Lions midfielder Andy Brown and Floreat Athena defender Julian Madaschi in action at Macedonia Park. Photo: Peter Simcox
Athena - a team that won a night cup, and then was also widely touted to be dead and buried by week seven.
Then during the mid-season the side underwent a Nazareth like rise to being in contention for sneaking itself into the five. Now suddenly we are finishing the way the league campaign started.
This roller coaster of a season of extreme emotions can't finish quickly enough.
Our early season form was peppered with a massive number of unlucky moments that consistently saw the team playing very well but being extremely unlucky to not secure three points on several occasions. This run in to the end of the season has seen the side uncharacteristically beaten comprehensively.
It is clear the boys are working hard out there with not a lot of luck.
However as our ever popular senior coach Ante Kovacevic - who has been with the club five years now - has lectured us so often on the finer aspects of the often over used cliché -
“In football you have to make your luck”.
However as our ever popular senior coach Ante Kovacevic - who has been with the club five years now - has lectured us so often on the finer aspects of the often over used cliché -
“In football you have to make your luck”.
Dead rubber – Maybe for the Weak or Faint Hearted!
An unusual circumstance had arisen for our second last league game for the season.
Dead rubber is a term used in sporting parlance to describe a match in a series where the series result has already been decided by earlier matches. The dead rubber match therefore has no effect on the winner and loser of the series, other than the number of matches won and lost.
Dead rubber is a term used in sporting parlance to describe a match in a series where the series result has already been decided by earlier matches. The dead rubber match therefore has no effect on the winner and loser of the series, other than the number of matches won and lost.
The term is widely used in Davis Cup and Fed Cup tennis, as well as in international cricket and field hockey series. However, when the term is used to describe a football match involving Floreat Athena FC – it is no laughing matter.
Athena vs Stirling – the scene was perfectly set. A Sunday away fixture, idyllic sunny conditions, an impressive playing surface, a reasonable crowd, but strangely the two fierce rivals steeped in history and tradition had nothing more than pride to play for. For this was the battle for mid-table supremacy over mid-table mediocrity.
While the fixture bore no significance for top 5 finals aspirations for either clubs - since these coveted spots were decided the day before, however the best remedy to heal this mortal pain would be a victory over the Lions at their den.
For this is what the doctor and the faithful who made the awkward ‘pilgrimage’ into enemy territory – ordered for their cure.The Match
Athena made three changes to the side that lost 0-3 to ECU Joondalup in round 24. In came Miki Vujacic, Mark Pritchard, Calum Fransz, Liam Boland and Kyle Moran dropped to the bench, while Jarrad Smith was omitted.
Midfielder Ludovic Boi scored twice, to help Stirling Lions to a 3-1. Boi has history of hurting Athena over several years now. None more empathic than last years State league Cup Final where the tricky midfielder, settled the contest in the 32nd minute, with the winner.
On Sunday, Phil O'Callaghan had given Doug Hesketh's side the lead on four minutes, before Damien Catalano levelled for the visitors seven minutes later. It was an exciting start to the match.
Athena who were looking to break a two game losing streak, hit back at 11 minutes with the equaliser. Lions midfielder Boi gave the ball away on the edge of the Lions penalty area, and he was made to pay, Catalano curling his shot into the top corner of the net from 16-yards, giving Lions' keeper Hugo no chance
Boi's first goal regained the lead for the Lions before half time, and the former Perth Glory Youth player made it 3-1 on 67 minutes to win the game. A result which keeps alive the hopes of Stirling ending the Premier League season in the top half of the table while the same hopes for Athena come a thumping end with 8th spot now being the best possible finish.
Athena who were looking to break a two game losing streak, hit back at 11 minutes with the equaliser. Lions midfielder Boi gave the ball away on the edge of the Lions penalty area, and he was made to pay, Catalano curling his shot into the top corner of the net from 16-yards, giving Lions' keeper Hugo no chance
Boi's first goal regained the lead for the Lions before half time, and the former Perth Glory Youth player made it 3-1 on 67 minutes to win the game. A result which keeps alive the hopes of Stirling ending the Premier League season in the top half of the table while the same hopes for Athena come a thumping end with 8th spot now being the best possible finish.
Lions Coach Doug Hesketh was delighted with his sides win. "I was pleased with the second half performance; we lost our way in the first half. We started well but I don't know what happened after that, but we settled and got the important goal before half time, which was pleasing," said Hesketh.
"Ludo was great for us today. He scored two and had an assist in their goal too. We brought him into the middle of the park in the second half and he came into the game. I thought Jason Gavin was outstanding at the back for us today, we now want to end the season with a win at Mandurah next week."
"Ludo was great for us today. He scored two and had an assist in their goal too. We brought him into the middle of the park in the second half and he came into the game. I thought Jason Gavin was outstanding at the back for us today, we now want to end the season with a win at Mandurah next week."
Final Score
Lions - 3 (O'Callaghan 4, Boi 30, 67)
Athena - 1 (Catalano 11)
Stirling Lions: GK Cory HUGO, 2 Michael PUGLIESE, 3 Andy BROWN (7 Shintaro ITO 74'), 4 Jason GAVIN, 5 Dean EVANS, 6 Clayton ARNEZ (12 Luke WOODARD 85'), 8 Bobby WILSON, 9 Jamie WATT, 10 Phil O'CALLAGHAN, 14 James DAVIES (11 Dennis GALAN 78'), 16 Ludovic BOI
Subs not used: RGK Connor CAMPBELL, 15 Dylan FILOCAMO
Floreat Athena: GK Alex DUNN, 4 Julian MADASCHI, 6 Miki VUJACIC (13 Kyle MORAN 56'), 8 Michael VAN DONGEN (17 Daniel TREVISIOL 62'), 9 Paul VAN DONGEN, 11 Damien CATALANO, 12 James ISAIA (10 Liam BOLAND 74'), 14 Mark PRITCHARD, 15 Calum FRANSZ, 16 Ante KOVACEVIC, 18 Calum O'CONNELL
Subs not used: GK Simon MADASCHI, 3 Michael SALSANO
Where to now?
First and foremost we have Inglewood for our last match of the season at home. Again this fixture is all about pride. Whether players are kitting up for a final match that will ultimately determine their Athena futures remains to be seen.
Rumblings muttered out in the Stirling car park - Simply not good enough was the simplest summation. We must search for answers if we have any inclination or desire to improve our long standing expectation to always be at the top end high road of the WA State League town.
It is obvious that we could do worse than maintaining the entire developmental squad we have amassed. It is a great springboard for our near future. The addition of certain experienced quality players - possibly a minimum as low as only three is all that could be required.
Classically speaking - with the services of the right striker, a scoring midfielder and a defender we could be confident in mounting campaign seeking honours.
Its just that knowing what the right combination is the great challenge.However, First and Foremost - senior coaches needed to be reappointed for 2011 ASAP - then we can talk about the team.
Chrissy Hynde - The legendary lead singer of post punk, new wave rock sensations the Pretenders with their hit single: Middle of the Road.
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