Latest News Tactical Review: Alamein vs Bayside UnitedApril 22, 2019Starting lineups Alamein began with a 4-3-3 formation and created numerous chances, but struggled with their shooting. Bayside sat deep and posed a threat on the counterattack, with goalkeeper Lauren Farrugia having an excellent game. Let’s look at the key events. Bayside block, Alamein go direct A feature of Bayside’s attack is left back Lucy Richards frequently overlapping when left winger Emily Harbis moves inside, as seen in their Round 3 match against Heidelberg United. Here, Richards and Harbis were far more conservative. Instead, Bayside concentrated on counterattacking from a defensive block, using the pace of Cristina Cardaci up front and Savanna Anastasopoulos on the right. This threat was evident early on. In the 9th minute, Bayside won the ball on halfway, and with an early pass sent Cardaci on a counterattack. Bayside’s defensive shape was a reasonably-compact 4-2-3-1 mid-block, as shown below. While the block was generally focused on covering zones, certain Bayside players tracked certain Alamein players. Cardaci dropped deep to block easy passes into Alamein’s deep midfielder Liana Iaconis; Kirstie Shearing and Felicity Georgopoulos tracked Alamein’s attacking midfielders Mari Pastor and Lucy Johnson respectively. This discouraged Alamein from attempting to play through midfield, and to play longer passes instead. Being forced to go long actually suited Alamein. As previously noted in their game against FC Bulleen Lions in Round 7, Alamein prefer to attack via early balls in behind for their wingers Kat Goff and Janna Lawson to chase, with attacking support coming from Mari Pastor making late runs from midfield. Here, we can see a similar pattern, with Alamein centreback Taylor Schneider (circled) looking to release Lawson with a long pass. We can also see below that Pastor has started her run, drawing Shearing into the defensive line to cover. In the first half, Alamein created several chances through this route, but couldn’t convert. Notably, Goff somehow missed a tap into an open goal from four yards out, and Alonso’s neat finish was ruled out for offside in the 12th minute. Second half excitement With both teams looking to play early, this meant that the midfield zone becoming a battlefield for second balls and 50-50 challenges as both teams’ midfielders looked to support the long pass forward. In particular, Iaconis had her hands full tracking Bayside’s main creator Margot Robinne, who would frequently sprint forward to support in the attacking third. This was how Bayside scored. With Alamein left back Akeisha Sandhu out of position, this allowed Robinne to break into the space behind and cross for Nikolina Bucalo to finish from six yards. Alamein reacted quickly, sending on midfielder Caitlin Roberts for Schneider and shifting to 3-4-3. This change allowed substitute Jacynta Galabadaarachchi to move into a free role behind the strikers, whereas she was previously confined to the left wing having earlier replaced Goff. Lineups after Bayside go 1-0 up – Alamein shift to 3 at the back Galabadaarachchi’s 1v1 ability caused huge problems for the whole Bayside defence, and resulted in a series of Alamein corners. Again however, a combination of poor finishing and excellent goalkeeping kept the score at 0-1 to Bayside. A downside of shifting to three at the back was that this left large spaces outside of Sardo and Sandhu for Bayside to counterattack into, although Sardo in particular was excellent at providing defensive cover while still contributing in attack. Fittingly, it was her run that won the free kick from which Alamein equalised. If you missed the game, you can catch the replay on the NPL Victoria YouTube channel. Don’t miss the next analysis, like Tacticology on Facebook for all the latest updates.... Tactical Review: FC Bulleen Lions v Calder UnitedApril 20, 2019Starting lineups In any game between two teams accustomed to dominating possession, it’s interesting to see how each team adapts to having less of the ball than usual. FC Bulleen Lions Bulleen changed to a more conservative system. Fullbacks Kristina Hall and Francesca Iermano rarely went forward, and attacking midfielder Caitlin Friend stood out for her positional discipline in a deeper role next to Sarah Cain to screen the defence. Meanwhile, wingers Tyla Vlajnic and Emily Dolzan dropped deep to help Friend and Cain when Calder attacked. This meant Bulleen’s system was more 4-4-1-1 than their usual 4-3-3. Furthermore, instead of playing out of the back as usual, Bulleen consistently went long at goal kicks. There was also greater emphasis on set pieces and counterattacks – as exemplified by both their goals. Calder United Calder lined up in a 4-3-3 and looked to attack with their usual patterns. The patterns and principles of Calder’s attacking play are consistent whether they use 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2 diamond (as seen against South Melbourne in Round 2). A typical Calder attack starts with their central defenders retaining possession with their central midfielders, giving time for their fullbacks to get into high and wide attacking positions. Meanwhile, their strikers drift in the channels between opposition defenders. However, with 3v3 in the central midfield zone, Calder struggled to establish stable possession while building up from the back. Consequently, their fullbacks Marie Rampal and Stacey Papadopoulos were hesitant to advance, aware that a loss of possession would leave their central defenders Sarah Lorca and Gulcan Koca exposed. This was how Bulleen scored their second goal – Vlajnic counterattacked into the space behind Rampal, drew Lorca out, and the ball broke to Camilleri to score. With Rampal and Papadopoulos rarely getting forward, and strikers Catherine Zimmermann, Aleksandra Sinclair, and Angela Beard staying narrow, Calder lacked width and made it easy for Bulleen to defend, as shown below. Right players, wrong positions Calder’s width problems were worsened by inverting Zimmermann and Beard – that is, the left-footed Beard on the right wing, and the right-footed Zimmermann on the left. This meant that both tended to drift into central positions, rather than staying wide to stretch the Bulleen defence. Occasionally, Beard and Zimmermann would switch flanks to their “natural” sides, but ended up drifting back into the middle again after finding themselves to be isolated by Bulleen’s block. Interestingly, while Bulleen’s block was compact horizontally, they left a lot of space between the lines. This meant that Calder were sometimes able to engineer a central overload through Beard/Zimmermann making 4v3, thereby allowing Rampal/Papadopoulos to advance, as shown below. Interestingly, on the occasions when they did create these overloads, it was usually Papadopoulos who got forward. However, as a right-footer at left back she also tended to come inside onto her stronger foot. More width, more success The situation improved in the second half, particularly after Polly Doran came on in the 67th minute, replacing Papadopoulos. This meant Beard shifted to her natural position of left-back, with the right-footed Doran on the right wing. Suddenly, Calder looked much more threatening, with Beard advancing to provide width on the left and Doran staying wide on the right. Calder’s new emphasis on width stretched Bulleen’s defence, creating pockets of space for their midfielders to exploit. This was how Calder scored, with Mel Taranto getting between Iermano and Alex Natoli to win a penalty. Unfortunately however, the tactical shift came too late for Calder to undo the damage of the first half, and Bulleen became more defensive to see out the game. Conclusion Bulleen’s success in this game was down to their tactical adaptability. Recognising the risks associated with playing an open, possession-based style against Calder, Bulleen played more conservatively and were rewarded. Calder, on the other hand, were slow to adapt to the situation, only posing a serious goalscoring threat in the second half. With their next opponents Geelong Galaxy expected to be even more conservative, it will be interesting to see if Calder can rectify the tactical issues they experienced here. If you missed the game, you can catch the replay on the NPL Victoria YouTube channel. Don’t miss the next analysis, like Tacticology on Facebook for all the latest updates.... Tactical Review: FC Bulleen Lions v AlameinApril 7, 2019Starting lineups Both teams lined up in their usual 4-3-3 formations. Alamein press high, Bulleen struggle to adjust In previous articles, I’ve observed how Bulleen prefer to attack by playing short through the thirds, with deep playmaker Sarah Cain integral to the structure of their attacking buildup from the back. In Round 4, Geelong concentrated on protecting space by using a compact mid-block to block easy passes into Cain. This kept the game close until a second half red card for Geelong made it easier for Bulleen. Alamein took a different approach tonight in Round 7, using their signature man-oriented pressing style to great effect. Alamein central midfielders Mari Pastor, Caitlin Roberts, and Rachel Alonso followed opposite midfielders Kate Fotopoulos, Caitlin Friend, and Cain. Furthermore, Alamein centreback Taylor Schneider followed Bulleen centre forward Rachael Quigley even when she dropped into midfield to create overloads. This can be seen in the diagrams below. Bulleen are trying to build from the back. With Schneider and all three Alamein midfielders man-marking (black), this was the cue for the remaining Alamein players to press adjacent Bulleen players (yellow). Bulleen tried several methods of beating Alamein’s press Initially, Bulleen’s centrebacks tried to bypass their midfielders with a low pass directly to their forwards. However, this seldom worked, as the Bulleen midfielders frequently tried to come to the ball. This brought Alamein’s midfielders with them and closed the passing lanes. Another method was for Morrison or Hall to drive into midfield to create a 4v3. Again, this didn’t work, as the movements of Fotopoulos-Friend-Cain lacked coordination and awareness. As shown below, Morrison is driving forward, but Fotopoulos comes towards her, bringing Pastor, and ends up closing the space. As a result, Bulleen resorted to hitting long balls, which generally proved unsuccessful with Jess Tay always free to sweep up. Midfield marking means Alamein attack wide A consequence of Alamein’s emphasis on man-marking in central midfield is that their central midfielders were rarely in positions to help build attacks. This meant that Alamein attacked through their wide players, with their midfielders focused on late runs into the box and second balls from crosses. This was how Alamein scored here – Lawson headed in a cross by Goff, and Pastor made a late run to get on the end of another cross. In the photo below, Tay has the ball. Bulleen defend in a 4-2-3-1 mid-block. Pastor, Roberts, and Alonso (highlighted in yellow) don’t try to stretch Bulleen’s block, instead staying central to give space for Alamein to attack down their right wing through Sardo/Lawson rotating. Conclusion While Bulleen have one of the most prolific attacks in the league, teams have now figured out that marking Cain is the key to disrupting Bulleen’s attacking buildup. With Geelong and Alamein showing two different approaches, it will be very interesting to see how other teams adapt. Missed the the game? Catch the full replay on the NPL Victoria Youtube channel. Don’t miss the next analysis, like Tacticology on Facebook for all the latest updates.... Tactical Review: Geelong Galaxy United v FC Bulleen LionsMarch 23, 2019Match Summary From the start, Bulleen dominated possession but struggled to play through Geelong’s block. Geelong were well organised, compact and only came out to press according to certain cues. This forced Bulleen to resort to longer passes, causing them to struggle in creating clear chances. The 1-1 deadlock at halftime was a fair scoreline. The second half continued much in the same vein as the first, until Bulleen got the breakthrough in the 60th minute when Deryal Aziz was sent off for handball. Melanie Camilleri scored the ensuing penalty. Even at 2-1 and a player down, Geelong still caused Bulleen several problems and looked the more dangerous side until Bulleen killed the game with two goals in the 73rd and 74th minutes. Totally dominant from thereon, Bulleen scored three more goals in the final seven minutes to add some gloss to the scoreline. Geelong were very impressive from a tactical perspective. While it may be strange to praise the team that lost 7-1, the score doesn’t tell the full story. Let’s look at Geelong’s block and their pressing cues. Please note: As the video feed did not having the usual game clock I’ve noted the estimated game clock and the video timestamp. The starting line-ups Geelong block disrupts Bulleen buildup The game started perfectly for Geelong, with Imogen Pratt scoring in the second minute after Bulleen defended a corner poorly. This meant that Geelong could focus on counter-attacking with the comfort of an early lead. Bulleen’s default style is to build their attacks through the thirds with short passing, with their centre backs looking to play into their deep playmaker to start their passing patterns. Knowing this, whenever Liana Iaconis, Kayla Morrison, or goalkeeper Emily Shields had the ball, Geelong set up in a 4-2-3-1 mid-block and concentrated on blocking easy passes into Sarah Cain. This can be seen clearly in the image below (taken approximately four minutes into the match; video 23:30). Bulleen’s back four are highlighted in yellow. Iaconis was in possession but all of the short passing options into her midfielders are covered by Geelong’s players in a very compact mid-block. Not only were Geelong compact vertically (between the lines), they were also very compact horizontally, covering the ball-side fullback (Francesca Iermano) and leaving the far-side fullback (Hayley Richmond) free. As Geelong’s sole striker, Ciera Major was told not to press Shields, as this would allow Bulleen to create a 3v1 overload (Shields + Iaconis + Morrison v Major) and easily access Cain. Instead, Major was tasked with blocking passes from Bulleen’s centrebacks into Cain, before closing them down. Here, Major presses Iaconis while blocking the passing lane into Cain. Meanwhile, Kanna Oda is simultaneously keeping the block compact but still close enough to press Morrison if Iaconis considers switching play. Geelong remained disciplined when Bulleen managed to advance up the field. In the image below (~ 38 minutes into the match; video 57:22), Geelong were vertically compact, this time in a 4-2-3-1 low-block as a result of ball position. With nowhere to go, Iermano was pressured into overhitting her backpass for Iaconis. With Iaconis out of position, this created an opportunity for Major to counter-attack. However, within 15 seconds of this image, Bulleen equalised. Morrison was able to beat Major to the ball and recover Iermano’s overhit backpass. With Geelong’s lines pushing up to support Major, Morrison launched a long pass which the Geelong defence do not clear. Kelsey Zafiridis wriggled into the area and set up Tessa Sernio to score from 6 yards out. Bypassing the block Bulleen’s equaliser showed another route to goal. Instead of trying to go through Geelong’s block, Bulleen realised they could simply go over it, and adopted this more direct approach to try to create 1v1s for their wingers against the Geelong fullbacks. This also highlighted a vulnerability of Geelong’s block. Against a very mobile Bulleen front three, Geelong’s back four were slightly hesitant to push up in sync with their midfielders to maintain compactness. Consequently, this momentarily left gaps in between the lines, which Bulleen began to exploit as the game progressed. This was clear in the second half, when Bulleen positioned themselves wider and deeper to further stretch the Geelong block. With Geelong’s midfield pushing up to pressure their Bulleen counterparts, and the Geelong defence hesitating, the space between the lines was considerably larger as shown below. Here, Nyankor Joseph was drawn out of her line to track Tessa Sernio, and Melanie Camilleri stepped into the space created to receive (~45 minutes, video 1:22:43). Pressing Cues Geelong displayed a number of pressing cues during the game. As noted previously, their coverage of Cain was essential to disrupting Bulleen’s preferred short buildup. For example, the image below (~47 minutes, video 1:24:26) shows how Major and Tomoko Fukumaru alternated between going to press the Bulleen centre back on their side, as well as retreating to cover Cain when the ball was switched across. Other cues included: Geelong striker: Hold a deep position around Cain, and only press higher up when your midfielders arrive to provide support Never press Shields, but block pass to Cain Show pass to a Bulleen centre back, or wait until it happens, then press while blocking the passing line into Cain Geelong midfield: Leave far side fullback free Compress space around ball Team: No numbers? Don’t press Press backpasses and contested balls eg throw ins Show passes wide, and then press aggressively against the sideline After going down to 10 players, Geelong set up in a 4-3-2, and tried to maintain their block. However, with one fewer player, Geelong were unable to cover as much space with their block and Bulleen found it easier to stretch the play. Notably, three of Bulleen’s six goals after the red card came from crosses. Tune in every week for more independent tactical analysis on NPLW from Chor Lai. Missed the game? Catch the full replay from the NPLW Victoria Facebook page.... Tactical review: Heidelberg United v Bayside UnitedMarch 11, 2019The starting lineups: Heidelberg United fielded the same starting 11 as in their previous games against FC Bulleen Lions and Geelong Galaxy United, with the exception of Lisa Fonua replacing Daniella Galluccio at centre back. Bayside set up in a 4-3-3, with a pacy front three of Cristina Cardaci, Jess Au, and Emily Harbis looking to stretch the Heidelberg defence. With both teams playing very mobile forward lines, both teams looked to isolate their quick forwards against the opposition defence by playing early balls for their forwards to run onto. While Bayside showed a little more variation by occasionally building up through midfield, the temptation for both teams to play long resulted in frequent turnovers of possession and very few clear cut chances in the opening 60 minutes. Let’s have a look at particular patterns that occurred during the game. Bayside left space between the lines but Heidelberg didn’t use it. As a result of the many early passes in behind, the midfield zone became stretched. However, Sidney Allen’s positioning as the number 10 meant Heidelberg found it difficult to build through midfield. Allen has shown a tendency to move towards the ball in order to get involved. This is sometimes detrimental to the team shape, by drawing markers and consequently closing off better passing lanes. Here, Marie Fonua carries the ball out of defence, and Allen makes a run (yellow arrow) to receive between the lines. Fonua passes to her (black arrow). Allen is tightly marked by Kirstie Shearing, who wins the ball. Consider the alternative. If Allen stayed in her original position (yellow circle), this keeps the passing lane open for Fonua to instead pass to Steph Galea or Holly Boldiston dropping into the huge space between the lines. By dropping in, Galea or Boldiston can create a 2v1 situation with Allen against Shearing between the lines, and potentially set Allen facing forward against a backpedalling Bayside defence. Similarly, in this moment Allen moves wide to assist Galea instead of going for the more dangerous space (yellow circle) and giving Shearing a decision – to go for the ball or track Allen’s run. Instead, by moving wide, Allen makes it easier for Shearing to defend, with the Bayside midfielder pressing Allen against the sideline. Bayside build-up well but lack the finishing touch Bayside showed a tendency to attack down their left, with Melissa Maizels preferring to pass to Sarah Walsh when possible and Emily Harbis then coming short (white arrow) to allow Lucy Richards to overlap (blue arrow). Harbis’ movement had the effect of creating a 4v3 and allowing Bayside an easier central midfield build-up. On the opposite side, Zoe Austen was more conservative in her positioning than Richards, and generally left the attacking duties on the right wing to Cardaci. As can be better seen in the image below, Harbis and Richards’ rotation gives Elly Torre a difficult decision. Tracking Harbis short allows Richards to get in behind, whereas leaving Harbis’ run untracked means Harbis is free between the lines to receive a pass. Here, Torre chooses the lesser of two evils and holds her position, allowing her to defend Walsh’s ball in behind for Richards. While not averse to knocking long balls into the channels for their quick front three to chase, Bayside generally tried to build through midfield, before trying to release Cardaci or Richards on the overlap. The build-up generally was successful, with Margot Robinne having a free role in midfield to find space to receive passes, and using her strength and technique to beat her marker 1v1. The downside to Robinne playing deep as the creative presence meant that Bayside weren’t able to rely on her finishing ability in the box. Furthermore, if Robinne was marked, this forced Bayside to play long towards Au, who offers speed in behind but not hold-up play. Here, Walsh is pressured by Galea and therefore elects to go long towards Au (offscreen), who loses her duel against the Heidelberg defenders. Attacking variation brings Heidelberg joy For a game that lacked meaningful creativity in open play, it was perhaps unsurprising that the opening goals came from mistakes. The first goal in the 62nd minute came from a misplaced Heidelberg backpass, while Bayside conceded the equaliser in the 70th minute by leaving Galea’s rebound and allowing Melissa Garcia to tap in unchallenged. In the final quarter of the game, Heidelberg started running at the Bayside defence. This change of approach was overdue; for the previous 75 minutes, the Bayside defence were dealing reasonably well with the balls in behind that Heidelberg had been playing. Now having to defend against runners, Bayside’s defenders were drawn out of position. The first image shows the build-up to Heidelberg’s second goal. Ellen Turner receives the ball and drives past Austen (yellow arrow) at speed. This forces Molly Burke to cover her (white arrow) instead of helping Walsh cover Garcia (blue arrow). Garcia is then left 1v1 against Walsh and is able to convert Turner’s low cross. Shortly after, in the 79th minute, Allen is again in space – she dribbles at speed and plays Galea in. Galea’s cross however has too much on it for Holly Boldiston to reach it at the far post. The second image shows Heidelberg’s third goal. Allen is able to latch onto a high ball, and runs across the Bayside defensive line who are suddenly having to adjust position. With Burke again being drawn to help Walsh, Emma Langley is left unmarked and is able to finish past Maizels. Missed the game? Watch the full replay on YouTube on the NPL Victoria channel. Tune in every week for more independent tactical analysis on NPLW from Chor Lai.... Tactical review: Calder United v South MelbourneMarch 9, 2019The headline in this round of NPLW fixtures saw two of the league’s more tactically interesting teams in Calder United and South Melbourne. South has demonstrated an ability in recent years to change systems effectively, while Calder stands out with their fluid 4-4-2 diamond system. How they lined up Calder lined up as expected. Catherine Zimmermann and Aleksandra Sinclair formed the front two, with both staying high up the field and in the channels to exploit the spaces left behind by Aimee Medwin and Alexandra Gummer when the South fullbacks ventured forward. Emily Hulbert featured at the tip of the diamond, Adriana Taranto at the base, Emma Robers and Melissa Taranto shuttling either side, although all four players were comfortable rotating through the diamond. In a league where the majority of teams play 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, there are several benefits in playing a 4-4-2 diamond. A 4-4-2 diamond creates a numerical overload in the centre of the pitch, making it easier to keep the ball, easier to defend this zone, and easier to play out from the back with more central options. To counteract this, South lined up in what appeared to be a flat 4-2-4, but was effectively a variant of a 4-2-3-1. Best known as midfielders, Cindy Lay and Natalie Martineau lined up in centre forward positions, with the latter being tasked with creating 4v4 in midfield against Calder’s diamond as well as breaking forward to provide attacking support. Another notable but logical change was Chelsea Blissett (a left back/winger) playing at centreback, with her pace helping defend the movement of Zimmermann. The adaptability of Lay, Martineau, and Blissett demonstrates the underlying reason for South’s aforementioned tactical unpredictability. First Half With the temperature 35°C at kickoff, the game started slowly. Calder looked to take the initiative by dominating possession in the opening minutes, with South happy to sit back in a mid-block and allowing the Calder centrebacks time and space on the ball until they approached