The last time that happened was when we were called the Young Boys, many years ago. And what a way to do it, a great team performance that emulated the Champions League Final a few hours beforehand, where Inter Milan done Bayern Munich 2-0 in Madrid.
Half Time team talk
Alright so the passing and finishing wasn’t quite as slick as Milan, and Calwell Oval isn’t anything like the Estadio Bernabéu, but like the Italian champions we also came away with a 2-0 win, scoring a goal in each half, as we defeated the league leaders Brindabella Blues B on their own ground.
I sat it out on the sidelines this week, after picking up an injury while washing the kit, but the boys didn’t seem to miss me, nor Wally, Alan Greenslade, Paul Carter and Momo. In fact I would have to say it was possibly our best performance so far this season.
The back four dealt competently with anything the Blues threw into the box, and the midfield, generally passed the ball around well and held onto possession, even though we didn’t create as many chances as usual.
There were a few nervy moments when Woody, Branko & Angelo had a wager on who would score the first own goal of the day. Thankfully goalkeeper Johnny Herd was at his reliable best, and pulled off three fine saves to deny the dynamic trio’s goal-bound efforts.
Apart from the threat of his own defenders, the blues rarely looked like scoring, and after absorbing a bit of pressure early on, we went in front after 20 minutes. Kenny Menser slung over a free kick deep into the box and Bill Hardie lost his marker to head past the keeper via the post.
Early in the second half, John Collett picked up the ball 25 yards out and fired in a shot, which looked suspiciously like a toe poke, but hey who cares? It took off like an exocet missile flying through the air into the back of the net to make it 2-0.
The Old Boys played out the rest of the game, with few dramas, keeping the Blues at bay, reducing them to mostly shots from well outside the box.
That’s how it finished 2-0, putting us at the summit and sending a warning to our rivals, that we might be the team to beat this year. Special mention to everyone this week, as most had to play the full 90 minutes, on account of only having two fit subs on the bench. Next week we are back at the same venue to take on Lanyon, looking for revenge after losing the first round 1-0.
I clearly had the first opportunity to put one past Herdy but the ball got stuck under my feet and I somehow managed to skew my shot wide. Branko’s and Ange’s early attempts were even more pathetic.
I did try again in the second half but the ball again skewed off my foot as I pretended to try a clearance – unfortunately the ball went to high although I thought for a second it may curl into the top left hand corner.
Alas, another woeful effort!