Still smarting from losing the league to a last minute penalty and forbidding Justin ‘the hand of god’ Davies from setting foot in his own penalty area ever again, the FMR Foodroom Masters recently boarded the bus just after dawn to take on Blackwood in the Southwest Cup Final.
Arriving at the venue with “Eye of the Tiger” blasting from the bus the boys were looking pumped for this last chance of a trophy this season.
SBS soccer pundit Craig Foster had been forecasting an easy win for the River all week but Blackwood obviously had taken no notice of this.
With a couple of new faces up front they pressed with every opportunity putting the Margs backline under pressure.
A missed chance by the River led to a quick counter attack by the tractor boys who made no mistake with a fine goal to put them into the lead.
Soon after the Blackwood pressure saw a blatant penalty claim waved away much to Denys St Pierre’s relief, especially after his by now infamous own goal against the same team earlier in the season.
Still Blackwood came and with the last action of the half a clearance from a corner was cruelly rebounded into the net with the last kick of the half.
Blackwood had a two goal lead and were in dream land.
The River were shellshocked.
It’s at times like this where true greatness comes out and an inspirational speech somewhere between Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King delivered by the oracle Myles O’Keefe sent the boys back out believing they could turn this game around.
What was to happen next will go down in Australian sporting history.
Playing champagne football The River turned up the heat and it was our own powerhouse Magic Mike Lane who made the breakthrough with a well taken effort to give the River hope.
Soon after Paul ‘Assange’ Callaghan, on a rare outing over the halfway line, directed a pin point free kick deep into the Blackwood box which was pounced on by Ben “Postman Pat” Dombronski to level the score. 2.2
With Blackwood being run ragged and on the ropes the Masters tasted blood and went for the kill.
Ben “Teke” Crawley found space in the area and hit a shot that somehow squirmed under the keeper to give Margs the lead.
The travelling supporters Maya, Sharon and rent-a-fan Gary Leigh exploded with joy on the sidelines.
Blackwood came back in the final few minutes but the River were not going to let it slip now.
The final whistle sounded, sparking wild scenes and a powerful rendition of the club song.
A comeback win that will go down in club folklore and no doubt get even better with every telling.
The Masters heralded their triumphant return to Margaret River with Jae the legendary bus driver blasting “We are the Champions” for not one but two victory laps of the Main Street whist holding the gleaming plastic trophy aloft.
A small shrine to these heroic exploits can now be found in the Foodroom along with the cup.
Surely a must visit for any real sports fan wishing to pay homage to one of the greatest comeback victories ever in the history of Australian sport.
Final score: Blackwood 2 FMR Masters 3
