Byron Rams Refocus.

There was a lot to play for in Saturdays match at Crawford Park Alstonville between Villa and the Byron Bay Rams. Villa needed a win against 3 rd place Byron Rams to get into semi final contention. They were still smarting from their loss to lowly placed Bangalow last week and a draw with Ballina on Tuesday night. However Villa coach Mark Ambler had his boys primed to create an upset on their home ground.

For the Rams it was to be their first game in 2 weeks with their usual player line-up. In last Sunday’s historic exhibition game with A-League team Gold Coast United at home in front of 2000 enthusiastic fans, the Rams (Select XI) had a mixed line-up including 7 of the best players from Rovers, Italo Stars and Ballina. It was time to put the glamour and excitement of last week behind them, refocus and get on with the business of playing well in the local Premier League. Unfortunately the Rams were without 4 key players - Jed Wright, Jonathan Pierce, Gabriel Monier and Todd Knaus however defender Ian Lennie made his long awaited return.

Rams left flanker John Bradbury gave Villa their first scare after only 3 minutes with an unstoppable goal from the edge of the penalty box.

Villa regrouped and for the next 30 minutes matched attack for attack. A lacklustre defence allowed the Villa forwards too much space and they were able to score. Simple mistakes seemed to be the Rams undoing. However 10 minutes from ½ time Bradbury supplied striker Jordy Campbell a beautiful ball to flick a back header into the left corner of the net.

Just after the break the Rams seemed to be the more confident side, however Villa fought back time and again. The rams seemed to be missing their usual Mojo and with just 15 minutes left in the game Rams defender Lennie was forced to save a certain goal in front of the net. 3 minutes later had it not been for goalkeeper Kai Connell’s nimble fingers Villa would have certainly evened the score. It was a tense last few minutes however Byron was lucky to hang on for a 2-1 win and stay in striking distance of the competition leaders Rovers and Goonellabah.

The Rams have a hectic schedule of 4 games in the next 2 weeks and will need to dig deep into their player roster and show some improvement if they are to get back to their earlier form and stay in Premiership contention. They meet Lennox Head at the Byron Recreation ground under lights at 8pm on Wednesday.

Be sure not to miss the 2 nd round of the local derby, Bangalow vs. Byron Rams at Byron Bay next Saturday at 3pm. The Premier Reserves kick off 2 hours earlier.

Byron Rams Get Stung

The high flying Byron Rams‘ 7 game unbeaten streak came to an end on Saturday with a 5-2 trouncing at the hands of a classy Goonellabah Hornets outfit. In what could only be described as a lacklustre performance, the injury ravaged Rams were over run by a determined Hornets team. With both teams locked on 19 points at the top of the Men’s Premier League football competition table it was a clash to determine the outright leaders.

The Rams had a wake up call after only 10 minutes with a Hornets goal ruled offside. The pressure was relentless and the Hornets were awarded a controversial penalty at the 20 minute mark however the Ram’s morale was buoyed when keeper Kai Connell pulled off a brilliant reflex save to deny the hornets.

The Rams defence was put under intense pressure by waves of fast and determined attacks by the Goonellabah Strikers. And a fabulous set play header by Paul Pomeroy finally put the Hornets on the scoreboard. Their second goal came soon after from another fast attack by midfielder Kale Hopper, breaking through the defence giving the Rams keeper no chance.

Just before ½ time a Hornets free kick lead to a brilliant goal by unmarked Chris Mathews sending the vocal Goonellabah fans into a frenzy.

Rams coach Peter Ware gave his boys a dressing down in the break and it had a noticeable impact on their play. However a confident Hornets frontline kept pounding the Rams goal. With just 15 minutes to go, young Rams right winger Tim Knight sent a lofted ball from 30metres out, with plenty of backspin to stay in the air long enough to fool the unsuspecting Hornets keeper Craig Attewell. He was caught off his line and just got a finger to it but it wasn’t enough and the ball hit the back of the net. With 10 minutes remaining Sam Owen sent another ball into the Hornets net from the edge of the penalty box and all of a sudden the Rams fans could sense a ray of hope.

