Cobram Division One men draw with Melrose FC

The second half saw a better performance from both sides in what became a back-and-forth encounter.

Cobram took a 2-1 lead with goals from Kieran O’Donnell and Toby Wane.

The home drew level soon after.

Cobram scored what looked like being the winner in the 85th minute, again through O’Donnell.

The remaining five minutes turned into 15 with all the added time, which saw Melrose equalise and then take a 4-3 lead.

However, the Roar players refused to go home empty-handed, and with Tarkyn Hyde and Charley Ibbotson igniting the team, Cobram earned a penalty in the final moments.

O’Donnell stepped up to secure his hat-trick, tying the game 4-4.

The Roar senior men’s team goes into the Easter break unbeaten after two draws.

Coach Bill Puckett said it was an evenly matched encounter.

“As the game panned out, both teams took and lost the lead,” he said.

“A draw was fair, and it was earned.”

The Division One women faced one of last year’s grand finalists, Melrose FC.

The Roar women went down 1-0 early in the first half after giving away a penalty.

This came not long after key defender Zara O’Loughlin suffered a severe knee injury, which reduced the playing numbers for Cobram.

The 30th-minute mark saw a deflection off a Cobram defender beat goalkeeper Em Ryan.

Consequently, Cobram went into half-time 2-0 down.

The Roar women knew the task ahead and, within 10 minutes, were rewarded with a penalty.

Alyssa Iannucci scored to put the game at 2-1, with Cobram dominating possession and running Melrose into the ground.

Great combination passes gave Melrose no chance to slow Cobram.

Iannucci scored her second goal, but fatigue began kicking in.

Despite a valiant effort, Cobram conceded a goal in the final minute to go down 3-2.