Round 12 of the SAASL saw Stirling Districts travel to Modbury to take on the Modbury Jets. Weather conditions were perfect, unlike the state of the pitch which had been chopped up from the reserves game beforehand.

From the outset the game was expected to be somewhat of a scrappy encounter with the centre of the pitch resembling more of a mud pit rather than a deck suitable for football. This meant the majority of the play would be focused down the wings which provided plenty of action for Brian Stephens, Leigh Kuerschner, Martin Nitschke and Sean Lang. It was a game of who could take their chances and unfortunately for Stirling the Jets took both chances in the first half to go into the break with a two goal lead.

Like numerous times this season the Aces did not deserve to be behind but had to dig deep to try and get something out of the game. This showed in the second half with Stirling keeping possession and pressing for a goal to get back into the game. Arnie Barnard dominated in the midfield with some creative weaving runs with Lewis Coulls interceptions and passing abilities on display.

The breakthrough came half way through the half after some intricate passing down the left had Lang running onto a perfectly weighted ball on the top of the box. Without hesitation Lang curled his shot around the outstretched keeper into the top right hand corner. Fresh legs of Michael Henn, Paul Teteris and Craig Fraser were introduced while Scott Matter ran everything down up front in search of an equaliser. Chances came and went but ultimately the Jets ran the clock down and were happy to take the 2-1 result.

Stirling Districts senior men’s side headed into the SAASL Premier Division Round 2 fixture away to Adelaide Uni. The Aces were confident after last week’s performance and looked to bank the team’s first points of the new campaign.

From kick off the home team dominated the opening twenty minutes of the game with the Aces on the back foot and looking very flat. Uni took advantage of this and capitalised with an early goal after the ball was cheaply given away. Soon after it was 2-0 with the defensive unit of Simon Dawe, Lewis Coulls, Brian Stephens and Kaylem Short left exposed once again. Keeper Gareth Butler pulled off a great penalty save after a weak penalty was awarded to Uni, however the referee ordered the spot kick to be retaken and the Uni striker hit his shot wide. Still lucky to be in the contest, Stirling woke from its slumber and begun to get into the game but lacked possession up front with Jonathon Gomez constantly dealing with multiple defenders. A passing error as the ball was played out of defense late in the first half was punished by the home team, which now led 3-0 going into the break.

The second half was a much closer affair with Gomez replaced by Luke Marquis, and Josh Lushington spear heading the attack. The half time change saw the Aces mount a lot more defensive pressure on the home team and it finally took its toll halfway through the half with Burden being fouled in the box. Josh Hill took the responsibility and calmly converted the spot kick. Michael Henn and Martin Nitschke worked up and down the pitch all game and B’s captain Josh Goldsworthy entered the game with 15 to go. Chances were created up at both ends in the final 15 minutes but to no avail.

A good second half for the Aces but work needs to be done on maintaining consistency for the entire 90 minutes which has hurt the team in the opening two rounds. This week the Aces will look to open their account when hosting the Modbury Jets at Bradwood Park, who have also lost the opening two rounds of the 2016 season.

Stirling Districts were eager to snatch three points in the opening round of the season. Under the guidance of new A grade manager Stephen Spencer, the Aces wanted to set a winning precedent for the year.

With ideal conditions, the stage was set for a highly consented battle against Sturt Marion. The game began with a high tempo style of football with both teams laying a number of tackles early on. As both teams traded attacking blows, a Sturt Marion player struck goalkeeper Jarrod Thrun in the head with a late challenge. After treatment to stop the bleeding, Thrun bravely returned to see out the remainder of the game. The defensive four continued to counteract Sturt Marion’s advances as debutants Brian Stephens and Kaylem Short showed confidence alongside Simon Dawe and Lewis Coulls.  Collectively, the Aces looked dangerous with a number of attacking opportunities. Both Martin Nitschike and Richard Dawes provided bursts of speed on the wing and this attributed to Stirling’s overall momentum. Following a terrible passage of defensive play by Sturt, Jonathon Gomez won a contested battle to allow Nitschike to fire away a thunderous strike. The Aces compounded the pressure against Sturt through the work rate and tenacity of Michael Henn and Joel Byrth in the midfield. Josh Hill supplemented the Ace’s overall attacking movement through his speed and awareness. Stirling entered the half time break with confidence.

Unfortunately, the second half did not reflect the first and Stirling found themselves falling victim to three goals from defensive corners. This was beyond disappointing for the playing group but all 11 players on the park maintained an incredibly high work rate. Late substitution in James Laughton and Luke Marquis provided final burst of energy but it was to no avail. Late in the second half, Gomez found himself in a scoring position to open is goal count for the year. Although a sub-optimal start to the season, the Aces can take a number of positives from the encounter.