However a spectacular chip over Connell’s head by Hornets striker Dave Arnett soon after seemed to seal their fate taking the score to 4-2. A goal right on full time by Broden Hirst sent the Goonellabah players and fans in to hysterics. The Rams will have some soul searching to do before this Fridays game with Lennox Sharks at home. Unfortunately they will have some serious injury concerns as well.

However the loss couldn’t dampen the Rams enthusiasm for their historic game against the Star Studded, new Hyundai A- League Gold Coast United team to be played in Byron Bay this Sunday afternoon. Coach Peter Ware said “It will be a huge day of football with coaching clinics by the Gold Coast United staff and players for local FFNC junior players in the morning. It will be a unique opportunity for fans to meet the players and have autographs signed before the big game at 3.30pm” He added “with 7000 registered players on the Far North Coast, many of them will be at Byron next Sunday to get their first glimpse of the Gold Coast United team.

With a line up of 2 Socceroos, 3 Brazilians, a New Zealand international and some of the best players in the country today, it will be a day not to be missed“.

Italo See Stars in Rams Clash.

With the Byron Bay Rams sitting at equal top of the competition table and Italo Stars just 3 points behind, this game was always going to be hard fought and physical. It was one win each from their 2 previous encounters and both teams would need all their ample pace in attack and dogged determination in defence to take the points. A soggy home ground forced play to Byron High School and it was great to see the School helping the local community once again. The Stars were undefeated in the last 4 games and their powerful Strikers Brenton Mumford and Max Latimer scored 4 goals to punish Alstonville last week.

The bone jarring tackles started from the outset and after only 10 minutes the referee awarded a free kick to Byron. From the set play Tom Ruhl put a curving ball in the air for golden boot contender, Jordy Campbell to head it past the Italo keeper Dallas Guthrie. Both midfield packs were working overtime distributing the ball and Stars were looking dangerous in attack. At the 25-minute mark, Rams keeper Kai Connell had to pull off arguably the save of the 2009 season with a full stretch parry, requiring every bit of his 6 foot 3 inch body. Gabriel Monier was inspirational in the Rams defence under intense physical pressure and kept the Italo strikers at bay.

The Rams frontline kept hammering away using their incredible speed and ball skill to look for weaknesses. The frustrated Stars conceded a free kick just before the break. Campbell powered a lovely ball through the Stars wall and deflected to John Bradbury and he made no mistake with a rebound header to take the Rams 2 goals ahead.

In the second half the Italo Stars came out with a new invigorated intensity. They used their huge midfielders to try and wear down the Rams strikers in every bruising tackle. The Stars strikers kept looking for options however the Rams back line of Jonathan Pierce, Monier and ever dependable Bruce Morehouse seemed to wrap them up every time. As their confidence grew the Rams players settled in to play some beautiful passing football and used brilliant ball skills to totally outclass the Lismore boys for the rest of the game. They were unlucky with a barrage of shots on the Stars goal, however fortunes changed in an instant with a foul on a Stars striker in the Ram’s penalty box. Connell just couldn’t get to the Max Latimer penalty kick and all of a sudden at 2-1 the Rams weren’t so comfortable. It was an anxious last 10 minutes with both teams giving all they had, however in the end it was Byron with the win making them undefeated in their last 7 games.

Next Saturday’s game will be another thriller against top of the table bitter rivals Goonellabah. The Rams will be looking for revenge away from home after being stung 4-1 by the Hornets in their only loss this season during their round 1 encounter.

Premier Reserves Game

It was a tight match to start with both Italo Stars and top of the table Byron Rams finding few chances. Stars breathed a sigh of relief when their keeper plucked a header from newly resigned Todd Knaus out of the air. Soon after Knaus sent a great ball to Sam Clark and set up a very neat first goal.

Stars fought back just before half time with a pin point long range shot which just snuck past Rams keeper Alex Gray.

After the break young Nolan Pierce pounced on a loose ball at the18, and struck it with a low powerful drive, giving the Stars keeper no chance at all. Soon after, James Packham got his head to a cross from new signing Ollie Bleakley and made it 3-1.