the middle third. Binning in possession; Martineau and Lay drop to help Pollock and Scroggie create 4v4 against Calder’s midfielders (white lines) and keep South’s midfield zone compact. South defensive line in blue. Note the advanced positioning of Marie Rampal (yellow circle) to provide width on the right so that Zimmermann can stay central; same with Papadopoulos and Sinclair (offscreen). One downside to the 4-4-2 diamond is the lack of attacking width, unless the fullbacks go forward or the two strikers split into the wide areas. With Calder’s very attack-minded fullbacks and South’s wingers not consistently tracking them, Calder to created 4v4 situations in the South backline. This is how the first goal was scored – a quick switch of play released Marie Rampal on the right, with Sofia Sakalis slow to track her. This forced Gummer to defend Rampal, leaving Blissett 1v1 against Zimmermann. Darting into the space that opened up behind Gummer, Zimmermann received Rampal’s pass and set up Melissa Taranto to score from the edge of the area. Build up to Calder first goal; advantages in and out of possession – Calder’s diamond allows Hulbert and Melissa Taranto to move wide to combine with Rampal, creating a 3v2 situation around the ball, while Robers can get forward to attack the penalty area and Adriana Taranto provides defensive cover in case the move breaks down. The early goal forced South to attack more, however their numerical disadvantage in midfield discouraged their usual buildup through midfield and forced them to play long balls for Kelsey Minton and Sakalis to chase. This was a reasonable strategy, as the advanced positioning of the Calder fullbacks meant that Rachel Binning and Gulcan Koca had to cover the width of the field. Unfortunately, the lack of a designated striker meant that there was minimal support for Minton and Sakalis. As the two most advanced South midfielders, Lay and particularly Martineau were responsible for providing this support, but this left them with a dilemma. By pushing up, they risked leaving Jamie Pollock and Leah Scroggie outnumbered against Calder’s midfield. While Martineau’s remarkable stamina allows her to effectively play two positions at the same time, in the oppressive heat it was too much of an ask. This uncertainty on South’s part meant Calder were generally able to easily defend South counterattacks. Martineau’s injury in the 22nd minute deprived South of vital energy in midfield and counter-attacking pace, although it did lead to South becoming more structured. Maryam Anvari came onto the right wing, Minton moved into the centre forward position, and Sakalis remained on the left. While South were a fluid 4-2-3-1 with Martineau on the pitch, without her they had a more defined central triangle with Lay as the number 10 supported by Scroggie and Pollock. This meant South had more support in attacking areas when counter-attacking with early balls behind Rampal and Papadopoulos. A quick South counterattack catches Rampal (blue circle) upfield, allowing Scroggie to play Minton in behind, drawing Binning out of position. In a more structured 4-2-3-1, Minton had support nearby (Sakalis). Second half Calder brought on Alana Burn at half-time for Robers, while South made no substitutions but rearranged their lineup. Keeping the 4-2-3-1, Minton went back to the right wing, Anvari moved to the left wing, Sakalis joined Lay and Scroggie in midfield, and Pollock moved to centre forward. A goal down and needing to chase the game, South were noticeably more aggressive and cohesive in their pressing. Pollock energetically closed down the Calder centrebacks, while Anvari and Minton tucked in from the wings to squeeze the central zone to minimise the numerical advantage Calder had there. South squeeze the central zone to make it harder for Calder to exploit their 4v3 overload. Hulbert (blue circle) is free, but is not an easy passing option. With the centre blocked, Calder were forced to switch play via their back 4 (yellow highlight) in order to attack down the wings. However, the heat meant South weren’t able to maintain this intensity, and within a minute it was 2-0. The difference in physical condition was perfectly illustrated in the buildup for the second goal. Pollock and Sakalis were slow to recover after Lay lost possession, leaving Scroggie 1v2 against the Taranto twins. This forced Varley to step out, and clever rotation by Zimmermann and Sinclair pulled the remaining South defenders out of position, allowing Sinclair to receive Adriana Taranto’s pass and set Melissa Taranto up to score. Similar to the first goal, Calder’s 4v3 midfield overload meant that a midfielder was free to shoot. It was notable that the heat did not seem to affect Calder as much as it did South – the latter were doing far more chasing after the ball, and Calder’s conditioning program appears designed to have them peak earlier than other teams (e.g. winning the Community Shield in 2017-2019). Consequently, the second goal effectively killed the game, as South looked tired and out of ideas, meaning Calder could afford to conserve energy by settling in possession as in the first half. Over the remainder of the second half, South made several substitutions and moved players around to try change the game, although this worsened their cohesion and made a South comeback even more unlikely. In this period, Emily Rayment came into midfield and then moved to right back, allowing Medwin to move to the right wing; Skye Jensen (normally a centreback) came on at left back, allowing Gummer to move to central midfield; and lastly, Kelsey Quinn (a goalkeeper) came on at centreback, allowing Blissett to move to the left wing. Meanwhile, Calder’s changes were like-for-like, allowing them to keep the same system and close the game out without much fuss, adding a third goal off a corner in the 81st minute. Conclusion The key to stopping Calder is to stop their fullbacks from getting forward. Without width, everything gets funnelled through the centre, making Calder’s attack predictable. However, South were unable to do so, and consequently Calder were able to create overloads on South’s defence for the first two goals. While the heat no doubt affected the evenness of the contest, there were sufficient moments where South did ask questions of the Calder defence when Rampal and Papadopoulos were caught upfield. Expect opponents to target that area in the coming weeks. Missed the game? Watch the full replay on YouTube on the NPL Victoria channel. Chor Lai currently holds an AFC B Licence and is a former Women’s Premier League Reserves and State League 1 Reserves coach with more than 200 games in women’s football across all levels. Tune in every other week for more analysis on NPLW from Chor.... Tactical review: FC Bulleen Lions v Heidelberg UnitedFebruary 28, 2019Coming off a successful 2018, FC Bulleen Lions recruited strongly and appear to be well-equipped on paper to challenge for honours again in 2019. In contrast, Heidelberg United have had a difficult few years, but on the basis of this game have a balanced squad which should see them improve on their results from previous seasons. How they lined up: At time of writing, the Bulleen squad appeared to be somewhat unbalanced, with many attack-minded players compared to the number of defensive midfielders and centre backs. One question before the game was where some players would play in Bulleen’s default 4-3-3 system. Somewhat surprisingly, the answer to this question was to play midfielders Sarah Cain and Kristina Hall (both of whom are better known for their attacking contributions) as the sole holding midfielder and centre back respectively. Heidelberg lined up in a 4-2-3-1 with new American recruit Sidney Allen playing in the number 10 position behind another new import in Melissa Garcia. Allen was a standout in State League 1 with Boroondara Eagles in 2018 where she made and scored goals for fun and demonstrated excellent close control at speed and in tight spaces, while Garcia comes with a solid pedigree at US college level. Consequently, expectations were that Heidelberg would look to exploit the spaces Cain and Hall were covering. First half The game started at a frantic pace, with both teams looking to get in behind the opposition defence early. Off the ball, both teams generally stayed in a mid-block, allowing the goalkeepers and centre backs to have the ball while concentrating on denying space in the middle third. This encouraged both teams’ centre backs to look to play long in possession. The first goal came through this route in the 6th minute, when Hall was given time and space to advance. With Heidelberg sat in their mid-block adopting a man-marking approach in the middle third, Racheal Quigley dropped off from her centre forward position, dragging Daniella Galluccio out of position. Similarly, Emily Dolzan came towards the ball, drawing Ellen Turner forward from her unfamiliar left-back position. Quigley and Dolzan’s movements created space in behind for Melanie Camilleri to make a dangerous diagonal run into, with Hall finding her easily. With Quigley and Dolzan then coming back up to support Camilleri, they were able to combine for Dolzan to score the opening goal. Notably, Dolzan was able to find space to receive the pass due to Turner’s poor body position in the buildup to the goal – as Dolzan dropped deep, Turner remained square to the ball while Dolzan was already half turned and able to sprint past. Buildup to the first goal (1) – note Turner’s body position compared to Dolzan on half turn; Camilleri offscreen Buildup to the first goal (2) – Camilleri diagonal run (red arrow) into space created by Quigley dragging Gallucio out of position (yellow circle); Quigley making supporting run (blue arrow); ball incoming (white circle) Perhaps realising their mistake after the opener, the Heidelberg defence stayed steadfast in their positions, which allowed Quigley to create a 4v3 situation in midfield by dropping into the space behind Heidelberg’s deep midfielders Rebecca Saber and Elisabeth Robers. The theme of Quigley dropping into midfield became more apparent as the game progressed, with Friend and Camilleri occasionally making the reverse run. Another aspect of the midfield overload was that Kayla Morrison and Hall now found it easier to play shorter passes into the feet of Friend, Liana Iaconis, and especially Cain. However, good midfield pressure from Heidelberg eventually forced Bulleen to play longer, causing a few turnovers for the Bergers to pounce on and counterattack quickly. Sitting in their 4-2-3-1 mid-block on the halfway line, Heidelberg’s main route of attack involved early, lofted passes towards Holly Boldiston, Steph Galea and Garcia to try and exploit the space behind Morrison and Hall. Strangely, the majority of their long balls were directed towards the channel that Morrison was covering, rather than at the shorter Hall playing in an unfamiliar position. This made it easy for Bulleen to recover possession, with Morrison proving dominant in the air while also having the pace to recover if she was unable to head clear. Heidelberg mid block – allow Bulleen centrebacks to have ball, man marking in middle third (black arrow), Allen cutting off passing lane to Iaconis. (Heidelberg back 4 offscreen) Unsurprisingly, Heidelberg’s goal came when they played the ball towards Hall and Francesca Iermano’s side. Following a brief moment of midfield pinball in the 44th minute, Camilleri’s attempted pass to Iaconis was intercepted by Saber who gave it to Turner. The Heidelberg left back played a long, high ball in behind the Bulleen back four, then Garcia, on the left wing at this stage, was able to steal a march on Iermano. Garcia’s shot was deflected by Shields into Boldiston’s path for an easy finish. Heidelberg goal – Iermano caught high, allowing Garcia to gain space and momentum to reach the pass Second half Seeking more attacking drive in their midfield, Bulleen switched Hall into Iaconis’ midfield position, with Alex Natoli coming on to partner with Morrison at the back. Hall’s move into her natural attacking midfield role gave Bulleen extra impetus in central areas, and they were able to get into some good positions between Heidelberg’s lines. This was helped by Heidelberg’s tiring legs, with the distances between their midfield and defensive lines becoming larger as the second half progressed. Fortunately, Bulleen were unable to capitalise, and two moments in the 65th and 70th minutes briefly swung the game into Heidelberg’s favour. The first moment was Cain’s substitution, with Candela Ferreyra Bas coming on to play on the left wing, pushing Camilleri into the centre forward position and Quigley dropping into midfield. This left Bulleen with an attack-minded midfield consisting of Quigley, Friend, and Hall – or in other words, a striker, a converted striker, and an attacking midfielder respectively. Removing Cain, who consistently offered a deep passing option, made it harder for Bulleen to build from the back through the midfield. The second moment was more decisive, with Morrison being forced off with an injury. This meant Hall dropped back into centre back, with Kate Fotopoulos coming on to take up the deep midfield position that Cain previously occupied, although she wasn’t quite as positionally disciplined. The loss of Bulleen’s main defender encouraged Heidelberg to test the Lions’ defence more. Understandably, a brief period of defensive instability followed as Bulleen tried to readjust. Heidelberg continued to force turnovers in their mid-block, although given their tired legs, the midfielders weren’t able to support their strikers during the counterattacks, and their first substitution in the 75th minute came too late to exploit Morrison’s absence. Shortly after in the 80th minute, Hall scored the winning goal from a free kick. For the first game of the season, there were enough promising signs on display for both teams to be positive about the season ahead. Missed the game? Watch the full replay on YouTube on the NPL Victoria channel. Chor Lai currently holds an AFC B Licence and is a former Women’s Premier League Reserves and State League 1 Reserves coach with more than 200 games in women’s football across all levels. Tune in every other week for more analysis on NPLW from Chor.... Strength and conditioning: the missing piece of the puzzle for our youthMarch 4, 2018This article is aimed at the wider NPL and State League footballing community who are looking for the opportunity to enhance the performance of players and improve the professionalism of football clubs. This can be done through building partnerships with allied health professionals who will initiate and monitor the development of relevant practices to improve overall performance and reduce injury incidence rates. There are two groups I want to focus on in the article which essentially are heavily reliant on one another: Developing footballers from ages 10-18 years – Those who require the foundations of strength and conditioning, education about physiology/anatomy, performance and recovery, to improve their physical and cognitive functioning throughout their adolescent years. This will facilitate better on-field performance and lower injury prevalence in senior years. Senior footballers ages 19+ years – Those who require specialised S&C programs that are periodically structured to the stages of a competitive season. These are designed to help maintain/improve performance and correct imbalances which will reduce the level and frequency of injury to a player. Competing in the NPL for over eight years, and working with footballers over the past four years as an exercise physiologist, it is clear that we need to improve our development and player management systems if we are to improve the overall dynamics of a footballer. I understand there are various reasons as to why clubs and individuals are not taking advantage of strength and conditioning environments. I am able to help steer clubs in the right direction to overcome these barriers and create a distinct advantage for the playing group. Firstly, many clubs do not have the luxury or financial backing to fund programs for their teams, but this can be easily rectified by having an affiliation/partnership with an organisation to at least create a pathway where developing players have the option to utilise a practitioners skills to help with their performance. Secondly, there is a lack of awareness of the importance of S&C training for developing footballers, which is detrimental to their long-term success. In the simplest way possible, if you are not training off the pitch to perform well on the pitch, you are on a path to injuries and hindered performance. The brain’s ability to execute finely tuned motor patterns and assess the body’s movements accurately is achieved through repetitive bouts of specific training to challenge your body and mind. You need stable joints, strong muscles, ligaments, tendons, and efficient motor patterns to withstand the loading of typical game-related stimulus. Deficiencies are harder to correct in later years, and often enough you are reactive in trying to stay on top of injuries rather than being proactive and preventing these from occurring in the first place. Thirdly, parents may not know where to take their child for strength and conditioning as they are flooded with various options from people, social media, etc. This can provide conflicting information about where, what and how to train safely. Confusion can lead to practices that can be detrimental to a child’s development. Outsourcing S&C needs to be introduced throughout a typical year not for 3-4 months per year, and secondly, these services need to be provided to young growing footballers who, if provided with these platforms, will progress into a more optimal functioning athlete as they transition through our development system. To ultimately manage a footballer’s health and well-being, we need to understand that humans are not a linear machine, meaning many factors come together to result in an output. Physical and psychological health are two main pillars in moulding a young footballer. Benchmark football clubs of the world such as the Ajax have strength and conditioning programs, wellness interventions, education about performance/nutrition and recovery methods, where ‘student athlete’ is their methodology to growth. These systems are in all their scholarship programs, coupled with their training schedules, and unfortunately we do not have anything to compare to this. Before footballers even reach adolescence in this country they are already a long way behind these finely tuned youth players overseas, yet we want to compete with them on a global scale. Strength and conditioning can help achieve optimal functioning of these developing bodies. Resistance training (strength) to improve muscle mass/tone, control/proprioception, stable joints/ligaments/tendons, and fine-tuned motor cognition in the brain are just some of these areas which will greatly benefit a young player’s ability. Victorian football clubs need to expose their juniors to the physiological mechanics of the human body through education and optimal training environments, and for most clubs this cannot be done directly through the club, so why not affiliate your child/team with professionals in the exercise science industry who can help them develop in these vital areas of growth and learning, which will ultimately assist their development and overall club success? “During 2017 the biggest change we made was employing someone for the role of S&C, previously I had done this myself however things go under the radar or don’t get followed up due to the reality of dealing with so many people and getting sidetracked with other injuries. By using someone qualified such as exercise physiologists, I have found I can delegate with more confidence and focus on treatment, knowing the exercise and rehab was taken care of.” James Telford – physiotherapist at Heidelberg FC and director of HPC Physiotherapy. Football and science has been intertwined in today’s footballing era, where evidence-based research and exercise interventions are proving to be the difference for athletes to perform at their highest functional capacity. “Exercise Professionals have made a large impact on the NPL with injury rates dropping and performance increasing, the involvement of different practitioners will further lift the bar and bridge the gap between NPL and A-league training environments.” John Kobiela- S&C/remedial therapist at South Melbourne FC and director of Bodytune Health Management. Ultimately the more allied health practitioners of different modalities managing a footballer’s growth and development, the better they will perform long-term. Walking Tall Exercise Physiology are excited to work with athletes (10+ years old) looking for football specific strength and conditioning services. I highly recommend you get your child involved with a professional in this industry to help provide young players with the tools to achieving success. Once we acknowledge and understand the complexity and importance of training outside the football pitch, we will begin to see drastically improved performance on the pitch and raise the standard of Australian Football. For anyone wishing to utilise Walking Tall’s Services (studio in Malvern) contact: Evan Christodoulou – Exercise physiologist and director of Walking Tall Exercise Physiology evan@walkingtallep.com / 0423923585 www.walkingtallexphys.com... Stojkovic open to future Australian stintFebruary 7, 2018Image: Smile For Peter As the Guangzhou R & F players walked out of the tunnel to conduct their pre-game pitch inspection at the modest Jack Edwards Reserve, there is only one man who a small section of observers around the fence wanted to get a hold of. Surprisingly it is not 2017 Chinese Super League (CSL) Golden Boot and Player of the Year winner Eran Zahavi. The Israeli upstaged the likes of Hulk, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Alexandre Pato, Graziano Pelle and Carlos Tevez in netting 27 league strikes last campaign but his $7 million annual salary is unbeknown to most onlookers. Nor are they there to get a glimpse of R & F’s Brazilian midfielders Junior Urso and Renatinho, or the 20-plus Chinese players who represent the club formerly located in Shenyang in China’s north-eastern Liaoning province. Rather, Dragan ‘Piksi’ Stojkovic, the 52-year-old manager of the Blue Lions, is attracting a rockstar reception from the dozens of local Melburnians of Serbian descent. He is, after all, one of the finest players to come out of the Balkans and was one of the stars of the 1990 World Cup in Italy, where his sublime double against Spain in the Round of 16 was one of the most eye-catching performances of the tournament. These days, he is patrolling the touchline for the club nicknamed the Blue Lions who last year performed above expectations to finish fifth in the CSL standings. The club and Stojkovic are embarking on their third season together and, just like their previous two, have chosen Australia as their pre-season tour base. Having first visited the country in the late 80s, the man nicknamed Piksi is no stranger to Australian shores and expressed a strong appreciation of the land down under. “I have had wonderful experiences with Australia firstly as a player and now as a coach. I have been here 10-15 times and I like it a lot,” said the former Yugoslav captain. While such sentiments are routinely expressed whenever a visiting foreign football figure visits Australia, there is little doubt that Stojkovic is sincere about his desires to one day coach in a country whose football has always been heavily influenced by migrants from the Balkans. “I would love to work in Australia one day. When that will occur and if it occurs is something which I cannot answer but I really love this country,” Stojkovic said. “It is beautiful and provides everything that a person needs, so who knows, maybe one day. If I am wanted here, that is,” he added. Ex-Premier League goalkeeper turned TV pundit Mark Bosnich listed the Red Star legend as one of the foreign names he wanted the FFA to consider as the next Socceroos boss prior to the appointment of Dutchman Bert van Marwijk almost a fortnight ago. His former teammates in Belgrade, Milan Ivanovic and Milan Jankovic, both currently reside in Australia, with the former becoming a celebrated figure in the old National Soccer League (NSL) while also winning 59 Socceroos caps after arriving in Adelaide in 1989 and becoming a naturalised Aussie two years later. R & F’s first pre-season hitout resulted in an emphatic 4-0 win over semi-professional NPL opponents Oakleigh, with Stojkovic fielding dozens of selfie requests throughout the night. A well-worked team goal in the second half demonstrated their quality as well as their tendency to play some of the CSL’s most fluid football, something instilled by their manager. “Our priority is to play great football, the most attractive football in the league and we will see what results that brings us. If last year we finished 5th, then that means our aim is to go even better this year. Every year we want to get better and improve, and this year that means securing qualification for the Asian Champions League.” Piksi’s Guangzhou have a more modest budget than most of their CSL counterparts, and play in the 18,000-seater Yuexiushan Stadium – the smallest venue in the league capacity wise. While the extravagant spending by many clubs has been slightly curbed by state-imposed tax restrictions and a reduction in