Bundy manage first point
Monday, 13 July 2009
After being mostly battered and beaten from pillar to post in 14 straight losses, a 1-1 draw with the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) was as good as a win for Bundaberg Spirit.
Playing in a vein far removed from that of a side which has been the whipping boys of the competition, the Spirit matched the Academy in just about every aspect of the game in a pulsating end-to-end duel.
Such was their new-found self-belief, they just dug deeper after QAS drew first blood with Matt Thurtell striking from a free kick just outside the box in the 64th minute, twice going agonisingly close to equalising just two minutes later and continuing to defend tenaciously and threaten every time they got the ball.
Just when their inability to finish off looked certain to sentence them to another defeat, their loyal home crowd finally had something to cheer about when Matt Timbrell ignited another raid down the left.
Timbrell passed to Jason Loft, who also did brilliantly to continue the movement then tap it across through traffic to an unmarked Laurie Stephenson, who only came on 12 minutes earlier after having played a full game for his club Bingera in the Bundaberg Premier League earlier in the afternoon, and he blasted it home from short range in the 90th minute.
With so many stoppages, seven minutes of added time followed, and the two sides tried desperately for a winner as the clock ticked away, but while the QAS were left to rue one that got away from them, a draw was a fitting result, and the Spirit had something, albeit small, to celebrate.
A totally fatigued captain Brett Kitching, who led from the front, as always, said it was a “bit of a relief to finally get one on the board’’.
“Unfortunately it was not a win but we probably dominated the game and we had three or four chances in the last 15 minutes that we probably should have finished but we will take a draw,’’ Kitching said.
“It was the best we have played all year in terms of ball movement, and overall it was a good team performance.
“At one-down, we could have dropped our heads but we did well to get one back from there.’’
While every player rose to new levels, possibly the one who made the biggest impact on the game was 37-year-old former Bundy Waves XXXX Premier league star Peter Bock, who is player/coach for another Bundaberg top league side Brothers-Aston Villa, but did not play for them to be able to help out in the Spirit’s hour of need and was truly outstanding in the heart of the defence the whole game.
Bock was happy to again mix it with the best and said it was “fun’’.
“But I don’t enjoy it week-in-week-out – it’s too hard for the old body – if I was 17 years younger, it would be sensational,’’ Bock said.
“But I don’t enjoy it week-in-week-out – it’s too hard for the old body – if I was 17 years younger, it would be sensational,’’ Bock said.
Coach Brett Hambrecht was happiest for his players.
“A lot of coaches in the comp would be happy to come away with a draw against them, but the core group of 10-to-12 players who turn up every Tuesday and Thursday and train hard are the guys I’m really excited for more than anyone else – the commitment they have shown is incredible and it is starting to pay dividends,’’ Hambrecht said.
“We have turned the corner in terms of belief and confidence and things are finally starting to happen – we’ve got five games to go and hopefully we can turn a few heads on our road there – we are off the dirt road and on to the bitumen.
“Thanks to Laurie Stephenson and Peter Bock for stepping up once again – the boys and the coaching staff really appreciate it.’’
After having lost just 2-1 to Whitsunday Miners with a much depleted side six days earlier, Hambrecht believes they can go one step further when they travel to Townsville to take on North Queensland this weekend, especially after the Razorbacks drew with the Miners 1-1 on Saturday.
“We will go north with a full complement apart from Shane Youngberry, and it is another game I have targeted through the year – again we will have to work hard but we will be prepared for that.’’
Vince Habermann