Bleakley seemed to get amongst all the Rams attacking action and soon had his first goal of the season on debut. At full time the Rams were victorious 4-1and remain clear leaders at the top of the competition table.

Rams and Rovers lock horns

(Sat 13 th June) Premier Grade

Rams and Rovers lock horns

It was the top of the table Football Premier League “showdown” both teams had been waiting for all season. With the Byron Rams and reigning 2008 Premiers Richmond Rovers both locked together on 15 points, this game was looming as the decider.

The top scoring Byron Rams with 23 goals already this season and the lightning quick frontline of John Bradbury, Tim Knight, Jordy Campbell and Sam Owen was pitched against arguably the tightest defence in the league of Rover’s Mitchell Flower, Joel Saye and Adam Gray.

With a 4 draws from their last 4 premiership matches, both clubs were desperate to break the deadlock.

It was a high intensity game from beginning to end with much of the play in

the midfield. It was no holds bared action with bone crunching tackles all over the park. He first attack came from Byron in the first couple of minutes, with Jonathan Pierce in the back line converting defence into attack passing a ball to John Bradbury on the left wing, who set up a shot for Jed Wright however Rovers keeper Andrew Marshall got to it in time.

From that point on, the play went from end to end with precision control and ball work from both teams. Rover’s strikers Ben Casagrade and Troy Mathews caused havoc in attack and they missed a “sitter” at the 8-minute mark. However after the nerves were settled, the Rams back 3 of Yantra Whitling, Bruce Morehouse and Pierce had them covered and pulled off some amazing defensive tackling to keep them at bay.

The fans got their money’s worth with incredibly quick attacking runs from both teams and just before half time the Rovers keeper had to save 3 shots in 3 minutes.

Again in the 2 nd half the play was fought in the midfield with Rams Gabriel Monier, Bradbury and Wright, brilliant with distributing the ball and indeed the Rams looked the better side. However frustration set into the Rovers camp after 20 minutes and they started fouling with some huge hits and giving away successive free kicks. However just 10 minutes later a split second lapse in concentration allowed Rovers substitute Jesse Hartman to break through and score.

However the Rams weren’t going to settle for second best and just 30 seconds later, Bradbury crossed with a shot from the sideline, the ball bounced off the keeper and Sam Owen was waiting to knock it into the net.

With both sides desperate to break the deadlock the play intensified further however the defences remained rock solid and the score remained at 1 all to the end. Although not the high scoring type of game the Rams fans are used to, this was arguably the best Premier League game so far this season.

The draw marks an unprecedented 5 th in a row between the teams, but allowed Goonellabah to now join them at the top of the point score table with their easy win over Lennox. The Rams will be out to end Lismore Workers winning streak of 3 on the trot in their next game. Rams Coach Peter Ware will be leaving nothing to chance with an unpredictable Lismore Workers quite capable of causing an upset. It promises to be an exciting encounter.

Premier Reserves Grade.

In the Premier Reserves game the Byron Rams were determined to stay at the top of the competition ladder going into their clash with Rovers. In a hard fought game Rovers did everything they could to stop the Rams in their tracks. However a flukey goal to Alex Cruse early on, started to make the game interesting.

Nolan Pierce gave a clinical finish to his break away run to increase the lead soon after. A handball in the penalty box late in the first half gave Rovers the opportunity they needed to catch up and unfortunately talented keeper Alex Gray couldn’t get a hand to it.

In the second half Sam Owens played a feature role in a beautiful single-handed goal. Rovers went out with renewed vigour and clawed one back 15 minutes from full time to make it 3-2 however Owens was brought down with a deliberate foul in the box and he slotted the dot shot to make it 4-2. Rovers fought back again and again and finally headed a ball into the net to close the gap. The Rams held on for a tense few minutes under constant attack to take the win 4-3 and stay clear leaders on the Reserve Grade ladder.

Byron Rams Trample Lismore Thistles

Premiers ( Sat 30-5-2009)

The pre season Anzac Cup finalists Lismore Thistles were looking for a form reversal on Saturday after poor performances in 3 out of their last 4 games. The Byron Rams were looking for another win to stay at the top of the competition ladder but couldn’t afford to be complacent against an unpredictable Thistles side.

