A late withdrawal could’ve left Wagga City Wanderers in the lurch last week but coach Ross Morgan believes their scratch match against South Wagga on Friday posed the perfect challenge.
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Wanderers were expected to contest their second pre-season trial against Myrtleford Savoy after having travelled to play them previously and faced a tricky situation when their rivals pulled out.
Luckily, Morgan’s close ties with South Wagga coach Ben Holt ensured Wanderers would not miss out.
“We only had a few days to try and find another team but Ben and I get along well and we ended up having a game and a great night in the end,” Morgan said.
“We played three thirds of 30 minutes and it was good to have them come down.”
Wanderers ended up dominating the scoresheet, striking early before sinking three late goals for a 4-0 win, but the Warriors will take plenty of heart from a bold performance on short notice.
“Henri (Gardner) scored pretty early on but South Wagga really put up a fight – in fact I’d say they were the dominant side during the middle term,” Morgan said.
“Things kind of blew out at the end with a few goals to Luke (Stevens), Zach (Pinney) and Fred (Gardner) but we were happy with our overall performance.
“It was physical and we still managed to create chances which on other days you might finish off and put a few more goals in, so credit to Ben and South Wagga and the way they played.”
A beaming Holt said he “couldn’t be happier” with his side’s performance.
“I’m just so impressed by the way we managed to pull a team together and get out there on such short notice,” Holt said.
“The South Wagga community was so supportive of putting a team together and really rallied behind us.
“Some of the players were getting their team kits for the first time just before the game but they still went out there and played a great game.”
The hit-out marked Holt’s first in charge of the Warriors and there’s already a sense of accomplishment and positivity brewing in the camp.
“You never quite know what it’s going to be like coaching a side until you’ve played the first game but to hold Wanderers at 1-0 for 80 minutes is pretty good.”
“I’d say that game was a huge success for us and the belief our players have has already increased.”
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