THERE'S an adage in baseball when a pitcher is closing in on a perfect game. NEVER talk about a perfect game.
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It's a similar situation at Hanwood Football Club. Nine hours of football and counting this season without conceding a single goal.
That's almost enough time to sit through the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Enough time plus more for us nine-to-fivers to complete a full work day.
No one wants to be the first to stuff up. It's why teenage shot-stopper Nicholas Zappala was so nervous when asked to fill in for last Sunday's road trip to Cootamundra.
Hanwood beat the struggling Strikers 17-0, setting up a mouth-watering top of the table home clash against Wagga United this Sunday.
The hosts have accrued 16 points from six games, with Wagga United just a point behind.
"You know what it's like, when you haven't conceded a goal everyone wants to work that bit harder to keep the record in check," Agresta said.
"On the weekend we had a 16-year-old (Zappala) starting in goal and he was a bit scared he'd be the first to let one in.
"We definitely weren't expecting to do that (six straight clean sheets). The boys have acquitted themselves well, especially defensively, and we're really working for each other.
"It starts from the front where even our strikers are working hard, a lot of the goals (against Cootamundra) was from them chasing hard and turning the ball over."
Agresta said English striker Nick Kennedy have gained some confidence from a productive weekend where he backed up a brace for Wagga City Wanderers in their National Premier League Canberra division two win over Southern Tablelands with five against Cootamundra.
"He's been down on confidence, he's been doing shift work at night and hasn't been able to get to training, so he's not as sharp as he could be," he said.
"The last couple of weeks being able to get back into training, it's good to have him on the scoresheet."
After Wagga United, Hanwood travel to in-form Leeton and defending premiers Lake Albert which Agresta says will pose a bigger challenge than recent weeks.
"The last couple of weeks we've been focusing on our attack, we've been missing those chances and I told the boys coming into games against teams like Wagga United and Leeton and Lake Albert, those chances are going to be few and far between," he said.
"Judging by the results they (Wagga United) seem to be ticking along pretty well after picking up a few players this year.
"We're looking forward to the challenge and it will be a big test for both of us."
Hanwood's England-bred goalkeeper Stephen Bullen said the feat is more remarkable given the uncertainty of what to expect from teams in a different competition.
"Hopefully we can keep it going as long as we can. We're very well organised this year," he said.
"It's a big difference because everyone in the local comp knows each other and in this comp we don't know what to expect, or what style they'll play against us."
Crows big guns Lincoln Weir and Adam Holmes are expected to be available for Sunday's game after the influential Liam Browne returned to the line-up last week.
"We're looking forward to the challenge at Hanwood, we respect what they do," Wagga United coach Travis Weir said after the 4-3 win over Young.
"They're a good side that likes to keep the ball and it's going to be very hard for us to go over there and get any result, but it's exciting."
PASCOE CUP ROUND SEVEN
Saturday: South Wagga v Tumut at Rawlings Park 1 (7pm)
Sunday: Young v Leeton United at Hall Bros Oval; Hanwood v Wagga United at Hanwood; Lake Albert v Cootamundra at Rawlings Park 2, Henwood Park v Tolland at Rawlings Park 5 (all games 3pm).
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