Both teams were itching to play after wild weather cancelled play last weekend. The Rams were without talented Jed Wright however Byron showed the way from the start with Rams general Bruce Morehouse asserting his dominance in the midfield. With only 6 minutes gone John Bradbury made a break on the left side and stunned the large crowd with his fantastic ball skills. He put a beautiful cross through to rookie Tim Knight hovering on the right. Knight slid around the Thistles defenders and scored the first of what was to be an avalanche of goals.

Thistles attackers Jacob Arthur and Jason Woollett fought back and Rams sweeper Ian Lennie, just back from injury was forced to save a shot from in front of goal. Unfortunately soon after Lennie re-injured his Quad muscle and had to be replaced by Anthony Jarvis.

At the15 minute point Sam Owens flicked a pass through the Thistles midfield to Bradbury. He cut down the Thistles defenders and slotted a pass to Jordy Campbell for him to score.

Thistles were on the back foot now and the Rams showed their technical dominance and cohesive teamwork with their next play. 20 minutes from the Thistles back line, Knight threw in to Owens who crossed to Bradbury. With a quick “one two” pass to Tom Ruhl then back to Bradbury to score goal number 3. Just before ½ time an uncharacteristic Rams desperate tackle resulted in a direct penalty and Thistles first goal.

The 2 nd half started with strong midfield tussles between Thistles Darren Beardow and Rams paceman Jonathan Pierce. Pierce showed great ball control was able to aim his left foot shot past the keeper to take the score

to 4-1.

In another blistering attack Owen was brought down in the Thistles penalty box and Campbell stepped up to make no mistake powering it into the bottom right hand side of the net. Not long after in controversial circumstances Tom Ruhl made a beautiful tackle on one of Thistles strikers. The frustrated Thistles player provocatively held Ruhl on the ground and when Ruhl gave a light push to clear himself, the referee sent Ruhl to the change rooms early with a red card under a cloud of controversy. A retaliatory push and shove by another Thistles player was ignored by the ref and the normally placid Rams coach Peter Ware was fuming in outrage.

Revenge was swift after the Thistles keeper tripped Jordy Campbell near the goal and the resulting penalty kick and hat trick to Campbell, took the tally

to 6-1.

With an overwhelming scoreline, complacency crept into the Rams back line and Thistles were able to score a scrappy goal.

In the closing moments John Bradbury crossed for Sam Owens to unleash a screaming left footer past the hapless Thistles keeper to take the final score to 7-2. The Thistles players came off the field shell-shocked and disgraced from their flogging and will now have to do some soul searching if they are to have any hope of making the semi finals.

On the contrary the Rams are looking comfortable at the top of the table on goal difference and with 10 different players scoring an incredible 23 goals from 6 games have proven they have a lethal line up this season

Premier Reserves

The Rams took the early lead with a solid run from veteran Mark Shepherd who crossed to Alex “squirrel” Cruse for a neat finish.

The rams dominated in possession and territory, however Thistles managed to equalise 2 minutes from ½ time.

In the 2 nd half Thistles looked the more aggressive side and popped another 2 goals past keeper Alex Gray

Despite creating several more chances including a cracker narrow angle shot by Nolan Pierce that hit the crossbar, the Rams seemed to be missing sharpshooter Thiago Priori. The game ended with a final score of 3-1 and ended an unbeaten 4 game winning streak.

Bangalow Blue Dogs unveil new home ground

It was all Champagne, canapés and fancy hats at the grand opening of the brand new Bangalow playing fields on Saturday. After the official party cut the ribbon, (round ball) football fans were treated to a fabulous afternoon of Premier League football. There were 2 Premier Division games to be played between archrivals the Byron Bay “Rams” and Bangalow Blue Dogs.

The Rams had come looking to brush off a 2-year winless streak against the Blue Dogs.

