Tolland lock in top spot; Reds leave Lake short in messy affair in Leeton

The Wolves bit back with all their might against Wagga United on Saturday night to secure themselves a five goal win.

The Crows started the game with a bang, as Ben Mitchell found the back of the net in just the second minute.

Tolland didn't let their heads drop though, heading into the break a goal up before firing hard in the second half to earn a 6-1 win.

Vice captain Charlton Zahra said he was pleased with the team's performance.

"The boys played really good, it wasn't our greatest performance but it just shows how strong we can be this year that we're winning 6-1 and not playing with our full strength team," Zahra said.

"It's pretty exciting to think about."

Impressed with how they hit the paddock just two days after their last game, Zahra said the win was a real team effort.

With four goal scorers on the card, including Zahra, versatility in their forward line will be hugely beneficial moving forward.

Nicholas Tsipiras and Adil Sulaiman both scored twice, while Muzban Sulaiman was the fourth.

"This year we've got heaps of goal scorers who are dangerous in their own regards," he said.

"It's just good going forward, we've got more depth, we're a lot more dangerous going forward in different aspects.

"We're not just relying on one person."

Tolland sit at the top of the Pascoe Cup ladder after the round three win, with a massive 13 goals scored so far this season.

Zahra said new faces in the team have been welcomed additions and are gelling well with last year's squad.

Despite the big win, he'd like to see the squad remain focused on playing a 90-minute game.

Admitting to slipping in and out of focus, he said if they can keep their heads in the game for two halves, they will be unbeatable.

The team's response to Wagga United's early goal was a good start.

"The response was perfect," Zahra said.

"I think we took that really well and didn't put our heads down and worked even harder, then we got that great goal by Muzban to bring us to equal and then from there we were just away with it."

Across in Leeton there were cards flying in the 2-2 draw between Leeton United and Lake Albert.

Three Leeton players were served yellow cards, while Lake's Khalaf Mostafa and Mohammad Rahimi were both sent from the field.

Mostafa was delivered a straight red for violent conduct.

Co-coach Chris Ayton said he felt the red was unwarranted and described the incident as a head clash while contesting a throw in.

"We finished two players short," Ayton said.

"Young Mustafa went up for a header off a throw in, for me it didn't look like there was anything in it, it looked like more of a head clash, but the linesmen has come on and said he elbowed him in the back of the head, violent conduct.

"I don't believe it was, I watched the video this morning and don't believe that it was, but it is what it is, you've got to cop it on the chin and move on."

Football Wagga bylaws state that players issued with a red card "shall receive the minimum suspension as per the current years Grievance and Disciplinary Regulations".

Football NSW regulations have first offence violent conduct red cards resulting in mandatory match suspension plus three fixtures.

Meanwhile Rahimi's red was the result of a second yellow card.

Despite the litany of cards, Ayton said that he was pleased that there was none referee abuse among them.

"For me, none of them were for referee abuse, they were for challenges, I think it was a wet sloppy pitch so I think some of them, we were probably just a bit clumsy in the wet," he said.

"You're not going to see too many games where we get five yellow cards in a game, it just doesn't happen for us, and I don't think I need to talk to the boys about any of them."

Ending the game two players short, he was pleased to have ground out a draw but said he expects the team to be better in the coming weeks.

Marking it as the worst game they've played in three years, he couldn't pinpoint what was off, but knows the side is better than the performance they put on.

He's hoping this week the side will return to their usual controlled form.

"They were grinding all game, our defence was great, just our ball playing wasn't there, but I don't expect to see that next week," he said.

"We're happy with the squad we've got, and I think if we play to the best of our abilities, we're going to be more than competitive with whatever is in front of us.

"I think this year there are so many quality teams out there, it's more about who is going to turn up on the day and get the job done."

Tolland 6 (Nicholas Tsipiras 2, Adil Sulaiman 2, Muzban Sulaiman, Charlton Zahra) d Wagga United 1 (Ben Mitchell)

Leeton United 2 (Liam McLaughlin 2) drew Lake Albert 2 (Jaiden Watson, Beck Frostick)

Henwood Park 0 drew Hanwood 0

Yoogali FC 5 (Michael Perre 2, Jacob Rizzeri, Frank Pirrottina, George Pavese) d Young 2 (Javarn Hurcum, Clancy Hislop)