Review
4/7 isn’t a bad effort, with a shock victory to Hume City getting the better of us, while Green Gully made a mockery of the 50-50 tag placed on their game against Dandenong Thunder. There was also a predicted win for Port Melbourne who saw a return of zero points for their zero. Avondale on the contrary got a point for each goal they put past the Sharks. A correct scoreline in the South Melbourne vs. Werribee City game capped off the week.
Port Melbourne 0 defeated by Avondale FC 3 (Predicted: Port Melbourne 2-1, wrong)
Bentleigh Greens 4 defeated Heidelberg United 0 (Predicted: Bentleigh Greens 2-1, correct)
Green Gully 6 defeated Dandenong Thunder 1 (Predicted: Draw 1-1, wrong)
Northcote City 1 defeated by Pascoe Vale 3 (Predicted: Pascoe Vale 2-1, correct)
Hume City 1 defeated Oakleigh Cannons 0 (Predicted: Oakleigh Cannons 2-1, wrong)
Melbourne Knights 2 defeated North Geelong Warriors 0 (Predicted: Melbourne Knights 1-0, correct)
South Melbourne 1 defeated Werribee City 0 (Predicted: South Melbourne 1-0, perfect)
***
Port Melbourne Sharks (9th) vs. Northcote City (10th)
The form:
These two sides meet at a crossroads in their season. One (Port Melbourne) started the season on fire and have slowly fizzed out to a mere crackle over the fireplace. The other (Northcote City) failed to spark early on, but have blazed away into some good form of late. With this in mind, it promises to be a fiery clash between 9th and 10th despite both sides looking both relatively safe from the drop and too far adrift from finals.
The players to watch:
Trent Rixon will be looking for a return to the starting XI to inject some potency into the Sharks forward line. The untouchable figure of Jonathan Bounas in the middle for Northcote will go along way towards deciding the midfield battle.
The prediction:
The implications of this game are simple. A loss to either side and they can kiss finals goodbye. At the moment, Goran Lozaonvski’s Northcote City are looking the side of old and I think they have enough to see past the threat of Port. 2-0 win for City with safety guaranteed alongside it.
Oakleigh Cannons (7th) vs. Pascoe Vale (6th)
The form:
There’s something massive at stake for both of these sides. A win for Pascoe Vale would open up a near unassailable eight point lead over Oakleigh Cannons, who desperately need the win to keep alive their finals chances. They threw away a good chance to gain some ground with a 1-0 loss to Hume City. Pascoe Vale on the other hand were in good touch against Northcote City, seeing past the improved side with a 3-1 win.
The players to watch:
Paco’s win was in large part to the performance of skipper Joseph Youssef who has had a very productive season to date. Kofi Danning appeared off the bench in the loss to Hume, will he be primed for his starting debut?
The prediction:
You get the feeling this win means more for Oakleigh than Pascoe Vale, purely in the contest of the season. A win would close the gap between the sides to two points, making for a great conclusion to the season. So a 2-0 win for the Cannons, to make the final couple of months an interesting watch.
North Geelong Warriors (14th) vs. Hume City FC (5th)
The form:
Hume City lived dangerously at times in their smash and grab 1-0 win over Oakleigh Cannons. While they may not have been the better side, they found a way to win, which is a good sign. Amply backed up that win with a berth on the national stage, after beating NPL 1 club Kingston City in more convincing fashion. They go into a clash with North Geelong Warriors as heavy favourites. While the hosts broke their streak of losses a fortnight ago, they once again went empty handed with a 2-0 loss to the Knights.
The players to watch:
Chris Oldfield was immense against Oakleigh, making a number of sublime saves to save his team, while Theo Markelis looks interested and is reaping the rewards with some good form.
Warriors’ number one Daniel Zilic was also solid in net for the Warriors despite seeing his net breached twice.
The prediction:
Micky Colina’s impassioned words in the aftermath of a heavy 7-1 loss to South Melbourne seemed to act as a catalyst for change at the club. They sit 1-0-1 since then, and will fancy their chances at upsetting the odds again. But it’ll be a tight contest against Hume. An upset point, 1-1 draw.
