Kempsey Saints would have breathed a sigh of relief at finally getting the result they deserved with a 2-1 win over Bellingen on Saturday.
Corey Crotty and Cedric Blodorn got on the scoresheet as Saints managed to convert their easy-on-the-eye football into goals.
The win saw them keep in touch with a six-team logjam where two points separates third to eighth as the competition enters the final third of the season.
In truth, the Saints have been playing good football most of the year, but have so far been unable to transform it into points on the ladder.
“We just have not been getting results so it was good to get the result and put the ball in the back of the net and defend really well and put everything together,” co-coach Dan Baker said.
“It’s not that we expected to win, but we were confident in our ability that we could get the win.”
Saints held the ball better than in previous weeks and also made better decisions on the ball while they also minimised the amount of opportunities their opponents had.
“We didn’t give them heaps of chances; they had a few chances, but we definitely didn’t give them as many chances as we have been giving other teams,” Baker said.
“It’s a good result from a ladder point of view; we can’t afford to lose too many more games realistically.”
Baker was wary of not being able to back up a good result with another good one the following week.
It’s been a situation they have found themselves in numerous times already in 2022.
“We tend to win a game against a team that’s above us and then lose one to a team that’s below us,” Baker said.
“Hopefully we continue to play good football like we have been all year and continue to get good results.”
The confidence-building win will be important for Saints to build on as they don’t have the added bonus of catch-up matches unlike most teams around them.
“It’s good for confidence, but between third and eighth there’s only two or three points and everyone else has games in hand which is unfortunate.”
ENDS
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