Fresh from a confidence-boosting win in the first round, our young team faced the daunting prospect of a difficult away clash against Patrician Brothers Blacktown. Training sessions with coach Sonny Makko in the early hours of Tuesday mornings this year had left our squad keen as ever to put in to practice the highly technical brand of football we have been developing in the squad.
Despite the obvious differences in the teams between age and size, as well as the fact that four of our more experienced starters had been sidelined due to injury, the young THAC team looked forward to kick off with everything to play for and every hope of advancing to the next round. Almost as soon as the game had started however, we were effectively out of the contest. Four breaks, four shots, four goals, all in the space of the first ten minutes, saw our chances disappear before they really appeared. In spite of not conceding another goal and a dominant second half which saw us peg a goal back thanks to the ever-mercurial Justin Vidic and his tireless efforts up front, our lacklustre first ten really ruled out a come-back and the game finished 4-1.
The bus ride back to Middleton Grange was long and silent but through the din of Friday afternoon traffic, Sonny’s full-time words about effort and character were already beginning to bear fruit.
Lisa Close
Senior School Sports Coordinator