TWO big wins in a row are always pleasing, but for me it’s not just about the scorelines.
It’s about the consistency we’ve shown.
Beating Ipswich 5-0 at home and then backing it up with a 4-1 win away to Holland Park tells me the boys are starting to believe in what we’re building.
More importantly, they’re doing it for 90-plus minutes.
This group has really bought into what we’re trying to achieve.
Friday night’s performance was one of our most complete of the season.
Winning away from home is never easy, especially in difficult conditions on a heavy pitch, but I thought our togetherness was outstanding.
We didn’t give Holland Park many opportunities and, if I’m being honest, the game could easily have finished with us scoring seven or eight goals.
Apart from the one goal we gifted them through a sloppy moment, I thought we controlled the contest from start to finish.
The conditions meant we had to adjust our game.
Normally we’d like to build a little more, but on that surface, we had to play a bit more direct before showing our quality in the attacking third.
The players adapted brilliantly.
One thing that really pleased me was seeing three different goalscorers before half-time.
Jack Hugh, Finlay Lockyer and Jayden Balarezo all got on the scoresheet, and that’s important for us.
Of course, every coach would love a striker who scores 20 goals a season, but it’s just as valuable when goals come from all over the park.
Most of our squad are still very young and playing their first full senior seasons, so every goal they score builds confidence.
What has probably changed over the past fortnight isn’t the football itself.
There have been plenty of games this season where we’ve played well for long periods but haven’t been rewarded.
Against Sunshine Coast, for example, we could easily have been three or four goals ahead before half-time, yet we went into the break level.
Little moments have hurt us throughout the year.
Now we’re managing those moments much better.
Having a settled squad has helped enormously.
For the first time this season we’ve been able to field a very similar team from week to week, while the players coming off the bench have made a genuine impact.
That’s creating healthy competition and lifting the standard across the squad.
Confidence naturally grows when you start winning.
You can play well and still lose games, but eventually those losses wear you down mentally.
Winning three of our past four has given the boys real belief that the hard work is paying off.
The challenge now is making sure we don’t become comfortable.
Our standards don’t change.
If we’ve lifted the level, then that’s the new benchmark.
Every training session and every match must meet that standard because that’s how good teams improve.
We’ve got two more tough away games coming up against Logan (June 30) and North Star at the weekend.
They won’t be easy trips, but if we can produce the same performances we’ve shown over the past fortnight, we’ll give ourselves every chance.
Promotion probably isn’t the realistic target anymore, but the finals absolutely are.
If we keep improving, keep believing and keep working for each other, I think this group can finish the season strongly.
Right now, we’re building momentum, and we want to keep that going for as long as possible.
