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Leeton United 2 (Anthony Mandaglio, Adam Raso) d Yoogali FC 1
LEETON United came back from a one-goal deficit to down Yoogali Football Club 2-1 at the Platform Lounge on Sunday.
Sustained attacking pressure by the home side with a water-tight defensive effort at the other end eventually proved too much for an opponent that had gone one man down in the first half.
"At half-time, even though we were 1-0 down, we were still confident we would come away with the victory," United coach Mitchell Clay said after the game.
"We had our chances in the first half. At least we're creating the chances, there would be a problem if we didn't.
"It was good because we were able to press their back six."
Yoogali went 1-0 up early in the game after a corner kick was headed into the back of the net from the congestion in front of keeper Jake Shelton.
This caused Leeton to buckle down as the defence ramped up. Play went from end to end and the Yoogali defence was called into play several times.
However, Leeton was unable to capitalise with a number of missed opportunities, including a cracking strike from Clay that rebounded off the left post.
An outburst by a Yoogali player signalled the end of his day after he was shown a red card, but the extra number didn't give United the advantage on the scoreboard.
United started the second half attacking hard.
The equaliser came after a YFC attack that was immediately rebounded. Super-sub Anthony Mandaglio was allowed to run onto a superb through-ball and with only the keeper to beat, shot true.
With YFC tiring, United dominated possession and attacked repeatedly.
Weight of possession resulted in multiple shots and eventually Leeton drew a penalty in the box. Adam Raso made no mistake from the spot for a 2-1 lead that was maintained until the final whistle.
"When we equalised I said to the players 'let's push up now' to pressure them as much as we could," Clay said.
"A couple of substitutes made the difference. It was from all that pressure that the penalty came.
"We knew that from previous games when you put them under the pump they fall under. That was the tactic after we equalised."
United's teenaged keeper was crucial in holding out YFC's attacks, making a number of crucial saves. Shelton was actually backing up for his third consecutive game after starting in goal for the under 18s and continuing through reserve grade into the main game.
"It's twice he has backed up for first grade," Clay said.
"That's a lot of pressure for a young kid. That goes for the other under 18s that were backing up as well.
"The defence was very good, it kept them quiet. Ian McCarthy had a great game.
"We've been working on that at training and our defence is solid at the minute."
The win confirmed Leeton's fourth spot on the Billabong Cup ladder with a three-week tough run to the finals.