With a lot of pride on the line it was do or die for the young Bangalow squads. They were both looking for their first wins of the season. The Blue Dogs looked fantastic in their new uniforms and Coach Damien Bell was relieved have goalkeeper Alex Pratt back from suspension.

Premier Reserves

The Premier Reserves teams were the first to test the new turf and the huge crowd went wild when Byron’s Thiago Priori took christened the net with the first of his 3-goal hat trick. The Rams midfield - Mark Shepherd, Sam Clark and Jim Gelagotis showed their experience closing down each Bangalow attacking run. However the Rams strikers were able to bombard the Blue Dogs rookie keeper Dave Campbell.

Mark Shepherd added his name to the score sheet with a beautiful volley into the net.

A mistake in the Rams backline allowed the Blue Dogs to finally break through and talented keeper Alex Gray couldn’t quite reach it. Late in the game Rams youngster Nolan Pierce showed his determination with a run through the Bangalow defence line and blasted the ball past the keeper. The final score was 5-1 to Byron and had the Bangalow boys looking for answers.

Premiers

The fans had come to see the local derby between bitter rivals, and the players didn’t disappoint. Blue Dogs coach Damien Bell had his boys pumped for the big occasion. Going into the game the Rams had some injury worries however this year are blessed with great depth in a formidable squad and a good mix of experience and youth.

A shot on the Blue Dogs goal in the first minute to test their defence wasn’t the start the young Bangalow squad wanted however both teams settled in for the next 20 minutes. They fought for possession and patiently looked for weaknesses. Then John Bradbury raced down the left flank past the team benches and hit a driven cross over the Bangalow defence to young Tim Knight manoeuvring on the right of the goalmouth. He took control and bounced it passed the keeper, and had the large contingent of Rams fans on their feet.

Less than 5 minutes later Bradbury started an exact copy attack however this time; keeper Alex Pratt was able to get his hands to Knight’s shot.

Rob Cooper and the other Blue Dogs defenders worked tirelessly to stop the relentless Rams attacks that were coming from everywhere.

Blue Dogs playmaker Joel Rudgley was exceptional in the midfield but the Rams trio of Jed Wright, Sam Owens and Jordy Campbell had his measure.

Bradbury seemed un-stoppable and seemed to brake through at will on the left wing. With incredible speed he was able to unload a high cross to Tommy Ruhl. Ruhl saw the keeper was off his line and chipped it over his head for the 8 th goal of the afternoon. Rams coach - Peter Ware put Bruce Morehouse into the sweeper role with sweeper Ian Lennie sidelined due to an injury at training. Morehouse seemed to really enjoy the job and with pace man Jonathan Pierce and young Yantra Whitling either side they had no problem stopping the Blue Dogs strikers.

The huge crowd were entertained, as the Rams passed the ball around the park at will with pinpoint accuracy demoralising their opposition.

Just before the half time break Jordy Campbell pushed through the centre and put a diagonal pass through to Knight who sprinted behind the Blue Dogs defenders and unload a fantastic strike to score his second goal.

Bangalow came back out on the new turf with a vengeance in the 2 nd half. Cale Johnstone and Connor Benfield created their best opportunities of the game and put Rams Keeper Kai Connell to the test.

With 15 minutes to go Bradbury slipped a ball to Sam Owen in front of goal but he had to go wide past 2 defenders before twisting around, and with an incredible reverse volley, smashed the ball into the net.

In the final moments Louie Muller broke through the Rams defence and keeper Kai Connell had to use all of his skill to wrap up his shot.

The final score was 4-0 and the win was the Rams 4 th in a row. Coach Peter Ware was happy his lads didn’t concede any goals this week and just as happy they’ve scored 14 goals in their last 3 games.

Next Saturday afternoon at 3pm the Rams Premiers play away to Ballina and on current form the Seahorses should prove formidable opponents with their fast attacking style.

Rams cut newly promoted Villa to ribbons

Premiers Reserves May 11th 2009

Both Byron Bay Rams Premier division Soccer teams taught the newly promoted Alstonville teams a lesson they wont forget in a hurry.

