Sport
24 August, 2023
Blue and whites savour long-awaited success
It’s been a big fight for Maryborough Soccer Club in 2023 as they aimed to remain competitive, but finally, they have a win to show for it. Dramatic at times, a grind otherwise, their 2-1 victory over Daylesford was the culmination of a season’s...
It’s been a big fight for Maryborough Soccer Club in 2023 as they aimed to remain competitive, but finally, they have a win to show for it.
Dramatic at times, a grind otherwise, their 2-1 victory over Daylesford was the culmination of a season’s worth of work to get the win that the club has deserved as they continue to look to turn things around.
While Maryborough are still exploring their future, and whether to look into moving out of the Ballarat District Soccer Association (BDSA) for a more comfortable run, for the time being, the club are just happy to be able to celebrate what has been a long-awaited victory.
The win was their first since round 12 last year, on that occasion, a 3-1 win over Forest Rangers.
After a grind in the first half on Sunday which saw neither team make a breakthrough, Maryborough gained the best chance of the game when a foul by Santiago Ferreyra Bas inside the box gave Maryborough a penalty in the 55th minute, which Garry George calmly converted by slotting the ball into the bottom right corner.
Fifteen minutes of tense play followed, with Daylesford looking to get back into the contest, while Maryborough were seeking a second.
There were a number of chances for the blue and whites, with a low shot hitting the base of the post, while another went slightly wide.
In the 70th minute, however, a half-chance was converted by William Boskov, and the game was tied again.
It seemed with 20 minutes to go that Maryborough were running out of puff, as Daylesford started to take ascendancy of the game and look for a winner.
Instead, incredibly, a chance for Daylesford to attack was quickly turned over in the 87th minute, and Maryborough were able to get on the counter.
Thomas Clinton was soon found in the box one-on-one against the Daylesford goalkeeper and was able to calmly convert into the left-hand bottom corner to give Maryborough the lead with just minutes to play.
Some nervous moments followed as Daylesford tried to get back on level terms at the last minute, but it was not enough, as the blue and whites revelled in their first victory of the season.
Considering that their entry into the division one competition in the BDSA was last-minute after a struggle to gain players ahead of the season, coach Johno Melton was able to celebrate his first win as coach.
“It’s been incredible. Without knowing the context, one win doesn’t sound all that special, but that was a huge moment for the club. All year we’ve battled away, got ourselves in good positions but couldn’t quite finish the job, so to finally get the chocolates meant everything to us,” he said.
The team has been in winning positions on a number of occasions this year, most notably against Vic Park four weeks ago, where they held a two-goal lead, while a 2-2 draw against Ballarat was also a near-miss.
Melton praised the mentality of his team after finally converting their lead into a win.
“It was an intense watch, we’ve been in that position quite a few times where we get peppered late and they equalise or score the winner so I’d be lying if I said I knew we’d win,” he said.
“But it’s a testament to the team, it shows growth and maturity to not let the same mistakes happen this time and hold them off. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
Melton praised Clinton for his work ethic, revealing that he wasn’t set to play the rest of the game due to soreness.
“Tommy’s a fighter, I subbed him off and he received some treatment on the sideline early in the second half and I turned and asked if he was going to be able to go back on. He actually said no so I wasn’t planning on him playing any further part,” he said.
“But a couple of other injuries came and he said to put him back out there and it couldn’t have worked out better.
“It absolutely sums up the effort, of everyone, and I think the team seeing Tom come back on gave them the boost they needed.”
Melton revealed that he would be stepping down as coach at the end of the season as he sought a return to the playing arena in 2024, but that plans are afoot to get a new coach.
“It’s easy to look at the ladder and assume no progression, but it doesn’t tell the full picture. We’ve got a very talented young group with a couple of older, experienced heads to guide them and in time it’s going to all click and they’ll start winning regularly,” he said.
“Watching them improve, watching things gel and move in the right direction is why I put my hand up to coach. I love seeing people working towards their goals and growing as players and people too.
“However, I am hoping to return to play next season and the club knows this, so hopefully we can attract a new coach and I can work with them to finally bring success back to this great club.”
Before that happens, Maryborough have one more game to negotiate, as they are scheduled to play Bacchus Marsh on Sunday afternoon.