foreigners from five to four, big-name recruits have once again headed east this off-season. Argentina great Javier Mascherano ended his long association with Barcelona by joining Manuel Pellegrini’s Hebei China Fortune, while his La Albiceleste international teammate Augusto Fernandez has joined the newly promoted capital city side Beijing Renhe from Atletico Madrid. Stojkovic stressed that the CSL is improving by the year but did not hide the fact that the vast financial riches on offer in East Asia plays a big factor in luring players away from their comforts in Europe and South America respectively. “The league is getting better and more competitive with each season with the increased spending and investment involved. Of course, the money involved is a big incentive for many foreigners but there are plenty of examples of high-profile players coming in and doing well,” perhaps alluding to the fact that, despite Tevez’s disastrous spell at Shanghai Shenhua last year, most of the league’s big-name foreigners are performing to expectation. R & F’s city rivals Guangzhou Evergrande will no doubt commence the campaign as title favourites, having won their seventh consecutive title last term, with Italy World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro replacing World Cup winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari in the hotseat. Stojkovic echoed such sentiments but believes this season will be more competitive than past editions with a number of clubs eyeing off a successful title charge following some strong off-season recruitment drives. “Evergrande will once again be the title favourites due to the fact they have been champions for seven successive seasons. Not only that but they have the best team and have all the credentials to be champions once more.” “Having said that, both the Shanghai clubs will be strong, as will Hebai and Beijing, who have all heavily invested, so this year we will probably see six-seven clubs fighting for the main prize. Evergrande will be favourites like they are each season, but who knows, maybe we will see a surprise,” added the 84-time Yugoslav international. Once touted by his former Nagoya Grampus manager Arsene Wenger as his potential Arsenal successor, the Serbian is hoping to continue enhancing his reputation in the Far East, having led his former employers Nagoya to the J-League title in 2010, a feat which helped him win J-League Manager of the Year. His achievements with R & F helped him claim the 2016 Serbian Coach of the Year award and reflected on his first two campaigns in China as successful endeavours. “I’ve had the privilege of working in Asia, firstly as a player in Japan and then as a coach there, and now in China, and recognise this part of the world well. I cannot speak of others, but I always endeavour to work hard and for my teams to play the best football,” he reiterated. “That is my base philosophy and two and a half years ago I was given the opportunity to work in China and I’m very satisfied with how things have worked out here.” With his stocks rising, Piksi was keen to point out his contractual commitment to the R & F project ruled him out of the coaching jobs for the recently vacant Serbia and Australia national team positions. “I have a contract with Guangzhou and I am satisfied with it and that is all there is to it,” he said. Part of the second wave of imports who followed the likes of Careca, Gary Lineker and Zico in the land of the rising sun over two decades ago, Stojkovic made 184 league appearances for Nagoya over eight seasons, winning the league MVP in 1995, and is the only foreigner in the J-League’s 20th anniversary all-time XI. Those accolades put him in an expert position to compare the recent rise and boom of Chinese football with his experiences of Japan, a country which has qualified for their sixth successive World Cup finals and are a quarter of the way into their 100-year plan, which aims to make the Blue Samurai world champions within the century. “It is hard for a country like Japan to win the World Cup, and while everything is possible, I am not so sure they are capable of achieving that anytime soon. However, their standing as Asia’s best team is largely as a result of the fact that they implemented professionalism on that a lot earlier than other countries with the inception of the J-League in 1993,” said the former Grampus Eight captain. “That has been a major advantage for them, which has provided them with the added edge of other nations in their region. They play the most attractive brand of football in Asia and qualify for each World Cup, which shows that they have quality and good organisation.” Over in China, the national team failed to build on a respectable showing at the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia by failing to reach Russia despite a late charge for the final play-off position under the tutelage of new coach and World Cup winner Marcelo Lippi. Team Dragon’s only appearance at the game’s ultimate stage came in 2002 when Stojkovic’s compatriot Bora Milutinovic took advantage of Japan and Korea’s automatic qualification for the tournament as hosts to lead China to their maiden World Cup. While Japanese football is still recognised as the pinnacle of Asian football, Stojkovic sees no reason as to why the world’s most populous nation cannot reach such a standing. “China has a good opportunity to replicate this success but needs to be patient with its investment, infrastructure and academies, but I expect to see Chinese football to progress considerably in the next 5-10 years.” For the time being, Piksi is content with his position at R & F and his role in nurturing Chinese talent while playing some of the most attractive football in the CSL. With their pre-season preparations intensifying in Melbourne over the coming week, he also holds out hope that one day his services will be sought after in a country which he looks upon fondly, and one which could no doubt use his vast football experience and knowledge to their advantage. R & F will play two open-doors friendlies against NPL Victoria pair South Melbourne and Dandenong Thunder this coming and Thursday and Sunday respectively with the games being played out at Lakeside Stadium and George Andrews Reserve respectively.... Guangzhou R & F set for NPL Victoria friendliesJanuary 11, 2018Chinese Super League (CSL) side Guangzhou R & F will be touring Victoria next month for five pre-season friendly matches as part of their preparations for the upcoming campaign. TCF understands that the Blue Lions will play friendly games against a number of local NPL clubs in addition to a behind-closed-doors friendly against one of the city’s two A-League clubs. It is not yet known whether the pre-season games against NPL opponents will be open to the public. The Chinese club previously toured Australia two years ago where they played a handful of friendlies against NSW NPL sides including Bonnyrigg White Eagles, Sydney Olympic and Sydney United in addition to a practice match against the Western Sydney Wanderers. Of particular interest to locals will be the presence of Guangzhou’s Australian striker Apostolos Giannou, who came through the youth ranks of both Oakleigh Cannons and South Melbourne. Once capped by Greece, Melbourne-raised Giannou switched allegiances to feature for the Socceroos in 2016 and made five appearances for the national team under former coach Ange Postecoglou. The 27-year-old endured a frustrating injury-restricted 2017 campaign, which saw him feature just seven times in the league, although he did end it on a good note by netting twice on the final day of the season against Tianjin Teda. Owned by prominent Chinese property developers of the same name, the club is managed by former Yugoslavia international and Serbian football legend Dragan Stojkovic. The 52-year-old made 84 national team appearances for the Plavi between 1983 and 2001, and featured in the 1990 and 1998 World Cups. He captained the Yugoslavs in the latter tournament and scored against Germany while also netting a game-winning double against Spain at Italia 90. The former Yugoslav Footballer of the Year enjoys legendary status at former clubs Red Star Belgrade and Nagoya Grampus Eight which, in addition to his exceptional playing achievements, also includes stints of being club president at the former and Championship-winning manager at the latter. In addition to his time in the Far East, Stojkovic spent four injury-plagued years at French giants Marseille in the early 1990s, winning the inaugural Champions League title in 1993 with the club two years after losing the European Cup final to former employers Red Star. The ex-Hellas Verona attacking midfielder has also been mentioned as a potential Socceroos coach although he recently signed a multi-million-dollar contract extension to remain in China. R & F have exceeded expectations in recent years, finishing 6th and 5th respectively under ‘Piksi’ despite having one of the lowest operating budgets in the competition. The team’s star man is Israel striker Eran Zahavi, who last year won the CSL Golden Boot having netted 27 goals over the course of the season and reportedly earns $7 million per season. Brazilian midfielders Junior Urso and Renatinho – formerly of J-League side Kawaski Frontale – are Guangzhou’s two other imports, with defender Jiang Zhipeng and veteran forward Xiao Zhi their two Chinese internationals. Details for their upcoming Australian tour will be finalised and confirmed shortly.... Focus on youth development could reinvigorate stagnant A-LeagueJanuary 3, 2018Image: Dion Fountas When Peter Bosz’s Ajax took to the field to take on Manchester United in last May’s Europa League Final in Stockholm, the average age of their starting eleven was just 22.18 years of age. Despite losing the match to their more illustrious opponents, their run to the final was a remarkable achievement for the Amsterdam-based club, which is home to the world’s best football academy. Since then, four of the starting eleven have moved on, with Davy Klaassen (Everton), Jairo Riedewald (Crystal Palace) and Davinson Sanchez (Tottenham) all securing big-money moves to the Premier League, and Ajax consolidating their reputation as football’s version of Nick Bollettieri’s Florida-based IMG Tennis Academy. The 1995 European Champions received over 80 million euros in transfer fees for the trio, with only Sanchez arriving in Amsterdam on a transfer the previous summer when the Dutch giants signed the relatively-unknown Colombian centre-back from Atletico Nacional for a fee of 5 million euros. Also arriving that summer was 33-year-old defender Heiko Westermann, who had amassed over 300 Bundesliga appearances and represented Germany 27 times. Despite his high-profile statute, Bosz elected to field 17-year-old academy graduate Matthijs de Ligt alongside 20-year-old Sanchez in the heart of the defence for much of the campaign, and in the process unearthed a player tipped by many to be the next great Dutch centre-half. Closer to home, such an emphasis on youth and promotion from within played a substantial part of Melbourne Knights’ domestic success in the mid-90s. Their proudest son, Mark Viduka, ultimately enjoyed a successful career overseas which culminated in his status as an elite Premier League marksman. In that period of time, his childhood club reaped the rewards of their development by receiving proceeds from Viduka’s subsequent transfer fees. This money was then put back into the club, with the impressive Mark Viduka Stand a fitting tribute to the V-Bomber. More recently, the Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne Heart made substantial profits from the sale of emerging youngsters earlier in the decade, including the likes of Mustafa Amini, Aziz Behich, Curtis Good, Tom Rogic, Mat Ryan and Trent Sainsbury. Yet despite this, creating a conveyor belt of talent seems little priority to the majority of A-League clubs in the present. Those sentiments were expressed yesterday by Graham Arnold, manager of table-topping Sydney FC who are short odds to defend their A-League title. 54-year-old Arnold was manager of the Mariners at a point in time when the unfashionable Gosford-based outfit made a cool $6 million of the sales of several of its most distinguished playing staff. Reacting to grievances made by rival A-League coaches about the loss of several Olyroos to international duty, Arnold stressed the A-League was not a development league. The former Socceroos coach admitted he deliberately avoided recruiting younger players to ensure his title-winning team was not affected by international duty. Yet for all of Arnold’s justifications, the lack of young player promotion in the A-League is a cause for concern, not celebration. Sydney FC are widely being lauded as one of the best club sides in Australian football history – and rightly so with the Sky Blues only losing once in their past 42 league matches – but their playing squad is based entirely on an experienced vanguard. The three-time A-League Champions are the oldest side in the league this season with the average age of their starting XI being 30.16 years of age. John Aloisi’s Brisbane Roar side have been nicknamed ‘Dad’s Army’ by some sections of the press and at present include 10 players aged 30 and over. The much-improved Newcastle Jets (26.15) and mid-table Adelaide United (25.70) have the two youngest starting XIs on average this term, with the average age of A-League starting XIs being 27.64. Instead of encouraging recruitment from within with renewed emphasis on young players, most A-League clubs prefer tried and tested options when it comes to filling up their player rosters. A major source of discontent on the terraces is the amount of times players seemingly get passed around from club to club without ever truly making an impact both on and off the field. A closer inspection of the A-League’s marksmen shows that Berisha, Bobo, Kaluderovic, Keogh, McCormack, Maccarone, O’Donovan and Riera are all on the wrong side of 30 and lack the star power or pedigree that messrs Yorke, Del Piero and Heskey had on the competition. With this in mind, it is little wonder why Australia has so few options going forward, with Tomi Juric being the only Australian forward of note playing week-in week-out at a level higher than the A-League overseas. Nonetheless the original point about A-League clubs prioritising short-term success over long-term gains from transfer profits should not be ignored. In a league in which many clubs bleed money, would it not be a smarter investment for clubs to strengthen their youth academies and NYL teams in order for them to supplement progression into the first team before selling off players overseas? This in turn would increase profits and act as a source of revenue which so few A-League clubs in the exploit. Would Melbourne City not be better off by playing 18-year-old Tasmanian teenage sensation Nathaniel Atkinson each week ahead of 33-year-old full-back Manny Muscat? Would it not have made more sense for Sydney FC to deploy NYL goalscoring machines George Blackwood or Charles Lokolingoy as impact subs rather than 31-year-old Matt Simon? The same Matt Simon who has now gone 907 A-League minutes without scoring, a grand total of 698 days since last netting against Adelaide in February 2016. Would the Reds have been wiser to sign 19-year-old Melbourne Knights midfielder Nikola Jurkovic ahead of 32-year-old veteran Vince Lia, who joined the club on a one-year contract? These questions need to be considered at a time when the league as a whole has stagnated with crowds and TV ratings down, and the FFA’s clamp-down on active support doing more harm than good. The A-League, unlike other Australian sporting competitions, operates in a global market which last August saw Brazilian superstar Neymar join Qatari-owned giant Paris Saint-Germain for a world record fee of 222 million euros. The transfer market as a whole is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and while transfer fees between A-League clubs are prohibited, financial factors like player profitability should be considered when conducting recruitment. This should extend to the signing of foreigners, with journeymen signings attracting little fanfare among most A-League supporters. Some of the best young talent from economically deprived regions of the world could be scouted instead of 30-plus foreigners who have connections to agents with links to A-League clubs. A good case in point is Adama Traore, who was plucked from the Ivorian domestic scene as a 19-year-old and joined Miron Bleiberg’s Gold Coast United on the recommendation of former Socceroo Vlado Bozinovski, who serves as his agent, and has secured the Cote D’Ivoire international moves to clubs in Portugal, Switzerland and Turkey since his time with Melbourne Victory concluded in 2014. What the A-League needs now more than ever is regeneration in teams, playing stocks and personnel. A renewed focus on providing as many opportunities to local youngsters and foreigners with sell-on value has considerable economic advantages over the status quo. Whether such an approach is adopted remains to be seen, but such a template provides an alternative approach to recruitment and permits acceptance of the fact that the A-League is a selling league rather than a retirement home, which many of its critics claim it is.... International coaches and scouts set for information evening in MelbourneDecember 17, 2017Representatives from eight international clubs, including four of the top 50 ranked academies in the world, will be in attendance at an information evening held by the Athletic Football Group, in partnership with TF14, in Melbourne. Previously held in 2016, last year’s edition saw the representatives provide invaluable insight into the operations of their clubs and youth development in their own nations, along with intense and impassioned discussion on the state of Australia’s own youth development. The clubs are part of the 2017 Talent Identification program which aims to increase Australian players’ exposure and opportunities overseas while building mutually beneficial networks with numerous clubs and academies, coaches and administrators. To be held at Punthill in South Yarra on Monday December 18 from 6.30pm to 9.30pm, the evening will include representatives from: GNK Dinamo Zagreb: The 2nd ranked Youth Academy in Europe, represented by Andjelko Ivanjko – Head of Youth. SC Heerenveen: Top 20 Youth Academy in Europe and recently tasked with guiding Real Madrid C.F. prodigy Martin Ødegaard, represented by Niek Westra – Youth Coach. Esbjerg fB: Historically one of the more successful clubs in Denmark, represented by John Lammers – Head Coach. Chicago Fire: Current home to Bastian Schweinsteiger and this year’s Major League Soccer (MLS) finals represenatative. Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio: Ranked the #1 Academy in Italy, Atalanta BC has the most Academy players playing in Serie A TIM & Lega B than any other club in the land, represented by Flavio Margotto – Technical Manager and Youth Team Affiliation Manager. FC Twente: The Eredivisie club is in the Top 30 Academies in Europe and has a history of signing Australian players, most notably David Carney, Jason Čulina, Nikita Rukavytsya and Luke Wilkshire, represented by Kenneth Zandvliet – Head of Academy Scouting. ПФК ЛЕВСКИ / PFC Levski: One of the biggest clubs in Bulgaria, the perennial UEFA Champions League & UEFA Europa League club in ranked in the top 20 Youth Academies in Europe, represented by Marin Slavchev – Technical Scout. Ferencvárosi Torna Club: The biggest club in Hungary, current led by Legendary German player & coach Thomas Doll, represented by Peter Elekes – Scout. For more information about the evening contact Boris Ivanov on 0413 470 575 or via email on Boris@tf14.net, or visit www.athleticfootballgroup.com. Admission is free for participants.... What Australian football can learn from the German experienceDecember 6, 2017Image: Getty/Anadolin Agency At the turn of the millennium, German football was in a state of decline. Although traditional giants Bayern Munich won the Champions League in 2001, Die Mannschaft’s best days appeared behind them as the national team slumped to an embarrassing group stage exit at Euro 2000. A 5-1 defeat on home soil the following year to rivals England epitomised their struggles in the early noughties. Despite reaching the World Cup final ten months later, the football on display appeared outdated in the modern era with the physicality and tenacity often associated with German football nowhere to be seen as another group stage exit at Euro 2004 saw the round ball superpower scratching their heads in search of a resolution to their woes. By then, work had already commenced on a radical restructuring of youth development across the country with a renewed focus on developing infrastructure and pathways for juniors to forge professional careers. 40-year-old German coach Lutz Schubbert played his part in this revolution and acts a coach at his regional youth performance centre in the north-west of Germany. Additionally, the UEFA A licensed coach works as an opposition analyst for his third tier German side VFL Osnabruck, which last season was battling for promotion to the second tier. A professional coach for 17 years now, Schubbert visited Melbourne in December last year as part of the TF14 Talent Identification Program where he ran coaching clinics in conjunction with a handful of other European coaches and scouts. He offered his thoughts on Australian football while providing an insight into how Germany transformed its youth structure to become World Champions? Q: Tell us the position that German football found itself during the late 90s/early 2000s and what was the root cause of the problem? We thought that we were unbeatable after winning the 1990 World Cup but after that began a decline and many of us were shocked by the results of our national team. We always had good players but they weren’t developed well and the world turns around while you’re stuck. We stopped and realised that we had totally forgotten our youth as most Bundesliga clubs didn’t give much attention to their academies and only focused on the professional team. That status during those days was to neglect grassroots junior football and only begin to look at it once the best kids turned 15-16 to see which players were capable of playing in the first team. Q: Nowadays Germany is recognised as the home to some of the best young talent in world football. What was done to turn things around? After that some clever people came together in a taskforce and questioned some things about German football. They determined that a net needed to be built where every talent across the country would be seen. The next step after finding the best players was to give them the best development which is based on two points. The first was that the federation was to have a system until the ages of 14-15 whereby every talent would be developed at their grassroots football club but also with extra training. The second point was the building of youth performance centres across the country and in each of the respective regions. Thus, we wanted to build a great net of talent before ensuring every talented player would have extra training. Then we built youth performance centres while ensuring each team had professional youth structures and this is what they now have. There was a lot of resistance in the beginning by many of the big clubs and most of them now recognise this as a successful business model to develop players, bring them to the first team before selling them or increasing the potential of the first team. At the moment, German football is on cloud nine due to the various triumphs of its respective national teams lately. Are there any deficiencies or limitations to the current model? Right now, our system works so perfectly but we only get the same type of players out of it. We are not flexible and don’t have the courage to increase personalities and that is right now the biggest challenge for us. The fact that we have built a black box where we only produce a certain type of player. You see that with the luck of true centre-forwards in German football which can be attributed to the youth performance centres and talent identification programs at youth level. There was a time when we did not believe in these types of players and looked for players who were 180 centimetres, had small shoulders and were technically gifted. But modern number nines are 190, very strong, slower but score. In our search for another type of player, we ignored the traditional number nine. Additionally, we also have a lack of traditional wingers in our game and that is reflective at Bayern Munich whose wingers for the last decade have been Ribery and Robben. German football has struggled to produce such players. Having spent a week in Melbourne observing the local scene, what are your impressions of Australian football, its players and whether there is anything we can take out of the German approach? It is always difficult to work within professional football due to the competitiveness of it. My opinion of Australian players is that they are a mixture of the British physically and the Americans mentality wise. This is a very good combination and an attractive prospect for many clubs in Germany where many American and Australian players have succeeded in the past. From what I see with Australian players, they have the willingness and physical strength to compete at a high level. I have a lot of respect for Australia so I don’t want to be too critical. I can only say what works well in Germany and that is organisation which provides a huge boost to our economy, society and football infrastructure. My advice to my Australian counterparts is to take care of your talented players and provide them with a clear path towards professionalism and from what I observed I could not find that clear path as there are many different avenues a player could take. Having said that, the German way does not work for everyone and what works well back home won’t necessarily work well in Australia. Moreover, the message is to never get complacent and always question everything, even when you are doing well. *** The 2017 edition of the Talent Identification Program is just over a week away. Coaches, scouts and team personnel from 10 different clubs will fly to Melbourne and conduct five days of training sessions in the hopes of scouting prospective Australia talent. Representatives from Croatian powerhouse Dinamo Zagreb, Dutch sides Heerenveen and Twente, Serie A side Atalanta, MLS franchise Chicago Fire, Danish second tier side Esjberg, in addition to Bulgarian and Macedonia heavyweights Levski Sofia and Vardar Skopje will be in attendance at the trials held at Jack Edwards Reserve in Oakleigh. 