Image: Mark Avellino
Bentleigh Greens have claimed the Dockerty Cup with an extra-time 1-0 win over Green Gully on Wednesday.
The win takes their season silverware tally to at least two for now, three with the NPL premiership all but wrapped up considering South Melbourne’s impending points deduction, meaning just the championship and FFA Cup remain for a quintuple.
FFA Cup aside, the Greens are on track for a state clean sweep.
The 1-0 result was achieved following an added time Ryan Paczkowski effort, though much of the heroics were left to keeper Ryan Scott, who thwarted Gully on many occasions.
The first warning shot early came from Troy Ruthven, whose shot was saved by Gully keeper Rani Dowisha.
Scott’s first crucial involvement came when Jay Davies made his way into the box, with the ball falling to Liam Boland whose deflected close range shot was desperately blocked by the shot-stopper.
Dowisha was also kept busy before the break when Paczkowski’s ball found Tyson Holmes one-on-one, but the keeper came out on top.
Evan Christodoulou was the next to test Scott after the break to no avail.
However the best chance fell to Kamal Ibrahim minutes later, when a low cross across the face of goal found the winger at the back post, but his left footed tap-in missed the target.
He then tried a spectacular long-range effort to try catch Dowisha off his line, but missed wide as well.
Bentleigh had another golden moment to score when Tyson Holmes’ header found Kieran Dover in front of goal, but his headed effort also missed wide.
Both sides were exchanging opportunities and this time it was Boland who was twice more denied by Scott before the regulation 90 minutes were up – once from a free-kick and another from a long-strange strike with plenty of power on it.
After 90 scoreless minutes, all it took was two in extra time for Bentleigh to strike, when Jack Webster – who had an excellent game at the back – found Paczkowski on the wing, whose touch took him forward and was able to poke a ball past the onrushing Dowisha.
Gully weren’t done there, and Christodoulou had two golden chances in the second period – one right footed effort from a set-piece play just missed at the near post, while a more clear-cut opportunity was thwarted a final time by Scott, with Bentleigh holding on for their first Dockerty Cup triumph.
The #DockertyCup match-winning goal from @ryanpaczkowski – FT: @BentleighGreens 1 @GreenGullySC 0 pic.twitter.com/2iSyJNQXqg
— Football Victoria (@footballvic) August 17, 2016