Dandenong Thunder (13th) vs. Melbourne Knights (4th)
The form:
It’s hard to gauge the Thunder at the minute as they seem equally capable of putting in a good shift as they are to capitulate, most recently at the hands of Green Gully in a 6-1 loss. The Knights recovered from their heavy loss to Oakleigh with a solid win against sister club North Geelong Warriors. Can they capitalise on the win this week?
The players to watch:
The departure of Andrew Barisic means they’ll need to find goals elsewhere. Will former FFV Gold Medalist Marijan Cvitkovic be offered a starting berth in his absence? It’ll also be interesting to see how Rama Tavsanciouglu helps lead a response after copping six goals last time out.
The prediction:
A win for Dandenong would set the cat amongst the pigeons in terms of the relegation battle. But I don’t think that’ll come against the Knights this week, but expect a response after last week’s poor effort. I’m tempted to go for a score draw, but I’ll ignore the gut feeling and go 2-1 to the Knights.
Werribee City (12th) vs. Green Gully (11th)
The form:
It’s been a horror run of fixtures for Werribee City, arguably at the wrong time of the season too. They came away from fixtures against the top three sides in the league with 0 points, but their integrity in check, matching each team, most recently South Melbourne in a 1-0 loss. Green Gully on the other hand broke their own run of three losses with a resounding 6-1 job against Dandenong Thunder.
The players to watch:
There were plenty to pick from Green Gully after their sublime outing against Dandenong Thunder. Liam Boland was one of three players to grab a brace and has already proved a match winner with his goals since moving to the club mid-season. David Thomson has usurped Frano Saric in goals and saved a penalty in a good display.
The prediction:
There’s no two ways about it, this is a must win for Werribee City, should they harbour any chances of avoiding chancing their arm at the drop. Lose it and they’ll face the six-point turn around. For the sake of theatre, we’ll tip Werribee to close the gap with a 2-1 win.
Heidelberg United (3rd) vs. Avondale FC (8th)
The form:
Forget their league defeat to Bentleigh, they’re riding a massive high after their mid-week cup win against Goulburn Valley Suns, which sees them return to the national stage. Of course, that’s a good way to get over a 4-0 loss to the Greens. Avondale on the other hand are a team that you’d not want to play at the minute. Steely and resolute from defence forward, they’ve added some silk to the midfield that contributed to a 3-0 win over Port on the weekend. The players to watch:
Andreas Govas continues to drop bangers like Will Sparks, again scoring a ripper with an arrow like strike from 30-yards against GVS.
For Avondale, while their mid-season signings stole the show, it was the efforts of Jeff Fleming in midfield which went more unheralded.
The prediction:
On paper, it should be a win to Heidelberg, but it’ll be a much closer contest than expected. The Bergers could see the return of Jack Petrie – who missed their midweek fixture – which would be a welcome inclusion. A home victory, 2-1 to Heidelberg at the Village.
South Melbourne (2nd) vs. Bentleigh Greens (1st)
The form:
Whether the weight of player departures, and subsequent influx of new faces is having a toll on South is up for debate. They certainly haven’t looked as convincing as they’d like to lately – their latest result a 1-0 win against Werribee – but they still get the chance to go to the top of the ladder with a win. But that would require a win against a Bentleigh Greens side playing with all the confidence in the world. A 4-0 drubbing of Heidelberg shows where they are at right now, a step ahead of the competition.
The players to watch:
The midfield will be a good battle, with two of the league’s form midfielders pitting their wits against each other. Will Liam McCormick or Iqi Jawadi make the bigger impact? Also, for South, is seems that Nick Epifano is off to Dundee United in Scotland for trials. We wish the tricky winger all the best, and hope the nickname Crocodile Dundee sticks. 
The prediction:
There’s little doubt that this is the marquee game of the round. It’s just a shame that we have to wait until the Sunday until we get to view it. It’s hard to tip against South, but nigh on impossible to go against Bentleigh. 3-1 to the Greens.