Thistles still in the finals race

THISTLES kept their season alive when the return of talismanic captain Darren Beardow helped inspire the Blues to a 3-1 win over Ballina in the elimination semi-final at Saunders Park, Ballina, on Friday night.

The silky midfielder shrugged off a hamstring injury that threatened to end his season to take the field and score the opening goal for the Blues.

Nippy striker Jake Nind ran the ball to the bye-line and cut back a pass for the perfectly positioned Beardow, whose first-time shot gave Ballina goalkeeper Lucas Wagland no chance.

The two combined again for Thistles' second goal, with a through ball from Beardow releasing Nind for a clean finish.

Ballina had periods of pressure at times and forced a string of corners but failed to capitalise, leaving the half-time scoreline at 2-0.

Soon after the restart Ballina lost midfielder Dylan Monnox to injury, but still managed to get back in the game with a goal from Andrew Lundie and they began to trouble the Thistles defence.

But the complexion of the game changed when Seahorses flanker Jake O'Grady suffered a badly broken leg, delaying the match for more than half an hour before he was taken away by ambulance.

The long break disrupted Ballina's rhythm and allowed Thistles to regroup, with a late goal from Brenton Parrish wrapping up the win.

“It was good to see a bit of discipline from the boys and see them play to their potential,” Blues coach Ken MacPherson said.

He praised young striker Jake Nind for his best game of the season, along with Beardow, whose composure and leadership helped keep Thistles on track.

Goalkeeper Nick Baker also made a vital save from a corner that would have allowed Ballina to level the scores at 2-all.

Best for the Seahorses were goalkeeper Wagland and Andrew Lundie and O'Grady, until his injury.

“It was a close game and if we'd taken our chances I feel we would have got on top of them, but it wasn't to be so our season's over,” Ballina coach Rod Troughton said.

Thistles now face the difficult task of beating Pottsville on the Panthers' home turf in the minor semi-final to keep their grand final hopes alive.

“It's game by game now but if we keep playing like this we might upset a few sides yet,” Blues coach MacPherson.