CITY Colts’ stand-in goalkeeper Trent Browne has made a hero of himself after helping his team to a grand final win in a penalty shootout in the Bathurst District Football Association men’s first grade grand final on Sunday.
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Brown managed to twice get a desperate left-foot to shots from Macquarie United in the sudden-death shootout after scores were locked at nil-all after full time and half an hour of extra time.
Had it not been for a serious back injury, Brendan Inwood would have lined up in goals, but Browne made a hero of himself while filling the breach.
The shootout stood at 4-all after the first five nominated players from each side had their shot, before Colts player Scott Evans hit the crossbar with the sixth.
Knowing a successful shot from Macquarie would end the match and hand a third straight title to United, Browne almost got wrongfooted before sticking his left leg out and getting solid contact on the shot.
Both sides nailed their next shot, before Colts captain-coach Tony Clancy was successful with his team’s eighth attempt.
Aaron Patterson was the man under pressure for Macquarie and once more Browne’s left boot intervened to save the well-struck shot and his team pulled off a hard-earned victory.
“On Sunday night he [Browne] was a pretty popular bloke, and again yesterday [Monday],” Clancy said.
“I am not real good at the best of times when it comes to nerves and I was all over the place during that shootout.
“Being a ’keeper in that situation is a thankless job and a very tough one, so for him to do what he did was just fantastic.”
While Macquarie produced a gritty performance to send the game into extra-time in the first place, Colts had the better of the match for most of its duration.
Clear-cut chances were not always forthcoming but in the closing stages of the first half, a handful of opportunities went begging as the Macquarie defence was forced to scramble.
Macquarie enjoyed their best period of play early in the second half but couldn’t turn that into goals and Colts began to once more take the ascendancy in the mid-field battle.
Ricky Guihot sent a shot just wide of goal mid-way through the second half and with time beginning to run out, Nick Arokiaswamy made good contact with a header from a Kirby Earle corner that just cleared the bar.
In extra-time Macquarie once more started the stronger but were denied by some desperate defence while their goalkeeper Evan Deveney was forced to make a superb save up the other end from a Kerry Johns shot that had him at full-stretch to his right.
“It was a tough game, a lot of people have said after watching it that we controlled it a bit more, but when Evan saved that shot from Johnsy I thought ‘That’s it, it won’t be our day.’ It was a cracking save,” Clancy said.
“In the first five minutes of extra-time Macquarie came at us pretty hard and seemed to have the momentum. We hung in there though.
“I think it was probably the most complete performance we have produced against them all season. They have a good side and will be near the top again for a few years for sure.”
CITY COLTS 6 defeated MACQUARIE UNITED 5 on penalties
