Bankstown City FC under 17 girls have claimed its third consecutive Proctor Park Challenge title, adding another trophy to the famous club’s trophy cabinet.
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It was a thrilling finish for the Lions in the final on Sunday, against Gladesville Ravens, as they won on a penalty shoot-out 6-5 after the score finished 0-all.
Penalty shoot-outs are known for their lottery chance and heart-stopping drama stress but for Lions coach Chris Brydon, he was all cool and collected.
“I’m pretty laid back, so it wasn’t too bad for me. I think some of the parents might have been a bit worried,” he said.
“The post was our best friend a couple of times but we were pretty lucky. In the final, Gladesville played really well and if the game carried on another 10 or 15 minutes they would’ve got us because we were running out of players.
“They won 17s last year and 15s the year before that. So they’ve changed a bit but the core of the team has stuck around.”
This year marks the sixth year in a row that Brydon has come out to Bathurst with his daughters.
“It’s fantastic. It’s really good experience for the team and they get to know each very well,” he said.
“As a coach, you get to work on different things with the players and get to find out a bit more about them.”
It was a gig that Brydon has had to quickly adapt to, after the previous Lions under 17s coach quit after trials.
While still coaching Lions’ under 14s side, he offered to get the under 17s girls started with training and soon enough he asked to coach both sides.
Promising to do his best, the club managed to find a new under 14s coach and bumped him up to the permanent 17s gig.
The victory in Bathurst caps off a prefect pre-season for the Lions, as they are set to kick-start their National Premier Leagues 1 campaign this Sunday.
In other age groups, former National Soccer League giants Marconi Stallions won both the under 14s and 15s, defeating Shellharbour FC and St George FC 2-0 respectively.
Sutherland Shire Football Association defeated Albury-Wodonga Football Association 2-1 in the under 12s competition.
The challenge was held on Saturday and Sunday with a record number of 61 teams competing.
Teams also included local outfits Bathurst District Football and Western NSW Mariners FC.