They may have walked away from the state league 1 soccer season without the silverware, but Sydenham Park won plenty of respect.
After languishing mid-table at the season’s halfway point, the Reds charged home with a staggeringly dominant run.
Sydenham won its final 10 matches of the season, undefeated from mid-June through to the start of September. It raised the Reds to second spot on the ladder, the side missing out on lifting the championship by a goal difference of six from Western Suburbs.
Sydenham coach Alan Muscat praised his players for the way they were able to turn the season around.
“We sat down collectively as a group when we had lost three in a row,” he said.
“From there we just took it week by week, and the results kept coming.
“The boys started to get a bit of confidence and self-belief and, with the structure that we put in place, the wins racked up.”
Sydenham Park beat the best of the best in the run-up to the finish line, the club knocking off Western Suburbs 3-0 in round 21.
The Reds also defeated fellow title contenders Altona Magic, North Sunshine Eagles and Preston Lions.
After successfully navigating his way through his first season in charge at Sydenham, Muscat is hopeful of retaining the bulk of his squad.
“There are a lot of things to take into consideration. Ideally, we’d like to keep the entire group together, but it doesn’t always work out like that in football,” he said.
“There are little things that we need to discuss, then I’ll be able to speak to the players and have a chat about their intentions as well. In these leagues, things happen each season and guys may have different intentions, in terms of travelling and work commitments.”
Of the other Brimbank teams in state league 1, North Sunshine Eagles finished fifth in the club’s first season after being promoted from division 2.
Keilor Park won eight games to finish sixth, while Westgate and Cairnlea did enough to avoid relegation after both clubs made coaching changes during the year.
