Sport
15 July, 2026
United fail against Dolphins
INNISFAIL United’s under-23 men were thrown into chaos just minutes into their away clash with Stratford, conceding a controversial early goal before their captain was sent to the sin bin all within the opening five minutes.
Down to 10 men and trailing 2-0 almost immediately, the Cutters faced a mountain of work to stay in the contest.
Stratford capitalised on the advantage and a cruel slice of misfortune saw an attempted clearance deflect into Innisfail’s own net for the opposition’s third goal.
But Innisfail refused to fold. Just before half-time, Warren Nabanga clawed one back to make it 3-1 and spark some much needed momentum.
Innisfail lifted again in the second half, with Kenneth McMaster halving the deficit to 3-2, but despite their fightback, time ran out before they could complete the comeback.
Coach Chris Clauss praised the team’s resilience.
“It was credit to the boys for showing mentality and clawing their way back,” he said.
“Looking ahead, we’ll aim to improve how we start games so we can put a more consistent 90 minutes on the park.”
The premier men also endured a tough outing against Stratford, falling 2-1 despite leading for most of the match.
Innisfail struck first through a well-worked goal created by Liam Crossland and finished by Glen Kalchiwota.
But late drama overshadowed the performance, with confusion surrounding a red card shown to French midfielder Ulysse Malek.
Coach John Cavanah said he was pleased with the team’s effort but frustrated by the result.
“The send off certainly didn’t help,” he said.
“I didn’t see what the referee saw, but he explained Ulysse was in a grapple during our attacking free kick,” he said.
That same free kick added further insult to injury when Innisfail’s centre half suffered a deep gash above his eye after a nasty head clash with the goalkeeper and was taken to hospital, joining Harry Corica, who had earlier been stretchered off with a serious knee injury which may see him sidelined for the rest of the season.
“A win against Stratford was crucial for us to get to 17 points and stay within reach of the top teams,” Mr Cavanah said.
With eight games remaining, the Cutters will need at least six wins to stay competitive in the race for finals.