‘Now for Division Two’

By Glen Atwell
WHEN the final siren sounded in the Southern Football League Division Three grand final, Parkmore coach Richard Houston breathed a sigh of relief, embraced assistant coach Gary Connolly and joined his team in celebration.
The two had, after all, taken a team yet to win a senior game, to a premiership.
Houston said the game was in the balance at half-time, but the team had remained calm and collected.
“It was a close one, but I knew the guys would stand up, stay disciplined and run over the top of them,” he said.
Connolly said the pressure was on at the main break and a couple of things had made the task even harder.
“The red card to Andrew McArthur was a turning point,” he said.
“I was fairly disappointed with that.
“McArthur is one of our best players, he has been invited to the league best and fairest, it was a disaster to lose a player of that quality so early.”
The former Dandenong coach said there was only so much coaching a coach could do.
“We research the teams and do all that, but it’s up to the players to play for each other and get the job done,” he said.
“We had our backs to the wall, but stood up and put in the extra effort.”
After the game, Parkmore president Paul Dowling presented Connolly with a premiership medal for his coaching contribution.
But not long after the celebratory dust had settled, it became crystal clear that Houston was already looking toward the challenges that lay ahead.
“Now it’s onward to Division Two,” he declared.