Dana Johannsen: Faltering Pulse far from out of danger

You would have to be one cold-hearted sports fan not to smile at the sight of the plucky Central Pulse celebrating an obscenely rare win in the transtasman league at the weekend.

But by now, let's hope the celebrations are well and truly over.

If the faltering Pulse are to gain any real momentum from this win, they need to be dealt a short, sharp reality check.

Those who are hailing the win as a sign brighter times are ahead for the Pulse need to put it in context. And there are plenty of sobering statistics to help with this.

So let's recap. Before the weekend's game the Pulse's only win in 34 matches came against the NSW Swifts in round 13 last season; it had been nearly a year since the Wellington side had rustled up that win, with their average losing margin this season 14 goals.

How about this one? In the first three years of the competition Christmas has come around more often than Central Pulse victories.

Yes, we in the media are often accused of embellishing details, but there can be no overstating just how appalling the Pulse's record has been in the opening seasons of the league.

And the harsh truth of the matter is the weekend's win does little to make that record look any prettier. It has come far too late to improve the side's fortunes this season.

With games against the Fever (a), Firebirds (a), Magic (h) and Vixens (h) remaining, it is unlikely the Pulse can rustle up another win this year. But there are still small goals and targets they can achieve which will put them in a better space heading in to next season.

Having only just scraped past the Tactix, the Pulse still have a huge battle on their hands to avoid the wooden spoon. Given the matches between the Tactix and Pulse are shared at one apiece and neither side is likely to pick up any more points this season, goal percentage will determine ninth and 10th place on the ladder.

So cheer up, Maree Bowden, the good news is the Tactix still have the edge in this area, and the Pulse look to have the more difficult run home.