Image: Northcote City
Northcote were held to their first scoreless 90 minutes of the season, Moreland Zebras reduced the lead at the top to 10, while two points separates third and eighth. That’s the story of NPL2 West’s Round 15 action.
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Young custodian Matthew Jones continued to occupy the goals for Sunshine following the departure of long-term servant Robert Santilli, and was tasked with keeping out the rampant Northcote City, who continue to tighten their grip on the West title and automatic promotion. But coming to Chaplin Reserve proved to be no easy feat as the hosts made life difficult for the runaway leaders.
In the 15th minute Adam Hodor met Liam O’Connell cross however his shot deflected off the upright and cleared away. Soon after George Tsiakalakis had his header cleared off the line with shouts for handball, but the referee didn’t budge. Josh Knight came close for Northcote only to be denied by the crossbar. City had a late penalty shout when James Papadimitriou was brought down late however the referee also waved that away as both sides had to settle for the draw, the first time Northcote have been held to a clean sheet this season.
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The Moreland derby threw up a contest between two sides closely positioned on the ladder but there was a gulf in class on the day as the Zebras defeated City 3-0 at Campbell Reserve, with Regsan Watkins the chief destroyer.
The first goal came just after the break when Watkins latched onto a dinked pass by Mohamed Habib, volleying in an emphatic finish. The number seven then showed off some fancy footwork and ball control by the byline to tee up Nic Niagioran for the easiest of finishes, before matters got worse for the hosts when striker Apai Ukuno was sent off for a second yellow later in the contest. Watkins then finished off proceedings with another well-taken effort of his own.
The result continues a worrying trend for City, who haven’t won a league game since Round 9, and Ukuno will miss the FFA Cup clash against Hume City. Meanwhile, given their form this season the Zebras will be ruing their slip up to Werribee last which prevented them from keeping the gap closer at the top.
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Nuh Sehavdic had a game to remember for Melbourne Victory youth, netting his first double for the club, but his efforts were matched by Adam Wright as Brunswick City salvaged a 2-2 draw at Epping.
Sehavdic’s opener came in the 15th minute when Seb Mattei’s clearance was headed back towards goal, with the youngster volleying in the go-ahead goal. That was cancelled out just five minutes later when Liam Newman’s ball found an unmarked Wright for a straightforward header.
A well-worked goal saw Brandon Lauton play in Josh Kelic, whose low cross was tapped in Sehavdic to propel his side into the lead once more. But again the Victory threw their lead away almost instantly as a predatory Wright hassled the defence and goalkeeper to win the ball and find the back of the net, bagging a second consecutive brace and taking his season tally to 14, extending his lead at the top of West’s scoring charts.
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A Thomas Barforosh shot into the upright and a Ross Frame own goal frustrated Whittlesea against the lowly Bendigo early but the opener finally came just before the break when Chris Talajic’s great run found Danny Charalambous who found the back of the net.
That effectively opened the floodgates with Whittlesea piling on five more after the break. Two came in quick succession after the hour mark when Charalambous added a second with a stunning volley, before Barforosh continued his good season form, sliding in the team’s third. Barforosh and Charalambous combined to set up Daniel Peluso for the fourth in the 80th minute. Two extra time goals saw Ross Frame crossing in for Mario Piraino to head home, with Peluso setting up Barforosh to nod in his second and the team’s sixth on the day.
It was a welcome result for the Ranges who had slumped as far as eighth before the weekend but now move up one to seventh in a hugely congested West mid-table.
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Werribee City and Ballarat City were coming off impressive wins against Moreland Zebras and Melbourne Victory respectively, with both looking to continue that form into round 15. However, in the end they cancelled each other out, settling for a scoreless draw. Despite sitting eighth, Ballarat are just two points off third, while Werribee now go three unbeaten with seven points from nine, enjoying their best run of form since a horror start to 2017.