2016 saw a handful of youngsters earn trials in Europe with Heerenveen and Dinamo Zagreb respectively while a number of players were offered senior contracts. In addition to the foreign contingent present, representatives from Melbourne City and Victory are expected to be in attendance as well as numerous NPL coaches. The program is open to any players over the age of 13 (2004-born and older) with the trials running from 14-15 and 18-20 December. For more information about the program, including costs, contact TF14 director Boris Ivanov on 0413 470 575 or via email on Boris@tf14.net. The eight respective particants of the program include: Boban Babunski – First-Team Assistant Coach at Vardar Skopje Andjelko Ivanjko – Head of Youth at Dinamo Zagreb John Lammers – Head Coach of Esbjerg Flavio Margotto – Technical Manager and Youth Team Affiliation Manager at Atalanta Nelson Rodriguez – General Manager of Chicago Fire Marin Slavchev – Technical Scout of Levski Sofia Niek Westra – Youth Coach at Heerenveen Kenneth Zandvliet – Head of Academy Scouting at FC Twente ... Squad Balance the key as Victory Women kick-offOctober 28, 2017Melbourne Victory will today kick-off in their 2017-2018 W-League opener against Canberra United at Epping Stadium. It is the second year Jeff Hopkins will be occupying the technical area and wearing the coaches jacket. Hopkins has a wealth of experience coaching Australian football spending seven years at Brisbane Roar before being appointed to his current position last year at Melbourne Victory. Two years ago when Melbourne City entered the W-League, responsibility for the Melbourne Victory Women’s team transferred from Football Federation Victoria back to the club itself. It was a tumultuous time and the transition didn’t go as well as expected. Whilst City dominated, Victory had a horror season finishing last with just two wins from twelve fixtures. Enter Jeff Hopkins. A new approach and a new philosophy saw a number of changes. Hopkins retained international experience through players such as Natasha Dowie and Christine Nairn whilst bringing in some new and young talent. The first season under a new coach is always a challenge and again the results didn’t come with just nine points resulting from the last season. Talking to TCF, Hopkins contrasted last season to the preparation for this season saying “Look, last year was a tough year, but also it was a year to have a look at the team and I think we’ve recruited very well. We’ve kept on some of the real good young players that we developed last year, brought in some good overseas players and players from interstate and we’re looking much stronger.” “We’ve worked on the team spirit and the girls are a really close-knit bunch, so I’m hoping for good things this year. Most probably looking at finals for sure and you know, if we can get ourselves into the finals you never know what can happen then” he said. Victory has also taken their marketing and promotion of the Women’s team to the next level this year. Always a club on the front foot, the exposure of the squad and individual players in 2017 has been impressive. One of the more significant initiatives was travelling to Gippsland to play a pre-season friendly in Morwell against Adelaide United. It was a full-day of promotional activities last week and the success off the pitch was matched on the pitch with a 3-0 win. The match had a twitch of nostalgia for defender Alex Gummer, who returned to the region where she grew up playing the great game. Asked what it was like coming back to the area, Gummer said “yeah, look, it’s great. You know, I grew up in the area, I played for Drouin Dragons growing up and to come back and see how much growth has happened in the area. When I started playing there were no girls teams. There was, you know, maybe three or four girls in the entire league, and now to see how much growth there is with the women’s game it’s grown, it’s fantastic to come back.” This was just one example of Victory integrating its activities with the broader football community. TCF asked Hopkins about his recruitment strategy, how much he gets out and watch the NPLW and the local players to see what the calibre is there like in Victoria. “I think last year I was out looking at three, four games a weekend. It’s been more difficult this year because you can only get to one game a weekend, just for the kick-off times. I’ve got a pretty good understanding of the players that are out there and I think the players that we’ve got were amongst the best. I think we also realised that we needed to recruit from interstate as well, bringing Laura Alleway in, Casey Dumont and Angela Baird from Brisbane. Then add in four quality internationals. The quality of the internationals that are coming in are getting better and better each year. So I think by looking at the game today we’ve got the balance just about right and obviously some great young plucked talent as well. You look at Kyra Cooney-Cross today. Oh, wow. She could be anything, that girl. So really pleased with a lot of performances today.” Hopkins and his squad kick-off against Canberra United at 4:30pm this afternoon at Epping Stadium. Photo: Melbourne Victory We’re back, it’s game day! #MVCvCBR pic.twitter.com/leoFt3IX61 — Victory W-League (@victorywleague) October 27, 2017 ... The Championship : Australia’s National 2nd DivisionOctober 27, 2017“One small step for clubs, one giant leap for football”. That’s the tag line used today by Rabieh Krayem, Chairman of the Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC) in announcing the organisation’s blueprint for a national second division. Dubbed The Championship and targeted for implementation alongside the 2019-2020 A-League Season, the framework documents a structured approach to the development of the new division representing both men’s and women’s football. The vision includes not just the second tier of national football in Australia, but also the introduction of promotion and relegation after five years. The AAFC has been working on the framework behind the scenes and its release today meets one of the six objectives the organisation set when it was formed in March this year. Krayem detailed three reasons for the new divisions saying “First, we need it from a football perspective. The best way to improve the quality of football and our international competitiveness is to give young players more, and higher standard, game time.” “Second, as a football nation, we’re not fulfilling the membership requirements of either FIFA or the Asian Football Confederation by not having promotion and relegation in place. A national second division is a pre-requisite of that.” “Third, we believe it’s necessary to have this extra level of national competition in place to help bring life back into the football ‘market’, increase interest and attract investment,” Krayem said. Whilst not detailed in the announcement, TCF understands the AAFC has undertaken an exceptionally detailed and wide-ranging program of work to develop the blueprint, canvasing feedback from over 100 NPL clubs through its membership base across all Federations. TCFs own Damir Kulas wrote an article recently, Division and distrust in NPL as A-League remains closed shop, which reflected on the promotion and developing of young Australian footballers into the top tier of the game. The AAFC have addressed this issue specifically in this framework with a heavy emphasis on promoting young, local talent with at least half of the 20-person squad to be aged 25 or under, and a maximum of two visa players drawn from either the Asian or Oceania football confederations. Furthermore, the squad may only comprise a maximum of 3 players who have played A-League or W-League in the previous two seasons. To ensure fan support, engagement with the league, and A-League protection, there will be no scheduling of matches where there is an A-League match in the same city on the same day. Women’s football will also be heavily backed with identical fixtures to take place on the same ground on the same day. In the accounting department, gone will be the points system familiar to NPL clubs and a standard salary cap implemented of $1 million initially across the two squads (men and women). Off the pitch, clubs in The Championship will be required to have a boutique stadium with capacity for 3,000 people as well as a capacity to meet an annual budget of $2.5 million, which includes an annual license fee of $150,000. Most telling of all however is the governance and oversight of the league. The Championship will be established as a separate legal entity from FFA, the member federations and the AAFC. There are guidelines as to the ownership of the league (majority in the hands of the participating clubs) and the composition of the board including gender diversity with a minimum of three male and three female members. The Championship also includes the integration of the state-based Federations as active participants. The Federations will be instrumental in providing referees and judiciary services to the legal, thus providing a value role at Federation level and with it funding that has been albeit non-existent from the FFA. Whilst football pundits across the country all have their own visions of how a national second division and/or promotion/relegation should be introduced into Australian football, this is the first time a professional model has been tabled for implementation. The AAFC have published the blueprint on a dedicated website at www.thechampionship.com.au The next step in the journey for the AAFC is to call for Expressions of Interest in the new league which will come on 1 December this year. PROPOSED TIMELINE 1 December 2017 AAFC calls for expression of interest from clubs interest in participation in The Championship 2 February 2018 Expressions of interest close 2 March 2018 FFA endorsement required 29 March 2018 The Championship Bid document made available on payment of $10,000 fee 25 May 2018 Bids close May to July 2018 Bids assessed by Nous Group August 2018 Nous Group report to AAFC Board September 2018 Successful bidders notified October 2018 Licenses issued October 2019 Start of The ... Grossman retires as one of game’s gentlemenOctober 12, 2017In September, former A-League midfielder Chris Grossman called it a day as he left Melbourne City’s playing fields, carried off by teammates Chris Dib and Robert Santilli as Sunshine George Cross ran out 5-4 winners. Despite the hurdles Grossman had to jump, there is no doubt the 29-year-old left nothing in the dressing room when stepping out to play and was no stranger on the state and national stage. Born in Brisbane, Grossman always had ambitions to be a professional footballer. “I always trained by myself in the backyard and did extra sessions on weekends after games with my mates to make my dream possible,” the Queenslander said. As a result of Grossman’s dedication and passion from a young age, he was recognised by being selected for regional and state teams. Nationally, Grossman also featured in the U20 team, where he co-captained the Young Socceroos along the way, netting three goals. Prior to launching his A-League career, Grossman was involved at the AIS, where he played up against the best youth talent across the country in the now defunct NSL Youth League. At the age of 18, Grossman made the decision to head back to Brisbane (Queenland) Roar alongside Socceroo Robbie Kruse, where they both received a training spot under then-coach Miron Bleiberg. Soon after the arrival of the pair, Frank Farina was appointed to replace the outgoing Bleiberg, and both Kruse and Grossman were then offered contracts to become full-time members of the Roar squad. Embed from Getty Images An injury to Marcus Wedau throughout the season opened the door for Grossman for a short period. However, after 15 games across three seasons, the former Brisbane Roar player opted for a move to the newly instated North Queensland Fury. “It was a difficult decision to make moving away from home and my hometown club, but I wanted to play and test myself against the best in Australia. Initially it was difficult to break into the first team, missing the first three fixtures,” he said. Despite this, Grossman would go onto play for two seasons, chalking up 52 games, netting five times for the Townsville-based side. In March 2011, the Fury’s license was terminated due to ongoing financial troubles. Grossman described this time as one of the biggest lows in his career. “The Fury disbanding was the toughest and most difficult part of my life to date. My dream which I had worked so hard for was taken away.” Embed from Getty Images Looking back, Grossman believed he should have left the Fury earlier, however he wanted to remain loyal to the club which handed him such a first-team opportunity. “Loyalty ultimately became the downfall to my professional football career.” Post the fury disbandment, the former Young Socceroo headed for Melbourne in a last-ditch attempt to revive his professional football career, but only received short-term deals at Victorian Premier League clubs. Grossman first arrived at Moreland Zebras, where he made 19 appearances for the black and whites, who were then relegated in the 2012 season. The former Zebra had another crack at A-League level as an injury replacement for Ben Kantarovski at Newcastle Jets, however he was unable to make an appearance for the Hunter club. On return to Melbourne, Grossman signed at Port Melbourne. “I loved my time at Port Melbourne. The club, the people, the playing and coaching staff were great. It’s a club with massive ambition which achieved some amazing things the for the few years before I arrived, being promoted year after year and then into the NPL.” Grossman scored five goals in 59 games for Port Melbourne, taking on a captaincy role during his time there. He had the support of a number of older players which assisted keeping the younger players grounded and focused on improving as footballers, such as current Melbourne Victory utility Stefan Nigro, which was vital in the Sharks’ success. Image: Smile for Peter In 2016, Sunshine George Cross attained the services of the Queenslander. “The move to Sunshine happened out of the blue, really. I started pre-season at Richmond and a few weeks before the start of the season wasn’t 100 percent certain it was the right place I could enjoy my last few years as a footballer.” Grossman made a call to former Sunshine player Martin Mason, who invited the former to training to meet with coach Tony Ciantar. A youthful squad, after the session Grossman asked Mason who the club’s older players were. “This is it,” Mason replied. As one of the few experienced heads in the squad, and with his mind set on coaching in the future, Grossman saw George Cross as the perfect environment to help the younger players at the club and enjoy what was to be his final season as a player. Sunshine finished second last after a tough opening start to the season, however finished strong. “It was a tough year on the results front, but it was amazing to see the younger players grow game after game and by the end of the year become first team regulars, and I was able to make some great mates along the way,” he said. Although Grossman didn’t reach the heights he set as a youth, he is “extremely proud of having played professionally and represented and captained my country at U20 level”. He lists his most memorable moment as “coming off the bench to score my first professional goal against Wellington Phoenix in Wellington to equalise the game at 1-1.” Grossman got married in October and has intentions of remaining in the game through coaching. He is about to complete his C Licence and will look into opportunities once finished, with a view of later obtaining a B Licence. “Looking back on my career, I wished I had been given more advice and coaching to help me get to the next stage in my career. This is what I hope to be able to do in order to help the next generation on Australian footballers through,” Grossman said. Australian football has lost a great and passionate player, a true professional on and off the pitch, but may just have gained a gentleman as a coach and mentor to bring through Australia’s next generation. Image: David Mullins... Asanovic a statement of intent as Knights look to new eraOctober 7, 2017Image: Melbourne Knights The arrival of former Croatian international Aljosa Asanovic to the Melbourne Knights managerial hot seat is a major statement of intent from a club determined to reclaim its place as one of Victorian football’s powerhouse forces. The 51-year-old has 65 international caps to his name and was a star performer for the Croatian national team during their debut World Cup appearance in France 1998, where the newly independent nation finished third. At club level, he is a legend of Dalmatian giant Hajduk Split, played in the French, Italian and Spanish top flight, and produced moments of spellbinding brilliance for Derby County during his 18-month stint in the Premier League in the mid-90s. A player of exceptional technical quality, he spent a month in Australia in 2001 where he featured four times for Sydney United in the old national league. A crucial component of Hajduk’s run to the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 1995, he has been coached by Rafael Benitez and Croatian football royalty in Josip Skoblar, Boro Primorac, Ciro Blazevic, Mirko Jozic and former teammate and good friend Slaven Bilic. The former Panathinaikos midfielder spent six years assisting Bilic for the Croatian national team between 2006 and 2012, a stint which coincided with the Vatreni’s run to the quarter-finals of Euro 2008, and included a memorable 3-2 win over England at Wembley in qualifying which effectively ended Steve Maclaren’s tenure in charge of the Three Lions. Following Euro 2012, he followed Bilic to Russia as assistant of Lokomotiv Moscow and briefly served as technical director of Slovak top tier side Dunajska Streda in 2015. While Asanovic’s appointment at Somers Street Stadium is his first senior managerial role, there is no coach in the country right now who boasts the footballing pedigree of the Croat, who will be assisted by former teammate and ex-international Dean Racunica in the dugout. Yet one must wonder if such an arrangement would have been possible had the Knights not beaten sister club Dandenong City and secured their top-flight status in a nervy play-off game at Lakeside Stadium last month, a result made possible by Kym Harris’s timely hat-trick. 2017 proved to be a torrid season for the 2014 Dockerty Cup winners, who had 12 months earlier returned to the national spotlight after reaching the FFA Cup Round of 16. However an extensive player turnover, coaching instability and poor run of form saw the club formerly known as Croatia finish 12th, having collected 24 points from 26 league games. Changes were needed to avoid a repeat in 2018 and a presidential change proved to be the catalyst for Asanovic’s arrival in Australia, news which has been music to the ears of Knights fans who have been waiting for some good news out of Somers Street. It is hoped the appointment of such an esteemed Croatian football figure will see the club become the destination of choice for many, particularly those who have departed the Knights in recent years for the lure of ambitious and professional environments elsewhere. Bentleigh Greens duo Stipo Andrijasevic and Nick Glavan are rumoured to be making a return to the club after injury-plagued campaigns at Kingston Heath, while a rise in matchday attendances, season memberships and sponsorship could follow too. Nonetheless the Asanovic appointment signifies a return to the past for the Knights who recruited the likes of Stjepan Lamza, Joe Biskic and Zeljko Adzic as well as coaches Domagoj Kapetanovic and Mirko Bazic from their homelands – at a time when it occupied a more commanding position within Australian football. While the vast changes of last two decades have pushed the club into a state of marginalisation, there is hope that yesterday’s news will commence a new era of prominence for one of Australian football’s most storied football institutes. In conjunction with many of the infrastructural improvements to be implemented at North Sunshine, optimism has reignited that the Knights will move into the new year as a force under the tutelage of a football legend whose football education is second to none.... Victory, City struggle with local identity as Victorian numbers dwindleOctober 4, 2017Image: Matt Johnson Fifty years ago, one of the most remarkable tales in world football occurred at the Estadio Nacional in Lisbon. Underdogs Celtic defeated Helenio Herrera’s Inter Milan in the European Cup final in what is still to this day the greatest achievement by a Scottish club side. What made the feat even more special was the fact that all 11 of Jock Stein’s Lisbon Lions were born within a 48-kilometre radius of Celtic Park in Glasgow. In more recent times, Barcelona fielded 11 graduates from their La Masia youth academy during a La Liga fixture against Levante in November 2012, something which the late Dutch icon Johan Cruyff always envisaged when planting his imprint on the ‘chapel’ that propelled much of Barca’s success in the modern era. These accomplishments epitomised the importance of promoting within and how players born within the institute’s geographical proximity are best placed to guide the club to winning silverware and helping form an identity and bond with supporters alike. Closer to home, the back-to-back NSL Championship-winning Melbourne Knights sides of the mid-90s were comprised almost exclusively of Victorians, with many of the players sharing the club’s Croatian heritage. Similarly, Ange Postecoglou’s back-to-back title-winning squads later that decade at South Melbourne constituted of Victorian-born players, with over 80% of the team born in Melbourne and its surroundings. The beginning of the A-League in 2005 saw Victoria represented by the Melbourne Victory, with the importance of recruiting local players not lost on key decision-makers at the club. Founding chairman Geoff Lord hired Ernie Merrick as coach ahead of more credentialed options on the basis that the Scotsman’s work at the Victorian Institute of Sport over a decade and a half saw him work with the cream of the crop of the state’s footballing talents. Subsequently, Victory’s inaugural squad featured 16 Victorians from the 20 players (80%) with Sydney-based defenders Mark Byrnes and Chris Tadrosse the only non-Victorians in the side alongside foreign imports Geoffrey Claeys (Belgium) and Richard Kitzbichler (Austria). Furthermore, the team contained regional representation in the form of Albury-Wodonga’s Archie Thompson, Geelong-raised youngster Adrian Leijer and Tatura’s Vince Lia. That side was recruited to be a team which Melburnians, and broadly Victorians, could identify with in a time of great importance for the game in this country. Fifteen of the 23 (65%) members in the season two Championship-winning Victory side were Victorian, although the following years saw a gradual decrease in local numbers. The signings of interstate youngsters Evan Berger, Nathan Elasi, Mitchell Langerak and Sebastian Ryall ahead of season three heralded the beginning of a trend in which successive Victory coaches sought to enlist some of the country’s brightest talents outside the state border. The impressive figures from the first two campaigns reduced over the subsequent three years from 52% to 50% to 45% with Merrick’s enforcers claiming their second Championship success in 2009. A rise to 56% of the senior squad in the final season of the Merrick reign coincided with the emergence of several youngsters from Victory’s youth team, which since its inception in 2008 had been led by his successor Mehmet Durakovic. Yet Durakovic’s half-season stint with Victory saw the figure fall to a low of 44%, with his replacement Jim Magilton contributing to that by number by bringing in Mark Milligan and Spanish defender Ubay Luzardo during the January transfer window. The arrival of Postecoglou saw a rise back up to 54% as the future Socceroos coach sought to combine some of the state’s best youth players with the most exciting youngsters from across the country with the likes of Jason Geria, Scott Galloway and Jesse Makarounas moving to