Local derby ends in a draw

Ipswich City player Alex Kitching (right) joins a Bulls team-mate in stopping Knights goal scorer Matt Savinni during Saturday’s Reserve grade local derby at Bundamba.

Sarah Harvey

IT was a local derby Ipswich football is renowned for.

One Ipswich team had the finesse and superior skills; the other regional side had tenacity and sheer desperation.

While the Ipswich Knights created enough chances to win three or four nil, they had to settle for a 0-0 draw in Saturday night’s gripping battle at Bundamba.

The Ipswich City Bulls arrived as underdogs in their second match back in Division 1.

However, last year’s Division 2 champions produced the fighting spirit that many Ipswich sides of the past found in tight situations.

Knights stand-in coach Ian Carson summed it up perfectly as he stood quietly outside his team’s sombre dressing room.

“They (the Bulls) will be celebrating. We’re hurting,” Carson said. “We probably treat this as a loss.

“I’ve never seen a team (Bulls) celebrate a draw so much.”

Carson and Pat Boyle took over the coaching duties at Eric Evans Reserve with regular top grade mentor Billy Livingstone serving a three-week suspension.

Having watched his father Matt feature in many tough local derbies as coach of Ipswich United, Carson said Saturday night’s clash had some qualities seen in past encounters with United’s fierce rivals Coalstars.

“They (the Bulls) were desperate, very desperate,” Carson said.

“There’s no finesse about them. They just did what they had to do.

“They’re going to have a tough year in front of them but if they commit like that for 90 minutes, they might drag a few points out teams.”

While the Knights pondered a lack of goals, Bulls coach Trent Abel smiled his approval.

“If we can show that desperation and we stick together, we can do it,” Abel said.

“The boys worked hard at it.

“We still played some good football.”

Abel conceded the Knights had more skill, much like last year’s local derby rivals Western Spirit.

“But you can not go past character, mate,” Abel said.

“You’re always in with a chance.

“If the boys play the way they did last year, we’ll compete no matter who we play.”

Carson warned the team that catches the Knights at their best will suffer a big deficit.

“We just have to be patient to destroy other teams,” he said.

“If we were five percent quicker, we would have wore them down.

“We could have had a bag full (of goals). Next week.”

Carson received encouragement when his Reserve grade team outclassed the Bulls 4-0.

After a scoreless first half, the Knights stamped their authority with weaving speedster Matt Savinni scoring a double.

Ben Ungermann headed home the second before newcomer Phil Wantenaar contributed a late goal.

Regular first grader Alex Weatherby produced a classy performance, well supported by workhorses Damian Hoffman and Stu Hinks.

Knights teenage goalkeeper Travis Arnold collected his team’s man-of-the-match honours.

“I’m very proud of the boys,” Carson said. “They work very hard, they are a good unit.”

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Bulls boss happy with draw