The Parkes Cobras are still searching for their first win in the Western Premier League despite a couple of promising performances on Saturday and Wednesday at Woodward Oval.
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The Cobras fought out a very physical nil-all draw against Panorama FC on Saturday afternoon, before falling to Macquarie United 3-4 in an entertaining game on Wednesday evening.
It means Parkes still sits last on the ladder at the halfway point of the season, with two draws and four losses; though the first year side has been thoroughly competitive in every game they've played.
When asked about having to settle for another draw on Saturday despite generating a multitude of chances, Head Coach Meghan Kempson was succinct, and upbeat.
"I'll take it, it's our first clean sheet for the season!" said Kempson.
She made a number of positional and personnel changes, in particular the back line, and after two games it is clear the defence is looking better equipped to deal with the more physical, quicker attackers in the league.
"We switched Brent 'BJ' Morgan to wing back, and gave him a licence to get forward when he got a chance, but they had some speed in their wings and he was crucial for keeping the clean sheet.
"That will be a permanent move for him, he was absolutely fantastic," said Kempson.
The first game, against Panorama FC, was more akin to rugby league than football, with the visitors clearly expecting to beat up on the Cobras.
The longer the game went on, the more frustrated the visitors got, lashing out as they refused to believe the Cobras could actually give them a run for their money.
"Up until 20 minutes to go we were playing like individuals instead of a team," said Panorama Head Coach Ricky Guihot.
New Centre Back Scott Knights, who was voted Players Player for the game, was one of the key players for the Cobras, winning everything in the air and controlling play from the back.
He ensured the home side didn't get caught up in the mind games and excess physicality of the visitors, which escalated as the match wore on.
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The second game, against Macquarie United, was more akin to ping pong; the clash was very fluid and a high-scoring affair that saw seven goals scored.
Both sides were playing with supreme confidence, and weren't afraid to continually push the envelope in attack; though Kempson was disappointed her side didn't fall on the right side of the ledger.
"We lost the game for ourselves. The ball finally bounced our way with some controversial calls favouring us and we didn't capitalise in the end.
Six of the seven goals came from set pieces, illustrating just how open the clash was, and Kempson was full of praise for the opposition.
"I think structurally Macquarie were the best team we've played so far and I take my hat off to them; it's a pretty gutsy effort to come from 3-2 down with 20 minutes to go and take the win."
Despite still searching for their first win, Kempson said her charges aren't wanting for confidence, and is proud of the way they are applying themselves.
"Our culture at training is fantastic, and the atmosphere is really positive- no boys are giving up and the motivation and hunger is actually getting stronger."
The next game for Parkes will be on Saturday afternoon against Barnestoneworth FC at Jack Brabham Park in Orange.
Parkes Cobras 0 drew Panorama FC 0
Parkes Cobras 3 lost to Macquarie United 4
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