Macarthur FC winger Jed Drew has been giving defenders nightmares all season. His blinding speed is almost impossible to defend, as he showed on Saturday night against Sydney FC.
As the game rolled into time added on, Drew chased a long ball and in a blink of an eye he was face to face with the Sydney goalie.
His first shot off the left foot was pushed back, but straight to his right foot, and he didn’t make a mistake the second time, smashing the ball into the back of the net.
The bad news for right side defenders in the A-League gets even worse: Jed Drew, pictured above (left) celebrating his goal, hasn’t yet turned 21 and won’t do so until after this season has finished.
His goal on Saturday night was also in front of the biggest Bulls crowd at Campbelltown Stadium, officially 7,723 fans coming through the turnstiles.
It’s now history that the Bulls managed to hang on to the 1-0 scoreline despite playing with nine men.
Ivan Vujica received a red card late in the first half and Tommy Smith got his marching orders in the second half.
Once Smith walked off, it was obvious the Bulls would have to defend like their lives depended on it.
And that’s exactly what they did, even more so in the eight minutes of added time.
This is a victory that will be talked about for a long time, and the cliches will just keep on coming: backs to the wall, against all odds, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, etc.
Time will tell, but this performance may just end up defining who the Bulls are and who they play for in the seasons ahead.
In the meantime, they have one more challenge before the finals: jetting off to New Zealand to take on competition front runners Wellington Phoenix this Saturday (kick off 5.15pm our time).
Macarthur are on 41 points and in fourth spot, courtesy of the three points they worked so hard to earn on Saturday night.
If they win in New Zealand and the team above them, Melbourne Victory lose, Bulls could finish third – and guarantee a home final.
The worse they can finish is fifth, so either way our football team will be playing finals football.
And it’s thanks to a gutsy team effort and a brilliant goal by a kid who’s not 21 years old yet.
PS. In news that arrived just after publication of our story, Football Australia has admitted the red card to Vujica was a mistake by the video assistant referee. It means the Bulls defender has been cleared to play against the Nix this Saturday.
