Wanderers compete for the ball in the 18 yard box. Photos by Wayne Bradley.
The Deniliquin Wanderers were outplayed early in last week’s home clash against the Strathfieldsaye Colts, going down 6-2 in a tough round of FV Bendigo Senior Men’s League 2 action.
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The Colts struck quickly and often, piling on early goals before Deni were able to settle.
Despite the scoreline, goalkeeper Matt Crothers said the Wanderers improved once they tightened up defensively.
“Not a great result,” Crothers said.
“The Colts are a strong team and they scored early. Once we locked down the backline we actually won the second half.”
Deni conceded only one goal in the second half, while scoring two of their own and maintaining close to 50 per cent possession.
Lungani Nyembe and Hamish Baker scored in minutes 68 and 85 respectively, showing they weren’t outclassed once they found structure.
“We just have to work on taking scoring opportunities and executing. We weren’t run off the park, and that’s a positive,” Crothers said.
“It was also a positive debut for referee Ano Maunganidze, who handled his first senior match well.”
The Wanderers now turn their attention to this weekend’s away match against La Trobe, who sit seventh on the ladder behind Deni in fifth.
“We’re hoping for a very competitive match.
“This week we have been going through shooting practice and working on capitalising on those opportunities.”
Deni will be looking to convert an improved second‑half form into a full 90‑minute performance when they travel for La Trobe this Sunday, May 17.
“It will be the same team we had last week, so a pretty strong lineup.” Crothers said.
