The Fernhill Foxes and Helensburgh Thistle made the trip to JJ Kelly Park to face off in the WCG Cranes District League Preliminary Final, with the winner booking a trip to the Grand Final next weekend against Warilla Wanderers. Helensburgh – who finished 4^th on the table with 42 points after 22 matches – booked their spot in the Preliminary Final by first defeating Oak Flats 3-0 in the Elimination Final before dismissing the higher-placed Thirroul Thunder 2-1 in a tense Semi-Final last weekend at JJ Kelly Park. For Fernhill – the minor premiers who walked to the title with a huge 55 points from their 22 matches – their path to the Preliminary Final was a more disappointing one, with the side losing out 3-2 to Warilla last weekend in the Major Semi. It was the Foxes who held the advantage over the Thistle in the regular season, smashing them 5-0 in round 2 before laboring to a 2-2 draw in round 13. But the Thistle were hoping their underdog tag would help them secure their first Grand Final appearance since 2013.

The match kicked off with Helensburgh pushing for an early advantage, with a corner going their way in just to opening seconds. However, the Foxes were able to withstand an early barrage and after the five-minute mark begun to push and create chances of their own, with a pair of lobshots from Mitchell Turner and Toby Napper providing Fernhill with some strong chances in the opening stages.

As rain began to pour down, both sides sought to gain advantage in the midfield and after a brief shower, Fernhill sprung and were able to net the opening goal of the Preliminary Final. A cross into the Helensburgh box was met with the head of Anthony Oliver on the far-left side of the box, and with an expertly placed header, Oliver was able to send the ball to the right of keeper Braiden Gilbert and send the Foxes ahead.

However, not less than sixty seconds later, the Thistle had struck back thanks to Luke van Zyl, who slotted home a powerful shot past keeper Brad Hunter after being in the right spot from a pitch-perfect cross from Naruyuki Kato. With the score locked at 1-1 and Helensburgh striking back so quickly, Fernhill took a brief step back and almost saw Helensburgh jump on this chance, with some great linking play between Kato, Cody Cuthbertson and Brad Watts almost leading to a fantastic team goal, but Watts’ final shot left much to be desired, shooting high over the crossbar.

With moments left in the opening half, Fernhill gained a corner and used it to devastating effect, with Andrew Paine converting the chance through a well struck header to give the Foxes a 2-1 lead going into the break.

With Helensburgh needing to score to stay in the match, they started out the second half with intent, with Cody Cuthbertson being sent through on goal only and disposed, with referee Blake Herbert waving away any penalty calls from the Thistle fans. While Helensburgh continued to create chances, it was not until the 79^th minute, which saw Fernhill midfielder Kolan Hmda dismissed for picking up his second yellow of the match, that things started to shift back towards Helensburgh as they pushed for a late goal.

The Thistle were finally rewarded in the 83^rd minute, with a corner creating a mixup inside the Fernhill box and resulting in Scott Muilwyk hitting the ball into his own net. With just minutes to play in the match, both sides threw everything they had to try and grab a win inside the 90-minute mark, however neither side could find the much-needed breakthrough and thus the match would require another 30 minutes of extra time.

Extra time started with both sides beginning to tire, but within four minutes of the additional period, it was Fernhill who made a huge breakthrough, with a corner from Andrew Paine meeting the head of defender Ryan Hunter and sending the Foxes back into the lead for the third time in the match.

Yet, much like in the opening 45, it was Helensburgh who instantly returned fire, with Brad Watts slotting home a simple shot within sixty seconds of the Fernhill goal being scored to tie the match back up at 3-3. While both sides continued to push for an all-important goal, it was Helensburgh who came closest to securing a win in the extra time period thanks to a cross from Cody Cutherbertson, which only just missed the sliding foot of Darren McDonald.

With neither side the victor after 120 minutes of football, the Preliminary final would come down to the nervous tension of a penalty shootout. With Fernhill shooting first, they were instantly under pressure as Mitchell Turner’s shot smacked against the left post, while Darren McDonald was able to slot home his attempt for the Thistle. The Foxes would miss their second attempt as Ryan Hunter’s shot was saved by Braiden Gilbert, and Helensburgh took advantage of this thanks to a simple shot home from Luke van Zyl. Dale White continued the misery for Fernhill, as his shot was once again saved by Gilbert, meaning a conversion by Thistle captain Luke Wyatt would send his side to the Grand Final. Wyatt was more than happy to oblige, with his long run-up leading to a strong shot into the right-hand side of the net and a passage to the Grand Final.

For Fernhill, the season is over for the minor premiers, who were unable to turn their regular season form into a strong finals campaign, bowing out after two straight losses, more than their entire District League regular season. But for Helensburgh, they secured a rematch of the 2013 District League final, where they will face Warilla for the title. The Wanderers ran out 3-1 winners when these two sides faced four years ago, but the Thistle will have everything to play for come September 23rd at Weatherall Park.

Dylan Arvela spoke with Helensburgh player-manager Brad Boardman after the match about the Thistle’s win - https://soundcloud.com/dylanarvela/brad-boardman-after-burgh-progress-to-grand-final

Fernhill FC – 3 (Oliver 29’, Paine 45’, R.Hunter 94’)

Helensburgh Thistle – 3 (L.van Zyl 30’, Muilwyk (OG) 80’, Watts 95’)

Penalty Shootout

Fernhill – 0 (Turner, R.Hunter and White all missed)

Helensburgh – 3 (McDonald, L.van Zyl and Wyatt all scored)

Saturday the 16th of September 2017 at JJ Kelly Park.

Fernhill FC – Brad Hunter, Ryan Hunter, Tor Preece, Dale White, Anthony Oliver, Andrew Paine, Ilija Prenzoski, Marc Sergi, Mitchell Turner, Toby Napper, Kolan Hmda

Subs – Matt Richardson (on for Oliver), Scott Muilwyk (on for Napper), Damian Warwick (on for Sergi), Hiroki Makita, James McClelland

Coach – Dan McGoldrick

Helensburgh Thistle – Braiden Gilbert, Jarrod Benham, Jaydn Falkiner, Blake Charman, Junya Okamoto, Luke Wyatt, Luke Van Zyl, Kei Mitani, Brad Watts, Naruyuki Kato, Cody Cuthbertson

Subs – Darren McDonald (on for Falkiner), Jason Wellings (on for Kato), Eamon Van Zyl, Brad Boardman (on for Benham), Matt Wardle

Coach – Brad Boardman

Referee – Blake Herbert

Assistant Referees – Emajen Crawley, Damien Dennelly

Report by Cal Behrendt, on Twitter @CalBehrendt