A miraculous strike from Barry Devlin has secured St Albans a place in the final 16 of the FFA Cup.
The Saints defeated Parramatta FC 1-0 at Melita Stadium in Sydney last Tuesday.
At the 35-minute mark, Devlin launched a long-range bomb which sailed over the Parramatta goalkeeper’s head and sent Saints players and fans into raptures.
Both teams had their chances to hit the scoreboard in the next hour, but the Saints were able to hold on and secure a win.
St Albans committee member Joseph Hovanjec said the match and post-game celebrations were memorable.
“You can only imagine how the last 12 hours have been,” he said.
“It was a rollercoaster ride. For the whole game you actually expected another score and you thought that it was going to be them. They were the home side and they clearly have a lot of ability. All the travelling supporters we had there, we just couldn’t believe it. It was just a matter of ‘are we able to sustain this?’
“To hear the final whistle, the fans were so excited.
‘‘The guys were so happy and going inside the dressing room, all the travelling fans came out chanting. It was fantastic.”
St Albans joined A-League clubs Perth Glory and Adelaide United in the cup’s final 16.
The win put the Saints in the headlines nationally, with the club appearing on television and radio sports bulletins.
“As far as putting the club out there on the scale of national level, this is just amazing,” Hovanjec said.
“To have the name of the club mentioned on Fox Sports, on radio, to have [federal] Opposition Leader Bill Shorten congratulate us on Twitter is just incredible. We are up
there in the national limelight and we are so happy we can do it in the inaugural season of the FFA Cup.”
The final games in the competition’s round of 32 will be played tonight and next Tuesday.
St Albans will learn its next opponent during a live draw broadcast on Fox Sports.
Hovanjec said the club’s fans were split between hoping for a blockbuster clash
against an A-League side or drawing a lesser-known team.
“Whatever happens from here is another lottery,” he said.
“One side of the club is hoping we draw an A-League club.
‘‘Some people are saying, let’s try for a weaker opposition if we can get it and hopefully go a bit further.
‘‘Whatever comes our way, we are really looking forward to it.”
