So what if the Tigers had gone down 6-0 to Melbourne Victory? It was a NSW State League 1 side, full of players who don't get paid a cent to play, against the A-League champion. They weren't expected to win, or even get close.
What was important was that the Tigers gave it their all, competed as hard as they could and kept the opposition honest. They did that. The Tigers may have been outclassed, but they weren't disgraced against a star-studded Victory side
Hyde said the experience of playing in front of a very enthusiastic crowd of 4849 at the famous old ground under the flight path to Sydney Airport was fantastic.
"I'm 32 this month and I think this will definitely be my last year, so what a way to go out, to play in front of 5000 people and live on television," Hyde said. "It's something I'll remember and I'll tell the kids about for many years to come."
It turns out Hyde was getting a little bit ahead of himself amid the excitement, but he is clearly a forward planner! Asked if he actually had any kids at this point, he replied: "Not yet! Hopefully next year.
"I had my fiancee and her family and a lot of work people down here at the ground tonight and I think that was what it was all about, seeing them at the end of the game. It was a great experience."
The match was played in a good spirit as the team from three divisions lower than the A-League tried to play football at the opposition rather than just park the bus and possibly keep the score a goal or two lower than it would have inevitably ended up anyway.
"Definitely a good vibe out there," Hyde said. "A lot of mutual respect. It was great. Melbourne Victory actually gave us a lot of respect, they took it seriously.
"They fielded a very strong team and when you've got Fahid Ben Khalfallah coming on as a sub that says a lot about how seriously Mr (Kevin) Muscat was taking it.
"Great experience, a game played in a really good manner. I'm glad that shot from halfway by them missed at the end, because that would have blown the score-line out even more, but 6-0 was probably a fair reflection.
"If we'd been able to keep it a bit lower it would've been better, but we gave it our all."
Hyde was talking about the Victory breaking quickly after Balmain goalkeeper Anthony Costa had come forward for a corner kick late in the match.
Ben Khalfallah tried his luck with a long-distance shot as Costa was racing back down the field, but the ball bounced just wide with Costa well beaten.
Right-back Hyde said the biggest difference he noticed between his team and Victory was the sharp movement of the A-League players - on and off the ball.
"We knew it was going to be tough, but the pace of the game still surprised us a bit," he said. "How the Victory guys moved the ball was incredible.
"We play a reasonable level in State League 1, but their movement off the ball was what really caught us out tonight. For our back four it was the guy stepping offside, coming onside, and trying to judge that movement from them.
"(Besart) Berisha's strength when he had the ball - it was definitely a different level. Even though they're in pre-season, you can tell they're the best steam in the country by a mile.
"But I think our guys did a good job of keeping their emotions in check. It's very easy to burn up a lot of energy before a game like this. We were in a position we've never been in before, but the guys handled it very well."
Hyde left the ground saying he was looking forward to watching the game on television.
"I taped the match, of course," he said. "My parents, being back home in the UK, were watching it online as well. It will be interesting to see what they think. I'm sure my phone will be red-hot with messages from friends and family.
"We're a small club and we've actually been putting on this whole event ourselves, in-between all of us working in our normal jobs, so it's going to be an opportunity now to take a deep breath and recharge the batteries.
"I'm keen to have a good look at the replay and see the things the we did well and the things we can improve on going into this weekend."
