Olympic legend Usain Bolt scores twice for Central Coast Mariners in trial match
EIGHT-TIME Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt may just make it as a footballer after all. The 32-year-old scored two goals in a trial match, the first a deft left-foot finish that would have done any top striker proud.
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WHERE were you when Usain Bolt scored his first goal for a professional football side? A little fewer than 6000 were at Campbelltown Stadium on Friday night to witness the moment in time.
Many more sat on the couch at home watching on TV, some undoubtedly cheering, some in disbelief that the Jamaican track great they were sure was definitely not a footballer could do something so football-like it appeared as if he was.
Because Bolt’s maiden goal for Central Coast was a ripper, a deft finish that will unlikely prove enough on its own to warrant an A-League contract, but might temporarily quieten some of the critics.
Fifty-five minutes into his Mariners starting debut, the Jamaican sprint legend broke into space and dashed onto a through ball from Ross McCormack.
With that loping stride that so breezily broke the 100m and 200m world records multiple times, he took it on the angle with his left foot - his only foot - and struck it low and hard past the goalkeeper at the near post.
SEE HOW WE COVERED THE MATCH IN OUR LIVE BLOG
If ever an effort required a Lightning Bolt celebration this was it, and the world’s fastest man duly obliged.
“It was brilliant,” Bolt said.
“It takes all the weight off your shoulders, to relax you.
“Because I missed one earlier and wasn’t happy with myself. But scoring was a great feeling.”
What. A. Game. @usainbolt, the footballer scores two goals in our 4-0 win. âš¡ï¸
— Central Coast Mariners (@CCMariners) 12 October 2018
That will go down as one of the most memorable games in Australian football history. Congrats, Usain. Don't think limits. ðŸ‘🼠#CCMFC pic.twitter.com/Ug0CrlO0xX
Admittedly, it was a snapshot amid a still-rudimentary personal display against a Macarthur South West United XI comprised of a handful of the region’s NPL players.
And though lightning did strike twice, the 32-year-old’s second goal came by virtue of a defensive mix-up that left him free to tap the ball into an empty net.
But a brace is how the Mariners’ most famous triallist’s 75 minutes on the park will be remembered, two months after he arrived in Gosford devoid of enough fitness to last five minutes of training drills.
The shift revealed marked improvement, yet also showed signs his ambitious sporting transition remains a long-distance project.
“I came out here to prove myself,” Bolt said.
“They’ve seen me in training, they’ve seen what I’m capable of, now they need to analyse and say ‘alright, is he good enough for this club?’
“They’ll determine that. I just did what I had to do, that’s as far as I can go.
“I think after this game is when we can talk, because the season’s coming up now so we have to sit down and figure out what we’re going to do.”
Bolt said he knew his dream of earning an A-League contract may hinge on what he could do here and he wasted no time getting involved at the spearhead of an attack featuring classy new acquisitions Ross McCormack and Tommy Oar.
At Bolt’s own request, his service was now arriving from “more seasoned and more mature” professionals.
Of course, it won’t go down in history that McCormack also netted his first Mariners goal with a back-post free header seven minutes in, nor that promising young striker Jordan Murray put away the second goal in the 4-0 win exhibiting encouraging signs of coach Mike Mulvey’s new order.
But the night was about Bolt, and all eyes were on the main man as he leapt high for a would-be header, engaged in some unlucky air swings, and had a few chances a seasoned professional might have put away.
One arrived in the 39th minute when Oar crossed from the left.
Bolt’s run and jump were well-timed but the angle of his head just a smidgeon enough off to divert the ball wide.
Or like when McCormack played him in and his eyes brightened as the goal beckoned, but he couldn’t connect for a straightforward finish.
Bolt was still a little off the pace, both in speed of movement and thought, and his teammates’ reluctance to use him at times reflected the gap in experience.
But there was a lot less gasping for air than his 20-minute debut off the bench in Gosford six weeks ago, perhaps a result of double sessions designed to improve his form and fitness.
The heaviest breaths came when a wayward boot struck him in the nether regions.
For a minute that seemed an eternity, the eight-time Olympic champion clutched at the point of the pain.
Usain Bolt just got kicked in the nuts. pic.twitter.com/i9FeUxDSM5
— JΛKE BUCKLEY 🇦🇺 (@TheMasterBucks) October 12, 2018
Then, much to the crowd’s joy, he was back on his feet.
And so on and so forth until he was substituted to applause.
“You’ve got to be so happy for the guy haven’t you,” Mulvey said.
“He covered himself in glory tonight, everybody is super pleased for him and you’ve got to take your hat off to him.”
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