the Victorian capital during his time at the club. Former captain Kevin Muscat replaced him in the hotseat in the early rounds of the 2013/14 season, which led to a drastic decline over the last four years. Despite Muscat’s men winning their third Championship in 2014/15, the use of Victorian players reduced during his stewardship from 50% in his debut season to 42% in his first full campaign which yielded the title. The figure then dipped from 40% to 35% over the next two terms and now stands at 29% heading into this season. Thus, Victory’s Victorian contingent has decreased from nearly two-thirds a decade ago to just under one-third in the present. Aside from Leigh Broxham, the other five local players currently in the senior squad have played a total of 23 A-League games between them. While these figures are concerning, the club has at least recently elevated youth team players Cameron McGilp, Christian Theoharous and Pierce Waring (alongside Tasmanian Josh Hope) onto senior contracts, with Victory often criticised for their lack of youth-team promotion. Yet in nine years of NYL football, only three youth-team graduates have gone onto make over 50 league appearances for the club: Nick Ansell, Diogo Ferreria and Connor Pain. The average number of A-League games amongst them is just 58 matches. In that time, dozens of young hopefuls have plied their trade for the youth team without being afforded a senior team opportunity and ultimately ended up in the relative obscurity that is semi-professional NPL football, with Seb Pasquali a notable exception currently at Jong Ajax. Andrew Nabbout was one of many Victorians who struggled to cement a place in Victory’s XI. Image: Matthew Johnson But Melbourne Victory still fares better than their local rivals Melbourne City in this department, who are seemingly ignoring local youth in favour of proven A-League interstate players, non-Victorian youngsters and a host of foreigners in their attempts to win their first A-League Championship. Upon coming into the competition in 2010, the then-Melbourne Heart promised to be the ‘purists’ side which housed some of the league’s best footballers in addition to several local teenagers. Socceroos John Alosi, Michael Beauchamp, Dean Heffernan and Matt Thompson joined local legends Simon Colosimo and Josip Skoko at the Bundoora-based Heart, who also set their sights on winning hearts and minds in regional Victoria through the exhibition of several pre-season friendlies in Geelong, Gippsland and Bendigo. Emerging talents Aziz Behich, Nick Kalmar, Kliment Taseski and Adrian Zahra came in from the Victorian Premier League while Kamal Ibrahim returned from his stint at the AIS in Canberra. All in all, 9 out of 23 (39%) first-team members had Victorian roots, a figure which rose the following campaign to 11 out of 25 locals (44%) under Dutchman John van’t Schip. However, those statistics dipped rapidly under John Aloisi and van’t Schip following his return in January 2014 just weeks before the CFG takeover, with those three seasons seeing the number at a mere 17%. A slight rise to 22% followed the next campaign before last season’s fall to 21% coincided with City’s first major trophy success as star recruit Tim Cahill’s header saw them defeat Sydney FC 1-0 at AAMI Park in late November. With just three Victorians (13%) on their books prior to the start of this campaign, excluding ‘scholarship’ players, one must question City’s commitments to nurturing the state’s best talents when there are more players from New South Wales (five) and South Australia (four) in the 23-man roster. Since their NYL inception in 2011, Paulo Retre is the only Heart/City youth team graduate to feature over 50 times in the A-League for the club, having made a total of 53 appearances before moving to Sydney FC. These numbers make for dim viewing to any aspiring young footballers in the state, with Victory and City having the lowest number of local players than any other teams in the league. The four NSW clubs combined have a majority 50 players on their books who originate from Australia’s most populous state. Furthermore, smaller populated states South Australia and Western Australia are well represented in the Adelaide United and Perth Glory squads, with 12 and 10 homegrown players on their lists. Highly rated Melburnian pair Jake Brimmer and Peter Skapetis have joined the Glory and Brisbane Roar respectively, with both City and Victory reportedly not interested in acquiring their services. In recent weeks, two of NPL Victoria’s brightest young talents Nick Krousoratis and Nikola Jurkovic have trialled with the Wanderers and Adelaide United respectively in pursuit of a professional contract, while interest in the likes of Kenny Athiu and Damian Iaconis appears non-existent. Nick Krousoratis (right) recently trialled at WSW but opportunities are few and far between for NPL players in the A-League. Image: Mark Avellino READ MORE > Division and distrust in NPL as A-League remains closed shop Perhaps alarmingly, these figures paint a portrait of two clubs ignoring the talent knocking down on their door, although such a phenomenon is not something new. Mathew Leckie was offered to the Victory before his move to Adelaide United. Jackson Irvine elected to move to Scotland to join the Celtic Academy having been on the books of Victory Youth, as was Geelong junior Matthew Spiranovic, who elected to move to Europe at a time when not many teens were coming through in the A-League. Green Gully junior Jamie Maclaren’s return to Australia from the Blackburn Rovers Academy saw him play at the Glory and Brisbane, becoming a star marksman for the latter after being afforded an opportunity which was restricted to him in the West by the presence of Irishman Andy Keogh. Like Maclaren, Ivan Franjic and Sasa Ognenovski had to move to the sunshine state in order to become household A-League names and eventual Socceroos. With the A-League set to begin its 13th edition this Friday night, certain fans across Victoria and beyond will eagerly await what this season has in store for City and Victory. Both are tipped to be challengers in their own right and both have strong recruitment capabilities. Yet at the heart of most teams in world football is a strong commitment to the geographical area they represent, which ultimately creates a certain identity around that club. Whether City and Victory play their part in fostering such a notion is debatable, especially when looking at the statistics points to a bleak picture to any young aspiring footballers in this state. Victoria’s U14s won the National Youth Championship in Coffs Harbour recently while the U13s finished runners-up, but ultimately one must wonder whether the next generation of Vidukas, Skokos, Brescianos, Grellas and Kennedys are being lost to the game, victims of a rather fractured and unforgiving scouting network which appears dismissive of those within its very own backyard.... Division and distrust in NPL as A-League remains closed shopSeptember 1, 2017Image: Mark Avellino What do Charlie Austin, Scott Chipperfield, Didier Drogba, Dado Prso, Luca Toni, Jamie Vardy and Ian Wright all have in common? They were late bloomers who only became professionals after turning 21 and often juggled full-time work with their part-time round ball careers. The birth of the A-League 12 years ago gave thousands of Australian footballers a professional league to aspire to. Yet fast forward to the present and the league appears to be a closed shop for the many semi-professional footballers across the country still dreaming of forging out a professional career in the game. Despite Heidelberg United and Blacktown City’s recent FFA Cup upsets, A-League coaches appear reluctant once more to give those outside the professional setup an opportunity to excel at the highest level of football in the country. In late July last year, we ran a report on the lack of player promotion from the NPL into the A-League. From the 51 players signed by A-League clubs at that point, only one came from the NPL via the Centre of Excellence (COE) which shuts up shop in the coming months. This A-League pre-season has seen 71 players join the 10 teams in the competition, with the struggling Central Coast Mariners the biggest recruiters with 11 new additions. These are the findings formulated from those 71 transfers: 32 (45%) have been inter-league moves (players moving between A-League clubs) 35 (49%) have been overseas movers (players moving to the A-League from overseas) 2 (3%) have been signings made from the Centre of Excellence in Canberra 2 (3%) have been signings made from the NPL, although both those players in question – Lewis Italiano and Mitchell Oxborrow – were playing in the A-League as recently as last season and only spent the off-season plying their trade in second tier. 24 (34%) were players from overseas although Australian-born defenders Daniel Georgievski and Ersan Gulum are included in this figure as they have represented Macedonia and Turkey at an international level. The figure rises to 37% when factoring out Kiwi players Kosta Barbarouses and Glen Moss. These statistics show that there is a mistrust by A-League coaches, many of whom are seldom seen at NPL matches across the country, in players outside the professional sphere who have to juggle day-to-day jobs with their football commitments. This lack of trust in such players is at odds with the salary cap allocation which allows A-League clubs space within the cap to recruit players specifically from the NPL. Such an economic division exists that for many, giving up the safety of a career outside of football combined with NPL wages is not worth the risk of a tenuous A-League opportunity, as in the well-documented case of South Melbourne star striker Milos Lujic. History shows a mixed level of success for players making this step-up, with the transition period being difficult for many who ultimately returned to their part-time status. However, the success stories outweigh the failures and the two best-known examples are Melbourne pair Sasa Ognenovski and Ivan Franjic. The former had previously featured in the NSL as well as spending a season playing professionally in Greece but was at the crossroads of his career in 2006. Having turned 27, Ognenovski was working as a carpenter and was contemplating giving the game up to play local footy, with his mates until being offered a professional lifeline by the Brisbane Roar in 2006. From there onwards, his career blossomed as the formidable defender won the Asian Champions League and Asian Player of the Year awards in 2010 after his continental success with Korea’s Seongnam and went on to earn 22 Socceroos caps as he helped Holger Osieck’s side reach the 2011 Asian Cup Final as well as qualify for the 2014 World Cup. Similarly, Franjic was working as an apprentice carpenter and playing in the Victorian Premier League when a short-term injury replacement contract was afforded to him by the Brisbane Roar 10 days shy of his 22nd birthday on this day exactly eight years ago. Like Ognenovski, Franjic progressed and won three A-League Championships at the Roar before becoming Ange Postecoglou’s starting right-back at the 2014 World Cup and victorious Asian Cup triumph on home soil in January 2015. He assisted Tim Cahill’s goal in the 3-1 defeat to Chile in Brazil as well as earning a move to Russian Premier League side Torpedo Moscow in the process, before returning home and helping Melbourne City lift their first piece of silverware last term. Former Roar captain Matt Smith and ex-Melbourne Victory defender Rodrigo Vargas won multiple A-League championships following their accession into the A-League at the age of 27, in addition to earning Socceroos call-ups. Likewise, while initially rejected by A-League youth teams, Craig Goodwin and Matt Leckie used the state leagues as platforms for successful A-League careers, with both now Socceroos and starting players in two of Europe’s top leagues. Although much of the football media in this country champions the FFA Cup and its breakout stars, they are complicit in the closed shop player movement, rarely questioning the signings of certain players who move around from club to club without making much of an impression. Image: Smile for Peter Part of this stems from the lack of appetite to scout and scrutinise the NPL, with most A-League clubs limiting themselves to only watching NPL games featuring their youth teams. There is no such independent evidence which ascertains that trusting the A-League youth teams in the NPL as credible player pathway system actually works, with the majority of members in such squads released to NPL clubs upon completing a two-three year period in the system, frustrated by the lack of opportunities to break into the professional first team. NPL clubs across the country are classified as being in the pathway when their role in developing talent is rarely scrutinised itself. This leaves us with a disjointed and unstructured player pathway system, which offers so few opportunities at a professional level. One can only wonder what the likes of Chris Oldfield, Ryan Scott, Jeremy Walker, Josh Wilkins, Jack Webster, Andreas Govas, Jay Davies, Dusan Bosnjak, Nick Epifano, Nick Krousoratis, Sean Ellis, Elvis Kamsoba, Damian Iaconis, Kenny Athiu, Milos Lujic and Davey van’t Schip amongst others could do if afforded a sustained opportunity at a higher level.... NPL Victoria Team of the Week: Round 23July 28, 2017GK: Aaron Romein (St Albans Saints) Made a catalogue of saves to frustrate Bulleen and hold them to a draw (even if it meant top-flight security for 2018). It took a special effort from Templin to beat him on the night. RCB: Jordan Wilkes (Heidelberg United) Deployed on the right side of defence, Wilkes was uncompromising in his defending, ensuring an often-dangerous Paco were held to a clean sheet. CB: Steve Pantelidis (Oakleigh Cannons) Oakleigh were up against a desperate Knights but Pantelidis at the heart of defence stood tall to keep them scoreless, aiding his side’s cause as they mount a push for a finals place. LCB: Hamish Millar (Kingston City) A makeshift centre-back for the night in the absence of Simo Jovanovic, Millar executed his role with assuredness and poise, capping off his night with a clean sheet and the opening goal. RM: Andy Brennan (Bentleigh Greens) Continues to play a key role in Bentleigh’s front third with numerous involvements that contribute directly to the scoreboard. Found Dimi Hatzimouratis for the striker’s goal while also sealing the contest with his own in stoppage time. CM: Nick Stamatiou (Kingston City) A pick not just for his performance against Port but also a tireless campaign for Nick Tolios’ side, Stamatiou was a constant presence in midfield and notched up an assist for Iaconis’ goal. CM: Ali Sulemanovski (Kingston City) The teenager has shone in his two most recent outings in the Kingston midfield, winning plenty of the ball. His delivery for Millar’s goal got proceedings going for his side. LM: Nick Krousoratis (Green Gully) Relentless in the front third, Krousoratis added to his assists and goals tally on the night by slicing open the opposition defence and causing all sorts of headaches. CAM: Dusan Bosnjak (Oakleigh Cannons) His touch, dribbling and finishing were all characteristics of a quality attacking midfielder. The curling free kick was also a worthy winner. ST: Wade Dekker (Green Gully) Five goals in two games has been a great return for Dekker as he continues to build his tally for the season, and hitting momentum as Gully approach the finals. Showcased his instinct in front of goals with aplomb. ST: Milos Lujic (South Melbourne) Treacherous weather conditions made it difficult for both sides’ defences, and Lujic was the beneficiary of a penalty call and lax Hume defending to net another brace, giving Chris Taylor the luxury of subbing him early for the FFA Cup clash (in which he also duly delivered). Bench Wyatt Chant (Bulleen Lions) Like his compatriot, Chant was also a force between the sticks and was also only beaten once by a sublime finish as the keepers came out on top in the clash between Bulleen and St Albans. Daniel Bennett (Kingston City) In a campaign riddled by injury, this outing will have acted as vindication for Bennett, whose performance and goal highlighted why Tolios brought him over for 2017. Matthew Breeze (Green Gully) Not a dull moment when Breeze has the ball, who exemplifies much of why Gully have been called one of the best footballing sides in 2017. Added a brace and plenty of quality in the front third. Les Doumbalis (Heidelberg United) Has dealt with injuries this season too but his showing against Pascoe Vale shows why he is the club’s current longest-serving player and a mainstay in George Katsakis’ backline. Solid and reliable as ever.... Thunder out to consolidate East lead as Northcote hone in on West titleJuly 28, 2017Image: Mark Avellino Dandenong Thunder will be out to preserve their lead in NPL2 East having taken top spot off Dandenong City, who had previously been the ladder leaders for the best part of 13 weeks. Moreland Zebras’ loss in the West was Northcote’s gain as the latter restored a nine-point lead at the top in the home stretch of the season. *** Dandenong Thunder’s league lead came courtesy of a 1-0 win over Eastern Lions, Veton Korcari enjoying his twilight years with another goal in a terrific run of form. There was no repeat of the defeat against the Lions in 2016 which spelled the club’s downfall from automatic promotion, with the victory last week acting as a springboard for what the club hopes will be redemption in 2017, with their next clash at home against a tricky Goulburn Valley Suns outfit. However, it marks greater trouble for Eastern though, who are four points off safety in last place. NPL2 round 24 Eastern Lions v Dandenong Thunder 2017 from Eastern Lions Soccer Club on Vimeo. One of their potential relegation rivals in Box Hill added a point to their campaign while condemning Dandenong City to their third consecutive draw, their reason for relinquishing top spot. City recovered from Gerry Kavadas’ opener through goals to Daniel Visevic and Shaun Filipovic but Todd Dekker’s 64th minute goal locked the scores up at 2-2. City will now travel to the border hoping to emulate Richmond and defeat Murray there. Richmond were the big movers, earning a crucial three points in a difficult road trip to the border to stifle Murray United and take a 1-0 win home, courtesy of Dion Gavalas’ winner – a great moment for the club’s youth product. It’s a massive clash on the weekend now as Richmond travel to face Eastern in a six-pointer. Goulburn Valley Suns fared the better of the regional sides by seeing off Melbourne City 4-3. Rob Hughes and Jamie England had the visitors two to the good before a five minute blitz in the second half saw Dylan Pieras’ double sandwich Austin Wong’s goal to have City up 3-2. Fabrice Ebe then netted late before Hughes secured his brace on the stroke of the 90 to win a rollercoaster thriller. The other game in the East saw Springvale keep Nunawading amongst the relegation zone with a 3-2 triumph. Nate Foster and Gavin De Niese – who headed to Portugal during the week – had the Eagles two to the good before Mitch Cooper and Patrick Gerhardt squared the ledger late. No problems for Foster who netted the winner to send the hosts into raptures. Springvale travel to Box Hill next while Nunawading host Melbourne City. *** In the West, Northcote had their second consecutive 1-0 win over Werribee in 2017 as Josh Knight’s penalty proved enough to get one over an improved Werribee outfit in the second half of the season. But their biggest test will come this weekend against the Zebras, who will have done some soul-searching after their loss to Whittlesea. The Ranges stunned the promotion-chasing Zebras with one of their best results of the campaign, winning 2-0. Danny Charalambous assisted Jacob Colosimo for a 15th minute lead in the first half and there was a sense of déjà vu as the same duo combined for the latter’s brace – also some 15 minutes into the second half. It’s now a draw against leaders Northcote and win against second place Zebras in consecutive weeks which would have Vinko Buljubasic asking where that form has been throughout the year. Moreland City reduced the gap below the Zebras to four points courtesy of a 3-1 win over Brunswick. Tom Owens cancelled out Ben Osei-Safo’s opener but Trent Rixon – as usual – and Fraser Hills restored and extended Moreland’s lead, with Matt Reid and Matt Conversano exchanging red cards late. Adrian Mathers’ men will now have to navigate the tricky Ranges on Saturday. Melbourne Victory notched up a welcome win against Bendigo in a season that has been in heavy decline in the latter half of the season. Abraham Lokiru and Kevin Walker netted the first and last goals of the match for Bendigo, but a Nicholas Hatzigeorgiou double and further goals to Nicholas Sette, Nuh Sehavdic and Callum Goulding did the damage in between. In scenes at Chaplin Reserve, Ballarat City suffered a 3-2 loss at the hands of Sunshine George Cross despite being 2-0 until nearly extra time. Dom Swinton’s double, the second of which came in the 85th minute, seemed as though it would be enough for Danny Gnjidic’s side to take three points back to Ballarat. However, Anthony Laus teed up Teddy Yabio to guide the ball past a helpless Josh Dorron for a glimmer of hope. Laus then turned scorer as Brandon Xerri won a penalty, before Laus completed his blitz in the last minute for a game he’ll never forget – and Ballarat will wonder how the win slipped from their grasp. Ballarat will host regional rivals Bendigo on the weekend, while Sunshine will look to consolidate fourth against Brusnwick.... Ognenovski returns to former stomping ground PrestonJuly 25, 2017Image: Michael Dodge The Preston Lions have acquired the services of club legend and former Socceroos defender Sasa Ognenovski for this week’s derby clash against Sydenham Park. Lou Acevski’s men secured a 3-0 win on Sunday against the Essendon Royals having celebrated the club’s 70th anniversary with a gala dinner at the Crown Palladium the night before. 