Soccer
24 June, 2024
Falcons push Panthers in tight contest
The Horsham Falcons improvement since their 19-0 loss to the Portland Panthers on Sunday, May 26, is remarkable. In round seven of the South West Victoria Football Association on Sunday, June 23, they lost 2-4 to the Panthers, pushing them to the final whistle. The under-14s also showed considerable improvement, reversing their 14-0 loss on the same day to lose 6-1 against the Warrnambool Rangers.
The Falcons seniors kicked the game's first goal within the first ten minutes to take an early lead. The Panthers responded not long after, and the scores were level at 1-1 at halftime.
The Panthers came out firing in the second half, kicking three goals before the Falcons responded through Sedat Aytar with a late goal.
Noah Talbot, who shares coaching responsibilities with captain, Daniel Phillips, credited the entire team.
"All the credit goes to the team. We have stuck together, and no one has dropped their heads, and we are super happy to be playing," Talbot said.
"We have had consistent attendance at training, and everyone is engaged and enjoying themselves and bringing 100% every time they step out onto the field."
"There was a fantastic vibe after the game, and the boys were disappointed they didn't come away with a win."
"It's an awesome feeling having gone from losing games in double digits to getting goals on the board and putting up a fight against a side that is quite strong."
"To add to that, they also hung around and shared a barbecue with the senior players and kids."
Talbot described the second half as a game of 'moments and inches.'
"We controlled the game quite well and seemed much more comfortable with the ball at our feet," Talbot said.
"Unfortunately, they scored a couple of quick goals, and we got a few injuries, but we had a lot of chances. Sedat hit the post twice, and the game could have gone either way."
Talbot said the new additions strengthened them, and the improvement means they can attract more people to the club.
"It's been quite hard to get a team together, and the momentum keeps building, and we can attract new players.
"The new additions really strengthened the midfield and attack for us."
The under-14s also displayed improvement in their 1-6 loss to Warrnambool Rangers.
The Falcons went into half-time down 2-0 and finished the game 1-6, with a goal from Kaden Thomas the highlight.
Gavin McRoberts, who was umpiring the match, and coaches the under-12s, who had a bye, said the improvement was massive.
"They really learned from the experience of playing these guys the first time, and like last week against Stawell, they put into action what we spoke about during the week, and it paid off for them," McRoberts said.
"Every now and then, we sit down, and I ask them what they think is going on, what is going good and bad, and it's for them to tell me and not me tell them."
"If we don't sit down and do an assessment, we will not improve. We sat down and figured out what we weren't doing well. We said this is an area we need to improve on from now on."
When asked what they identified, McRoberts said many different aspects of the game.
"Mostly the passing, talking and communication and marking up in the back," McRoberts said.
"We have also been caught out having players in the forward and backline but no one in the midfield, and we have worked as a group to improve that idea."
"I heard those calls from the players themselves during the game, and having the kids identify that within themselves, communicate, and improve was an absolute bonus."
"The backline stayed strong, and Baxter in goals had another good game following on from last week."
"There is still a lot of work that needs to be done, but from where we started to where we are now is a massive improvement."
It was a special moment for Kaden Thomas. Last week, he marked his 50th game for the club. On Sunday, he was presented with his badge, the first one the club had handed out since 2019.