South Melbourne’s blind football team made history when they kicked off the inaugural National Blind Football Series with a 2-0 defeat of Brisbane Olympic FC at the Hangar. The game a historic first for Australia as it was the first ever competitive blind football match in the nation’s history.
South Melbourne’s Brendan Spencer shone with his foot work, free kicks and aggressive play in the opponents’ half.
For his first, Spencer dribbled past three defenders and the Brisbane Olympic keeper was unable to keep out his shot on goal.
A few minutes later, his free kick beat a four-man wall to find the bottom right of the net for his second goal.
Brisbane Olympic plied on the pressure in the final minutes of the game with a succession of corners but were unable to penetrate the South Melbourne defence with defender Bard Pinkett and keeper Nathan Meneses playing a vital role in keeping a clean sheet.
“It was a hard-fought match against Olympic. The skill, the intensity, the camaraderie really showed through with the way we supported and encouraged one another. I am really proud of myself in being able to score those two goals and it has shown the hard work I’ve put toward the game in the gym and on the training track has really paid off,” Hellas star striker of the day Spencer told the club website (smfc.com.au).
The “Hellas” team captain Amir Abdi said the club had provided great support to his team and offered a real sense of belonging for him and his teammates.
“We can socialise together, attend events at the club and have them come and watch us play. It gives us energy to keep trying, get better and have a good future for Australian blind football,” said Abdi.
Commenting on the match South Melbourne FC President Nicholas Maikousis said that he was proud of what the club had achieved through its all-abilities football programme.
“Our all abilities program started four years ago with our powerchair team and last year expanded to include blind and vision impaired football. There have been many successes to the program the latest of which we’ve seen this weekend making history by participating in and winning the first match in the National Blind Football Series,” said the South Melbourne president.
The next National Blind Football Series game takes place in July when Brisbane Olympic return to Melbourne seeking to redress the defeat they suffered over the weekend.