New Roos rekindle old spirit

Holger Osieck's Australian team snared a goalless draw in an action-packed match in St Gallen that augurs well for the future.

Although talk of "turning the corner" after the bleak Verbeek era may be somewhat premature and optimistic, it is an undeniable fact that the side played with a desire and spirit of adventure that has been lacking in recent months.

Playing with pace and purpose and using the whole length and breadth of the field, the intrepid Socceroos created several scoring opportunities and could have scored at least four goals.

In the second half Australia’s midfield inexplicably lost its shape and in the end the Socceroos had to thank evergreen goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer for keeping them alive with a string of magnificent saves that have become his trademark.

The Fulham man, whose dream of joining glamour club Arsenal was dashed during the week, played as if he had no worry in the world.

He commanded the penalty box with authority and when called upon he was ever so alert to save the Australians.

His lunge to the left to stop a goalbound flick from interesting striker Xavier Margairaz had class and experience written all over it.

Schwarzer was ably assisted by skipper Lucas Neill and Matthew Spiranovic.

The two central defenders rarely put a foot wrong and formed a solid wall the Swiss could rarely penetrate.

Neill was a bit unlucky to give away a penalty in the second half for an untidy tackle and Alexander Frei’s subsequent miss was seen as poetic justice.

Spiranovic, who was deputising for injured Michael Beauchamp, took his chance of a rare start with open arms and played diligently throughout, especially in the second half when the Swiss threatened to run over the Socceroos.

Another player who caught the eye and who should be back in the team for the match against Poland on Wednesday (AEST) is striker Scott McDonald.

The Middlesbrough man, who has yet to score for Australia after 17 matches, missed two glorious chances to break his duck in the first half when he skied the ball from two metres and headed wide from an excellent position.

But he generally played well and he never stopped trying to get into scoring positions or make play for others.

He clearly relished the occasional company of Tim Cahill or Brett Holman and on this form his time will come for sure.

In midfield Jason Culina, the only A-League player to start, was in fine touch. He kept things ticking along with a mixture of long and short passes and reminded us of his best days.

All in all, it was a solid away performance against a decent team that should give Osieck plenty of encouragement.