Wests SC 0

WHILE it might have not been the the highest scoring game, yesterday at Henderson Oval was a historic occasion for the local competition, with Griffith City Football Club making their official on-field debut.

The game might have just been a pre-season fixture with no baring in the team's fortunes in six months' time, but the performance put on the park by Griffith City suggests they will be a force in the competition as the year continues.

Griffith City coach Ross Panebianco said he was very pleased by the effort of his side despite having to deal with forming new teams with unfamiliar players.

"I'm pretty happy with today (Sunday); it was a pretty competitive match really with Wests giving a pretty good account of themselves and we'd like to think we matched them," Panebianco said.

"It's a good time for us to have a hit out; we've still got a bit of work to do, but that's what trial games are all about.

"It's a bit harder to get it together when you're bringing together two clubs - some players you know, some you don't so it has taken a while to come together.

"But we've got an idea on how we want to play and it showed in patches particularly in the first half, in the second half I think things fell away because of fitness."

Panebianco's counterpart Bryan Salvestro said he was suitably impressed with the very early season form of the competition's newest club and predicted if they live up to their potential they could be a top three side.

"I think they've got a lot of experience there and they have got a lot of good players up the centre and that probably showed in the last 10 minutes when everybody was getting tired; they kept their heads a bit better," Salvestro said.

"I think because they're such a new side they have to work with a lot of new players, but we're in the same boat as well with all of the guys coming over from England, but I think if they keep going as they are then by halfway through the season they'll definitely be in the top three.

"But the improvement in our side has been tremendous, and even though both of the games were draws I think we controlled the game.

"We were creating the chances, but with Ben (Phillips) injured we were a bit lacklustre up front and to Exies (Griffith City) credit they were pretty good in their defence."