After starting the game strongly, Manyana were the first on the score sheet to take the early ascendancy in the match.

Wide midfielder Jackson Daley got the ball just outside the 18-yard box and drove the ball into the top left corner to make it 1-nil.

Shortly into the second half, some slick play by Ben Rawlinson down the right edge saw Heads on the attack.

Rawlinson cut the ball back into the box for Connor Edenden to finish neatly and equalise for the home side.

With time running out, Manyana made a move and it was Max Zappas who got through the defence to go one-on-one with the keeper.

His shot was saved, but a follow up from Daley allowed him to slot his second goal, giving him a brace and Manyana the win.

Manyana coach, Rob Barrett, said he was pleased to get the win in a match were there weren’t too many clear cut chances.

“It was a strange game… both sides started slowly and played a similar style of football.

“It’s probably fair to say we are overachieving at the moment but we’re hanging in there and getting results which is good,” said Barrett.

Heads coach, Brad Banks, said it was a disappointing match and one that they will put behind them.

“We like to play a fast brand of football, but it felt like we were just rushing too much yesterday and we created a hell of a lot of turnovers as a result.

“We were second to the ball, we lacked energy and intensity… it just wasn’t the Heads I wanted to have out there,” he said.

Banks said in what was a good battle between the two sides, he was disappointed with the confrontational manner of the referee.

“I’m a huge supporter of officials and I want to see more referees in our area.

“But the way that the match official was speaking to some of the players and in particular the Manyana crowd and officials, was really disappointing,” he said.

Banks said he wasn’t making excuses about the result, which he believed Manyana deserved to win. 

“The referee had no direct influence on the way we played and credit to Manyana, they were hungry and first to the ball,” he said.

Banks said with a double head fixture this weekend, his side will be going back to basics this week.

“We’re turning the ball over far too easily… trying to play miracle balls so we’ll need to work on that.

“We had opportunities to level and maybe even win, but we just kept finding the keeper. 

“We need to create those simple opportunities and finish when we create them,” said Banks.

For Manyana, Barrett noted Jackson Daley and goal keeper Matt Ringland for their strong performances, while Banks said goal keeper David Crapp was a standout for his side.