Body language often tells you everything you need to know about a football team. As Paul Ifill's second goal hit the back of the net on New Year's Eve, the entire Mariner's bench visibly wilted like the leftover Christmas salad. Shoulders dropped, heads sunk and a horrible sense of stillness descended upon the stadium.
I stared blankly ahead and felt a lump in the back of my throat : this wasn't the New Year's Eve comeback we'd all been hoping for. Some fans cursed the ref, others were just angry with the world or headed back to the bar to drown their sorrows. A few let their anger loose on the team.
"It's only a game, daddy," said a small girl behind me as her father groaned in disbelief. Ah ! To be that innocent again ! To actually believe it's not worth getting emotional over a football match.
Lawrie McKinna clearly felt emotional as did Wilko, who seemed close to tears when interviewed after the match. Matt Simon, who'd been denied a clear penalty and then (to add insult to injury) wrongly booked, looked completely gutted. Nicky Travis seemed less than thrilled when asked to pose for a photo afterwards by some enthusiastic fans.
And who could blame him ? It was a sad end to the year and another frustrating night at Bluetongue. The brightest spot of the evening was the tifo organised by the Marinators which was creative and added so much to the atmosphere.
I'll admit I've also cried a few tears in the past few weeks. It's just painful to watch your team undo all their good work and lose confidence in the process. Our goal difference, which was the best in the league, has been chipped away in a few short weeks. Our finals hopes which seemed secure, are now hanging in the balance.
It would be understandable to feel overwhelmed by a sense of doom and gloom and lose faith in our ability to succeed. But that would be a mistake. It's the first week of a new decade and the time for crying is over. Time to put emotions aside and take a clear-headed look at six things that could make a crucial difference in the next six rounds :
(1) Chris Doig : Although our defence was outstanding at the start of the season, the loss of Doig through injury in the past few months has had a measurable effect. He seemed to add confidence and strength to our backline which has been missing of late. Looks like he might be coming back against Fury after playing in the Youth League match last week. Fingers crossed he stays injury-free.
(2) Finishing : we need to be clinical, think positive and remember how good we were against Melbourne, GCU and Fury. And give Kwassie a go because he'll literally put himself at risk to take a chance. (Another bloody nose in close-up ? Yes, please !)
(3) Young Guns : OK, so Lawrie gave them a good 30 minutes last week but they have so much more to offer. Panny Nikas has confidence and ability to burn and Matty Lewis is equally fearless. Less experience sure - but also less baggage.
(4) The Brad Porter Factor : If there ever was a "Mariners Spirit", then Porter typifies all that has ever made this team worth watching. You won't find him crying, arguing or shouting. He just maintains his focus and gets on with the job, regardless of the hecklers or what happened the week before. Despite the scoreline on New Year's Eve, he had a great game and gave his all. This belief and determination needs to be revived in every player.
(5) Leadership : Now is not the time for our captain to be looking tearful or talking about the team's lack of confidence. Toughen up, youngster ! Take a tip from old blokes like Fowler, Corica and Muskie and serve up a bit of Tough Love. The players will thank you for it and let's face it, the fans love it. Speaking of which...
(6) Fans : Stop feeling sorry for yourselves. If the team is to believe in themselves your unflinching support is needed through the weeks ahead. So we've lost the last five matches - big deal ! Compared with the woeful statistics of many of the world's major football teams, that's nothing but a hill of beans. (Rangers once had a 25 year losing streak and they didn't even have an inflatable sauce bottle as half-time entertainment. How bad is that ?)
So see you at God Vs Marvin - sing loudly and leave the tissues at home.
