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Balmain accrued two more losses on Saturday. Under 20s gave up a 1-0 lead with less than five minutes remaining to lose 2-1 to 10-man Inter Lions. First Grade went down 3-2, giving up three extremely soft goals in another defeat.

Under 20s started the match with three goalkeepers named in the starting eleven. With Justin Delany in goals, Hiro Fujiwara at right fullback and Jeremy Martin in midfield, it was no surprise the match went 80 minutes before a goal was scored. It was Balmain who broke the drought, giving the Tigers what at that time appeared match-winning lead.

Yet Inter, who earlier had a man sent off, rallied and pulled off an improbable comeback. Two hopefuly forays into the Balmain area resulted in two goalmouth scrambles ending in goals. The match finished 2-1, setting Ivan's side a mountain to climb if a playoff position is to be achieved.

First Grade got off to a dismal start, with a harmless Inter cross bobbling into the net off a Balmain defender to put the Lions up 1-0. A superb cross from Craig Andrews and a strong leap from Jake Flower secured Balmain a headed equaliser, but Inter had time to punish Balmain with a direct breakaway before half-time, making the score 2-1.

The second half started even more poorly for the Tigers, with a mixup in defensive coverage allowing a Lions player to stroll into the area unchallenged and finish with ease.

A nice cross from Dane Maberley was bundled home by Lorenzo Merlino with help from Jake Flower to make it 3-2. With 20 minutes to go, the match was set for a grandstand finish. Yet a disallowed goal and a stunning save by the Lions' keeper off a Maberley volley was as close as Balmain could come, as the Tigers fell to their seventh loss of the season.

Next week it's the crunch match against bottom-placed Hills. Can Balmain shake their home hoodoo? First Grade are still winless at Lambert Park.

There is no training tonight for either grade.

Saturday's game has changed kick-off times. U20s kick off at 3pm and firsts at 5pm. Please be there 1 hour and 15 minutes before kick off.

More frustration was endured for the Tigers over the last week as they went down 1-0 to Stanmore on Saturday night, then produced a stunning comeback to lead Fairfield 3-2 with 5 minutes to go only to concede an equaliser at the death for a 3-3 draw at Lambert Park last night.

The story of Saturday's match at Arlington Oval was like summing up the season so far in 90 minutes. It was a scrappy game with chances at a premium, and Balmain failed to convert the three best opportunities of the match. Stanmore created nothing of note until a deflected shot from the corner of the box looped into the top corner with 15 minutes to play.

The under 20s also endured a forgettable night, being outplayed and overpowered, and going down 3-0 in the end.

That brings us to Wednesday night at Lambert park. The under 20s bounced back from defeat to Stanmore with a 1-0 win over Fairfield. Denny Noor bagged the winner shortly before full time, smacking the ball into the top corner from the edge of the area. With a game in hand and 5th place Inter Lions visiting Lambert Park on Saturday, the finals are still not out of the question for the 20s.

The first grade game against Fairfield was played at a frantic pace from the outset. The ball pinged end to end with both sides eager to attack at every opportunity. Two fantastic early saves from Dan Conway kept the Tigers in the match, first palming the ball onto the crossbar then another onto the post to deny Farifield. Late in the half Fairfield jagged a goal when a mis-hit shot rolled across the six yard box and the unlucky Tom Sowden deflected it past the stranded Conway for an own goal. Worse came within minutes though, as some slack defending allowed Fairfield to play a couple of one-twos around the edge of the area, leaving an unmarked striker with a simple finish from six yards.

What a different story the second half was. The Tigers threw everything at Fairfield from the whistle and had shortly pulled a goal back via a smart finish by Craig Andrews from the edge of the area. The equaliser was provided by Jake Flower who smashed his shot into the roof of the net through a crowd in the penalty area. With the game still flowing from end to end it looked like either side could snatch the points. And with 5 to go, Andrews hit another from outside the box and big Lozza Merlino popped up to deflect it in off his thigh. That wasn't the end though. With Eamonn Byrne off the field concussed after being elbowed in the head off the ball, Fairfield took advantage and scored an equaliser to leave the Tigers once again spitting chips.

Balmain endured a disappointing evening at Lambert Park on Saturday against Mounties. Both grades had a chance to put pressure on teams above them as the playoff race hots up, but both failed to produce. Under 20s went down 5-0, while Firsts crashed 2-1.

Conceding two first half penalties in the Under 20s set the tone for the evening. The side came out in the second half intending to snatch something from the game, though their attacking mindset was punished as the opposition clinically counter attacked. After a good mid-season run put them in a position to challenge for the top five, the Mounties defeat has left the Under 20s with a mountain to climb for their playoff ambition.

First Grade was hungry to bridge the gap on the ladder between the side and the fifth-placed Mounties. A disappointing first period display saw them go down midway through the half. The Mounties striker controlled a difficult ball to bounce his way through a nervous Tigers’ backline before finishing smartly high into the net from a tight angle.

Despite the anxious first half display, the Tigers had their own opportunities. With his back to goal, Dane Maberley drew two defenders then played in Lorenzo Merlino who could only hit the post with the goal at his mercy. Yet Merlino made amends soon after by controlling the ball in the area, turning his marker and sliding a left footed shot past the keeper.

Still, the Tigers were punished by their lack of intensity. Not long before half-time, a back peddling Tiger defence allowed the Mounties forward a free shooting chance from 20 metres. He made no mistake, rifling a shot into the roof of the net.
Balmain came out a different side in the second half. Though they enjoyed a larger share of possession and territory, Balmain could not find the equaliser. The match would have been put beyond them had Dan Conway not pushed a feverish drive from a Mounties midfielder onto the post midway through the half.

More action was to be found at the other end of the pitch. With the goal at his mercy, Jackson Gothe-Snape couldn’t bring down a volley after a half-cleared free-kick. Lorenzo Merlino couldn’t beat the keeper one on one. A corner was cleared off the line amid claims for handball. Then Jeremy Pettenon fired a glistening strike towards the top left corner, only to see the keeper dive full length to his right to divert the ball away. The Tigers were to fall agonisingly short.

Wednesday night's postponed fixture against Schofields unfortunately turned out to be a bit of a farce. One of the light towers failed during the U20s game, forcing the game to be abandoned with Schofields leading 1-0 during the first half. An electrician was called to perform maintenance and the tower was fixed and the referees decided that the first grade game could go ahead as scheduled.

Sadly with Balmain leading 1-0 and the opposition down to 10 men after a brutal off the ball incident, half the lights on every tower went out during the half time interval. Football NSW has decided that both games must be replayed in full at a date to be announced.

So we look forward to Saturday night's home clash against Mounties FC, hoping that the Lambert Park lights stay on! Both grades will be looking to continue their good recent form and kick-start a run into finals contention.