Round 15 saw a tightly contested mix of results with only two games featuring a deficit greater than one goal.
Hume City defeated defeated Werribee 3-0 whilst Ballarat conquered bottom placed Goulburn Valley with an identical scoreline.
Three fixtures concluded with the scores at 2-1, which included an 87th minute winning from Tomislav Uskok as Knights ended Pascoe Vale’s five game winning streak.
Oakleigh and Green Gully both salvaged late draws over their opposition whilst South restored their six point lead at the top to six points.
Unfortunately due to a lack of reporter present in Ballarat, neither the Red Devils or Goulburn Valley players are eligible for this weeks selection.
Formation 4-2-3-1
GK: Griffin McMaster (Heidelberg United)
It was superb outing in goals for the former Brisbane Roar custodian on his return to Heidelberg United’s starting line-up. Introduced thanks to a late call up, McMaster simply had an excellent night between the posts for his side, pulling off a number of crucial saves to help a ten-man Heidelberg secure a 1-1 draw against Oakleigh.
RB: Kristian Konstantinidis (Northcote City)
Strong in attack matched by a sound defensive display, Northcote’s right back earn a spot in Round 15’s Team of the Week. Just edging out Jeremy Walker for the pairs preferred position, Konstantinidis’ highlight included his sides 59th minute winner over Bentleigh Greens.
CB: Shane Rexhepi (Hume City)
It was a well earned clean sheet for Rexhepi at the back as he made amends for his not so impressive performance against Pascoe Vale the week prior. The centre-back marshalled his defence with ease whilst pressing forward and distributing in a positive manner as Hume held firm at the back.
CB: Ivan Grgic (Melbourne Knights)
The young Knights defender seems to have developed a handy knack for scoring goals this season, heading in sides first after 37 minutes. Aside from his calibre in front of goal, the centre-back had another outstanding display in his more favourable side of the pitch, singled out by coach Andrew Marth as one of his teams best performers.
LB: Jeremy Walker (Hume City)
Just pipped out on his preferred right back position by Konstantinidis, Walker nevertheless has seriously impressed since signing for Hume a few months ago. Lively as ever and willing to take on players at any given opportunity on the right flank, Walker put in another impressive shift.
CM: Sakhi Zada Faisal (Dandenong Thunder)
It was a dominant display in the defensive half for Faisal for Dandenong Thunder on Sunday afternoon against Green Gully. Despite doing his best to hold onto his side’s lead, Faisal could do noting as Gully equalised in the last minute of normal time. The defensive midfielder additionally scored Thunder’s only two goals which included a sensational curling effort from 25 yards.
CM: Tomislav Uskok (Melbourne Knights)
It was a man-of-the-match performance by Tomislav Uskok on Sunday afternoon against Pascoe Vale which sees him grabs him a spot in our Team the Week for Round 15. Not only netting his side’s winner after 87 minutes, Uskok also provided the assist for Grgic’s equaliser as the midfielder proved to be a dangerous threat all afternoon, especially with his head.
RM: James Kalifatidis (Northcote City)
Northcote’s winger had an impressive outing on the right against Bentleigh on Friday night. Handing his side an early lead from point-blank range, Kalifatidis was nominated as a standout performer for his efforts on the night.
CAM: Jamie Reed (South Melbourne)
The Englishman was superb for South on Sunday evening as his side claimed a 2-1 victory over Port Melbourne, putting their disappointing week behind them. Reed set up Milos Lujic for the opener whilst clinically converting his spot kick as the attacking midfielder offered an array of support to the attackers as he held up the ball and covered a lot of territory.
LM: Abel Fesseha (Hume City)
It was a best on ground performance for Hume’s latest signing on Sunday afternoon. Netting two first half goals and wreaking havoc off both wings, the winger showed his class in what promises to be an exciting acquisition for Lou Acevski.
ST: Milos Lujic (South Melbourne)
South’s main man would have been glad to see his name back on the scoresheet once again after a couple of lean games in recent weeks. Although he missed a couple of opportunities, the forward still proved to be a dangerous asset for South in front of goal, capped of by a composed finish early in the game to equalise for his side.
Substitutes:
Chris May (Melbourne Knights)
Knights’ custodian displayed a relatively solid outing in goals against Pascoe Vale on Sunday. The keeper wasn’t forced into anything magnificent but reflected yet another reliable performance we’ve come to see during the 2014 NPL season.
Iqi Jawadi (South Melbourne)
Pulling the strings as always in midfield, Jawadi tied together a neat performance for South on Sunday evening. Maintaining possession and delivering some exceptional crosses, the midfielder also won South’s penalty late in the first half.
Davey van’t Schip (Pascoe Vale)
Despite Knights ending Pascoe Vales five game winning streak on sunday afternoon, the lively forward’s exceptional form continued as he toiled away as one of the visitors shining lights particular in front of goal in miserable conditions.
Kaine Sheppard (Heidelberg United)
Sheppard had plenty of opportunities for his side on Sunday night which included a quality finish on the stroke of half-time as he worked Oakleigh’s defence and keeper before being withdrawn with just over a quarter of an hour to play.
Nathaniel Foster (Oakleigh Cannons)
Oakleigh’s flashy forward looked an ever dangerous presence for his side on Sunday night. In the thick of the action for most of the night, Foster was at the centre at most of Oakleigh’s attacks against Heidelberg’s defence.
Special mention to Bryce Clayton, Alen Delic @AlenDelic, Shaun Moran @moranshaun , Steven Chang @Gixibyte, Tim McGlone for their contributions.