Swans shareunited purpose

Zoe Askew

ONE thing was inevitable when the Sale United Men awoke on Saturday morning; history would soon be made. The Swans met Swinburne University Football Club at 6pm on home turf for their first-ever Australia Cup match in the club’s history.

Swinburne, Victorian Metro 4side, had caused what may havebeen the biggest upset of the Australia Cup 2023 in Round 1; it defeated State League 4opposition, Lyndale United, aclub five tiers above them, 5-3 on penalties, and advanced to Round 2onahigh.

Australia Cup debutants Sale, having had abye in Round 1, knew they were in for aformidable encounter on Saturday night as they prepared to face their Victorian Metro 52022league champion opponents in the national knockout tournament.

As time until kick-off grew closer, more than a hundred Sale United Football Club supporters filed through the club gates; juniors who would walk out the Swansdonned their green kits, players and SUFC members modelled club colours, joined by friends and family to bare witness club history in the making.

An admittedlynervous AnoukMeereboer walked with her team as they entered the field in front of the roaringcrowd- surely an unexpectedscene for Swinburne,whoseclubpresident Thomas Burchsmith told Football Victoria in the lead-up to the match they had to “plugSaleinto Google Maps” to find out where it was.

Sale’sstarting 11 took their positions, the match bursting to life from the whistle’sblow, Swans pressing hard and fast down the right side with the blistering paceofJake Jeong and Dave Durning, a brilliant link up, terrorising Swinburne’s defence.

Holding possession, denyingSwinburne little time in theirattackinghalf,SaleUnited dominated the game.

Mace Irvine, at centre back, found Sale forward Charlie Cockell. Cockell looked wide, finding Marrien van den Heuvel in the right of the midfield.

Aquick give-and-gosaw vanden Heuvel return the ball to Cockell, chipping it forward, met by Jeong, who headed toward the box’s edge.

Enter Isaak Jondahl.

Reading playremarkably, Sale’s left winger stepped in-field as the ball made its way through the centre, Jondahl patiently waitingfor his chance to strike. As the ball bounced towards the box, Jondahl marauded towards goal,evading a charging Swinburnekeeper, finding the back of the net to give Sale an early lead.

The Swans swiftly squandered their advantage, with Swinburne retaliating and scoring an equaliser in less than 60 seconds, taking full advantage of adazedSale, scoring theirsecond goal in two minutes to take the lead.

Adetermined Sale would not be so easily defeated, Swinburne’s shock lead propelling the Swans into top gear with outstanding performances from midfielder Jude Taylor, Durningatright back, Cockellupfront and Jeongand Jondahl on the wings.

At 2-1down,Salehungeredfor an equaliser, applying relentless pressure on Swinburne’s defence but struggled to find the back of the net.

Thirty minutes into the first half, the game’s physicality increased, aSwinburne playersending Jeong and van dan Heuvel flying as he charged downfield. Swinburne’sonly other effort on goal was blocked by Irvine, withthe Swans denying their opponents any time in their attacking half.

With10minutes to go, asublime cross from Taylor to the centre of the box lookedasiftobe Sale’s equaliser, but in ajaw-dropping turn of events, Cockell missed asitter, diminishingSale’s chancesofbalancing the score.

Agreat runfrom Sale left back Brennen McGill, starting with aclass slide tackle, winning aoneon-one directly after, before adirect cross into the box, was the Swans’ final chance to even the score before the break.

Despite Sale’s sheer dominance of the game, the Australia Cup debutants couldn’t find the back of the net and would head into the second half 2-1 down, ascore not reflective of the match at play.

After the break, teams returned to the field, Swinburne hoping to hold their lead, Sale hell-bent on coming out on top.

Finishing the first half in style, McGill continued his class display of football, rocketingdown the left side, no match for Swinburne’s defence.

McGill sent adirect cross to Cockell at the top of the box, who headed the ball into the back of the net, equalising the score less than two minutes into the second half.

The second half saw an excellent display of skill fromexperienced playersJake Richardson and van den Heuvel, ascertaining their prominence and significance within the team.

Despitehis unwaveringtenacity and evident hunger for agoal, van den Heuvelwouldn’t find the back of the net in Round 2ofthe Australia Cup.

Fifteen minutes into the second half, Meereboer made her first substitution, replacing Jeong with Sale’s fancy footwork forward Ot Khamchom.

Khamchom did what Khamchom does; the Swans fresh-legged wing flummoxed Swinburne’s defence quickly,earning Sale numerous goal opportunities and corner kicks.

It was acorner from Taylor, 20 minutes into the second half, that found the feet of Khamchom, flicking the ball fumbled by Swinburnegoalkeeper into the back of the net, regaining Sale’s lead.

The Swans overran atiring Swinburne, the team performing exceptionallyinfront of their home crowd, manoeuvred the ball effortlessly across the park, boasting apro-like fluidity as they tore a stretched Swinburne to shreds.

Richardson, Sale’s captain,madeafantasticrun in the final 15 minutes of the game, taking on three playersbefore playingwide to Kamchom, whocrossed the ball back to vanden Heuvel in thebox, the Dutch player striking the ball with his head, clippingthe top of the crossbar in an unbelieve goal attempt.

Cooper Coleman, aworkhorse in Sale’smidfield, continuedhis role as aplaymaker, attributing to the Swans’ countless shots on goal in the final five minutes.

Sale United Football Club erupted in thunderous cheers as the final whistle sounded.

Golden light from the setting sun bled onto the field, kissing the faces of Sale United players as if the universe itself was spotlighting the Australia Cup Round 2winners.

Sale United Football Club retired to the change rooms, where the sound of the club songwouldsoon erupt in deafening style,ringing across the reserve, champions,defeating Swinburne University FootballClub3-2 in the first Australia Cup match in club history.

Aonce nervous head coach percolated with pride, her team now through to Round 3ofthe Australia Cup 2023.

“The boys played awesome,” Meereboer said.

“Firstreal game, and they were just trying to find each other, and for 80, 90 per cent were in their half, we just couldn’t put our chances away, but otherwise, they played good. It was awesome.

“We have been trying to play at training in that formationand it’s good that they were putting that together and just their workload,” she said.

“Eventhe playerswho didn’t play,like people, put off going to concerts and didn’t playthatmany minutes, there were subs who didn’t get on at all, buttheywereall there,and it wasawesome to see everyone supporting eachother and being there for each other.”

SaleUnited FootballClubpresidentTom Breakspear shared in Meereboer’s pride as the Swans yielded awin.

“The boys played fantastically today; allthe work they have been putting in throughout pre-season has really paid off,” Breakspear said.

“It’s asignofgreat things to come for Sale United this season; Ican’t wait to see who we get in the next round.” sent flyingasSwinburne

It all makes sense as to why they call him ‘The “Flying Dutchmamn’.