A SECOND-half "fade out" has cost North Companions a vital win against South Armidale.
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Northies squandered a 3-0 first-half lead to play out a 3-3 draw, where Northies coach Jackson Zifodya hit out a "disappointing" referee call, which saw a victory go begging.
"In my opinion, we have really been on the wrong end of the stick with the referees lately," Zifodya told the Leader.
"South Armidale's first two goals were really good, but the penalty was really disappointing from our perspective.
"I'm not one to complain, but it was a disappointing way to lose."
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Playing host to the Scorpians at Riverside, Northies had the better of the first half, leading by three goals before the half-time whistle.
Souths managed to salvage one goal moments before the break to help breathe life back into the contest.
From there, Northies tried manfully to shut down the game, but the visitors would not be denied scoring a second midway through the second half.
It was this goal that Zifodya described as "a turning point" in the game.
"I think we really surprised South Armidale in the first half," he said.
"However, after half-time Souths took control of the game and kept pressuring us.
"We lost concentration for about five minutes or so and allowed them to score a second, which made us panic a bit."
Zifodya said his team could "hold their heads high" after Saturday's performance.
"Our guys did play pretty well in the end," he said.
"I was particularly impressed with the work of our goal keeper Josh Tumbridge.
"I haven't seen too many better performances by a goal keeper at this level, he was outstanding."
The draw means Nothies slip down to fifth position on the Premier League ladder behind Oxley Vale Attunga, who scored a 6-1 win over East Armidale on Saturday.
"We have about five games to go and they are against the likes of North Armidale, Oxley Vale Attunga and Tamworth FC," Zifodya said.
"However, I am confident my team can match it with all of them.
"While the weekend's loss was disappointing, I'm confident we can bounce back in the coming weeks and hopefully secure a finals spot."