FC Nelson dominate final round of action

JACK MALCOLM

A heroic late goal from the corner spot has seen FC Nelson stake their claim to domination over local football.

After FC Nelson NMIT wrapped up the third division title and FC Nelson Karenni wrapped up the second division title earlier in the day, it was Sheehan Financial FC Nelson 1st XI’s turn to make it a clean sweep for the club in the top three local flights of football. And there was no better way for the competition to wrap up, with the two top teams in the Top of the South facing off in a winnertakes-all affair at Guppy Park as Blenheim’s Rangers looked to spoil the party.

In front of a loud and supportive home crowd, both teams eased into the game through the first half as they created some chances but never really tested either keeper.

While FC Nelson had the better opportunities, they could not find the back of the net despite the pressure they were piling on. The second half saw a much more stilted start to play, with neither team taking full control of the game.

The tired factor also came into play as space opened up through the midfield as the game wore on. Rangers were first to get on the scoreboard, with a fantastic strike from a free kick on the edge of the box beating the wall and leaving the keeper flat-footed as it sailed into the bottom right corner.

Needing to win, Rangers then sat back on their lead as FC Nelson looked to push for an equaliser and the title.

Having started the game in a 3-52, not wanting to concede, they changed their positioning around into a 3-4-3, and it paid immediate dividends.

FC Nelson started finding space in behind the Rangers’ defence and were starting to make inroads before a fantastic piece of individual brilliance got the ball into the back of the net.

Jamane Wilson-Daggan, coming