In their first encounter in 4 years Villa were hoping to get their first win after playing 2 draws in their first 2 games. The field was soft after weeks of rain, however the big crowd that turned out to watch under clear skies were treated to some very entertaining Football.

In the Opening match the Premier Reserves Rams started attacking the Villa back line from the kick-off. It wasn’t long before young 16-year-old striker Tim Knight used his blistering speed to cut the Villa defence to ribbons and send the ball into the net after only 3 minutes. Tim was hungry for more goals after putting his name on the Premiers scoresheet for the first time last week in their 6-0 routing of Lennox Head. From there Villa fought back creating chances for their forwards, however the fantastic combination of defender Anthony Jarvis and the gifted keeper Alex Gray made short work of any Villa attack.

At the 25 minute mark Shane Banks sent another beautiful pass to Knight who tore down the right wing to the touch line then cut the ball back to Alex “squirrel” Cruse who was waiting in front of goal and made no mistake of the Rams 2 nd goal. The Rams created wave after wave of attack and hit the metalwork twice before Thiago Priori outsmarted the opposition with his sensational ball skills and sent another ball through to Knight. Again he sprinted past the defence and fooled the goalkeeper to adjust the score to 3-nil just before half time, much to the delight of the Byron Bay fans.

Early in the second half Villa pounced on a mistake in the Rams back line and were able to finally get a ball past keeper Alex Gray. Another young gun 16 year old ex FNC representative player Nolan Pierce made the difference in the 2 nd half, teaming up with Banks in the forward line. At the 75 minute mark Pierce made a solo run past the Villa defence and with only the keeper to beat he slotted home a brilliant goal and had the Rams fans on their feet yet again. The Byron defence stayed rock solid and sent the Villa boys back home with a 4-1 Bruising.

Premiers

On paper the undefeated but relatively untested newly promoted Alstonville Premiers line-up went to the Bay as underdogs, however relieving Rams coach Jim Gelagotis was taking no chances in Peter Ware’s absence. He put his most experienced and formidable line-up on the park.

However It wasn't’t to be the start the Rams had wanted with keeper Kai Connell having to use all of his skill to deflect a ball in a 1 on 1 Villa attack after only 6 minutes.

It brought back bitter memories of the Rams last home game defeat against Goonellabah where the Hornets demoralized Byron when they scored the first of 4 goals in the first 15 seconds.

After 15 minutes, referee Shane Fletcher asserted zero tolerance control over the game, and awarded a Penalty after a strong challenge on a Villa striker in the penalty area. Keeper Kai Connell was unlucky not to get a hand to it and the Alstonville fans went wild as the ball went to the right hand corner of the net.

The Byron Bay Rams regrouped and it wasn’t long before we saw an incredible run from Jed Wright catching the Villa defence off guard and then he unleashed a huge shot from outside the penalty area past the keeper to even the score.

Veteran midfielder Bruce Morehouse was inspirational and demoralised the Villa forwards closing down each attack.

Villa brought 5 defenders into their back-line but it wasn’t enough to stop Jed Wright with a characteristic blindingly fast run down the flank at the 30 minute mark cutting the ball to striker Sam Owen for a precision shot past the keeper to take the lead.

The Rams back-line worked hard with Jonathan Piece’s extra pace and tackling ability very handy on occasion while tall youngster Yantra Whitling and one of the Ram’s new signings Ian Lennie, overpowered the Villa attack at every turn.

Just before the half time break the crowd was treated to some sublime domination passing as the Bay midfield taunted the Villa players. They set up a quick ball to John Bradbury then to Sam Owen who crossed to Jordy Campbell who made no mistake with a terrific shot past the keeper taking the score to 3-1 into the break.

The Villa boys came out in the second half with renewed enthusiasm however after 20 minutes an indirect penalty awarded for a foul on a Bay striker resulted in mayhem in front of the Villa goal mouth, and in the confusion the Rams scored another goal to make sure of their win. The Villa defence kept working overtime and full back Kurt Stevens had to save another certain goal off the line.