38-year-old Ognenovski attended and currently represents the club in an ambassadorial capacity having made 114 league appearances for Lions across two separate stints at BT Connor Reserve. His last professional outing came in November 2014 during Sydney FC’s goalless draw against Melbourne Victory at Allianz Stadium, with the veteran’s A-League career coming to an end that night following a season-ending thigh injury. A Preston junior from the age of 7, he progressed through the ranks at Makedonia before ultimately making his senior debut as a teenager during the 1997 VPL campaign. In 2000 he moved to the NSL by joining the Melbourne Knights as he spent the next two years of his career at Somers Street Stadium before experiencing a short stint in Greece with Panachaiki. Upon his return to Australia, he re-joined Preston during the 2003 VPL season before moving to Fawkner-Whittlesea in 2005 having captained the Lions in his second spell at the club. It was around that stage of his football career that he contemplated giving the game up and playing AFL with his mates after missing the initial cut for the A-League. However the Brisbane (then Queensland) Roar signed the then 27-year-old centre-back in 2006 with the uncompromising Ognenovski becoming one of the club’s best players over the course of the next two seasons under Miron Bleiberg and Frank Farina respectively. In 2008 he joined Adelaide United and immediately helped the Reds reach the 2008 Asian Champions League as well as being a part of Aurelio Vidmar’s Club World Cup and A-League Grand Final squads. Voted that year as the second best footballer from Macedonia behind future Champions League winner Goran Pandev, Ognenovski secured a lucrative transfer to K-League side Seongnam Ilhwa. He captained the Korean club to Asian Champions League success in 2010 as he netted the opener in the final against Zob Ahan and was subsequently awarded Man of the Match and ACL MVP honours. Having been overlooked by Pim Verbeek in addition to flirtations with the Macedonian national team, Ognenovski was finally rewarded for his form after being called up by Holger Osieck to represent the Socceroos in a friendly match against Egypt in November 2010. His maiden national team appearance in Cairo came at the age of 31 as he played an instrumental role in Australia’s Asian Cup campaign in 2011, scoring in the 6-0 semi-final rout of Uzbekistan. He also made his second appearance at the Club World Cup and played against the likes of Pandev, Javier Zanetti, Dejan Stankovic, Diego Milito, Esteban Cambiasso, Wesley Sneijder and Samuel Eto’o at the tournament as well as scoring in Chunma’s 4-1 triumph over host side Al-Wahda of the UAE. In 2012 he returned to the Gulf by joining Qatari side Umm-Salal and spent the next two years of his career in Doha before returning to join Sydney FC in January 2014. In total he made 78 A-League appearances, scoring 7 goals while also earning 22 Socceroos caps in a three-year period and is undoubtedly one of the best players to ever play for Preston. His guest appearances come at a time of resurgence for the Lions who have also attracted ex-A-League players Robert Stambolziev and Aryn Williams to the club this term.... South stay top, chasing sides all win, Bulleen secure survivalJuly 25, 2017Image: South Melbourne Bulleen secured safety last night after a 1-1 draw with St Albans Saints at home, ensuring 12th placed Melbourne Knights mathematically can’t catch them. Meanwhile, all of the top four won on Saturday and Sunday in testing weather conditions, with South Melbourne still emerging top of the table, equal on points with Heidelberg and Bentleigh, while Green Gully sit in fourth. The biggest sliders this round were one-time league leaders Avondale, leapfrogged by Oakleigh in the top six. *** Bulleen’s point against St Albans ensured their 2018 top-flight participation, meaning they sit 10 points above 12th-placed Melbourne Knights with three games remaining. Jordan Templin had the hosts the lead with a pearler of an effort, picking up Lewis Hawke’s pass and hitting a shot with backspin and swirl which left Rodrigo Covarrubias equallised with an eye-catching effort of his own, latching onto Joey Monek’s long ball before chipping Wyatt Chant. It was no surprise both goals were scored with spectacular efforts, as that’s what was required to beat both custodians who had top performances between the sticks. South Melbourne saw off Hume City 2-1 at ABD Stadium to keep their tenuous grip on top while further hampering the latter’s push for a finals place. South took the lead early as Nick Epifano won a penalty, with Milos Lujic netting from the spot – the first of his two goals. He had two for the half when individual errors cost Hume dearly as a backwards header wasn’t cleared, allowing Lujic a one-one-one, which proved easy pickings for the marksman. But South were also prone to a lapse in the back third, as a stray pass playing out the back by picked off by Jayden Prasad, who advanced in on goal and tuck it past Nikola Roganovic. Despite that goal giving the hosts a sniff at a comeback, it wasn’t forthcoming as the visitors held on against the wind for a priceless three points to keep the chasing pack at bay for another week. The returning Andrew Cartanos was the hero for Heidelberg as the young forward propelled his side to a hard-fought 1-0 win over the in-form Pascoe Vale. Despite coming off an unlucky 1-0 defeat at Hume City last week, and facing a Paco outfit enjoying strong recent results in their push for finals action, Heidelberg held on early as a wandering Chris Theodoridis left Steven Pace to clear Luka Prelevic’s shot off the line. The hosts came the closest after half an hour as Michael Trigger won a free-kick on the edge of the area – up stepped Reuben Way, whose thunderous strike cannoned off the woodwork. The winning goal came after the break as the heavens opened. Having missed a chance just moments earlier, Cartanos made amends minutes later by forcing the ball over the line from a corner despite plenty of congestion in the box. It leaves Heidelberg equal top with South albeit one behind on goal difference for another week. Bentleigh continued Avondale’s slide down the ladder by defeating the Avengers 3-1 at Somers Street. After enjoying the better opportunities in the first half, the visitors burst out of the blocks in the second via Matt Thurtell, who took advantage of some lax defending to head himself in on goal before finish past Chris Oldfield. It became 2-0 when Andy Brennan found Dimi Hatzimouratis in the box; despite being denied first time by Oldfield, his second attempt found the back of the net. Evan Christodoulou bundled home what proved to be a consolation strike late as just before the final whistle Tyson Holmes released Brennan who finished with aplomb to seal the 3-1 scoreline. Green Gully had it relatively easy compared to the others, securing a big 5-1 victory over bottom-placed North Geelong Warriors. Doubles to Wade Dekker in the first half and Matt Breeze in the second half sandwiched a Bobby Vidanoski strike, while Nick Krousoratis capped off a bright attacking showing with a goal of his own late in the contest. READ MORE > Kingston secure survival as Bosnjak leaves Knights on the brink... Kingston secure survival as Bosnjak leaves Knights on the brinkJuly 22, 2017Image: Smile for Peter Kingston City have secured their top-flight survival thanks to a stunning 4-0 triumph away from home against the Port Melbourne Sharks while the Oakleigh Cannons have all but condemned the Melbourne Knights to a relegation play-off spot following their 1-0 victory over the fallen giants. Last night’s results mathematically ended the Sharks finals hopes as the Cannons surged into the top six at the expense of early front-runners Avondale who have two games in hand on them. At JL Murphy Reserve, Nick Tolios’ men got off to the perfect start inside the game’s opening minute as makeshift centre-back Hamish Millar netted a looping header from Ali Sulemanovski’s free-kick. The lead was doubled in the 16th minute when 20 year-old forward Damian Iaconis notched up his 10th league goal of the campaign after being played through by veteran Nick Stamatiou. Former Dandenong Thunder wideman Daniel Bennett then scored a screamer from range for what was his maiden Kingston goal having had an injury-disrupted this term. Fellow Canberra-product Mouad Zwed sealed the win in stoppage time with a delightful chip over stranded Sharks stopper Brendan White to complete the rout and secure NPL survival. The win was even more impressive considering the fact that Kingston were without the services of captain Simo Jovanovic and attacking duo Taban Makoii and Velibor Mitrovic. *** At Jack Edwards Reserve, both sides exchanged opportunities from the outset as the Knights pushed for an away win to salvage a vital three points. Dean Piemonte was the scorer of two fantastic strikes last weeks and looked to add to his tally but was denied by Fraser Chalmers early, while at the other end Marijan Cvitkovic also forced a save. It wasn’t until just after the break that the deadlock was broken and it was a usual suspect in Bosnjak who did the damage. After Giuseppe Marafioti was fouled right on the edge of the area, up stepped Bosnjak to curl in a thunderous strike past Chalmers. From there it looked like Oakleigh would extend their lead as Piemonte and Bosnjak created opportunities but couldn’t trouble the scorers further, with the Cannons defence doing well to restrict the visitors at the other end. The contest ended at 1-0, Bosnjak scoring against the Knights for the sixth consecutive game running to move level with Davey van ‘t Schip at the top of the Golden Boot race. With just three matches left for the Knights on 18 points, the nine points left on offer means they can’t catch Kingston who are 10 points above, though Bulleen and Port are on 27 each – albeit with considerably better goal difference.... NPL Victoria Team of the Week: Round 22July 20, 2017GK: Michael Weier (Hume City) The young keeper had one of those in-form days where everything he touched was an incredible save. Frustrated the hell out of a Heidelberg side which created plenty of chances but couldn’t beat the keeper at the last hurdle, held to a clean sheet and losing top spot in the process. CB: Kristian Konstantinidis (South Melbourne) In a game where Nikola Roganovic had a hard-earned clean sheet and Michael Eager was strong in the air, Konstantinidis gets the nod for a team defence that weathered Knights’ best attacking challenges and gave stability to the South team. South’s first-half dominance was starkly contrasted by its concession of the midfield in the second half, leaving Konstantinidis and company to repel and protect. CB: Faisal Sakhizada (Kingston City) Immense at the back for Kingston. While Jovanovic got the important opener, it was Sakhizada who often found himself involved in passages of play from Bulleen that were repelled by him regularly, be it along the ground or in the air. CB: Matt Hennessey (Pascoe Vale) The young defender again showed maturity beyond his years to play an important role in Pascoe Vale taking the big scalp of Avondale. Composed and unflappable at the back, he contributed to a clean sheet and the eventual three points CM: Matteo Ballan (Pascoe Vale) The holding midfielder executed his role expertly, making sure the opposition’s midfield struggled to build any momentum through the middle. Continues to be one of Paco’s most consistent performers. CM: Andreas Govas (Port Melbourne) Another week, another impressive strike to find the back. Win, lose or draw, always tends to stand out in Port’s midfield as one of the side’s main outlets. RM: Dean Piemonte (Oakleigh Cannons) Piemonte is no stranger to the spectacular and his first-half antics showed just what he can do with a ball at his feet. His double came via a right-footed volley, which did take a deflection, and a left-footed curler from distance. LM: Kieran Dover (Bentleigh Greens) His best goalscoring return since joining Bentleigh, netting a double. That takes his league tally to three and he continues to build his form at Bentleigh enter a crucial part of their exhausting campaign, where surely he’ll play a key role. CAM: Dusan Bosnjak (Oakleigh Cannons) Constantly poked and prodded at the North Geelong goal, hitting the woodwork and testing the keeper – which led to Marafioti’s goal. Was eventually rewarded with a goal of his own for his efforts. ST: Wade Dekker (Green Gully) A fairly straightforward pick to make, up for it from the opening minute Dekker made light work of Dinamo’s defence, netting a hat-trick, which makes for a nice boost to the striker’s goal tally. ST: Taban Makoii (Kingston City) Played a key role in Kingston’s win with a couple of important involvements. First, it was his cross which led to the opener, then he put the crucial win beyond doubt with a poacher’s effort. Bench: Nikola Roganovic (South Melbourne) While South’s 2-0 result looked comfortable enough, it didn’t come without its periods when Knights looked likely to get back into the contest. And while South’s defence held up well, for the moments they didn’t it was Roganovic who made the final crucial involvement – the save to deny Cahill at the end of the first half a particular highlight. Simo Jovanovic (Kingston City) Alongside Sakhizada, Jovanovic formed part of a duo – and really the back four were all solid – that barely gave Bulleen a peep throughout the night. Jovanovic also pounced to open the scoring, a crucial moment after Iaconis’ earlier saved penalty. Andy Brennan (Bentleigh Greens) Powerful and tricky on the wing, Brennan was too difficult for Port to handle at times, with his distribution leading to an assist to Dover, with whom he linked well. Dylan Smith (Green Gully) Had one assist on the night to Dekker and in general his link-up play in the front third made plenty of space for teammates.... NPLW Victoria Team of the Week: Round 20July 20, 2017GK: Erin Hudson (Alamein FC) One of the winning custodians this week that didn’t necessarily require a match-winning showing. Though defending against the wind in the second half gave a bit of an added challenge for Hudson and a clean sheet is always welcome for a keeper. RB: Aimee Medwin (South Melbourne) Much of the South defence went untroubled throughout the 90 but Medwin also showed plenty of endeavour going forward, getting a few crosses and shots away which might not always have been on target but added another dimension to her side’s forward forays. CB: Aneta Komijat (Galaxy United) Not only was Komijat solid in her defensive responsibilities, her vision, composure and distribution were important factors that allowed Galaxy to maintain possession and break through lines of opposition defence. CB: Kasha Meyer (Calder United) An emphatic clean sheet for Calder, rarely troubled by Box Hill, it could have been any of the defenders making Team of the Week. Meyer gets the nod for her long ball that broke to become an assist. LB: Alex Gummer (South Melbourne) While it was a comfortable day for the South Melbourne defence, Gummer’s ability to identify the chance to break forward was no better reflected than her lung-busting run which ended with a striker’s finish for the goal, showing plenty of poise to round the keeper and find the back of the net. CM: Amy Jackson (Alamein FC) Dominant in the air throughout, Jackson could just have easily been named at centre back in this Team of the Week but gets the nod in midfield to reflect Alamein’s greater attacking threat after she moved up the pitch in the second half. CM: Jess Kenyon (Galaxy United) With a string of solid performances in the middle of the park, supporting her perhaps more well-known teammates, Kenyon has grown into a capable and reliable player who is displaying good knowledge of the role and responsibilities within Galaxy’s system, repeating the dose after coming off the bench early in the first half against Bayside. RAM: MelindaJ Barbieri (Calder United) Two goals and plenty of involvement in the build-up to other attacking chances, it was a prolific day in the front third for the Calder young gun. CAM: Mari Pastor (Alamein FC) In a game far more about misses than goals, it was Pastor’s finishing touch that made the difference on Sunday. Nicking in to convert on a tight angle for the opener, Pastor put the game beyond Bulleen with a clinical penalty eight minutes later. LAM: Aleksandra Sinclair (Calder United) Winning a penalty and giving off an assist, Sinclair’s return from the top flight has certainly not been to make up the numbers. With Calder desperate to break through against South Melbourne this weekend, could Sinclair give the edge? ST: Lisa De Vanna (South Melbourne) Two goals, winning her own penalty for the second, was the game-breaker. Off the back of Matildas camp midweek, while strike partner Melina Ayres was busy with Young Matildas duty, both still had a spring to their step against Heidelberg. Bench: Ash Lefevre (Alamein FC) Unlucky to miss on a starting berth, the fullback enjoyed a productive day at the office, most notably helping restrict Bulleen opportunities down her side Isabella Gee (Bulleen Lions) Not at fault for either goal Bulleen conceded, the deadline-day addition to Bulleen’s team already looks fit and confident on the ball and capable of producing her best football sooner rather than later. One to watch in the final 7 weeks of the season. Annabel Martin (Galaxy United) No rest for Martin off the back of a week in Canberra and three games with the Young Matildas. A typically dynamic and attacking display from the right back meant constant counter-attacking threat for Galaxy Rebecca Dempster (Calder United) The Scottish import has flown under the radar in her start to life in NPLW but regular involvement in passing chains that ended in shots on goal for Calder on Saturday says more than enough about her integration into the title contender.... Sheppard embarks on European odysseyJuly 20, 2017Image: Dion Fountas Avondale FC’s Kaine Sheppard has made a European move, signing with Finnish top-division club SJK Seinäjoki. The forward departs Victorian football after three and a half seasons. Moving from England – albeit with Australian heritage – Sheppard most notably was in Leyton Orient’s youth team at the same time when Harry Kane was there on loan from Tottenham. Sheppard had lower league stints at St Albans City, Histon and Braintree before making the move to Australia in 2014 with Heidelberg United. He settled in well at Olympic Village, forming a deadly duo with Dan Heffernan, where notably the club embarked on an FFA Cup run culminating in the famous home clash against Melbourne City alongside consecutive top-four league finishes. His 2016 campaign was hampered by injuries and Sheppard departed Heidelberg after 22 league goals in 55 games, signing for Avondale in 2017. He netted three goals for a goal-shy Avondale outfit before now departing mid-season for his new adventure. At SJK he links up with first-team coach Brian Page, who was his manager at Histon. The Finnish outfit most recently won the Veikkausliiga in 2015 and the Finnish Cup in 2016. “Basically the club got in contact and said there may be a chance to trial, so I took the opportunity and trailed for 10 days then being offered a contract,” Sheppard told TCF. “I get to go for Europa League qualifiers and play with international players and really test myself. “My goals are to play in as many games as I can and try score some goals, and obviously help the team finish as high up the table as possible.” Tervetuloa Hambo, Sundman ja Sheppard!Welcome @vahidhambo, @JoonasSebastian & @kainesheppard #SJK07 #Veikkausliigahttps://t.co/DbTmBf0a2m pic.twitter.com/MJ2IDMwA2W — SJK Seinäjoki (@SJK_Seinajoki) July 19, 2017... Lions defeat Magic in derby as Aris slides into relegation zoneJuly 18, 2017Image: Mark Avellino There was derby delight for Preston Lions this week, who halted Altona’s momentum near the home run of the campaign, allowing the likes of Geelong and North Sunshine to make up ground. South-East leaders Langwarrin were held by Casey Comets as the battle for survival heats up in that division. *** The Preston Lions upstaged rivals Altona Magic following a 3-2 victory in the Macedonian Derby at BT Connor Reserve on Sunday afternoon. Scottish striker Jon McShane handed the visitors an early lead only for Welshman Chris Davies to hit a first-half double. Adamson Ajayi levelled on the stroke of half-time but Lou Acevski’s charges scored the decisive goal six minutes from time through Bahraini international Hakeem Alaraibi, who netted from close range. That win took Preston into the top half of the ladder while Altona’s lead at the top was cut to eight points. That came as a result of wins for both Geelong and the North Sunshine Eagles, who occupy second and third in the standings respectively on 29 points each. A Joshua Talev-doubled inspired Geelong to a 3-1 triumph over the Western Suburbs at Stead Park with Slave Bozinovski and Ivan Romero the game’s other goalscorers. Image: Geelong SC Braces to Diellon Memishi and Nicholas Cullen powered the North Sunshine Eagles to an impressive 5-2 away win at Sydenham Park, with substitute Lewis Shannon also bagging his first goal for the season. Malesh Jadaeile – a recent arrival from Dandenong Thunder – and Steve Najdovski netted for the hosts to add a touch of respectability to the scoreline. The round’s biggest upset came at Yallambie Park as bottom-placed Westgate moved off the foot of the ladder after a shock 2-1 victory over Banyule City, who relinquished second place in the process. William Hudson and Velibor Pavlovic exchanged early goals before ex-Eastern Lions midfielder Chris Duncan netted a second half winner to give Sindjelic a timely boost in their attempts to avoid relegation. Michael Curcija’s Essendon Royals moved three points above Westgate into ninth after a 1-0 win over now-bottom Altona East Phoenix at Ormond Park, while Yarraville stay in tenth following a come-from-behind 2-1 triumph over a falling Keilor Park. Two late goals in two minutes from imports Keith Burch and Kazuki Okada made the difference, with Joel Nikolic’s injury time strike mere consolation for a side now winless in nine games and sitting just four points above the relegation zone. *** In the South-East, Langwarrin’s lead at the top was cut to seven points after Gus MacLeod’s men played out a 1-1 draw away to the Casey Comets. First-half goals from Andrew Stubley and Mat Luak ensured a share of the spoils as the chasing Caulfield United Cobras won 2-0 at Esther Park against last-placed Mooroolbark. Cort Kibler-Melby netted his tenth of the campaign just before the break while Oliver Daly was the other goalscorer for the Mike Kupinic-coached outfit. Mornington are three points behind in third as goals either side of the break from Ryan Paczkowski and Sammy Orritt did the damage in a 2-0 away win over Clifton Hill. South Springvale slipped into 11th and are subsequently in relegation danger after a heartbreaking 1-1 draw with Warragul United at Warner Reserve. Former Young Socceroos midfielder Bonel Obradovic handed the hosts a 14th minute lead only for Paul Cooper to level the scoring in the third minute of stoppage time as Aris’ regional opponents retained fourth place on the ladder. Malvern City’s recent form continued after a comprehensive 3-1 triumph away to the Manningham United Blues. A double to Arthur Papadopoulos and a solitary strike from Trey O’Sullivan helped set the visitors on their way, with substitute Rudi Saglam scoring in the dying seconds of the game to give the Blues small consolation in defeat. Morwell put last week’s disappointing 2-0 defeat to Casey behind them to climb out of the relegation zone as Hamied Zamani’s seventh strike of the season three minutes from time sealed a precious three points at Elwood Park against St Kilda. Those results mean that just four points separate fourth from eleventh with a number of six-pointers set to come in the season’s final seven rounds.... Kingston make huge stride in bid for top-flight survivalJuly 18, 2017Image: Con Deves Kingston City’s strive for maiden NPL top-flight survival has been strengthened with a crucial 2-0 win over Bulleen Lions. City are now seven points ahead of Melbourne Knights with a +16 advantage in goal difference (effectively an extra point’s advantage), including a game in hand. With the Knights having 12 points left on offer (albeit with two clashes against St Albans and North Geelong remaining) and Kingston 15 points, the task becomes increasingly difficult for the Knights after Monday’s result. The hosts looked up for it from the outset with shots in anger from Taban Makoii and Damian Iaconis sailing wide. The first flashpoint came as a penalty was awarded against Oliver White following a Kingston corner. Iaconis stepped up to take the spot kick, facing off against Shane Viitakangas, who was returning after a long-term injury layoff and Lewis Italiano’s departure to Wellington Phoenix, with Wyatt Chant returning to a deputising role. The keeper guessed correctly to his left deny the forward’s low strike. But while the penalty save highlighted why Aaron Healey was keen to have his original first-choice keeper back in the fold, the eventual opener also highlighted some rustiness after the injury layoff. Rather than the missed penalty opportunity having an adverse effect on Kingston, a corner that was punched away by Viitakangas, which was also partially cleared by Bulleen’s defence, fell at Makoii, who, after some fancy footwork, drove a delivery across the face which the keeper spilled. In pounced captain Simo Jovanovic, who tapped home the all-important first goal. The Monday night timeslot at the Grange has proven to be a blessing for Nick Tolios’ outfit as teams have consistently struggled to perform at the south-east venue under Monday night lights, with Pascoe Vale also recently succumbing to defeat and much of Kingston’s points this season being earned at home. Bulleen, who are used to their own Monday timeslot, albeit on a synthetic surface, also struggled to create meaningful opportunities, with a White snapshot just after the break possibly the closest they came before Kingston’s sealer later in the second half. In somewhat innocuous circumstances, a long bomb forward by Kile Kennedy troubled Bulleen’s backline, with the ball falling to Makoii who polished off a poacher’s effort. Many pundits may have pencilled in this clash as a potential relegation six-pointer between both clubs expected to dwell at the lower echelons of the table but Bulleen have, in two main bursts of form this campaign, seemingly done enough to ensure their top-flight status for a third consecutive season. They’ll have the opportunity to all but secure that status in a clash at home against St Albans Saints, who could actually put that pressure on the Knights for half-safety as that is still mathematically a possible equation. However, Dinamo are coming off a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Green Gully, Wade Dekker doing the damage there with a hat-trick while Luke Walker capped off proceedings. Kingston have a tough proposition against Port Melbourne on Friday. Most clubs have struggled to back up Monday games with Friday fixtures, with that Monday-Friday turnaround often leading to blowouts. On the horizon is also a double-header against Avondale, one half of which comprises a catch-up fixture. While the Knights’ battle in 12th spot has been a surprise to many, the league continues to throw up curveballs as South Melbourne re-took the league lead from Heidelberg, who were held by an out-of-form Hume City in a success for new player-caretaker Nick Hegarty. Despite gilt-edged chances to Kenny Athiu and Reuben Way often saved by an inspired Michael Weier, Atilla Ofli scored the winner after being released by a sweeping long ball from Theo Markelis. South are on top by a goal difference of one above Heidelberg. READ MORE > South, Greens and Cannons all win as Koutroulis propels Paco... NPL2 leaders drop points, chasing duo reduce deficitsJuly 17, 2017Image: Drazen Jurina The race in West and East tighten as leaders Northcote and Dandenong City were held to draws, allowing chasing duo Moreland Zebras and Dandenong Thunder to make up ground. Elsewhere, third-placed Moreland City and Melbourne City cemented third place, while the East’s bottom two, Eastern and Richmond, both drew as the race to avoid relegation endures. *** Northcote would have been confident coming up against an out of sorts Whittlesea Ranges but they were in for a rude awakening as the Ranges held them to a 1-1 draw. Matt Whatley hit the post early while Ross Frame was denied by Phil Petrovski, who was coming up against his old club. Northcote looked good value when in the 50th minute they were awarded a penalty for a handball which Josh Knight converted. But soon after the Ranges had an equaliser when Jacob Colosimo pounced on a defensive error. Alec Goodwin was later denied by Stefan