Thunder thrive on underdog tag in NPL
The South-West Thunder are not worried about their men’s National Premier Leagues Queensland rivals taking them lightly.
The Toowoomba-based club is actually thriving on the odds not being in their favour against Brisbane Strikers today at Clive Berghofer Stadium.
Thunder defender Keagan Sheridan is hoping his side can channel the underdog reputation that served them so well last season when the second-placed Strikers come to town.
“We’re going into this game as underdogs which benefits us because we play our best football when we
aren’t expected to win,” he said.
“Teams start to struggle with our pressure and last year we prided ourselves on beating those big teams.”
Sheridan returned to the club after a stint playing professional football in Finland during pre-season.
The 100-game NPL Qld veteran is already targeting big things for next season when the Thunder will face the prospect of relegation, with changes to the competition in 2018.
Setting the right tone before this season ends will be key.
“Next year you have to win games of football with relegation there,” Sheridan said.
“Francesco (Zanoncelli) has started building that winning mentality now. We are ready for the pressure.
“You always want to win games of football and now we have got a taste of it again we want to go into the last four games undefeated.”
The Thunder women go into their away game against Souths with a chance to improve on their slim top four chances.
A win this weekend will eat away at the gap between the sides who are both pushing to make the finals.