THEY have captured the hearts of a nation.

And a stalwart of Coffs Harbour football was in Perth to witness the Matildas in action in their Olympic qualifiers.

John Moffitt was in Perth for all three of the Matildas Olympic Qualifying matches, where he saw former Coffs Harbour junior Clare Wheeler play for her country.

The foundation member of Coffs Harbour Soccer Club and founding member of Women’s Football on the Mid North Coast praised the performance of Wheeler in the Matildas match against Iran.

“It was a privilege to watch Clare Wheeler’s performance in the game against Iran,” he said.

“While the match was continually marred by the theatrics from the Iranian players, Clare maintained a cool attitude and performed her role in the midfield in an exceptional manner, continually regaining possession and feeding the ball to the forwards and wingers,” he said.

“Clare is definitely looking to be a substantial replacement for Katrina Gorry upon her retirement.

“Clare’s performance in the other games during her on field time was just as impressive.

“I felt extremely proud to see a local girl making it to the top of her chosen sporting field.

“Coffs Harbour has produced so many amazing athletes in all sporting arenas in the 55 years I have lived here, and it is wonderful to experience firsthand, from the sidelines, one of our locals playing among the best in Australia, and indeed some of the best in the world. “

By Aiden BURGESS