Match Report By Ben Fitzpatrick

It was a day where almost everything except for the final score went wrong for the BankWest Perth Saints in their must win clash against the Perth Hills on Sunday.

Whilst the majority of the lads gathered for a late brunch at the Queens before the trip to Mundaring, it was confirmed that not only had the drink bottles been forgotten but so had the balls for the warm up. Scott Fletcher, the Saints play maker, threw a spanner in coach Lambert's plans as a late withdrawal due to work commitments, with the Saints already having an entire team absent.

Arriving at the match, the Saints were in further disarray as Mundaring donned a new white kit where they previously wore black or green. Strip manager Fitzpatrick fooled by the incorrect details on the Football West website had brought the Saints white change kit.

Luckily enough, the Hills officials were fantastic enough to allow the Saints to don a 1960's retro Mundaring United strip in canary yellow and green, that looked like they could go up in flames at any minute. To make matters worse they were the colours of Saints rivals Melville City.

Within two minutes of kick off, second gamer Stefan Lombardo limped off with a recurrence of a thigh injury sustained at training and was to take no further part. Saints winger Alex Vaughan, who was due to rest for this fixture was suddenly thrust into the coal face. The Mundaring pitch was hard and bumpy and was not conducive to any sort of attractive football.

Despite all of the setbacks, the Saints took the lead after 10 minutes, Vaughan cutting inside and threading a fine ball through for Walbach to finish coolly past the keeper in front of only one half, but better looking of his support crew.

That was to be as good as it got for the Saints in the remainder of the first half, as the Hills took the challenge up to the visitors who played one of their worst 45 minutes in recent memory.

Hills equalised just after the 20 minute mark as the defence were caught napping, a cross field through ball found the lurking number 12 who slotted home under Lambert. It was number 12's only meaningful contribution for the entire match, save for a poorly timed lunge on Saints keeper Lambert that earned him a yellow card. The interesting tactic of number 12 to stand within two yards of the right touchline for the entire game was bemusing to say the least.

The Saints were terrible, constantly losing the ball and unable to pass more than five yards without giving it away as the Hills pressed. The goal finally game 10 minutes before half time after Dusan Sevo lost a long free kick in the sun and the Mundaring number 14 flicked a header past a despairing Lambert on the line.

Harsh words were dished out to the boys during the interval as the players needed to re-evaluate their impact on the game. Thankfully for the Saints, the words were heeded and the visitors came out a different side in the second half.

Some early pressure from the yellow and greens saw a corner only half cleared to the lurking Darren Harman on the edge of the area who hit a bouncing ball through the crowded area and into the net to equalise the game at 2-2.

The early goal was what the Saints needed and the boys could sniff another and it duly came only eight minutes later as Sean Morgan capped off a fine move to slot past the keeper and make it 3-2.

From the kick off, Morgan tackled the Hills number 14 who was stretchered off after a lengthy delay in what seemed to be an innocuous challenge in the centre circle.

The delay didn't affect the Saints who looked the stronger side as the Hills defence began to wilter in the low sun directly in their faces. Morgan wasted a hat-trick of chances to put the Saints well clear but it was left to Ferreira to seal the result after terrific work from Morgan down the right side to power into the box and cut back from the byline through the legs of Murray to Ferreira who stroked home.

The icing was put on the cake in the last minute as Morgan raced onto a delightful Murray through ball to round the keeper and slot home to boost the Saints goal difference and maintain their five match unbeaten run heading into the second round of the Social Cup next weekend.

May 5, 2008