Strikers v Wolves

Round 13 report by David Marshall
Brisbane Strikers v Wollongong Wolves


This is late, but the subject line may be appropriate anyway if the abundant rumours of immediate moves to Cararra on the Gold Coast amount to anything. Appalling though the prospect is, and futile as it would no doubt turn out to be, the fact that a paltry 2611 turned up to see the STRIKERS have the chance to go second in the league makes one wonder what the $%*& is going on here and to understand that Tony Petty may well feel the locals don't give a toss for the team - and it could be that he is right. Certainly, it had rained heavily for two days until a couple of hours before the game and it was at the end of a holiday break at a time of year when people were still away, but 2611 is a devastating figure which ever way you look at it.

The great irony is that amongst the real supporters there has never been a stronger feeling of togetherness and on the day the biggest crowd ever were at O'Leary's and even Bob, the proprietor, came down to join us at the match.

The game itself was very low key - in keeping with the depressing aura that permeates the place at present. No-one can tell me that what is happening of the park isn't harming the players' performance. They are a shadow of their former selves and showed very little against the Gong. We sang a few anti-Cararra songs (a fact actually recorded in the Wail yesterday - "A small, but vocal group...."), but overall I think we were not really up for it either. It came as no surprise when a blind thump of a cross was headed in for the visitors to lead in the first half and the fact that our equalizer resulted from a 40 metre misshit "cross" from Harris just about summed it up. I don't recall the STRIKERS making fewer chances in a game this year and no player really grabbed the attention really.

Not a good night and future it seems very uncertain.