South Lismore has returned from the road trip north brimming with confidence after a solid 1 - 0 win over Tweed Heads in round 9 of the Newton Denny Chapelle Championship.

The Celtics went into the match as underdogs having lost to Tweed three times already this season, but they stuck to a determined game plan and frustrated the home side into error.

A late goal to G Gough was enough to restore some green pride as recent results had cast them adrift of the top three and the much vaunted promotion spots.

Lismore Thistles also capped a great weekend taking advantage of the Tweed slip up with two solid wins over Woodburn and Uki. These results now give them a 4 point buffer over the leagues quiet achievers Pottsville Panthers.

Goals to Thistles veterans Darren Beardow and Steve Morrissey proved enough to overcome the inconsistent Woodburn who turned in one of their best performances to date.

The Panthers though are starting to show they are real contenders for the title with another emphatic win over Murwillumbah Saints, running in 5 unanswered goals.

In other top five action, Alstonville moved closer to the top with a hard fought 3 - 2 win over early pace setters Tumbulgum. In a spiteful clash, seeing 6 players booked, Villa prevailed over an at times desperate Rangers outfit.

At the foot of the table Casino proved too resilient against Uki in what has been termed a gentlemen’s match. Both sides played attractive and patient football in an atmosphere of goodwill and great sportsmanship.

In Round 10 action Tweed Heads will need to return to good form if they are to take anything from their meeting with Woodburn. The Wolves are shaping up as one of the danger teams of the Newton Denny Chapelle Championship, having already accounted for South’s.

South Lismore and Pottsville will feature in the Northern Districts match of the round when they take on second placed Pottsville at the Panthers den while in the Southern Districts feature match Thistles will have to be very careful against an improving Alstonville.

Bottom of the table Uki and Murwillumbah will meet up in a game that will most likely decide the wooden spoon, and Tumbulgum should be to strong for Casino at Breckenridge Field.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 20th, 2007 at 2:07 pm and is filed under Competitions, General News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.