goatley took on a defensive role alongside South African Ronny Venter, and the two formed a solid partnership to keep City down to just two goals. Steve Shaw again impressed for the Blues, but the big news for City is the loss of legend Bill Shaw, who was stretchered off during the match. No reports as yet as to the type of injury, but Shaw did spend time in hospital, and the news out of the City camp is that he will be out for the season.

Final Score: Broome City 2 - 6 Pearl Coast Pirates

Next Match Preview

By the Anonymous Analyst

Racing Guantanamo AFC vs. Broome City

Odds: Racing Guantanamo win $2.45, Draw $1.90, Broome City $2.40

NDFC vs. Pearl Coast Pirates

Odds: NDFC $2.20, Draw $2.30, Pearl Coast Pirates $1.90

Well, there's a 2 week break followed by another big week of Broome football - the undoubted match of the round has to be champions NDFC taking on pretenders to the throne Pearl Coast Pirates. NDFC haven't impressed many with their recruiting so far, but they have impressed with their results. A narrow loss to Hagan's Heroes in Round 1 followed by a draw with highly fancied Broome City has left the critics speechless. This is an interesting one, with NDFC sure to try and get their title defence on track, but it is hard to go against Pearl Coast Pirates, who have really got a strong core of experience players. NDFC will be tougher than people expect, but I can't look past the Pirates, who I reckon can go through the season undefeated.

Last week, I predicted that Racing Guantanamo would be rolled over by Hagan's Heroes. Boy was I wrong. The Mighty Orange really kicked it up a gear, and if they can play against Broome City the way they did against Hagan's, this could be a second win on the trot for them. City's discipline issues have been heavily documented over the last few weeks, and they will need to keep their heads screwed on if they are to take on this highly confident Guantanamo side. My prediction is a hard fought draw, which will probably see more than its fair share of talking points come the end of the match.

See you in two weeks time.