Round 12 in NPL2 saw 10 cross-conference battles take place with 39 goals falling as Ballarat, Box Hill, Brunswick, Dandenong City, Dandenong Thunder, Melbourne City, Melbourne Victory, Moreland Zebras, Northcote and Nunawading all emerged victorious in their respective outings.
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Northcote stretched their lead in the West to nine points following a hard-fought 2-0 triumph on the border against an in-form Murray United. Goals in either half from the impressive Welsh pair of Josh Knight and Matthew Whatley ended the hosts’ six-game unbeaten run as Hercules turn their attention to a crucial mid-week Round 6 FFA Cup tie away to the Port Melbourne Sharks.
The rampant Moreland Zebras moved into second with a game in hand after a convincing 6-1 thrashing of Richmond at CB Smith Reserve. Daniel Petrov opened the floodgates early on as Amir Osmancevic’s brilliant brace extended the margin. A goal from former Richmond forward Nick Niagioran was followed up by a header from veteran Mile Medjedovic. Vani Shamoon continued the scoring in the second half with Alan Mulcahy’s penalty mere consolation for the away side.
Moreland City slipped to third following a 1-0 defeat at Campbell Reserve by Melbourne City Youth. The game’s deciding moment came on the half hour when experienced campaigner Felix Rosman turned the ball into the back of his own net as Joe Palatsides’ young enforcers sealed their third win on the bounce with the home side failing to repeat their FFA Cup heroics from mid-week.
Despite that victory, Melbourne City surrendered first place on the East ladder after Dandenong City’s one-sided 6-0 win over the hapless Bendigo City at Epsom Huntly Recreational Reserve. A hat-trick to makeshift number nine Shaun Filipovic and further strikes from Mate Dugandzic, David Stirton – his first for the club – and substitute Andy Jerez confirmed the romp which allowed Hajduk to march back to the summit of the standings on goal difference.
Arguably the game of the round took place at George Andrews Reserve as ten-man Dandenong Thunder sealed a dramatic 3-2 win over the Whittlesea Ranges in injury time. The impressive Thomas Barforosh opened the scoring only for former Socceroos defender Simon Colosimo to equalise with his second long-range strike of the campaign, a goal of the season contender. The visitors re-took the lead on the hour through midfielder Mario Piraino as Colosimo was shown a straight red card for dissent shortly afterwards. However, as is most often the case, Brandon Barnes had the final say on proceedings as the English striker netted a fantastic double to move up to 16 goals from 12 league games this term as the hosts kept pace with Hajduk and City Youth, trailing only on goal difference.
Melbourne Victory Youth recorded their fourth consecutive victory after beating the Eastern Lions 4-1 at Epping Stadium. Winger Christian Theoharous opened the deadlock after 21 minutes, with Pierce Waring continuing his good goalscoring form of late by doubling the lead four minutes later. Nicholas Sette added a third two minutes into the second half before Waring completed his brace in the 73rd minute. Chris Duncan’s sole strike was only a consolation for the struggling visitors.
Brunswick City marked their return to Dunstan Reserve in style after a 4-2 triumph over the Goulburn Valley Suns, with the two Welsh players on the pitch showcasing their immense quality. The Spartans took the lead through Adam Wright, only for compatriot Robert Hughes to level the scores following a strike outside the box.
George McHeileh restored City’s advantage, only for an exceptional Hughes free-kick to the tie the scoring once more. However, Wright latched onto a defensive mistake to give his side the lead before winning a penalty and completing his hat-trick all in the space of a few minutes deep into the second half on an immaculate playing surface. Meanwhile, Scottish striker Liam Baxter has also departed the Suns for SL1 outfit Langwarrin.
Ballarat City began life after Michael Trigger with a hard-earned 1-0 win away to the Springvale White Eagles. Carl Frankson’s goal 12 minutes from time proved to be the winner on a dim afternoon for the off-target hosts as City coach Danny Gnjidic marked his return to White Eagles Stadium with three points, having previously played for Springvale during their VPL days in the 1990s.
Nunawading City came from behind to defeat Sunshine George Cross 4-1 at Mahoneys Reserve yesterday with all four goals coming in the space of ten second-half minutes. Souheil Azagane gave Tony Ciantar’s men the lead heading into the break only for James Brown to equalise in the 79th minute. From there onwards the Georgies fell apart as a maiden senior goal from 16-year-old Tyrone Boissezon preceded further goals from Mitch Cooper and Sam Antoniadis – the latter scoring against his former club as the home side moved into eighth in the East.
Finally, there was a long overdue victory for Box Hill United, who celebrated their first three points of the season after a 2-0 win over the struggling Werribee City at Galvin Park. The visitors’ hero was Todd Dekker, who netted a brace thanks to a goal either side of the break as Pythagoras moved within two points from safety while also recording their sixth clean sheet in 12.
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On the goalscoring charts, Barnes extended his lead at the top of the Golden Boot standings by six goals and now stands on 16 goals. Wright’s hat-trick helped him move into outright second on 10, while the Heidelberg-bound Trigger is third on nine. Five players are tied on eight, including Barforosh, Cooper, Filipovic, Knight and Trent Rixon, while Zebras forward Osmancevic has seven from 11.