It was a relieved and ecstatic Whittlesea Football Club on Saturday night after it claimed a first win of the season in division 1 of the Northern Football League.
After being so close to wins early in the season before falling short, Whittlesea went on with the job this time to beat Northcote Park.
The Eagles led by 12 points going into the final quarter and eventually won 11.17 (83)-10.9 (69).
For Eagles coach Jim Atkins it was a sense of relief to finally get a win.
“We knew if we played four quarters we could win games,” he said.
“It was an even contribution and I don’t think anyone had a bad game.”
Despite having given up leads earlier in the season, Atkins was confident the Eagles could get the win this time.
“They got it back to a goal with about five or six minutes to go,” he said.
“When we kicked a goal with about 30 or 40 seconds to go we knew we had the win.
“There was a lot of joy and relief.”
Janan Daniel kicked four goals for Whittlesea, while Roy Dyson was best on ground.
“Roy played a terrific game . . . the best he has played all year,” Atkins said.
Atkins said his players were not content with settling for just one win as they look to avoid the drop back to division 2.
Last time the Eagles were promoted to division 1, they finished bottom of the ladder and went straight back to division 2.
“There’s just a sense of belief that we can do it,” Atkins said.
“We were close in the first six games and just couldn’t get it done. You don’t know you can do it until you get the win.
“We’ll knuckle down and look for a couple more wins.”
This week the Eagles face Bundoora, who had a bye on the weekend after playing a standalone match on the Queen’s Birthday weekend.
In division 2, Lalor and Thomastown continue to struggle as they both suffered losses on Saturday.
The Bloods fell short against Diamond Creek and the Bears were thrashed by North Heidelberg.
Both sides have only two wins for the season and sit on the bottom of the ladder.
In division 3, Epping, Mernda and South Morang all had wins.
