Cup football returns to Kingston Heath Soccer Complex tonight in the second edition of the FFA Cup, and Bentleigh Greens coach John Anastasiadis is keen to back up the endeavours of last season cup run.
The Greens enjoyed a remarkable rise in Australian football in 2014, reaching the semi-finals of the competition’s inaugural year.
Tonight’s opponents, Seaford United may be a far cry from A-League side Perth Glory – to whom the Greens were eliminated by in last year’s semi-final – but Anastasiadis is preparing for another long and fruitful campaign.
“Yes we certainly are [preparing for a long cup run],” Anastasiadis said.
“Similar story as it was to last year, we started off against a St Kilda Celtic and this year is now Seaford but we know it will be a totally different ball game this year.
“We know that every team that comes and plays against will [know] Bentleigh Greens did well in the FFA Cup last year so it’ll be a tough gig every week.”
The coach also revealed the weight of expectation placed on his side’s shoulders following an exhilarating 2014.
Bentleigh claimed two victories on the road in Sydney before defeating Adelaide City in extra time to secure a famous victory and semi-final clash against Perth Glory.
“Absolutely, there is a lot of pressure on us this year to back up what we did because we don’t want to be a flash in a pan as they say,” he said.
“The boys know that and we all know that as a club so there’s no doubt we’ll be treating every game as its our last one.
“It doesn’t matter who we are playing, every game will be a cup final for us.”
Reconnaissance has also been on the agenda for Anastasiadis this week having seen an impressive Seaford United outfit last weekend.
“I know a bit about Seaford. I saw them play the other day and they are a decent outfit,” he said.
“They are a good team – even though they are in the second division – they look to play football.
“We’ll prepare the same as if we were playing Manchester United to be honest so it doesn’t matter who they are.
“We know that they will come out here and try and play as well as they can and we just have to be at our best because it’s the FFA Cup and anything can happen – that’s the romance of the FFA Cup.”
The Greens will enter tonight’s Fourth Round cup clash sitting atop of the NPL Victoria table.
A convincing 3-1 victory over Heidelberg United on the weekend should present a good platform for the Greens to take into tonight’s match.
“Yeah it was good to get a win at Heidelberg,” Anastasiadis said.
“We again lacked that killer instinct at times in front a goal but we got the three points, did well and played some good football at times so that’ll give us a lot of confidence heading into Friday night’s game.”
Tonight’s Fourth Round FFA Cup tie kicks off at 8pm at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex.