SATURDAY night’s 5-0 home win over Ipswich was probably our most complete performance of the season.
We’ve had some good results this year, including a 5-0 win over North Star, but I thought this performance was better because it was sustained for the full 90 minutes.
From the first whistle to the last, the boys were switched on, disciplined and fully committed to the game plan.
What pleased me most wasn’t necessarily the five goals.
It was the clean sheet and the way we controlled the match.
Ipswich came into the game sitting third on the ladder and they’re a quality side coached by good people.
We knew they would have possession at times, but we’ve been working hard on understanding that possession alone doesn’t win football matches.
If the opposition has the ball in non-dangerous areas, that’s okay.
The boys are starting to understand that, and their game management continues to improve.
We’ve also worked all season on starting games fast.
I’ve never been a believer in “settling into” a match.
What’s the point of warming up if you’re going to spend the first 15 minutes easing your way in?
We wanted to be aggressive from the outset and put Ipswich under pressure immediately.
The early penalty helped, but the attitude and intensity were there from the opening kick.
Could we have scored more? Probably.
There were opportunities for us to finish with seven, eight or even nine goals.
But I’ll happily take five and a clean sheet every week.
One of the most satisfying aspects of the performance was seeing contributions right across the squad.
(Harry) Christie got his two goals and will attract plenty of attention, but there were so many strong performances.
His work rate and effort without the ball have gone to another level over the past month.
We’ve been challenging him to find that extra gear and now it’s starting to click.
When Harry plays like that, he can be one of the best players in the league.
Finley was excellent in midfield, while Jaden and Andy also played important roles.
The defenders and goalkeeper won’t grab the headlines because they weren’t constantly under pressure, but they handled everything professionally and were a big reason we kept a clean sheet.
I’ve been telling the players for weeks to keep believing in themselves.
Results haven’t always reflected our performances this season.
There have been games where we’ve played well and come away disappointed.
But if you look closely, we’ve been competitive in every match.
The challenge has been turning those performances into results.
Saturday felt like a reward for the work the group has been putting in.
We’re now climbing the ladder and building momentum.
Whether we can push for the top four remains to be seen, but what I do know is that this group can go on a run.
We’re sitting eighth, but I don’t believe we’re the eighth-best team in the competition.
There are some very strong sides in the league, but I believe this squad can compete with anyone when we’re playing with confidence and discipline.
The key now is consistency.
One good performance means nothing if you don’t back it up the following week.
The challenge for us is to bring the same intensity, belief and quality into every game from here on.
If we can do that, the second half of the season could become very interesting.
