With the tense stand-off between rivals Bentleigh and South Melbourne entering the final few minutes, the game still remains in the balance as the Greens look to get their noses in front, having equalised moments earlier through the head of Jack Webster.
On the ball is a familiar foe to the Clarendon Corner in Bentleigh Greens midfielder Tyson Holmes, who plays it to fellow Queenslander Chris Lucas, who himself finds another Queenslander in Matt Thurtell – in a flash the hosts take the lead to make it 2-1.
Holmes then gets his name on the scoresheet for 3-1, having been on the receiving end of some choice words from the very same supporters who two years ago chanted his name as he helped South lift the inaugural NPL Championship.
Since then, the 28-year-old has found a new home at the Kingston Heath Soccer Complex, where he has once again risen to the challenge, helping the Greens defeat South in the Grand Final decider last year. Holmes found himself on the scoresheet against his former employers for the third time in his last appearance against Chris Taylor’s men.
“The games against South are also very passionate as there’s a lot between the two clubs, and at the end of the day today it was just about the three points,” Holmes said.
“We knew the job we had to do, and getting the three points was the most important thing we had to do, whether that’s against South or anyone else. We want three points every week and doing it against South adds a little more spice, but in the end we’re just happy to get the three points and keep progressing forward.”
The victory moved John Anastasiadis’ men to summit of the NPL ladder, dispossessing South from top spot. Holmes was in full praise of the mental toughness his side displayed in the heated 3-1 victory, which saw both Luke Adams and Kamal Ibrahim sent off.
“It’s a massive credit to the boys. We’re a good group of boys who believe in each other a lot and that was shown out there on the night,” he said.
“In the last half hour both teams had 10 men, but only one team was trying to win the game and that showed in the end. I think we deserved the three points as we were the ones going for it and still running to win the game.”
A 2-1 Dockerty Cup semi-final triumph over the Melbourne Knights midweek means Holmes will get another chance to add to his trophy cabinet at the end of the month, although it is the games against his former club which he enjoys most.
“The fans get stuck into me a bit, but that’s just one of those things in football, so I love to rise to the occasion. It’s always good to get a goal, but as long as the team’s winning I don’t care if I score or not,” he said.
That game against South last Friday night was his 100th in the Victorian top flight and ended in fitting fashion for the Sunshine Coast local, who is now in his second season with the Greens.
Having been the only member of last year’s all-conquering squad to feature in every one of Bentleigh’s 28 league games, Holmes put himself in Golden Medal contention with a series of splendid performances in the number 10 role.
2016 has seen Holmes rotated between an attacking midfield role and a more central role in the heart of the midfielder, best evidenced by his solid outing as a defensive midfielder in a 3-2 win over the Oakleigh Cannons at the end of June.
While he feels that he has not reached the same heights as last year, Holmes takes satisfaction in the team picking up three points, which they will look to do again this week as they back up against the dejected Knights away at Somers Street on Sunday.
“Personally, if I’m honest with myself, I’m probably not where I was last year, but I do believe that teams have changed their tactics against us this season,” he said.
“I still feel like I’m having a decent year, and I try keep working hard and do the small things right and want to try and be as consistent as possible. As long as I’m playing okay and we’re getting three points each week, then my job is done.”
His move to South Melbourne in late 2012 wasn’t Holmes’ first taste of Victorian football, having initially moved down to Melbourne in 2005 as a 17-year-old, where he joined then VPL outfit Frankston Pines.
He made his debut for Stan Webster’s side late on in the campaign against the Essendon Royals and was one of many up-and-coming youngsters at the club, with Jamie Cumming, Semi Sivic and Dominic D’Angelo being notable teammates. Despite his limited match action for the senior side, Holmes considers the experience a worthwhile one, as he was able to mature and improve as a player in his first year out of high school.
“I remember the first game against South Melbourne down at Monterey Reserve was a memorable one, where South won 2-1. There were flares, and there’s me – a kid from Queensland who’d never seen anything like that before and was freaking out,” Holmes recalled.
“But nowadays I’m right in the middle of it and it’s all good fun. At the time I was young and just learning with some good players in the side, and was trying to learn off them as much as I could given that I had gone from playing youth football to playing reserves in the Victorian top flight, and by the end of the season managed to get some game time in the seniors as well.
“Being a 17-year-old at the time, you try and learn as much as possible in what was a very strong, physical league, much like it is now. So even though it was a lot different than Queensland, I loved the challenge.”
He returned back home soon afterwards, where he established himself as the standout player in the Queensland Premier League for the next half a dozen years or so, which he primarily spent at local club side the Sunshine Coast Fire. He made over 100 appearances at the Kawana Waters-based outfit, which yielded two Player of the Season awards, one Golden Boot, two Premierships and three Championships.
