HOCKEY
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IT was not the most clinical of performances from Souths, but the effort they produced on Saturday to beat Bathurst City 5-1 was enough to get them their first win of the 2015 men's Premier League Hockey season.
In their first meeting against the new Bathurst team at Bob Roach Field, Souths had more possession and greater accuracy with their passing, but lacked patience when it came to attacking chances.
Souths coach Dale Campbell said while the performance left a lot to be desired at times, the result will be a much needed confidence boost for his side.
"I was pleased with the structure that the boys held up for most of the game. We tried to score too quickly at times, pushing the ball through the top of the circle instead of going around the back. Control gave us three of those goals from going around the back," he said.
"We held the ball for most of the game, so it then became a case of 'This is becoming too easy so let's make it hard for ourselves and smack it through the middle of the circle'.
"Other than that I was pleased with the way we went. Getting that first win is always a start and very handy as long as we get some sort of a winning culture happening here now.
"I thought young Jono Cole played well up front. Jono Baillie got back on our scoring sheet which was handy to see. Adam Campbell played very well in the midfield and Nick Milligan I thought played well at inside right."
Baillie opened the scoring five minutes in after an evenly poised start to the game.
Following that Souths began to control possession and in turn enjoy better field position, but they were unable to convert that into goals as they rushed things once inside City's circle.
Baillie finally found his second when he cleaned up an attempt that was saved by City's goalkeeper Shane Jackman.
Five minutes out from the break City had a good chance to score when Brad Rayner got on the end of a long ball and crossed it into Byran Finnerty, but the pass was cut out by Souths' defence.
City's Jakob Hill also threatened when he beat several defenders to go one-on-one with Souths goalkeeper John Rudge, but the custodian was up to the challenge.
That positive patch of play from City couldn't be replicated early in the second half and Souths came out firing.
Their next two goals came within the first nine minutes of the period through Campbell and Declan Davidson.
At 4-0 down and against the run of play, City were finally able to get themselves on a scoreboard for the first time this season, a diving effort from Kyle Reardon going down as the outfit's maiden Premier League goal.
Cole was rewarded for his strong efforts throughout the game with the fifth of Souths' goals with 17 minutes left to play.
City enjoyed some good possession late in the game as they searched for goal number two, their best chance coming when Blake Davis' diving pass found Finnerty whose deflection went just wide of the goal.
SOUTHS 5 (Jono Baillie 2, Declan Davidson, Jono Cole, Adam Campbell) defeated BATHURST CITY 1 (Kyle Reardon)