The ground conditions were getting very slippery and the crowd were entertained with players sliding everywhere. But a rare mistake in the Rams defence lead to a late goal, however it wasn’t enough to take the shine off a brilliant Rams performance winning 4-2 and gaining a valuable 3 points keeping them towards the top of the competition ladder.

The Boys are looking forward to next week’s local derby against old bitter rivals Bangalow at the opening of the new Bangalow Oval. It promises to be a memorable clash next Saturday afternoon.

20th April 2009 

Premier league game

The first match of the FNC Football (Soccer) League competition between Byron Rams and Goonellabah Hornets always promised to be a thriller.

Rams coach Peter Ware now back at the Bay after coaching Goonellabah last year was hoping his first hand knowledge of the old Hornets line up would prove useful. However continuous rain in the last 3 weeks has hampered the players’ preparation.

A lightning pace goal to the Hornets in the first 15 seconds caught the Rams napping and proved a shock to morale. The talented Rams front line fought back with shot after shot and Bruce Morehouse’s excellent attempt from the half way line had the boisterous local crowd on their feet. The Ram’s defence stayed tight and at the half time break the Hornets had tallied 4 shots to the Rams 10 however the score was still at 1 – nil.

In the second half the Rams were soon on the defensive with goalkeeper Kai Connell having to flick a Hornet shot over the crossbar. Another lapse in concentration 20 minutes in, allowed the Goonellabah strikers for their 2 nd goal.

Another mix up 5 minutes later left a Hornet striker unmarked and they made no mistake of their 3 rd goal.

The Rams forwards Jed Wright, Jordy Campbell, John Bradbury and Tom Rhul fought back strongly with wave after wave of attack. However the Goonellabah defence seemed impenetrable. Revenge didn’t come until the 85 th minute mark with a beautiful flick from John Bradbury spinning the ball past the keeper.

The disappointed Rams finished 1 goal to 4 and will now be fired up to win at Italo Stars on Friday night.

Premier league Reserves Game

The Rams Premier Reserves game against the Goonellabah Hornets was a hard fought match. It seemed the ball possession changed with each tackle see- sawing to each end of the pitch. Rams Keeper Alex Gray was fearless, putting his body on the line to save shot after shot. Anthony Jarvis worked overtime in defence, while Brazilian Thiago Priori kept the crowd entertained with his fancy footwork. Mitch Lindsay worked tirelessly testing the Goonellabah defence.

10 minutes from the half time break, Shane Banks slotted a great pass to Priori. He shot the ball low just inside the left upright with plenty of spin to defeat the keeper and put the rams in front.

Mid way through the 2 nd half Rams defender James Packham showed great skill and resolve to save a certain goal.

Fortunes changed however at the 75 minute mark with a questionable direct penalty awarded to the Hornets which keeper Alex Gray was unlucky not to stop, taking the score to 1-all.

Goonellabah were fired up after their goal and repelled all the Rams could throw at them. However time ran out for the Byron boys and the score stayed at 1 –1. The lads are looking forward to their clash with Italo Stars in Lismore on Friday night.

April 16th 2009 Byron's senior teams are playing first home games on Sat 18th April. After all the wet weather it looks as though the fields will be ready for the first "pointscore" games of the season, although there is uncertainty about field two drying out in time. It's 1pm start for fourths and 1st division reserves with final match 5pm for Premiers. This is the first time the club has fielded a 1st division squad as well as a premiers squad, so there is a lot of interest to see just how competitive the club will be.

 Meanwhile with three ex-club presidents and Sheldon in the lower grade team, all eyes will be on fourths to see what tricks the older boys can come up with.

 The Junior teams begin in another two weeks, so there will be all-day games on the 3rd. That day will be the first big test for the new-look canteen committee. 

 Gold Coast United (the new A-league Club) are using our fields for junior squad trials on Monday 4th of May, 6pm to 8pm. It's for ages 17 to 20 and should be worth a visit to see the best of our North Coast players trying out. Players who want a run should contact FFNC and put in a resume.

 The club is proudly supporting several players to apply for the referees course starting soon. Players aged 13 and up are encouraged to enquire on 0403575795. Why not get paid for being part of the sport you enjoy? The course starts this weekend so hurry.