Berkeley Sports earned a 2-0 win over Thirroul Thunder in the Grand Final to lift the Illawarra District League Youth Grade trophy on Saturday afternoon at WIN Stadium.
Jett Needham’s brace proved the difference for the Goats in a solid display from the side.
A lively crowd at WIN Stadium welcomed the players, which stimulated a spirited start from both teams.
The Goats were gifted an opportunity to take the lead within three minutes, being awarded a penalty. Angus Rentoul stepped up and blasted the ball towards the left of the goal, but Thirroul goalkeeper Louis Vercoe sprawled to his right and palmed it to safety.
Thirroul came close to scoring themselves in the 20th minute when James Conway’s shot deflected into Euan Riedy’s path. The striker got control of the ball and prodded an effort onto the left post.
The opening goal arrived half an hour in, with the Goats hitting the front. Needham nodded a left-sided cross onto the crossbar, but the ball fell back to him, and he fired home.
Berkeley survived a few nervy moments to get into the break with their narrow lead intact.
In the 64th minute, Berkeley almost doubled their lead when Kohen White received the middle of the box, side-footing a shot at goal that Vercoe batted away.
The Thunder returned fire four minutes later through Jack Cotterill, whose low shot from outside the area rolled past the left post.
Thirroul continued this pressure in the 74th minute as Jonty Westbrook sent a header from a corner over the bar.
Thirroul continued to trail as the game ticked into stoppage time, throwing more numbers forward in pursuit of an equaliser.
However, right at the death, Berkeley doubled their advantage. Needham set off on a lung-busting run from his own half. He displayed a sharp turn of pace before twisting and turning his defender and finding the top left corner.
Needham’s superb solo effort added the final gloss to Berkeley’s performance as they earned the Youth Grade title.
Report by Tim Gibson
Photos courtesy of Graham Brown
