Image: Smile for Peter
Two goals in the last six minutes has seen newly promoted Kingston City salvage a 2-2 draw in the NPL season opening clash against rivals Oakleigh Cannons at Jack Edwards Reserve last night.
Substitute Mouad Zwed was the hero for the visitors as he came off the bench and contributed to the point via an assist as well as winning the late penalty, duly converted by Velibor Mitrovic.
The 2016 NPL2 Champions were playing their first top-flight game in almost a decade against their local neighbours, who themselves were looking to better last season’s fourth placed league finish.
Oakleigh fielded two new signings in the starting 11, including Iqi Jawadi whereas City started the game off with six of their new additions on the park in a new-look playing squad.
Dean Piemonte got the Cannons off to the perfect start in the 13th minute when his sublime dipping volley left new City goalkeeper Kile Kennedy exposed off his line for the opening goal of the season.
Kingston pushed hard for a response with Chris Irwin denied by the offside flag, while promotion hero Damian Iaconis and new boy Erhan Yalaz were thwarted by sharp saves from experienced Cannons shot-stopper John Honos.
Oakleigh doubled their advantage six minutes into the second half when Dimitri Hatzimouratis’ low-cross into the box was met by Dusan Bosnjak, who struck the ball into the back of the net.
The hosts were missing star recruit Nate Foster through injury but Hatzimouratis came close to sealing all three points only for Kennedy to make an acrobatic save to deny him.
Kingston introduced Zwed on after the hour-mark for the injured Irwin, with the Polish-born Libyan winger and Daniel Bennett forcing Honos into making two superb reflex saves as the Cannons looked to hold onto their advantage.
However some great perseverance and trickery saw Zwed beat a number of opposition defenders in and around the box before crossing the ball into the danger, with fellow substitute Sean McIlroy profiting to maximum effect as his half volley from close range reduced the deficit.
Zwed was the protagonist once more six minutes later when he got onto the wrong side of Thomas Matthews on the byline, the English right-back fouling him inside the box.
Mitrovic stepped up and calmly converted the spot-kick, although a drama-packed night ended with McIlroy sent off for appearing to head-butt Abdalla Okud in the moments that followed the penalty.
Oakleigh frantically went in search of a match winner in the final few minutes of the contest but it never came as the new boys on the block picked up a valuable point on their return to the top tier.
Both sides have home matches in Round 2 with Oakleigh hosting Bulleen next Friday night, while Kingston entertain Green Gully the following Monday at The Grange.
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Oakleigh Cannons 2 (Piemonte 13, Bosnjak 51) drew to Kingston City 2 (McIlroy 84, Mitrovic 90pk)
Crowd: 1,700 (estimate) at Jack Edwards Reserve
OC: Honos (GK), Matthews, Pantelidis, Wilford, Rizk, Okud Jawadi (Georgopoulos) 83, Piemonte, Bosnjak, Zoric (Marafioti 78), Hatzimouratis (4-2-3-1). Unused Subs: Kraloglou (GK), Alinejad, Sarwari
KC: Kennedy, Bennett, Love, Sakhizada, Tidmarsh, Stamatiou, Irwin (Zwed 59), Konstantinidis (McIlroy 64), Mitrovic, Yalaz (Millar 80), Iaconis (4-2-3-1). Unused Subs: Sadikovski (GK), Sulemanovski