Undefeated Lake Albert have sealed the Pascoe Cup minor premiership with three rounds to play, but don’t expect the Sharks to slack off now.
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Mitch Tinnock’s side wrapped up top spot with a clinical 2-0 win over Tolland on Friday night, overcoming wild winds and an early downpour to post an unassailable lead on the competition table.
The win marked Lake Albert’s second over the Wolves this season, following on from their 6-2 victory back in May.
That and the minor premiership looks like an achievement on paper, however, Lake Albert skipper Ben Angel is conscious of his team’s position and doesn’t want to get cut down come finals time.
“We did pretty well against Tolland last time around, so we knew what we were up against and I thought we played pretty well in the conditions with a strong cross breeze and rain in the first 10 or so minutes,” Angel said.
“But the way finals is structured now, we don’t get that second chance and we can’t afford a mental slip up at all.
“I would hate to be the team that goes through a season undefeated and then bows out in our first finals game, so we have to stay focused and keep winning games.”
It’s a dogged mentality, one that certainly paid off against their premiership rivals.
The Sharks looked the better and more patient side in poor playing conditions and were rewarded when Fred Gardner found the back of the net in the opening half.
Tolland pushed back but couldn’t deny the class of Ben Matthews, who sealed the win with a pinpoint free kick that slipped past Wolves goalkeeper Mitchyl McCrory.
“There’s no complaints from me, really. We did a good job in muddy conditions,” Angel said.
“It was also really good to keep a clean sheet and that’s a credit to our defence, which has been really good over the past few games.
“We’ve played against Leeton, Henwood Park and Tolland in our three most recent games and haven’t conceded a goal, so that’s something I’m happy about.”
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