SWAN Hill Soccer Club’s senior men’s title defence got off to a nervy but ultimately successful start, defeating Moama-based side Border Raiders 3-2.
Travelling to face last season’s bottom side without injured star striker Connor Brown and a couple of other big names, the Swans were shown the path to another treble might not be so easy.
Brown’s replacement, teenager Faizal Amran, didn’t look out of place in his senior starting debut, scoring within the first four minutes.
Amran, called up from the club’s under-16s this season, will have a big role to play in the next couple of weeks while Brown was on the sidelines, but if Sunday was anything to go by, he is more than up to it.
A 1-0 lead was quickly eroded by the Raiders as they pounced twice in five minutes to take a 2-1 buffer into half-time.
Another new face would strike the equaliser for the Swans, with English recruit Gareth Johansen scoring on his club debut in the 74th minute to make it 2-2.
As with any great team, the Swans know how to find a way to get the job done, and Santhosh Gunasekaran’s 85-minute winner ensured they headed home with the three points.
The Swans will have a chance to rest up and potentially get some of their best players back on the park with the bye this week, followed by an away game against Shepparton Soccer Club.
SHSC’s senior women’s team also returned to the park on Sunday, travelling to Kyneton Rangers, falling 5-0.
They will get the chance to bounce back on Sunday when they welcome Castlemaine Goldfields FC to Ken Harrison Reserve.