Rankovic in goal who had a good outing between the sticks. Moreland Zebras meanwhile made it four wins on the trot, defeating Brunswick 3-0 to further reduce the gap at the top, which now sits at six with a game in hand. After surviving a Jose Portillo long effort from an angle, which Andre Jannese tipped onto bar, the Zebras took the lead when Amir Osmancevic’s shot deflected into Nic Niagioran’s path for the finish. Portillo missed a penalty in the second half which could have changed the course of the game but the Zebras went up the other end to kill off the contest with two more goals. Both had similarities to them as Josh Sabidussi and Osmancevic both netted following long kick-outs from the keeper. Omsancevic had a chance late to make it 4-0 into an open net but hit the crossbar. Moreland City claimed a hard-fought win over the unpredictable Ballarat City to maintain their grip on third. Ben Osei-Safo had the visitors up 1-0 at the break before youngster Josh De Voogel levelled things up in the second for the hosts. But it was none other than Trent Rixon who stormed home his 18th goal of the campaign to go outright top goalscorer in the West and secure the three points. Image: M&A Sports Photography Sunshine George Cross moved up to fourth with a comeback 2-1 win over Melbourne Victory to condemn the latter to second last. Nicholas Hatzigeorgiou Victory up in the second half, but that seemed to wake the hosts up. Goals to Souheil Azagane and Scottish import Dean Brotherston saw the Georgies run over the top of their counterparts. Werribee City moved above Victory albeit via a result that would have disappointed them, drawing 2-2 with the relegated Bendigo City. Simon Rohan-Jones opened the scoring for Bendigo before Werribee took charge with goals to Djordje Aleksic and George Slefendorfas. Daniel Purdy equalised for Bendigo late to secure just their second point of the season. *** In the East, Dandenong City drew for the second week in a row – this time 1-1 against Nunawading – to relinquish their stronghold on top of NPL2, with Thunder snapping at their heels. Mitch Cooper had the hosts up just after the break but Shaun Kelly got his side back into it not long after. James Kelly and Ljubo Milicevic had to be taken off early while Mate Dugandzic returned after an injury layoff. The league leaders had late chances to then go on and take the win but it wasn’t meant to be, with both sides having to settle for the 1-1 draw. Dandenong Thunder now sit just a point behind City but have a better goal difference after defeating Murray United 3-1. Brandon Barnes, an own goal to Halil Gur had the hosts two to the good before Veton Korcari’s vintage season continued with the side’s third goal before the half-hour mark. Murray set about mounting a comeback after the break and Archie Thompson got one back from the penalty spot but it wasn’t enough as the Thunder emerged the victors. An absolute pleasure to play against the great man @10Archie again. No surprise his team won a dubious penalty that he easily slotted pic.twitter.com/GqjfoefIP4 — Simon Colosimo (@Shime04) July 15, 2017 Melbourne City consolidated third spot with an entertaining 5-2 victory over Springvale White Eagles, with six of the game’s seven goals coming after the break. Austin Wong set up John Roberts for his first City goal in the first half, before the latter doubled the advantage after Connor Metcalfe played him in. Matters got worse for Springvale when Jerry Karpeh was sent off, but were given a lifeline when Leo Athanasiou was also dismissed for bringing down Nate Foster. However just a minute later City had their third when Lucas Derrick sets up Zachary Bates for a tap in. The lively Foster got one back before Bates was City’s next player to secure a brace. Foster had a double of his own to reduce the deficit but City ran out 5-2 winners when Gerrie Sylaidos’ shot was saved and followed in by Josh Cavallo. In the battle to avoid relegation, Box Hill and Richmond battled out a scoreless encounter which importantly to the latter means they stay a point above Eastern Lions, who also had a draw against Goulburn Valley Suns, 1-1. Stefan Papageorgiou ghosted in at the back post to net the opener for the Suns, while Craig Carley had an opportunity to double the advantage after rounding the keeper and getting a sight on goal only for his right-footed effort to hit the post. Lions striker Phil Ajao thumped in a header to have the scores level, and that was the way the scores were to stay. While much has been made of the bottom two, on 21 and 22 points respectively, it’s still close above them with both Nunawading and Box Hill on 25. NPL2 rnd 23 GV Suns v Eastern Lions 2017 from Eastern Lions Soccer Club on Vimeo.... South, Greens and Cannons all win as Koutroulis propels PacoJuly 15, 2017Image: South Melbourne Four games were played overnight and four clubs – South Melbourne, Bentleigh, Pascoe Vale and Oakleigh – turned over three vital points each in their respective parts of the season. South Melbourne claimed the Melbourne Derby double this season after seeing off the Knights 2-0 at Somers Street, keeping the pressure on Heidelberg at the top. Marcus Schroen looked up for it early, having a shot inside the box saved by Fraser Chalmers. There’d be no denying his effort on the half hour mark when, picking up the ball in midfield, there was no pressure applied, allowing him to unload a pearler from distance which had the keeper well beaten. South looked to put the foot down and Kristian Konstantinidis had a header cleared off the line while Stefan Zinni also had a deflected shot saved by Chalmers. The Knights had a chance of their own on the stroke of half time when Luke Jurcic’s cross was met by Tom Cahill, but Nikola Roganovic made himself big to block the close-range shot. The hosts’ momentum grew after the break but they couldn’t make it count as Dixon’s cross was sliced from point-blank range by Kym Harris. Kamal Ibrahim was next to come agonisingly close, pouncing on a ball in traffic to strike the crossbar. Controversy followed later as a penalty was called against the Knights only to be reversed as tempers flared. But the sealer came towards the end of the 90 as Brad Norton’s throw in had Nick Epifano on the run, with his cross meeting Lujic at the back post for a trademark headed goal. Pascoe Vale claimed a huge scalp to rubber-stamp their finals credentials, and potentially push for top four, seeing off Avondale FC 1-0 at CB Smith Reserve. Both sides exchanged chances early as Kristian Trajceski was denied by Alex Pavlidis’ legs, while Philippe Bernabo-Madrid was through through on goal but had his one-on-one saved by Chris Oldfield. But it was the man of the moment who continued his rise in Victorian football, sealing a moment he’ll likely never forget. Two weeks after making a senior debut and a week after netting his maiden goal, Jonathan Koutroulis was at the right place at the right time to tap in Luka Prelevic’s shot which rebounded off the post, netting the 79th minute winner and send his side into raptures. Bentleigh meanwhile consolidated third spot after seeing off Port Melbourne 3-2. Going into the clash without Zane Sole, who suffered a season-ending injury the week prior, matters got worse for the Sharks as Kieran Dover tapped in the opener after Matt Thurtell’s shot blaze across the face. Despite Bentleigh’s ascendancy, it was none other than Andreas Govas who netted the equaliser when his long distance shot was deflected in to have both sides even at the break. But it was Kieran Dover who again had the go-ahead goal, converting Andy Brennan’s cross for 2-1 after 71 minutes. Brennan then turned scorer with a fine finish to net the sealer, with Roberto Stella’s late strike proving mere consolation as the Greens moved onto 42 points alongside South and Heidleberg at the top, though the latter two have one and two games in hand respectively. Image: Natasha Morello Finally, Oakleigh Cannons notched up another three points to solidify their finals hopes, seeing off North Geelong 4-0. The Warriors returned to the ground which last year brought happier times in their promotion play off to Richmond. The Cannons were firing from the outset as Dusan Bosnjak hit the post, while Kostas Stratomitros had an effort cleared off the line. But Dean Piemonte stole the show in the first half, pouncing on defensive clearances to strike a couple of rockets. The first was a right-footed volley on the edge of the area which deflected past Marko Stevanja in the 19th minute, while he added to his tally from even further out before the break, curling in an elegant left footer. The goals continued after the break as Bosnjak had a shot saved, which Giuseppe Marafioti tipped in on the follow-up. Bosnjak had the ball in the back of the net later only to be called offside, but he finally got his goal after bundling in 10`s low cross.... NPLW Victoria Team of the Week: Round 19July 15, 2017GK: Emily Kenshole (Galaxy United) Didn’t have all that much work to do in terms of making crucial saves – helped ably by the backline – but was calm and collected when called upon and her distribution CB: Jess Tay (Galaxy United) A formidable opponent for any forward line, Tay hardly poot a foot wrong in denying Heidelberg opportunities on goal and was well-rewarded with a clean sheet which contributed to the comfortable victory. CB: Amy Jackson (Alamein FC) Provided experience and leadership at the back. Organised the defence well and covered a lot of ground to minimise Southern’s clear-cut chances on goal. CB: Alex Gummer (South Melbourne) As usual an assured display as usual from Gummer. Her presence in the backline, along with distribution and drive from the back, were an important element in South’s win. CM: Allison Coleman (Alamein FC) Wears #9 but her work in midfield won the praises of coach Sinisa Cohadzic, who commended the American’s impact in breaking up play from the opposition. CM: Kirtsie Shearing (Bayside) Shearing put in a captain’s knock in a hard-fought draw with Bulleen. Competed fiercely with Norbury in the middle and her late equaliser with a magnificent finish sent the home side into raptures. CM: Emma Robers (Calder United) Alonso obviously wins the plaudits for her hat-trick but Robers helped run the show in midfield to allow her side to gain the ascendancy over the NTC. CAM: Tiff Eliadis (South Melbourne) The ball sometimes just stuck to her feet. Exemplary vision and delivery underscored a commanding display in attacking midfield. The backheel for Martineau’s goal was class while her dribble and subsequent shot was spilled to Greiser for the second. RF: Rachel Alonso (Calder United) This week’s hat-trick hero, Alonso put the NTC to the sword in front of goal. Pounced on errors and made the most of the openings that fell her way in a destructive display. CF: Candela Ferreyra Bas (Southern United) A spirited showing from Ferreyra Bas who was busy along the forward line and was positive whenever the ball fell to her. Looked to test the keeper and was rewarded with a goal for her persistence. LF: Caitlin Pickett (Galaxy United) Deadly in front of goal, contributing greatly in attack to Galaxy’s convincing win over Heidelberg. Pickett tapped in the opener and also put away Whitney Knight’s cross to secure a double, receiving plenty of praise from coach Kat Smith. Bench: Cindy Lay (Calder United) As tricky as always in the front third, Lay’s threat was exemplified by her goal which was the result of pressuring the goalkeeper even in the later stages of the contest. Highlights the relentless nature of the Calder outfit. Lia Privitelli (Bulleen Lions) Privitelli was one of Bulleen’s main attacking outlets who found plenty of opportunities out wide. The chances weren’t alway converted but Privitelli did find herself on the scoresheet and was constntly busy along the forward line. Rebecca Saber (Southern United) A combative performance, Saber covered plenty of ground in the attacking half, neat in possession and linked well with teammates throughout. Lucy Richards (Alamein FC) Off the bench, the youngster showed her poise and calm under pressure by slotting home the last gasp equaliser, succeeding where teammates before her couldn’t in the preceding 90 minutes. Not bad for a 15 year old.... Fede Frew: My college soccer experienceJuly 14, 2017Words: Federica Frew. Images: RJB Sports Two years ago, I boarded a plane to the USA and begun my four-year college soccer journey. May 2017 officially marked the completion of my second year as a communications student at American International College (AIC) and a proud member of its Women’s Soccer team – the Yellowjackets. When I first arrived at AIC I would say the rudest awakening of my time so far was pre-season. Since experiencing it first hand, I’ve talked to some Australian girls who have played in America too and they have validated my feelings, but you really don’t know what you’re in for until you get stuck into it yourself. Picture it: A brutal period of 2-3 weeks in the scorching New England sun, training mostly twice per day, running more than I’ve ever run in my life. For a girl not inclined for sprints or long-distance running, I have been forced to work on the weakest areas of my game. However, I have learnt to love what I have most struggled with – across the board. From the full-on training schedule, to early morning classes, and to the intensity of our short season, I have embraced these struggles and learnt so much about myself. I can safely say that a college pre-season exemplifies what’s great about playing a college sport; total immersion in your sport, constantly hanging out with your teammates, while being consistently challenged to be the best you can be in a competitive environment. Coming to this opportunity was no simple decision. Nearing the end of high school, I along with pretty much every other year 12 in the country experienced the tough process of deciding what path to take following graduation. For those who juggle sports and school, this process can become even tougher. Through my time playing soccer in both Sydney and Melbourne I have witnessed many struggle to find the right balance between playing a sport they love and setting themselves up for life. Luckily for me, upon graduating high school I was presented with an opportunity to do both – play soccer and continue my education. The opportunity to be treated like a proper athlete and give myself an actual career has been pretty cool to say the least. NCAA athletes are forbidden to be paid, but the reward of playing college sports is that you come out of it with a university degree and memories for a lifetime. As I see my friends in the W-League and NPLW struggle to juggle their time between work, tertiary education and soccer, I realise I am blessed over here in my situation. I still train every day, play up to three games a week, and – most importantly – study. Although we are college athletes, our education is the number one priority, and our coaches make sure we are keeping up our grades and attendance to an optimum standard. If you are considering a move to a college in the United States, I would highly recommend it. There are a number of agencies that can help you find a spot on a college roster, and if you are persistent, thorough and diligent in communicating with these schools, you will give yourself more than enough chance to be picked up and given this opportunity – as I did. I could not be a bigger advocate for the whole experience. Living with your friends, away from home, and experiencing a whole new side to life that we don’t get to see here in Australia – it is such a great opportunity for athletes looking to play overseas and study at the same time. I would be lying if I said it doesn’t get lonely, and homesickness runs rife, but most days are fine. It’s in these down periods that I learn more about myself than I ever have, and home will always be there waiting for me as I continue to make incredible memories doing something not a lot of people can say they’ve done. I have come to realise – slowly but surely – that being offered the opportunity to play college soccer in America has been one of the most challenging and simultaneously rewarding thing to happen to me. Come August I am so excited to get pre-season and season number three underway, work on my studies, make more memories, and continue to have a ball.... NPL Victoria Team of the Week: Round 21July 13, 2017GK: Pasquale Gioffre (Oakleigh Cannons) Oakleigh looked like they were on their way to victory due to the efforts of Gioffre to save numerous shots that came his way. Then Gully got a well-deserved equaliser (Gioffre saved the initial effort) and looked like they were on their way to victory, but again Gioffre was the saviour with two late clutch saves. RB: Matt Foschini (South Melbourne) Usually a South Melbourne midfielder, Foschini has been utilised in the right-back role that was familiar to him in the A-League and he’s excelled. In fact from that position he got forward against North Geelong to net his first for the club. CB: Janiel Silva (Oakleigh Cannons) Like Gioffre, Oakleigh’s backline in general was under pressure from the moment Dusan Bosnjak netted the opener as Gully pushed for an equaliser. Silva was effective in making numerous clearances, which for a long time restricted his opponents to long shots and missed opportunities in the area. CB: Ramazan Tavsancioglu (Avondale FC) A name we haven’t mentioned much in TOTW circles in recent times but he has been a mainstay of the Avondale defence which has conceded fewer than a goal a game. Was again solid to help his side keep a clean sheet against former club Hume City and keep the likes of Liam Boland goalless. CB: John Lazaridis (St Albans) Has come close to TOTW selection previously as his name has popped up as one of St Albans’ more consistent performers, with his nomination this week coming off the back of a fantastic performance against Kingston which kept them scoreless, allowing Dinamo a priceless win. LB: Josh Brindell-South (Green Gully) One of the league’s premier left-backs at the moment, Brindell-South again put in a tireless display that included a few important involvements in the last line of defence while also bombing up forward to put in dangerous crosses; almost scoring a goal of his own but for another of Gioffre’s saves. CM: Michael Grgic (St Albans) A tireless showing from Grgic, who has been dedicated to the St Albans cause all season despite a tough campaign. A headed goal, the game’s sealer, capped off an exemplary afternoon. CM: Troy Ruthven (Bentleigh Greens) Helped Bentleigh keep the tempo high and starve Bulleen of possession. Bulleen’s midfield had minimal impact on the game and by the 70th minute it looked like they were exhausted from chasing the ball rather than Bentleigh, who were coming off the shorter break. CAM: Marcus Schroen (South Melbourne) Not much needs to be said about this pick, with Schroen putting North Geelong to the sword with a hat-trick. Also had an assist for good measure. This game may act as a springboard for Schroen who often peaks at the deep of a campaign. RF: Sean Ellis (Heidelberg United) Ellis was Heidelberg’s main creative outlet in attack – while they couldn’t capitalise on chances in open play, Ellis was the best at making space and sending dangerous balls into the area LF: Davey van ‘t Schip (Pascoe Vale) Just a standard night at the office for the Dutchman. Dominated throughout, scored the penalty, and set up youngster Koutroulis for his first senior goal. Bench: Chris Theodoridis (Heidelberg United) Made an important save to deny Cahill early, whose follow-up hit the crossbar. The Knights were unlucky after hitting the woodwork twice more but Theodoridis’ work also helped preserve a clean sheet. Andy Brennan (Bentleigh Greens) A physical and lightning quick presence, Brennan has some of his markers mesmerised and his delivery contribute the first goal, where he was especially threatening in the first half. Gonzalo Munoz (Pascoe Vale) Used a lot in an attacking sense when Pascoe Vale were looking to break down a 10-man Port Melbourne, Munoz was fouled for Paco’s penalty. Luke Jurcic (Melbourne Knights) Thrust into the starting lineup, the fullback was bright for the Knights in defence and getting forward, and came inches away from netting a stunner.... Comets, Phoenix rise as State 2 battles intensifyJuly 12, 2017Image: Man in the Stands Catch-up round in State League One saw only two fixtures played out, with both games having ramifications on the relegation battle in the third tier. STATE LEAGUE 1 In the South-East, the Casey Comets reversed their loss against the Morwell Pegasus from a week ago by securing a 2-0 win over their regional opponents at Comets Stadium. Two first-half strikes from star midfielder Dejan Radojicic helped Jamie Skelly’s men climb out of the relegation zone and into eighth place on the standings, three points above Pegasus who, despite their respectable goal difference and improved form, sit in the relegation zone. It must be said however that just five points separate fourth from 11th with plenty of six-pointers to come in the final eight rounds of the campaign. *** Over in the North-West, Altona East Phoenix upset the Preston Lions with a shock 1-0 victory at BT Connor Reserve on Sunday afternoon. A second-half strike from former St Albans and Moreland City attacker Liam Francis was enough for Alan Davidson to taste his second win from three games in charge of the club. That result moved the Phoenix out of last place on the ladder on goal difference, with their position now taken up by Westgate – although both have 10th place Yarraville in sight, with the Glory just one point above the relegation zone. The hosts meanwhile will need to regroup as they prepare to host traditional rivals Altona Magic this weekend, with Lou Acevski’s side determined to halt their opponent’s promotion charge. STATE LEAGUE 2 Down in State League Two North-West, Andy O’Dell’s Altona City enjoy a two-point lead on top of the ladder ahead of local rivals Hoppers Crossing. A strike force featuring former Sunshine George Cross forward Ayodeji Omoboye and Marcus Sherif has netted a combined total of 20 goals this term for City, while ex-North Geelong midfielder Michael Simms has been a valuable addition to the league leaders. Hoppers Crossing will no doubt be relying on experienced campaigners such as Brian Chesson and Daniel Sweeney in attempting to lift the club into the third tier of Victorian football. Third-placed Hume United are third two points off second place and have been largely free-scoring with the attacking exploits of the Enes Gurkan, Leon Osei and Fatih Turer not going unnoticed, while Preston exiles Michael Disasi and Ahmet Turer have provided added quality in the attacking third. Fourth-placed Corio have impressed in attack and are led by exceptional spearhead Vedran Stojanovic, although Ante Didulica’s men will lose key midfielders Anthony Banovac and Steve Luczo to international duties this month. An Andrew Vlahos-managed Fitzroy City trail close behind in fifth with youngsters Jack Dalla Via and Aleks Hrkalovic impressing for the one-time VPL outfit. A Geelong Rangers side featuring former Port Melbourne pair Ryan Oppermann and Conor Reddan languish in mid-table alongside Sporting Whittlesea and Kevin Theuma’s Cairnlea. Westvale, managed by former Bendigo coach Srecko Baresic-Nikic, and Diamond Valley United are ninth and tenth respectively, while Essendon United and Moreland United are rooted in the relegation zone. *** In the South-East, Doveton are one point ahead on top with local rivals Berwick City in second. Both clubs have recruited players from NPL2 in recent weeks, with the former acquiring the likes of Rinor Muriqi (Dandenong Thunder), Deniz Sabanovski (Box Hill United) and Slavisa Saric (Springvale White Eagles), while the latter have signed ex-Dandenong City trio Jarod Blackbourn, John Carroll and Andy Jerez. The Eltham Redbacks are one point behind Berwick and are looking to repeat the feat of St Kilda by winning their fourth successive promotion, having plied their trade in State League 5 as recently as 2014, and are coached by the experienced Paul Harris. This week they host fourth-placed Beaumaris, who are coached by former NSL star Marcus Stergiopoulos and his assistant Sam Poutakidis, while fifth-placed Mazenod United have lost sight of promotion and recently dismissed coach Billy Natsioulas. Heatherton United are sixth and have experienced a resurgence under former Beaumaris coach Shannon Kennedy, who is being assisted by ex-Socceroo Theo Selemidis. North Caulfield and Old Scotch have struggled for consistency and are positioned in mid-table, while the three Peninsula clubs are all struggling on the wrong end of the ladder with the Peninsula Strikers, Frankston Pines and Seaford United all in danger off the drop – as are Doncaster Rovers, who sit in the relegation zone, six points ahead of Seaford, whose time in the fourth tier is in danger of elapsing. https://www.facebook.com/217660888256510/videos/1497110050311581/... Bentleigh bounce back as Knights, Kingston left frustratedJuly 11, 2017Image: Natasha Morello Both Dockerty Cup finalists weren’t hindered by their 120-minute midweek encounter as Bentleigh bounced back to beat Bulleen 2-0, while Heidelberg once again broke away from South Melbourne at the top of the table with a narrow 1-0 win over the Melbourne Knights. The latter’s defeat wasn’t compounded by Kingston after they were defeated by St Albans Saints, who move off the bottom of the ladder. *** Bentleigh moved to 39 points alongside