Comets win heated clash

By Marc McGowan
THE Casey Comets ended their three-game losing skid – and halted Keilor Park’s four-match unbeaten streak at the same time – with a 3-0 victory in the teams’ spiteful Women’s Premier League clash at Comets Stadium on Sunday.
The win also enabled the Comets to leapfrog Keilor Park into seventh position on the table and has them six points outside the top five.
However, the contest will be remembered more for a 65th-minute incident involving Keilor Park’s Teadora Blint and Casey’s teenage striker Lisa Cloke.
With tempers already running high between the rivals, a challenge from Cloke drew an angry response from Blint which left her opponent writhing in pain.
It sparked a mini-melee before the referee intervened and handed Blint a red card.
The ugly action on the field was only matched by the disgraceful behaviour from several members of the crowd, whose abuse-laden attacks on the referee and other officials went far beyond an acceptable level.
A yellow card dished out 10 minutes later to Keilor Park’s Jolene Miller to further diminish the game as a spectacle.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Football Federation Victoria communications manager Mark van Aken said the league had not received a report from the encounter, but expected something to arrive in the ensuing days.
Neither club was able to score in an even first 45 minutes, with few chances created.
That changed quickly after half-time when star Comet midfielder Leigh Terek slid a slick pass to Melissa Atherton, who knocked the ball into the net from the left side of the box.
Terek scored another soon after and by the time Linda Restrepo put Casey three goals up the result was in little doubt.
The triumph was particularly noteworthy for the Comets after they decided on the morning of the contest not to risk captain Jeni Black’s neck injury.
Casey coach Deborah Nichols was not surprised at the emotion between the two rivals.
“We always seem to have a tense game with Keilor whenever we play at Cranbourne,” she said. “They don’t get much joy when they come to us – we’ve won some close ones against them.”
While Nichols was disappointed at the row between Blint and Cloke, she believes it was just “one of those things”.
“It’s the same if you go to a men’s game – things happen and I suppose it goes over the line sometimes,” she said. “At the end of the day, if something blows up we look to the senior players to look after the younger ones and they did that.”
The Comets’ reserves lost 1-0 despite dominating proceedings to continue their unlucky season.
Casey is back at Comets Stadium at 1pm this Sunday for its pivotal match-up with Sandringham in a game that may decide which of the two teams makes the finals.
The reserves take to the pitch first at 11am.