Business as usual for Aldred after important win
Tuggeranong United hadn’t tasted victory in the NPLW competition since round 21 of 2017.
But that all changed last weekend after they secured a drought-breaking, 3-2 win over the Monaro Panthers.
It was a young Tuggeranong outfit that lifted the club to its first win in nearly two years, a win that head coach Michael Aldred said is hugely important for such a young group.
“We had probably eight players out [on the weekend] who would generally be considered for the first-grade team,” Aldred said after the win.
“So it was a young team, we had a couple of 14-year olds making their debuts, so it was a fantastic effort from the side.”
Aldred had no other option but to play a young side on Saturday night, following a number of early season injuries to some of his more experienced players.
But the Tuggeranong coach believes one of the main benefits of having such a young group is that they won’t carry the burden of last year’s winless campaign.
“Most of the side [from Saturday] didn’t play in the first team last year,” he said.
“So a lot of the young girls haven’t gone through what some of the senior girls have gone through.
“There’s a lot of new girls as well and they’re not being burdened with what happened last year.”
One player that endured the tough 2018 season for Tuggeranong was midfielder Sarah Daisley.
But she showed no signs of carrying any existing disappointment on Saturday night, netting the match winner from a free kick in the 86th minute.
Her first goal just 15 minutes’ prior was even better, as she dispossessed her opponent in midfield before firing a long-range shot that caught the keeper off her line.
Daisley and co will receive a huge boost in the coming weeks with overseas signing Alice Linn set to join the squad.
The English striker is expected to arrive in Canberra in late April and could make her NPLW debut as early as round five.
Tuggeranong’s next outing will be their Federation Cup quarter-finals match against Canberra Olympic, and Aldred insists his sides preparation won’t change despite their drought-breaking win.
“It’s going to be business as usual to be honest,” he said.
“The message will be play the way we want to play, play with a smile, which they’re doing at the moment, and the result will hopefully take care of itself.”
You can catch all the action from next Wednesday’s Federation Cup match live on BarTV Sports.
Comments
Comment Guidelines: The SportsTG Network is made up of players, families and passionate sports followers like you who have a strong opinion about sport. That's great - we want you to have your say and share your thoughts with the world. However, we have a few rules that you must follow to keep it fun for all. Please don't be rude, abusive, swear or vilify others. Apart from some pretty serious sport sanctions, we also can ban you and report you if things get out of hand. So play fair and have fun, and thanks for your contribution.