Force hit back

Bunbury Forum Force defender Ryan Risdon could not have asked for a better 21st birthday present on Saturday when his side caused a massive upset against the in-form Sorrento.

The Force put in arguably their best performance of the season to defeat the Gulls 2-1 at Payne Park, with Risdon and his fellow back-four members playing a massive part in Bunbury’s first victory since round five.

‘‘It was a really good feeling to get a win on the board after struggling in the last couple of weeks,’’ Risdon said.

‘‘That was probably the best we have played in the last month and our defence held up extremely well under pressure.’’

Risdon made his first-term debut for the Force back in 2006 as a fresh-faced 15-year-old while he was still in Year 11 at Bunbury Catholic College.

But the pacy defender has had a horror start to his time in the Premier League, with injuries keeping his appearances limited during the early stages of the season.

‘‘I broke my arm and a bone in my hand at the start of the season so that has resulted in me missing a lot of the season so far,’’ Risdon said.

‘‘But it has been good to get back into the senior side over the past month and play consistent first-team football.’’

Risdon, the older brother of budding Perth Glory midfielder Josh, said it was fantastic to see his younger sibling succeed on the big stage.

‘‘He had a really good season with the Glory and I felt really proud watching him come up against some of the best players in the country, especially in the A-League grand final’’ he said.

‘‘He made the big move from Bunbury to Perth in his early teens and that’s all paying off for him now.

‘‘He recently signed a two-year deal to stay at Perth but hopefully he gets the chance to go overseas and make his mark over there in the future.’’

Bunbury take on reigning State Premier League champions Balcatta at Grindleford Reserve on Saturday, a side they lost 3-2 against in the opening round.

But Risdon is hoping the Force can build on their impressive performance against Sorrento.

‘‘I think we can take a lot of confidence out of the win against Sorrento on Saturday, all the boys are pretty pumped and it’s good to get back into the winning ways,’’ he said.

Balcatta will be without damaging striker John Thornley, who netted a double when the two sides last met, after he returned to former club ECU Joondalup earlier in the month.

For the Force, defender Karl Boulton will be missing after suffering a leg injury in last weekend’s win.