Oct. 5, 2007

By Gary Long

When you see the upcoming seasons schedule for the first time, there are certain games that jump of the page.

Games you know will test the character and resolve of the team, games the coaching staff call `must wins'. Friday 28th September at Wright State was one of those games, and we had been looking forward to it ever since the first day of preseason.

Local derbys are something special, and under the lights away from home we were ready to show what we were made of in what was to be a packed house and a hostile atmosphere. As a squad we remembered that in the same game last year we hadn't produced the performance the flyer fans deserved, and we weren't about to make the same mistake twice.

All week in practice you could sense a buzz around the locker room and the coaching staff had gone about preparing us mentally and physically for what we knew would be a real test for the lads. This buzz was carried into the warm up and by kick off we were ready to go.

We started the game well, keeping the ball and winning individual battles all over the field. Tackles were flying in all over the place, with both teams trying to impose themselves on the game early. The Raiders seemed to sit off very deep, allowing us more and more possession and an invitation to try and break the home team down. It took a while for the boys to adjust but we soon got into a rhythm and created several good chances, most notable was Jeff Popella's effort off the post on 40 minutes. At the other end, our defense remained solid as they have done all year.

At half time we were told to keep working hard, keep the pressure on and look for that one bit of quality that would get us the important first goal. It did not take long. A few minutes into the second half the ever impressive Alex Torda made a break down the right hand side and found Popella in a great postion. Jeff slotted it home for his first goal of the regular season, a weight off his shoulders and delight for the Flyer players and fans alike.

We continued the second half in impressive fashion, keeping the ball for long periods and attacking when the opportunity arose. At the back the boys led by Zac Gibbens and Ryan Handbury were superb, winning every head ball and setting the tone for everyone else to follow. We had further chances, Isaac Kissi hit the bar and Tyler Imbrogno was looking more and more dangerous as the game went on. The rowdy home crowd was getting restless and we sensed we could hold on for the win. The last ten minutes saw us soak up a lot of pressure but we dealt with it well and held on for our second victory on the road.

On a personal note it was great to play after struggling win an injury early on, and I really felt our performance demonstrated how far we have come as a team in the space of a year. After a somewhat disappointing display against Belmont the previous week, we showed our fans, and maybe more importantly ourselves, that we are capable of overcoming adversity and winning games under difficult circumstances. No doubt this win will have boosted the team's confidence going into the game against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies and the all important A-10's later in the season.