It's not too often Dubbo FC is caught unawares but that was the case during a loss to the impressive Panorama FC in round one of the new Western Premier League season on Saturday.
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With some new faces and a new style of play, Panorama shot out of the gates and surprised the Bulls at Hans Claven Oval and a slick first half hour set-up a 2-1 victory.
The Bathurst side stretched the Bulls early on and managed to find plenty of space on their way to scoring twice in the first 30 minutes.
The Bulls regathered during the break but while they had plenty of possession in the second half they struggled to create many opportunities.
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In the final few minutes Nelson Flick scored what proved to be just a consolation goal in what was a disappointing start to the new campaign.
"They came out with a different structure to what we expected and that threw us. We probably struggled all game to adapt," Bulls player-coach Scott Fox said.
"We had a lot of possession, probably a bit more than them, but it's not worth it when you don't create chances.
"That was the story for us. We had lots and lots of possession but Panorama was too good and we couldn't get a crack at the goal so that's a credit to them."
There was plenty of similarities between the goals scored by the Goats on Saturday.
Matt Hobby struck the first inside the first 10 minutes while it wasn't too long before Steve Long doubled the advantage after plenty of space was found inside the Bulls' half.
"They dragged our defence out of position and then it was a one-on-one with one of our defenders and we were too slow to recover," Fox said of the first goal.
"The second goal was pretty similar. We found ourselves out of position and let them in behind us and within 25 minutes or so it was 2-0 and that changed the game. We found it hard to create chances after that."
While it wasn't the ideal result for Bulls, starting a season slowly is nothing strange for the four-time WPL champions.
Last season Fox's side suffered a 1-0 loss to Dubbo rivals Macquarie United in round one while the year before they started the campaign with a 1-1 draw with Panorama.
Like so many other sporting teams in the region, the build-up to the 2022 season had also been challenging for the Bulls due to COVID cases and players having to isolate at different times.
"It's been a bit of a disrupted pre-season but we had a Premier League squad there and we just need to be better," Fox said.
"We can start slowly ... it's good to get it out of the way and it gives us a good idea of where we are at. I'm glad it was Panorama because I think they'll be one of the top teams and gives us a good gauge of where we're at and what we can improve.
"Hopefully we can work our way up the ladder now."
The Bulls host Lithgow in next weekend's second round.
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Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
