The game was barely 30 seconds old when Mick Ryan spread the ball wide and found Jamie Subat. Subat then went past a defender and pulled the trigger but his angled shot was off target.
Awaba attacked the Bears goal in the 4th min but Bears keeper Sam Parkinson stood tall and kept his goal in tact with a great 1 on 1 save.
The start to the game was all out attack and the Bears should have taken the lead in the 6th min when Robbie Turnbull had his 1 on 1 with the keeper saved. The Awaba keeper could only manage to deflect his save to Rob McBeth who hit his shot wide.
The 13th min of the match the Bears were awarded a free kick just inside Awaba's half. Christian Okonkwo stepped up and played a pin point ball to a wide Mick Ryan, Ryan rounded the defender and cut the ball back to Robbie Turnbull who neatly stabbed the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead.
Okonkwo was in the thick of it again in the 28th min when he found a free Rob McBeth in the Awaba box. McBeth made no mistake with his header and the Bears looked the goods with a 2-0 lead.
Mick Holt made a good run from the midfield in the 30th min but shot wide of the mark.
The pace of the game was started show on the Bears who 3 days earlier played a strong Lambton side and if not for keeper Parkinson coming off his line well Awaba could well have pulled 1 back in the 34th min.
The game was starting to turn in favour of Awaba and they forced yet another 1 on 1 with Parkinson in the 37th min. Parkinson managed to get a touch on the ball as it was played between his legs but it was Rob McBeth who cleaned up and kept the score at 2-0 with a goal line clearance.
2-0 was the score at half time.
Robbie Turnbull started the 2nd half like the first and almost extended the Bears lead in the 47th min but his header was saved by the Awaba Keeper.
The referee astounded everybody at the ground when he blew and awarded a penalty to Awaba in the 65th min. Awaba Striker Cornwell made no mistake and gave Awaba a chance with the score at 2-1. It was later found that the Penalty was awarded for an elbow to the face of a Awaba player as the corner was being taken.
Awaba by now were starting to run over top of the Bears and in the 67th min they fired a shot high over the bar.
Some of the Bears future was put on show as fresh legs and in the 70th min young striker Max Wallington did what he is known best for and drove a rocket of a shot at the Awaba goal but unfortunately the Awaba keeper was up to the challenge and made the save.
Young Bears replacement Keeper James Wand was straight into the hot seat in the 73rd min after Chris Cousins fouled an Awaba attacker in the area and left the referee not option other than award a penalty. Cornwell again stepped up and left the young keeper no chance, making the score 2-2.
Awaba now had their backs up and the rapidly tiring Bears defence didn't put up much resistance, in the 75th min young Wand repaid Boogaard's faith in him with a fantastic shave to keep the scores level.
It was starting to look like just a matter of time before Awaba took the lead and in the 77th min Wand again made another wonderful save when he tipped a powerfully hit shot onto the crossbar.
The Bears hung on and the score remained 2-2 at the final whistle.
The next day the Bears took on a Armidale Select Side in very hot conditions at Thomas and Coffey Park. Boogaard rested a majority of the squad from the Awaba game with only a few of the 1st team players taking the field for the 1st of the 30 min 3'rds.
With so many of the first team players missing it gave the Bears future players a great chance to prove their worth and they did exactly that with a tough 3-2 victory.
Next Friday night the Bears continue the Pre-season tournament with another game at Edgeworth.
C'MON YOU BEARS!!!!!!!!
