STRATFORD — Last August English club side Wigan Athletic began its first campaign in the English Premier League, the highest league in the country. The club — founded in the 1930s — was a relative youngster in the English game. And the town of Wigan itself was more noted for its rugby and meat pies than its prowess on the soccer field. The English press bandied about the word "unfancied" as one of the nicer ways to describe the Latics and most pundits expected them to be relegated at season's end. Wigan defied expectations and finished mid-table. Now, drawing a comparison between SWC boys high school soccer and the EPL might seem like a stretch, yet the Bunnell Bulldogs have never been one of the league's fancied squads since the SWC began in the mid-'90s.

Until last Novemeber, Bunnell hadn't qualified for the state playoffs since 1997 and hadn't won a game in the postseason since 1992. Yet the Bulldogs finished 2005 with a respectable 12-7-1 mark — including a run to the Class L semifinals, losing 1-0 on a late goal to eventual winner New Canaan. Some around the league figured them to be a one-shot deal, but the Bulldogs have again defied expectations. They started the season with eight straight wins, but dropped to 8-1-0 after Thursday night's 3-1 loss to Bethel. "It's fine with me what other people think about our team," second-year coach Sebastian Wojdaszka said. "They can say this or that, but as long as we win, I'm happy."

Not that it's

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been easy for Bunnell. The Bulldogs' record may be unblemished, but they've only outscored opponents 18-10, including five one-goal victories. "That's the amazing thing," Wojdaszka said. "I haven't had a lot of time to sit down and enjoy myself on the sideline. It seems like every game is a nailbiter." None more so than back-to-back overtime wins against New Milford and Pomperaug in late September as senior captain Brendan Broadbin provided the winner in both. "On those goals you could see he wanted it more than anyone else," Wojdaszka said. Broadbin, an attacking midfielder, paced Bunnell with 11 goals last season and had three going into play Thursday.

Bunnell's other senior captain — Matt Lance — has been just as important as Broadbin. With the Bulldogs losing three of their four starting defenders, Wojdaszka moved Lance from a holding midfield spot to sweeper. Lance's ability to read the game and organize have been crucial. In Lance's old spot is Ryan Burns, who returned to Stratford after living in Alabama. Junior Mike Patria seamlessly replaced standout Matt Carey in goal, posting four clean sheets thus far. Up front Mike DaSilva leads the team with six goals. "We might not have the most gifted players individually," Wojdaszka said. "But somehow we've gotten the right guys in the right spots. They're finding a way out there."

Also key to Bunnell's success is its ability to adapt to opponents and thus grind out results on the positive side of the ledger. Bunnell will learn a lot about itself in the coming days. Saturday it hosts defending SWC champ Barlow (7-0-1), then plays at 7-1-1 Masuk on Tuesday afternoon. A showdown with perennial power Newtown looms on Oct. 19. Aside from those three matches, the rest of the schedule is winnable, which bodes well for the Class LL playoffs, where the Bulldogs are tied with three other teams for the No. 1 seed. Still, some doubters remain about Bunnell's success.

Don't count Masuk coach Brian Humpal as one of them. Humpal worked a preseason camp in West Haven attended by many of the Bunnell players and came away impressed.

"Some people maybe thought they weren't as good as their record was last year, but I figured they'd be pretty good," he said. "They have some very legit players. Lance and Broadbin would start on any team in the league." And for Bunnell, fancied or unfancied, pretty or not pretty, the results are all that count.

"Ten years from now that's all we're going to remember," Wojdaszka said.