Friday, 31st October, 1997 - Topper Stadium, Birmingham Gardens, 7.37pm Newcastle Topper Breakers 2 V. Perth Glory 3 (1-1) Referee: Greg Leverton 8/10 (good - the cards were needed I suppose) Crowd: about 5,000 again. Game rating: 7/10 (even for a loss!) Team: NTB - Baker, Austin (Wilson 75), Pryce (c), McManus, Ritchie, Ironside, Halpin, Sprod, Zane, Bennett (Lane 75), Williams (Lowe 10) PG - I'll have to check that! Subs on were Wilkinson and Halpin.
Intro: A nice fine warm night with a bit of breeze, Topper Stadium surface back to near top standard, a good crowd, and two combative teams. What more could you ask for. Well I would have liked to have been up there instead of 135km away watching on Optus Vision - but hey, a comfy seat and you can still hear every word from the Rowdies! As the teams warm up so are the Rowdies and it seems Sports Oz have decided the viewers can take hearing a little Rowdie singing as the mikes pick it up loud and clear! I sang along! Celery!
The game commenced with some fervour and in the 2nd min. Sproddy went near from a laid-off ball from Ironside drawn from a Mick Williams cross. Williams in his first start for the Breakers looked willing to get forward but he was taken off injured in the 10th minute. In the first 4 mins Bennett fired over with Maras out (he had tried man-handling Bennett and was lucky not to give a penalty), and Pryce heads over from what was to be a series of great Halpin free kicks and corners which the Breakers must learn to do more with. We could have been 5 up by 30 mins but no. Williams tries a 50/50 ball with Strudwick and comes off worse. (Taken to hospital with a suspected fractured leg). In the 11 min a beaut ball in is only forced for a corner by Ritchie. One of those in-curling Halpin corners is desperately cleared by Strudwick. Ritchie skies one over the Rowdies a little later when Zane is upended and the free kick suggests the Breakers are moving well on top. We always say that and put the mockers on because Perth start to move into counter attacking mode (Marocchi learned something at AdCity) and first Siasia earns a free kick off Pryce and another dead ball situation outside the area sees the wall containing too many gaps and Baker is badly beaten on his left through one of them by Despotovski. 0-1.
Perth again slices through - G Naven - Siasia - saved. The Breakers continue to put enormous pressure on Perth and some tough tackling is brought to bear. About 20 min, on the left, Halpin executes a delightful back heel through two players and Sprod crosses menacingly but Maras saves. Presurre on Maras mounts as Sprod gets to a cross and a diving header forces a corner. Bennett slices into the box and is manhandled by Hay and Pryce makes no mistake from the spot! 1-1 Perth are desperate - Buljubasic earns a Yellow on Ritchie and Ironside over of a Halpin free. At 30 mins it seems we've had a half already there has been so much action.
Perth start making more breaks and Austin is Yellow carded for pulling up Despotovski. Austin is handling Siasia fine but Strudwick and Despotovski are starting to cause worries. Maras still has the wobblies but the bug moves up field and Baker catches it. He spills a stinging shot from Tapai who has suddenly realised the kick off whistle has gone. He makes up for lost time. Halpin is trying to lift the Breakers and is pulling off some lovely work but with Baker dropping balls Perth start to get a sniff. It's end to end stuff up to half time.
After the break NTB start well with some good pressure. The tide is turning though as Perth step up their tempo and regain their composure. A lovely ball from Tapai on the right to Strudwick not picked up on the left and he stides forwrd and steers the ball into the net past a transfixed Baker. 1 -2 Some more end to end stuff and then Strudwick earns a Yellow on Ritchie. Breakers starting to panic and Halpin is carded for a maybe hand ball and letting off steam. About 65 min Miller slips free and from Tapai gets a ball he just has to sink. He does. 1-3 Breakers pressure but their compusre is now under fire and found wanting. The spirit and fluency I've seen many times goes 'walkabout' and when Troy's younger brother Scott comes on for Glory and slips one just over the bar at almost his first touch even Troy's head drops. Kossie makes a double substitution and young Ben lane comes on full of running. Tapai hits well and Baker punches well clear. JUst when I was slumped in my chair after having been on the edge for so long Ben lane picks up through ball, sidesteps the defender and drives it with his left into the upper reaches of the perth net. 2-3. Just for a flash there's some hope and some life but Perth are not going to squander this lead and keep possession.
At full time the Breakers can only blame themselves for a) too many missed chances (we must start putting those 3/4 chances away) and b) some naive lapses in defence. Baker who I think highly off had a shocker (I just don't think 'the dwarf' would have been better). We are well out of the 6 now and if we are to get back in and stay in a lot of things must change. Let's hope the crowd's keep coming. I'll be at Parra Stadium next week to give them some support as it will be a big ask, but a necessary won to win. Perth - well they may have been a few down by 20 mins and it may have been different. Siasia is not firing and the defence was very risk taking. They play UTS at home and will need to watch Emerton.
Best: NTB - Sprod, Halpin, Pryce PG - Tapai, Strudwick, Despotovski