Words: Sam Flanagan
Image: Patrick Kearney

Olympic FC are on the verge of pulling off one of the most impressive form reversals in the short history of the PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues.

Sitting second to last only three months ago, Olympic are now on the cusp of the top four – and a fourth consecutive PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland Finals Series appearance - with only a handful of games remaining in the regular season.

The steady rise up the table continued last week, notching their seventh win in nine matches as Olympic accounted for defending PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland Champions Moreton Bay United to move to sixth on the standings.

Olympic coach Terry Kirkham said the win – which came courtesy of a late double from skipper Daniel Byrne - was both important and deserved for his charges.

“To go away to last year’s league champions and get a famous win away from home that puts us two points out of the top four was certainly a very big win not just for me, but the whole team and club also,” Kirkham said.

“We were the most dangerous side up front and in the end we were fitter, sharper and certainly more polished inside the opponents 18 yard box in the last 15 minutes which is what won us the game.”

Finding a late winner has been an increasingly regular occurrence in the Kikrham era, with Olympic scoring late to claim the win in three of their last seven games.

It’s this desire to win that burns from a certain mentality that has been instilled since Kirkham’s appointment in April.

“We are winners, we believe we are all winners as individuals and now we have this winning banter as a team,” Kirkham explained.

“As 'banter boys' the group knows that games of football for us are won over 95 minutes and we must be winning at the 95th minute so we can have a laugh after the game with our banter group of players, staff and supporters.”

This banter doesn’t only come about after victory though; it is present throughout training, warm ups and online.

So it’s no surprise that Kirkham’s final message before his players take to the field against SWQ Thunder will be simple and light hearted as Olympic look to keep their top four ambitions alive.

“Banter them, have some fun, tell them to stick to the plans and their jobs and get a result no matter what is going on. It’s about scoring goals and getting the result.”

He added, “We’re taking every game at a time. We must defeat all the teams in the league no matter the position on ladder of our opposition."

PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues 2016 – Round 19

SWQ Thunder FC v Olympic FC
Saturday, July 30 | 5:00PM
Clive Berghofer Stadium, Toowoomba