EFL 2019: Park Orchards prevails by three points over Upper Ferntree Gully

Park Orchards have been left to rue three narrow defeats this season, but the Sharks were finally on the right side of a close result. And it could have a significant impact on the finals race.

Park Orchards coach Dennis Armfield. Picture: Fabiano Giagnacovo

Three close defeats have gone against Park Orchards this year.

But the Sharks were on the right side of a narrow result on Saturday after a three-point triumph over Upper Ferntree Gully.

Park Orchards trailed at each change but kept the Kings to three behinds in the final term to score a 9.10 (64) to 9.7 (61) win at Kings Park.

After falling to narrow defeats against Lilydale (five points), Croydon (three) and Bayswater (two), the win provided Sharks coach Dennis Armfield with a sense of relief.

In a seesawing final quarter, Tom Jacotine kicked Park Orchards’ last two goals to clinch the victory.

“It’s a bit of confidence to know we can win a tight one,” Armfield said.

“Sometimes some teams just don’t know how to win. I don’t think we were in that mindset but it was just good to show, especially for the young boys in our group, it was just good to show we can win ugly and get the job done.

“If I’m brutally honest, I reckon we can go into our shell a little bit, especially in tight games.

“It was just good to fight out a hard-fought win against a good Upper Ferntree Gully. They’re starting to mix it with some good teams and starting to get some upset wins.

“To go to their home deck, where I don’t think we’ve won at all against them in the past, and get a result is a very big tick to the boys.”

The result lifted Park Orchards to a 5-5 record, holding its place inside the Division 1 top five and keeping its hopes alive of a top-three finish.

Midfielder Ryan Turner won praise for his job on star onballer Tom Meagher.

Meagher was also judged in Upper Gully’s best players but Armfield said Turner limited the influence of the Coburg-listed player.

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“He (Meagher) still got a bit of it but just to nullify the way he got it, I thought Ryan went a long way to helping us,” he said.

Upper Gully led by 15 points at the long break as it looked for a third consecutive win after starting the season 1-6.

But the Kings kicked just two goals after the long break. Armfield said his group was buoyant at three-quarter time that it could finish over the top.

“It was sort of a weird feeling, the boys had a lot of confidence,” he said.

“We knew we were coming and we knew we were putting a lot of pressure on them and we just couldn’t hit the scoreboard.

“We just kept it positive and we were lucky enough to run over them in the end.”

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