NPL Victoria
It was a welcome return to top-flight football in the state, in a week which saw all the favourites triumph over the weekend. South Melbourne’s narrow win over Oakleigh could’ve gone either way, while promoted outfits North Geelong and Avondale FC were plucky in defeat. Port Melbournes new look outfit trounced Hume 3-1 in a close fought contest, while Heidelberg did it easier against Pascoe Vale with a 3-0 drubbing. Dandenong Thunder got their 2015 off to a perfect start with a 2-1 victory over Nino Ragusa’s Werribee outfit, while Gully claimed a priceless 4-1 opening day win over Northcote City, whose squad has been stripped over the pre-season.
South Melbourne 1 defeated Oakleigh Cannons 0 at Lakeside Stadium
It was the game five months in the making, and a contest that many are predicting for the competitions decider in the post-season. From it we learned that South Melbourne are as steely as ever, and their narrow 1-0 win, with their backs to the wall at times, paid testament to their ability to grind out results. In the end, a fortuitous own goal from Oakleigh centre-half Adam Le Cornu split the teams, as Milos Lujic’s near post effort – from Nick Epifano’s cross – was palmed away by John Honos in goals, only for the ball to cannon off his defender and past the hapless keeper. Oakleigh pushed hard for the equaliser, and their pressure nearly paid dividends in the latter stages of the match, but some individual brilliance from stopper Nikola Roganovic in the second half kept the lead intact.
READ MORE > Not a day lost for South’s Roganovic
Bentleigh Greens 2 defeated North Geelong Warriors 0 at Kingston Heath
A strong performance from the Bentleigh Greens saw them account for a plucky North Geelong Warriors outfit two goals to nil. While they piled on the shots – 29 efforts on goal to the Warriors 11 – they were incredibly wasteful with their chances, summed up by glaring misses from debutants Chris Lucas and Matt Thutell in the second half. Luckily, they were carrying a lead at that stage as Thurtell opened the scoring late on in the first half, with a low strike past Daniel Zilic, who had thwarted everything that’d come his way before that. Thurtell waltzed past the defence and cut a low ball back in for sub Jamie de Abreu for the sealer with three minutes left on the clock.
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> Anastasiadis: North Geelong came to play
Melbourne Knights 3 defeated Avondale Heights 1 at Knights Stadium
Three games in and three home wins in the NPL Victoria. This one was a little more hard fought as the Knights were forced to come from behind to claim their opening round win. Debutant Chris Irwing sent the Avondale fans into raptures with a stunning opener, as he controlled and lobbed Chris May from all of 35 yards. Melbourne Knights kicked into gear in the second term, notching up three unanswered goals against the unlucky visitors. Josh Brekalo got the ball rolling with a 52nd minute equaliser before the classy Andrew Baresic split the deadlock soon after. Alex Dao sealed the contest late with a tap in.
Hume City 1 defeated by Port Melbourne Sharks 3 at Broadmeadows Valley Park
It was a bitter pill to swallow for Hume City as they fell 3-1 losers to a revitalised Port Melbourne outfit, despite having the better of the play. The Sharks were deadly with their chances, with a late double to Northcote recruit Trent Rixon enough to seal the win. They got off to a good start in the first half however as Kamal Ibrahim laid waste on the left wing before slotting neatly into the bottom corner in the first half. Trent Rixon struck for 2-0 in the second half before Jai Ingham profited from some good defensive work from Petar Franjic to nab an equaliser. Rixon’s second in injury time was a showcase of the Sharks clinical nature as they started the season off in much better form than the previous campaign.
Heidelberg United 3 defeated Pascoe Vale 0 at Epping Stadium
The Bergers made short work of Pascoe Vale as they played out a 3-0 result in Epping due to renovations at the Village. Midfielder Dan Vasilevski starred with two long range bullets while striker Kaine Sheppard contributed the other. The opening goal saw Paco keeper Stefan Saardelic make a howler, spilling a 30-yard effort before watching Vasilevski’s shot trickle in. The second was textbook target man play as Sheppard leapt and headed into the far post with conviction. The best was saved for last however as Vasilevski got his brace with a first time strike, catching the outside of the ball as it curled away from Saardelic into the bottom corner.
Werribee City 1 defeated by Dandenong Thunder 2 at Galvin Park
Dandenong went a long way to proving they’ll be competitive in the NPL Victoria this season as they knocked off Werribee City 2-1 at Galvin Park. Topsy-turvy conditions marred the contest late on, with both heat AND rain playing their hand. Yusuf Ahmed capitalised on a flowing counter attack to slot the opener for Dandy Thunder, before Werribee’s Josh Jokic hit home an equaliser before half-time. The winner came through a sumptuous free-kick from former Box Hill man Michael Gerace.
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Green Gully 4 defeated Northcote City 1 at Green Gully Reserve
Green Gully kicked off their season in the best way possible with a dominant home victory, trouncing Northcote 4-1. Nikola Markovski added the first goal after 15 minutes, and any chances of a Northcote comeback were scuppered by a needless red card to Jason Hayne for throwing the ball at an opponent’s face in anger. After the break it was all Gully, with Markovski adding his second, and Matt Sanders and Matt Breeze joining him on the scoresheet. James Kalifatidis scored a consolation penalty in added time for the visitors.
READ MORE > Lozanovski: Bitter pill to swallow
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NPL 1 East
There was a host of goals in the East edition of the NPL 1, with the round starting off in thrilling fashion. Goulburn Valley Suns showed class to thrash promotion hopefuls Richmond SC 6-0, with Englishman Craig Carley grabbing a hat-trick. Murray United were denied a debut win over Box Hill, as the latter triumphed 3-2, as Eastern Lions did quite the opposite and grabbed a win by the same scoreline in their NPL 1 debut. The round ended with more goals as Kingston City put four unanswered past new boys Nunawading.
