PRESS RELEASE
Byron Bay FC are the toast of the Far North Coast after defeating South Lismore in the FFNC Premier League Grand Final.
Goals from Lisandro Luaces and Diego Vasquez were enough to see off Pointscore Champions South Lismore and exact revenge for their 2019 Grand Final loss against the same opposition.
The match began in typical grand final fashion with both teams sizing each other up in a cagey first half with Souths losing their inflection captain, Patrick Cable, to a knee injury after an attempted tackle on Rams captain Ben Butler.
There were limited opportunities in the opening half and it was no surprise when the teams went into the sheds at 0-0.
But the second half was a different story altogether with Byron Bay coming out with a point to prove: dominating possession and field position and beginning to create genuine goal scoring opportunities.
South Lismore did well to hold on, with Byron failing to convert several opportunities before a moment of brilliance opened the scoring.
A clever back-heel from Vasquez found Luaces in just enough space to launch a shot from just inside the box: his effort from distance clipping the bottom of the crossbar onroute to the back of the net. 1-0 to Byron!
South Lismore attempted to regroup and made a handful of forward attacks but Byron were not going to let their lead slip and were given the perfect opportunity to seal the result in the 87th minute.
Latching onto a long pass, the dangerous Luaces was one-on-one with the Souths goalkeeper. With only minutes remaining, Souths defender Connor Whitehall had little choice but to take Luaces out to stop Byron from going two goals up.
Unfortunately for the home side, Whiteball was shown a red card for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity and Byron were awarded a penalty. 2020 Golden Boot, Vasquez, stepped up and converted the penalty with a Panenka.
The 2-0 win was a deserved result for the most attacking team on the Far North Coast, coached by the region’s first ever female head coach of a men’s Premier League side, Belinda Wilson.
It’s the sixth time that Byron Bay has held aloft the Cyril Mayo Cup as Grand Final winners and brings the club’s major silverware haul to 15: combined with their five Pointscore Championships and four ANZAC Cups. Oliver Staunter was awarded the Terry Greedy Medal for Player of the Match.
