Bell Park defence found wanting again in local soccer derby against Surf Coast

May 10th, 2010

A DEFENSIVE error again cost Bell Park dearly as it slumped to defeat against Surf Coast in a tightly contested local derby.

Bell Park goalkeeper Joe Fiola was under no pressure as he attempted to catch Rhys Manning's 15th minute cross, but somehow fumbled the ball, allowing Jack Taylor to slip past a static defence and head the ball into the net.

The goal was typical of the recent individual mistakes that have blighted Bell Park's season so far, but gave Surf Coast yet another victory as it kept up the pressure at the top of the Provisional League 2 ladder.

There appeared to be a marked difference in the confidence levels of the two teams in the first half, with Surf Coast looking increasingly dangerous off the break as Bell Park desperately tried to find a breakthrough.

Billy Bunce provided the midfield drive for Torquay, flicking on a long ball that Matt Roberts shot just wide before unleashing a vicious left foot drive that narrowly missed.

Fiola then partially redeemed himself with an impressive fingertip save from Jordan White, before Surf Coast nearly provided its own gift, only for goalkeeper Barry Schroeter to recover from his own fumble with Nick Hopper set to tap the ball in.

Bell Park showed a greater intensity in the second half and penned Surf Coast into its own territory for long periods. But the Torquay side was rarely threatened as Bell Park struggled to find a cutting edge.

Surf Coast could well have gained a further advantage when Matt Roberts burst through on goal, before tumbling under Josh Berta's challenge.

Despite the furious protests of the Surf Coast bench, Berta wasn't sent off, with Surf Coast not even gaining a free kick.

Further frustration awaited the away side, with Ben Le Conru hitting the post after he skilfully twisted past two challenges.

Bell Park threw men forward in a frantic attempt to rescue the match and the tactic nearly paid off with the last kick of the match. Surf Coast failed to clear a long free kick, allowing substitute Mark Gstalter to hit a shot on the turn that crashed against the woodwork.

It proved too little too late for Bell Park.

Lindsay Falzon, Surf Coast's coach, said his side defended well, but added: "I couldn't believe it that there wasn't a sending off for the challenge on Matt Roberts. He has stud marks on him. The linesman was flagging for it, but the referee was too far behind play."

Darren Nelson, coach of Bell Park, said: "It comes down to one mistake in every game. It's the same every week. We controlled the large majority of the game. Surf Coast sat very deep. They are very defensive and it was hard to break down. We lacked a bit of composure and a bit of creativity."

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