Could the Millthorpe Tigers be writing the latest chapter in the story of football’s greatest underdog triumphs?
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Millthorpe secured a fifth win from its last six starts on Saturday to continue its remarkable Orange District Football Association resurgence, also completing a stunning period in which the side has accounted for the league’s entire top three in consecutive weeks.
After sensationally downing Waratahs Old Boys (1-0) and Waratahs FC (2-0), the Tigers clawed their way to a third straight upset in last weekend’s 12th round by edging past third-placed Saints Turbulence by a single goal.
Already back in finals contention, the 4-3 win over Saints catapults the Tigers to within touching distance of the top four.
For a side that went winless through the opening half dozen rounds, the turnaround is simply stunning.
Not that it’s surprised the playing group though.
Far from it.
Millthorpe manager Nic Smith said his side was always capable of this kind of form, it was just a matter of producing it consistently.
“I wouldn’t say it’s surprising, not entirely anyway,” Smith said.
“We were always confident and if you look at our early losses they were all quite close, we were in all of those games.
“I think we just needed to play well for 90 minutes.
“We’ve started doing that and we just keep rolling on. We’re really looking to keep that going, get a few results and hopefully make it into that top four.
“Once we’re there we might look at our goals, but that’s what we want to do, make the four. It’s a congested table, so it’ll be tough, but this team’s pretty happy at the moment.”
Millthorpe was forced to come form 2-nil down on Saturday too, after “starting very slowly”.
Saints scored twice in as many minutes to lead by two inside the first 15, but Zac Van Valen and Jono McCann’s goals pegged it back to 2-all at half-time.
The Tigers took a 3-2 lead thanks to Jacob Evans, but Saints equalised with five minutes to go.
“It was actually a goalkeeping error that let us put that fourth away, Zac (Van Valen) scored his second to give us the win,” Smith said.
“We did start slowly but lifted after Saints went 2-nil up.
“We spoke at half-time about staying positive.”
If the Tigers can continue their stunning form, there’s every reason to expect the side to steal fourth place and cause some serious headaches come the post-season.
Millthorpe is currently three points adrift of the top four.
In Saturday’s other game United handed Old Boys their third straight loss, winning 6-4, while Wildcats forfeited to Ex-Services.
FC’s grand final rematch with Barnies was deferred, due to player availability issues.