Goulburn Valley Suns 6 defeat Richmond SC 0 at McEwan Reserve
Goulburn Valley made an early statement, with a stunning 6-0 dismantling of promotion hopefuls Richmond SC. In their first game in the NPL 1, the Suns showed the form of a top-flight outfit as Craig Carley netted a hat-trick; amply supported by Sean Ellis who added a brace, and Adam Scott with the one. It was the Scott and Carley combination that linked up for the opener within 10 minutes, as the former slipped the hat-trick hero in for his first before Ellis rounded the keeper for two. A quick-fire double on the hour mark saw Carley add his second, with Scott again the man to deliver, before going his own a minute later, finishing neatly on his left from inside the area. Carley added his third, and GVS’ fifth, before Scott capped off the result with 10 minutes to play.
Murray United 2 defeated by Box Hill United 3 at La Trobe University
An entertaining contest at La Trobe Uni saw NPL 1 debutants Murray United fall just short of a memorable victory on debut, as they twice lead, before eventually falling 3-2 losers to Box Hill. Adam Waters burst through and scored past new Box Hill number one Alex Connell, to give Murray the best possible start. They were hit with a blow before half-time when Stanislav Goldberg capped a weaving run through the defence with a clinical finish, but Murray struck back with one of the last passages of play in the first half. Zac Walker found himself behind the line, and he capitalized with a clinical low finish. Box Hill ensured there was no fairytale beginning for the new club, as Alex Schroen equalized on 51 minutes, with substitute Lucas Johns afforded too much space on the edge of the area, winning the contest late.
Dandenong City 2 defeated by Eastern Lions 3 at Frank Holohan Soccer Complex
Eastern Lions began life in NPL1 with a surprise 3-2 away win over Dandenong City at Frank Holohan Soccer Complex. Two goals from Nigeria-born forward Philip Ajao proved to be the difference in an entertaining game played in the sweltering Saturday afternoon heat.
David Di Lorio opened the scoring for the home side in the 29th minute with a delightful chip after a great ball through by Chris. However the lead was short-lived as a fantastic volley from defender Thomas Falconer and a brilliant individual effort from Ajao gave the visitors a shock lead heading into the half-time break. Ajao once again proved City’s nemesis when he beat the offside trap to beat City goalkeeper Damir Salcin in the 53th minute before City substitute Ricardo Gonzalez halved the deficit with 15 minutes to go.
Despite late pressure, Aaron Healey’s man were unable to find an equaliser as the Lions hanged on for a memorable victory.
Kingston City 4 defeated Nunawading City 0 at The Grange Reserve
Kingston City continued their strong goal scoring form of 2014 with a comprehensive 4-0 win over NPL 1 newbies Nunawading at The Grange Reserve. Stelios Konstantinidis had a double to half-time, with a killer touch setting up a big result for his team. New signing Damian Iaconis had his side’s third just minutes after the restart, before laying on the ball for Sean McIlroy for four.
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NPL 1 West
The West side was a little more tame than their East counterparts, but there was still plenty of action to report in the league. St Albans stamped their early authority on the league, racing to top of the ladder with a 4-0 win over Brunswick City. Bendigo and Moreland City shared four goals also, but the game ended 2-2 in a close encounter. Ballarat Red Devils made a poor start to life in the second tier with a 1-0 loss to the Georgies, while Moreland Zebras got up over FC Bulleen Lions with an 89th minute.
Brunswick City 0 defeated by St Albans Saints 4 at Dunstan Reserve
The hapless Brunswick City collapsed to an opening day thrashing, as St Albans stormed to the top of the ladder with a 4-0 romp of their less fancied opponents. Nick Scerri fired in a peach of an effort to open the scoring, before the Saints knocked their game up a notch in the second half. Trent Waterson slotted across the face of goals to make it two-nil before former North Geelong Warriors man Reha Kurul put the ball into his own net from a corner. The fourth and final goal also came from a corner; Ross Harvey doing the damage with 15 minutes left.
Bendigo City 2 drew with Moreland City 2 at Epsom Huntly Recreation Reserve
There were lead changes aplenty as the rebranded Bendigo City secured a score draw against NPL 1 newcomers Moreland City. City’s two goals bookmarked the contest, the first coming on 15 minutes through Jordan Seeto well taken volley, and the last an 85th minute equalizer from Corey Slevin. Moreland’s Cory Thomas needed help from a Bendigo defender to cancel out Seeto’s opener, before Gareth Richards scored from a set-piece to give the visitors the lead. Slevin’s late impact delighted the home fans as they made a strong start to their NPL 1 West campaign.
Ballarat Red Devils 0 defeated by Sunshine George Cross 1 at Morshead Park
In a stark contrast to Goulburn Valleys blistering start since NPL relegation, Ballarat failed to inspire in a narrow 1-0 loss to Sunshine George Cross in their NPL 1 West contest at Morshead Park. The Georgies had less of the play over the 90 minutes, but substitute Chris Antoniadis popped up to give the visitors a narrow lead. Their cause was made easier by the dismissal of Ballarat sub David King, who was sent off for a second bookable offence.
FC Bulleen Lions 1 defeated Moreland Zebras 0 at Veneto Club
Late drama at the Veneto Club saw Bulleen Lions nab a dramatic 1-0 win over Moreland Zebras in the final game of the NPL 1 West round. The contest was back and forth for the 90 minutes, with both sides enjoying their share of dominance in patches. But it was Bulleen that finally took the lead late on. Having earlier witnessed Simon Symeoy sent off, the visitors misery was compounded as substitue Gianni De Nittis slotted home with a header in a cruel end to the game.