It was a clear but windy Sunday afternoon at Strathfield Park with the all-weather surface fast but , as usual, perfect for football.
Straight from the kick-off, both teams battled for control of the midfield. Perhaps it was the pressure of the situation, or the windy conditions but whenever a team strung a few promising passes together, the play always seemed to break down.
The best chances of the half fell to Concord but scrambling defence meant that the match was locked at 0-0 at half time.
With a change of ends, Concord pressed from the kick-off which set the tone for the next period of match which was mostly played in the Strathfield half.
Attack after attack were defended extremely well by the solid Strathfield centre backs and skilled midfields. Strathfield’s keeper was exceptional, diving on the loose ball in the penalty area on numerous occasions.
Finally, 20 minutes into the second half, a play that started deep in Concord's half found its way to Ellie Jones in the centre of the field who converted the opportunity.
1-0 to Concord.
Only eight minutes later, a forward press resulted in a corner kick for Strathfield. Kicking into the wind the corner kick was brilliantly lobbed over the Concord keeper's head by Beren Gungor for the equaliser!
Despite the final 23 minutes seeing several chances, they went unconverted and full time was blown with the score line tied.
Extra time started and Concord were given the perfect opportunity to book their place in the Grand Final just five minutes in when Ellie Jones wrong-footed her defender in the box, forcing her to throw out a foot and concede a penalty.
Chelsea Johnson expertly converted the spot kick to win the match with a Golden Goal.
Concord take on Leichhardt Saints in the Grand Final this Sunday 21 August at Strathfield Park. Kick-off is 2pm.
Feature image credit: Photographed with Love
