Image: Smile for Peter
South Melbourne and Heidelberg notched up home wins – in varying circumstances – to preserve their leads (equal goal difference, South with more goals for) at the top of the table, with Bentleigh’s draw on the road to St Albans continuing their fluctuating league form in the past month or so and leaving them three points behind the leaders – who still have a game in hand.
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South Melbourne and Oakleigh Cannons have, in recent seasons, won their respective home games against the other, with that trend continuing at Lakeside as South held on for a late 1-0 win.
The first half saw missed opportunities for either side as two in-form players had early chances but couldn’t add to their tallies.
South’s Matt Millar was through one-on-one with the keeper but his shot hit the upright and went wide. In similar circumstances at the other end Giuseppe Marafioti was played through but was denied by Nikola Roganovic.
The second half was a hotbed of controversy and contentious moments followed each other.
The first involved Milos Lujic – returning from a couple of games out with injury – who was seemingly felled by Steve Pantelidis on his way in on goal, but referee Perry Mur called play on.
Another was a long delay due to John Honos sustaining a facial injury inflicted by Stefan Zinni who was denied a route on goal when played in behind the defence – it seemed backup keeper Billy Akritidis was being readied before Honos was bandaged up and waved back on with many minutes having elapsed.
The winning goal also didn’t come without controversy as Oakleigh defender Janiel Silva was deemed to have fouled Nick Epifano in a challenge in the box, with Lujic – often left frustrated throughout the 90 with passes not making it to him, shots not sticking and close attention received from defenders – was able to release those frustrations with a penalty smashed straight down the middle.
The Honos incident meant some eight minuted of extra time – and Oakleigh piling on late pressure – resulted in a nervous and restless wait for South Melbourne fans, with the referee finally blowing the whistle on an encounter that contained much more action than the 1-0 scoreline suggested.
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Heidelberg were coming off a confidence-restoring Dockerty Cup semi-final thrashing of Hume City following two consecutive league defeats that allowed South Melbourne to take top spot on goal difference, but their assignment against Green Gully looked to be a difficult one as the latter also enjoyed a convincing 3-0 win over Avondale the week before.
The short turnaround didn’t look to have affected Heidelberg who managed to fire a couple of warning shots as Kenny Athiu fired wide while Michael Trigger’s effort was saved by Lucas Spinella.
There was controversy in the 37th minute when Gully looked to have scored in a sequence of play following Jonathan Bounas’ corner but the flag was raised for offside – much to the dismay of the visitors.
Their frustrations grew in the second half when Reuben Way, on the left wing, benefited from Trigger’s cutback to apply the finish past Spinella.
Trigger had another assist for the sealer and it was Kenny Athiu, who had many openings earlier in the contest, finally made one count to put the result beyond reach as the Bergers secured an important win on the board.
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Bentleigh travelled to Churchill Reserve also buoyed by a Dockerty Cup semi-final win over league leaders South Melbourne (with John Anastasiadis returning to the sideline after being suspended for that game), snapping an indifferent run of form in the league, with their task against bottom-placed St Albans looking an easier prospect on paper – especially given the side’s recent 8-1 defeat to South Melbourne.
But that’s not the way the contest transpired, with Dinamo landing the first blow after both sides exchanged opportunities early on.
The opener came in innocuous circumstances – which would have been infuriating for Bentleigh’s staff given how defensively resolute the side was against South – when Aaron Romein’s long punt forward bounced up for Joey Monek to run onto with very little pressure applied and nod the ball past Ryan Scott in goals.
It was a wake-up call for the visitors who struck back before the break as a Troy Ruthven free-kick – a phrase often heard before – beat the keeper and restored parity via the upright.
In the second half the Greens took the upper hand when a good sequence saw Andy Brennan find Trent Clulow out wide – his cross was brought down by Ben Litfin, allowing Dimi Hatzimouratis in the box to pounce and guide the ball into the back of the net via a nutmeg on Romein.
While it looked like Bentleigh would get the job done from there, another defensive lapse allowed St Albans to pounce. An aerial ball forward led to a shallow defensive header landing at the feet of Matt Cundari, who slipped through Monek, with the winger making no mistake with the finish for his double, and salvaging a point against the Greens.
The frustrating result for Anastasiadis’ side means they move to 33 points alongside Avondale, but South and Heidelberg move to a three-point lead over both following their victories.