ALL looked lost for Oxley Vale Attunga after just 10 minutes of its Premier League first grade clash against North Armidale in Tamworth on Saturday.
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It was a disastrous start for the Mushies as North Armidale found the back of the net in stunning style twice in the first ten minutes.
However, the side rallied for the remainder of the first half, eventually claiming a goal in the shadows of half-time.
From there, the Mushies controlled much of the play but were unable to find an equaliser.
That was until the 60th minute of the game were the team lifted to find an equaliser and secure a point form Saturday's clash.
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Mushies coach Mitchell O'Keefe told the Leader his side "showed a lot of heart" to get back into the contest.
"We started off really slowly and were on the back foot for much of the first half," O'Keefe said.
"I think we had the same sort of problem last year with starting games really sluggishly and then taking a while to get into it.
"It's certainly something we will look to improve on, but I was really pleased with the heart our guys showed to get themselves right back in the game."
It wasn't all smooth sailing after the equaliser as North Armidale came home with a wet sail in the final 10 minutes of the game.
"North Armidale were really pressing there late in the game," O'Keefe said.
"Our goal keeper did a fantastic job pulling off four or five big saves to ensure we finished with a draw."
In Saturday's other first grade Premier League action, Tamworth FC proved too strong for North Companions finishing with a 4-1 victory.
Saturday's games were the first of a Premier League double header with the Mushies set to take on North Companions on Sunday, while Tamworth FC will travel to play North Armidale.
"All of our guys have pulled up pretty well from Saturday's game," O'Keefe said.
"We prepared for it during the week and I think our main focus will be on trying to execute our game plan.
"It goes without saying that we can't afford to start slowly again today [Sunday], so we will be looking to gain control early and play the game on our terms."
Sunday's action begins at 3pm.