Thirteen matches across the state and 56 goals scored. But a 1-0 result played in Mount Gambier was the absolute highlight of Round 3 of the Westfield FFA Cup.

Western Border Soccer Association power, Apollo pulled off the biggest surprise of the first qualifying round in South Australian when it stunned Adelaide based, Cumberland United, 1-0 at Webb Street on Saturday.

Fellow Mount Gambier side International SC also played last weekend, but it found the going tough in Adelaide when beaten 13-0 by MetroStars, the same team which topped the PlayStation 4 National Premier League South Australia ladder in 2014.

Saturday’s match was all square at half time as tensions mounted, but former Sharks player, Tobbei Kennett, now sporting the blue and white strip of Apollo after earlier in his WBSA career, playing with the Gambier City Sharks, was in the right spot at exactly the right time.

“We had a set piece of play and were able to get a corner kick,” said Apollo coach, Derek Ferguson.

“From that kick, Kennett got in the right position and was able to head the ball into the back of the net.

“It was at about the 75th minute mark of the second half and instead of our players going on the defensive to try and preserve the lead, we set about trying to score again and kill off the game altogether.

“We had three or four chances to goal, but the Cumberland keeper, Luke Schowen made some tremendous saves.”

With the knowledge that Cumberland had to back up on Easter Monday to play a PlayStation 4 National Premier League match, Derek Ferguson was confident the visitors would be fielding a relatively younger side than originally anticipated.

“Naturally I knew we would start as underdogs, but I also thought if we can keep the pressure on their younger players early in the match, we might be able to strike at some stage,” Ferguson said.

“As a club, we have performed pretty well in most competitions over the last couple of years, so we had enough confidence to give the Cumberland match our best shot.

“It worked out perfectly and the end result, is not just good for the Apollo Soccer Club, but for the WBSA and the general soccer community here and from all other regional country areas around Australia.

“It shows that a little country based club can match it with some of the best city based teams,” he added.

The second qualifying round of the South Australian component is scheduled for the weekend 24-26 April with the draw done Tuesday of this week.

Apollo now has a date with the Croydon Kings which is currently sixth on the PlayStation 4 National Premier League South Australia ladder and last Saturday accounted for Cove 4-1 in its Westfield FFA Cup fixture.