FRIDAY night’s win over Olympic was an important one for us, not just because of the three points, but because it felt like another step in the right direction after a difficult period.
It certainly wasn’t the prettiest game of football, and I don’t think too many neutrals would have gone home talking about it, but at this stage of the season, results and momentum are what matter most.
We’ve spent the last couple of weeks trying to simplify things and get back to basics.
Earlier in the season we were playing with a lot of confidence, controlling matches well and building pressure through possession.
During our rough patch, we probably drifted away from that and, more importantly, started causing ourselves problems with avoidable mistakes.
The focus lately has been on cutting out those costly errors and rebuilding confidence piece by piece.
Sometimes that means grinding through ugly games and doing the hard work first before the football starts flowing again.
I thought the boys handled that side of things well against Olympic.
Defensively we looked more solid and mentally we stayed in the game, which has been a key focus for us.
It was also great to see Fernando Nash rewarded with two goals.
Strikers always carry pressure because they’re judged on goals, but Nashie’s work rate and attitude have remained strong even when the goals weren’t coming.
The second finish showed the quality he has, with his movement and composure exactly what you want from a forward.
The competition this year is incredibly even.
Every week results are changing and there’s very little separating sides across the ladder.
Injuries, suspensions and availability are playing a huge role across the league and if teams are missing two or three experienced players, it can completely change the dynamic of a game.
That’s why consistency is so important.
We’re slowly getting closer to full strength ourselves.
Having players return makes a big difference, especially experienced players who bring composure and leadership into the side.
We’re not fully there yet, but we’re certainly heading in the right direction.
The challenge now is making sure we keep building.
We’ve put together a couple of positive results, but football changes quickly if you lose focus.
Confidence comes from winning games and doing the fundamentals well week after week.
As confidence grows, you can feel the mentality shift not only within your own group, but also in the way opponents approach you.
Earlier in the season we probably had that edge and then lost it for a little while.
The goal now is to build that back again.
Next up we’ve got Brisbane Roar at home on Friday night.
They’ll be desperate and physical, and we know exactly what sort of challenge to expect after losing to them earlier in the season.
At this point of the year, every game starts to carry a bit more weight, especially in such a tight competition.
We’ve worked hard to get ourselves back into the mix and now it’s about making sure we stay there.