His performances began to attract the interest of several A-League clubs. Holmes trained with Adelaide United in October 2009 without being offered a first-team contract. More silverware and success in Queensland saw the embattled North Queensland Fury invite the attacking midfielder up to Townsville where he was trialist, although Holmes quickly realised that a long-term stay up in tropics was off the agenda.
“I was up in Townsville training with the Fury ahead of the 2010/11 season, and on reflection it probably wasn’t the best time to be going there,” he said.
“Given I was playing in the Queensland league and doing well, the Fury called me over but that was moreso a trail or number-fill rather than anything concrete. They didn’t seem to be looking to sign anyone at that point and were giving some players a go, but I don’t think they were in a financial position to sign anyone.”
Holmes would have to wait almost another two years before he was given another shot to crack into the A-League, after being invited to take part in the Perth Glory’s pre-season tour of South Africa in 2012, where he befriended Glory defender and current Oakleigh Cannons veteran Steve Pantelidis.
The Queenslander featured in all three games, scoring in the club’s 3-0 defeat of the Platinum Stars at Mbombela Stadium, a venue which had two years before witnessed the Socceroos upset the highly fancied Serbia at the 2010 World Cup. Despite some eye-catching displays in purple, Ian Ferguson decided against making Holmes’ time at the club permanent, much to the disappointment of the 24-year-old.
“To be honest, I was quite confident of potentially getting a gig, but unfortunately it didn’t happen and that’s probably the closest I’ve gotten to the A-League,” Holmes said. “I was naturally gutted, but thankfully a few months later South Melbourne came calling to come to Victoria and that was to get a change of scenery.”
With his career seemingly at the crossroads, Holmes elected to move back down to Melbourne, having grown too big for his pond in the Sunshine State.
“After I came back from Perth, I finished my season with the Sunshine Coast Fire and got a phone call from South Melbourne and a couple of other Victorian clubs, but elected for South and the rest is history as I’m now into my fourth season in Victoria,” he said.
Rather than dwelling on the disappointment of not realising his professional aspirations, Holmes has since thrived in Victorian football, bringing success and an element of on-field class to the dressing rooms at Lakeside and Kingston Heath. He reflected on the need to meet his competitive standards and the determination to bring the best out of his talented teammates, while also looking forward to the Greens’ upcoming FFA campaign.
“I’m a very determined guy in that I like to win things and try to be as successful as I can, and try to take that into everything in my day-to-day life. Obviously I was disappointed when I was younger as I had a few shots at the A-League and just missed out, but I’m still driven to win things and each year spurs new challenges,” he said.
“This year is my first qualifying for the FFA Cup and I’ve never done that before, so that’s another thing I want to do well and have a really good campaign in. I’m also driven to motivate some of the younger boys in our team too, as there are a few boys in our team who should be banging down the A-League door, and I get a lot out of trying to help those boys and to teach them what I didn’t do in trying to get to the next level.”
Having experienced elimination at the hands of the Melbourne Knights in the final stage of qualifying in year one of the competition with Hellas, Holmes was left disappointed once more last season when Bentleigh was knocked out of the cup following a shock 4-3 defeat to second tier Ballarat Red Devils in the fifth round of qualifying.
There was to be no repeat this year, with the midfielder instrumental in the Greens’ passage to the national stage, scoring the second goal in a memorable 4-0 triumph over his former employers last month to seal their progression to the Round of 32 – at the expense of their deflated rivals.
“I just hope to go as far as possible and a lot of that is down to the luck of the draw,” Holmes reflected when being asked about his expectations of playing in the national competition. “The longer you avoid the A-League teams, then the more chance you have of progressing through.
“It’s an exciting competition and is getting stronger each year, with increased hype and media coverage. We’re confident in the way we play football and the way we go about things so we’re just expecting to go as far as possible.”
To do that, Bentleigh will need to repeat their heroics of 2014, which saw the Cheltenham-based club reach the semi-finals. Holmes heaped praise on the managerial style of his coach John Anastasiadis, who is widely credited with leading one of the best teams outside the A-League.
“JA is a very good coach and coaches football the way people say it should be played, in that it involves a lot of ball on the decks, a lot of movement, rotations, and doesn’t like just lumping the ball long,” Holmes said.
“That was a big attraction about Bentleigh given I love to play, and that it’s a good brand of football to watch. I think JA is on the right path and is following the right philosophy with the proof being in the football we play week in, week out.”
While the opportunity to play in the FFA Cup will place him in the national spotlight, Holmes is not holding his breath for another shot at an A-League level, particularly with the general league trend seeing attacking midfielders like himself being recruited from overseas.
“The A-League clubs always aim to fill their visa spots with nines, tens, and these days sixes and eights, building their spine with visa players, and this makes it hard for players like me to get a look in,” he said.
“They fill the wings and full-back roles with younger boys, so that makes it tough, but that’s football and in the end I think the only 10 in the A-League who is on a different level to visa players is Aaron Mooy – and he’s gone now.”
Image: Con Deves