South Melbourne by prevailing over the lacklustre Lions 2-0. The visitors were using their third keeper in as many weeks, with James Burgess making a senior appearance after breakout Dockerty Cup star Jordan Gifkins was sidelined and incumbent first choice Ryan Scott was still suspended. But Bulleen struggled to find a way to test the youngster as Bentleigh struck at the other end. Kieran Dover’s cutback from Andy Brennan was tapped in by Trent Clulow for the first-half opener. Clulow had a second in his sights before the break as Luke Pilkington’s low cross found him at the back post, but the strike into a near-open net found the woodwork. Bentleigh weren’t made to pay for it as sloppy play around the back allowed Dimi Hatzimouratis to squeeze home the side’s second and sealing goal, ensuring they remain firmly rooted in the top four and still within touching distance of top spot. Heidelberg were backing up their drought-breaking Dockerty Cup triumph and had to be wary of the threat posed by the Knights, but in a contest that summed up both clubs’ season to date, nothing went right for the Knights while Heidelberg turned over another three points at home. The visitors ended up hitting the woodwork thrice, the first coming when Tom Cahill pounced in the box. His first effort was thwarted by Chris Theodoridis before the follow up bounced off the crossbar. In a contest that saw chances hard to come by, it was perhaps fitting that the winning goal did come via a penalty when a bouncing ball in the box deep into first-half stoppage time struck the arm of the unknowing Ben Surey, with Kenny Athiu stepping up to bury the penalty. The striker almost had another to his name but for the work of Fraser Chalmers who tipped his header over the bar. Indeed the Knights were to strike the woodwork twice more in the second half as Luke Jurcic’s snapshot from distance came centimetres away from lodging into the back of the net, while a cross from Shaun Timmins also came agonisingly close to bundling into the back of the net after Danny Dixon and Theodoridis both contested for the ball. In the end the Bergers held on to restore their three-point lead at the top of the ladder. The Knights’ loss wasn’t Kingston’s gain as St Albans held firm at home to prevail 2-0 at Churchill Reserve. In the type of performance that had eluded Dinamo most of the season, they frustrated the visitors to celebrate captain Ryan McGuffie’s 100th game in style. After Nikola Kostadinoski denied Velibor Mitrovic from giving his side the lead earlier in the half, Rodrigo Covarrubias was released in on goal and made no mistake with the finish past an onrushing Kile Kennedy. Michael Grgic added to that lead with a header from a set piece to ensure Dinamo notched up the 2-0 win, in the process denying Kingston from extending their four-point lead over 12th placed Knights and edging closer to safety.... Bendigo relegated as Hercules, Thunder & Zebras win, Hajduk stutterJuly 10, 2017Image: Mark Avellino Northcote City were minutes away from dropping points for a third consecutive game before a late flurry ensured the West leaders kept their distance from Moreland Zebras, who continue their recent good form. East leaders couldn’t repeat the dose, held to a scoreless draw by Brunswick to allow Dandenong Thunder to make up ground. Elsewhere, after defeat to Springvale White Eagles, Bendigo City can’t mathematically avoid relegation, bound to finish last in the West in 2017. *** Northcote secured a dramatic come-from-behind win to defeat Melbourne City Youth 3-2 at John Cain Memorial Reserve to maintain their lead at the top of the NPL2 West standings. Former City defender Tomislav Fadljevic gave Zeljko Kuzman’s men the perfect start with a goal six minutes into the contest only for Nathaniel Atkinson to level the scoring before the break. Austin Wong gave the youngsters the lead in the 83rd minute only for Welshman Adam Wright to equalise two minutes later. A goal from right-back George Stavridis in the last minute of the game handed Hercules the win. In related news, Northcote goalkeeper Griffin McMaster has announced his retirement, with the 34-year-old cult figure calling the likes of Oakleigh Cannons, Heidelberg United and Bulleen Lions home in recent years in addition to his time in the A-League with the Brisbane Roar. Nearby, the Moreland Zebras continued to apply the pressure on Hercules as they recorded a 3-1 victory over the Goulburn Valley Suns at CB Smith Reserve. Goals to Nick Niagioran, Mohamed Habib and Regsan Watkins secured the three points while Lewis Coyle’s late goal for the Suns was mere consolation for the away side. Down the road at Dunstan Reserve, Brunswick City held a depleted Dandenong City to a scoreless draw, ending the visitors’ run of 10 consecutive wins in a frustrating afternoon for Stuart Munro’s men. Hajduk’s draw proved to be Dandenong Thunder’s gain after Gianfranco Impellizzeri’s side dismantled Werribee City 5-1 at George Andrews Reserve. Goals to Veton Korcari and Adam Centofanti had the hosts two goals to the good going into the half-time break. A fluid team move ended with Samuel Catherine scoring from range before Korcari latched onto a spill by Bees goalkeeper Thomas Dunn to round off his brace. Papua New Guinea international George Slefendorfas reduced the deficit with a sensational free-kick only for an uncharacteristically goal-shy Brandon Barnes to tee up substitute Kristian Sarkies for a fifth late on as the 2012 VPL Champions crept to within three points of their city rivals. Thunder v Werribee Goalshttps://www.dropbox.com/s/gsfjedzruixdnqv/Thunder%20v%20Werribee%20goals.mp4?dl=0 Posted by Tony Depasquale on Sunday, July 9, 2017 The Eastern Lions secured a much-needed three points after upsetting Moreland City 4-3 at Campbell Reserve despite the hosts’ best efforts to claw themselves back into it in the second half. An early Chris Droutsas penalty had the Lions in front before striker Philip Ajao doubled their lead with a well-taken strike afterwards. Shaun Kenny made it three before the break only for Trent Rixon to grab a goal back on the hour mark via a trademark header. Ziggy Razuki’s drive from just outside the box restored Eastern’s three-goal advantage as strikes from Sean Sacco and Apai Ukuno carried little meaning in the end for the hosts who lost sight of the Zebras in second place. NPL2 rnd 22 Moreland City v Eastern Lions 2017 from Eastern Lions Soccer Club on Vimeo. Murray United secured just their second home win of the season to move into fourth on the NPL2 East standings after a 3-1 win over a struggling Whittlesea Ranges side. United player-coach James Coutts opened the scoring in the 37th minute only for Danny Charalambous to equalise six minutes later. Former Dandenong City duo Gonzalo Freddi and Halil Gur combined to edge the border outfit in front 16 minutes from time, with the latter scoring his first goal for United. Freddi had a chance to seal the win in the dying seconds of injury time but saw his effort saved, only for the referee to order a re-take which was converted by Archie Thompson to the protests of the visitors’ players and coaching staff, with Naum Sekulovski sent off in the process. An extraordinary five goals in 17 first-half minutes from Melbourne Victory Youth saw the home side defeat Box Hill United 6-3 at Epping Stadium. Attacker Nicholas Sette netted a hat-trick while further goals from forwards Nuh Sehavdic and Aleks Stanisavljevic and another from ex-Joeys international John Vakirtzis rounded the scoring for Gareth Naven’s young chargers. For United, small consolation can be taken from the fact that Todd Dekker netted his 15th goal from 21 games while Ryan Go’s 42nd minute strike and a late own goal from Victory defender Ben Carrigan put some respectability into the scoreline. Two goals in the space of a minute saw a share of the spoils split between Sunshine George Cross and Richmond at Chaplin Reserve. Japanese import Yosuke Saito scored his third goal in five starts for the Georgies following his mid-season move from the Essendon Royals, before former Green Gully midfielder Dion Paola levelled a minute later to ensure parity as Brian Vanega’s side kept themselves one point above the drop. Springvale secured their second consecutive 3-1 win over Bendigo City at White Eagles Stadium and relegated their regional opponents in the process. American forward Asa Kryst handed the visitors a surprise lead in the 35th minute following a successful penalty only for two goals in two minutes from Gavin de Niese and Jerry Karpeh to see Zeljko Popovic’s men head into the interval with the lead. Damir Stoilovic’s ninth goal of the campaign mid-way through the second half concluded the scoring. Bendigo City’s senior team is set to be relegated per official documentation released by FFV in December 2016. The NPL 2 Relegation/State League promotion framework was released after extensive consultation between FFV and clubs. Image: Marcia Riederer In the weekend’s final game on Sunday, Nunawading City defeated Ballarat City 3-1 at Mahoneys Reserve with two defenders finding themselves on the scoresheet. Jarrod Del Monaco opened the scoring for the hosts a minute before the break only for Red Devils midfielder Liam Harding to level proceedings in the 64th minute. Liberian international Patrick Gerhardt restored Nuna’s advantage with a screamer before Nepalese international Jagajeet Shrestha wrapped up the victory in injury time having come off the bench to net his maiden goal for his new employers since making the mid-season switch from Sunshine.... Schroen punishes Warriors as Paco earn vital win in finals raceJuly 9, 2017Image: South Melbourne South Melbourne kept the pressure on Heidelberg with a 5-1 win over North Geelong to go equal top temporarily, driven by a Marcus Schroen hat-trick. Draws to Oakleigh against Green Gully, and Avondale against Hume City, allowed Pascoe Vale to take advantage with their 3-1 win over potential finals rivals Port Melbourne, ending the Sharks’ unbeaten run and consolidating fifth spot for Paco. *** At Jack Edwards Reserve on Friday, Dusan Bosnjak waltzed past a few defenders before unleashing from the edge of the area with an unstoppable low strike to give Oakleigh the early lead. But Gully roared back to life and almost had an equaliser on numerous occasions in the first half, with Steve Hatzikostas striking the woodwork from a corner, and Pasquale Gioffre having to thwart on-target efforts from Josh Brindell-South and Nick Krousoratis. Gully’s equaliser came in the deep throes of the second half when Daniel Jones bundled home from a set piece, relieving his side’s anguish after long attempts to peg back the deficit. They could have gone on to take all three points but for the work of Gioffre between the sticks, denying Krousoratis and Dylan Smith with two wonderful late saves. The Sharks got off to a flying start against Pascoe Vale with Francesco Stella netting a neat opener. But things started to go wrong when James Papadimitriou was sent off for two yellow cards, and Zane Sole was taken off with a potentially long-term injury. The night got worse for the Sharks when a penalty was awarded for Paco which Davey van ‘t Schip buried. The visitors dealt a dagger blow when former Shark Philippe Bernabo-Madrid cutback for Matt Lazarides to strike the go-aheal goal, before 16-year-old Jonathan Kourtroulis sealed the 3-1 win with his first senior goal. North Geelong were dreaming of an upset against South Melbourne in the opening minutes when Luke Adams stumbled, allowing Michael Anderson to net the opener. South had the equaliser soon after however when Marcus Schroen released Nick Epifano in on goal, with the winger making no mistake. It was 1-2 after 13 minutes as Kristian Konstantinidis’ header from a corner was turned in by Schroen, who got his goalscoring boots on for the day. The score remained the same until half time, however, before Schroen had his second after the break via a Matt Millar assist. Schroen was again predatory earlier when he followed in Milos Lujic’s saved effort to secure his hat-trick. Salt was rubbed into the wound when Matt Foschini got forward to net his first goal for South Melbourne and put the cherry on top of a 5-1 win. A scoreless draw between Avondale and Hume City helped neither side as the former couldn’t make up ground on the race to the top, while the latter remain in eighth and are battling to make the top six given the fierce competition for a finals place. Jayden Prasad and Atilla Ofli were denied by strong saves from the returning Chris Oldfield, while at the other end Nick Symeoy was also thwarted by Michael Weier before the break. Both sides’ radars were off at times in the second half and neither could break the deadlock at Somers Street.... NPLW Victoria Team of the Week: Round 18July 7, 2017GK: Ingrid Philippe (Bayside United) While the bayside goalkeeper may not have produced save of the season with the array of chances Southern sent her way on Sunday, it was a composed and confident performance to maintain a clean sheet. Bayside keeps a clean sheet for the first time this season at the 18th attempt, a credit to the persistence of Philippe. RB: Dani Gudelj (Calder United) The right back is in strong form and was again impressive at right back on Sunday. Gudelj had to bide her time through the first half of the season with limited minutes, but the absence of Claudia Fruscalzo has opened the door for the off-season signing to show she is more than worthy of a regular place in the starting XI. CB: Rachel Binning (Calder United) While Calder’s lethal finishing may have given the team peace of mind for most of Sunday’s match, it didn’t mean a reduced workload for the defence. Binning was prolific in the air and busy on the ground under a bombardment of Alamein high balls and passes attacking the middle. CB: Katie Lee (Bayside United) Named by Bayside as their best, and it’s hard to disagree with a performance at the heart of defence that earned Bayside’s only second win of the season. Worked tirelessly for her side and had some crucial involvements throughout. LB: Hayley Richmond (Bulleen Lions) A shift that led to a clean sheet, combined with the winning goal, combines for an impressive day at the office for the fullback. Stood tall when Heidelberg advanced and held her nerve at the end. CM: Maggie Eudes (Box Hill United) It’s a Box Hill central midfielder that’s not Kristina Hall. While Hall was busy fouling and getting fouled non-stop, Eudes was the less whistled combatant at the centre of a Box Hill midfield that ran Saturday’s one-sided win. RAM: Elaina Vatcky (Box Hill United) Fotopoulos gets the accolades this week for her hat-trick but Vatcky was a worthy contributor also. Notched a goal and assist to her name and often stretched the NTC defence. LAM: Natalie Martineau (South Melbourne) An important goal against Galaxy highlighted Martineau’s work rate in midfield and class in the league throughout the season – and over many years in Victorian football. As prolific as ever, she played a key role in South’s comeback. RF: Kate Fotopoulos (Box Hill United) Wearing Mel Camilleri’s no.8 and playing centre forward, Fotopoulos took striker-for-a-day to the next level by netting a hat-trick. The central midfielder looked a natural up front as her close control and ability to read the play proved invaluable in front of the target. CF: Caitlin Greiser (South Melbourne) It’s hard to ignore a brace which helped peg back South’s deficit. Continues to do what a striker does, and that’s scoring goals – the first especially an impressive looping effort. LF: Lulu Al-Huneidi (Galaxy United) It was an often end-to-end game against South which played into the hands of attackers and Al-Huneidi certainly benefited. Got on the scoresheet with a neat effort catching the keeper off her line. Bench: Emily Shields (Bulleen Lions) A game in which she and Heidelberg counterpart Katie Neville both did well, Shields was calm and composed when called upon, making a couple of important saves which helped preserve the clean sheet. Annabel Martin (Galaxy United) While defensively it was a bit all over the place for all sides, Martin’s drive down the wing to complement the attack was a hallmark of the contest and gave Galaxy an added layer of attack. Cindy Lay (Calder United) We’ve sung the praises of Calder’s defence which stood tall against Alamein but at the other end the likes of Cindy Lay also excelled to put three past their opponents, with the latter providing an assist of sorts for the first and good footwork for her goal. Maddie Richardson (Box Hill United) While her teammates got the job done at one end, Richardson was also uncompromising at the back to seldom allow the NTC a sniff at the other. ... NPL Victoria Team of the Week: Round 20July 6, 2017GK: Brendan White (Port Melbourne) While the likes of Govas and co did their bit at one end, White was pivotal at the other to ensure Port Melbourne got the three points with a number of crucial saves throughout the 90. RB: Paul O’Brien (Heidelberg United) Has shone in recent times having been given an extended run in the team. With Josh Wilkins’ long-term injury it’s led to some rotations in the position and the usual midfielder filled in there but was exceptional against North Geelong and contributed to the clean sheet. CB: Mehdi Martin (Melbourne Knights) Avondale were coming up against a team low in confidence but Martin was solid in defence and restricted the opponents’ chances. Wasn’t at fault for the goal and generally his contribution meant the Knights stopped their recent defensive leaks and took a hard-fought point out of the contest. CB: Nathan Cook (Green Gully) It’s not often a team comes to Lakeside and takes all three points away. But, apart from the early opener, Gully were strong to deal with South’s threat and Cook in particular was very impressive – and has been an important mid-season acquisition from Northcote. LB: Jordan Wilkes (Heidelberg United) We’ve had to shift Wilkes to the left to fit into TOTW. A clean sheet and a regular threat in front of goal when getting forward, his delivery also led to Zahra’s goal, capped off a solid outing in Luke Byles’ absence. CM: Jonathan Bounas (Green Gully) Gully weren’t setting the world alight in terms of form when inflicting South’s first home loss but a big part of the victory was Bounas’ role in the centre of the park. The big midfielder was imposing and his goal, the burst through the middle and a roacket from distance, was the undoubted highlight. CM: Andreas Govas (Port Melbourne) Currently one of the form players of the competition, Govas again scored a trademark blistering goal against Hume but his vision from midfield also had set up teammates for the other goals. CAM: Dusan Bosnjak (Oakleigh Cannons) A brace – including one from the penalty spot and the sealer with a classy curling effort – did the damage against St Albans in a strong comeback win against the bottom side. RF: Davey van ‘t Schip (Pascoe Vale) A goal and assist to cap off a typically dangerous and clinical showing. Kingston game aside, van ‘t Schip and Bernabo-Madrid look have developed some decent understanding up top. CF: Matt Thurtell (Bentleigh Greens) Easiest pick of the week. Thurtell was at his predatory best with three well-taken goals to propel a 10-man Bentleigh to a 3-0 victory over Kingston. LF: Philippe Bernabo-Madrid (Pascoe Vale) Like van ‘t Schip, also had a goal and assist to his name to earn TOTW selection. A solid mid-season pickup for Pascoe Vale who has been one of the few additions to break into a fairly settled XI. Bench: Lucas Spinella (Green Gully) Not often that Milos Lujic gets denied from the spot but his penalty down the middle was read well by Spinella. Gets our nod for backup keeper in TOTW after playing an important role in his side’s win. Trent Clulow (Bentleigh Greens) Was close to being a starter in the XI but we just couldn’t fit him in. While Thurtell gets the attention this week, and rightly so, it was two of Clulow’s deliveries that led to assists so he played an important role in the buildup. Jack Petrie (Heidelberg) Seriously flies under the radar but Katsakis knows his worth to the side with his tireless work ethic in midfield and ability to break up play and win possession for his side – all on display against North Geelong. Matteo Ballan (Pascoe Vale) Like Petrie just above, Ballan is the workhorse in midfield, a true number six who keeps possession ticking over whick allows the forwards to do their thing. Lambros Honos (Bentleigh Greens) Like Clulow, was involved in much of the build-up to Thurtell’s goals and his experience and nous in attacking midfield is such a big asset for John Anastasiadis. ... Bergers create history with maiden Dockerty Cup triumphJuly 6, 2017Image: Mark Avellino After 120 minutes of restless agony and a penalty shootout that could have gone either way, Heidelberg United have won the Dockerty Cup for the first time in the club’s history. Neither side could be separated in a 1-1 draw after regulation and extra time, with the Bergers’ late surge thwarted in large part by young custodian Jordan Gifkins between the sticks, who was outstanding in just his second performance for Bentleigh. For a competition with 100 – albeit fractured – years of history behind it, Bentleigh were also looking to add to history with a back-to-back win not achieved for decades. The victory ends a drought of any kind of major silverware for the men’s side going back to the 2001 VPL title – in that time the women’s side won the WPL in 2007 and the TeamApp Cup as recently as last year. Heidelberg may have gone into the clash as slight favourites given their status as NPL league leaders and 3-0 victors of both side’s most recent meeting at Olympic Village. There were extra milestones before the occasion with Kosta Kanakaris and Les Doumbalis notching up 100 and 150 appearances for the club. Once the action commenced, Kenny Athiu had the clearest opportunity on goal in the first half, finding space in on goal but missing wide of the target. He also tested Gifkins later in the half and would prove to be a regular threat throughout the 120. John Anastasiadis’ side, despite patchy league form, seem to rise to the big occasions, highlighted by their regular FFA Cup runs and determined performances to beat South Melbourne at Lakeside for the 2015 NPL grand final and Green Gully at ABD Stadium to take out last year’s Dockerty Cup. Last year’s goalscoring winner Ryan Paczkowski departed the club to return to Mornington SC in 2017 but it was a new recruit in Dimi Hatzimouratis who had the side up after 50 minutes. Despite 15 goals and an NPL grand final appearance last year for Oakleigh, he had lost his place leading the line in 2017, making the mid-season switch to the Greens and had already made a good impression in his early appearances. Channelling last year’s form, he latched onto Ben Litfin’s pass and coolly guided the ball into the bottom corner past Chris Theodoridis. A hallmark of last year’s Dockerty Cup final was Bentleigh defensively frustrating Gully, who were unable to break through despite numerous advances. A repeat of that was on the cards when Paul O’Brien had a clear-cut opportunity minutes later but the former South Springvale custodian pulled off a quality save to deny the midfielder, who had enjoyed a strong run in the side of late. But the presence of Athiu up front cannot be denied and he proved just why his height isn’t his only threat. His technical proficiency was on display as he curled in a rocket from the edge of the area with his non-preferred foot to leave Gifkins and the Bentleigh defence stranded. The scores were back level after 75 minutes. The momentum had swung all night and now that Heidelberg had it, they looked to kill the contest within the 90. They came closest when, from a free kick, Sean Ellis rattled the crossbar with a thunderous strike. But both finished the 90 with a goal each, embarking on another half-hour of time. Play was becoming increasingly predictable as the contest opened up. The Bergers often took the aerial route, looking for Athiu via crosses and O’Brien’s long throw ins, trying to potentially expose the 21-year-old Gifkins but he remained unflappable, swatting away most of what came his way. Bentleigh, without a tall target man, looked to hit on the counter wide via the likes of Andy Brennan, Kieran Dover and the strikers, with Theodoridis having to be alert to make some saves of his own. With time nearly expired Heidelberg thought they had their opening when Ellis waltzed through the middle as the ball fell in his path. With just the keeper to beat, Gifkins stayed big and blocked the shot. Then, with the last shot on goal Petrie glanced the side netting with a volley, and there’d be no winner before penalties. The shootout itself took on a whole new narrative. Gifkins again was the hero as he denied Reuben Way’s opening spot kick. But then Jack Webster missed his side’s opener and the shootout remained deadlocked. Up stepped Athiu, who confidently put away his penalty to get the scoring underway, with fellow striker Thurtell repeating the feat. Heidelberg were on the back foot again when Harry Noon stepped up to take his spot kick and, like Webster, was off target. It came down to the last kick as Dover, Ellis, Ruthven and Zahra all buried their efforts. There were plenty of mind games already during the shootout, but with Bentleigh’s 51st minute goalscorer Hatzimouratis stepping up to take the winning kick, Theodoridis punted the ball off the spot, earning a yellow for his efforts. His inventive gamesmanship had its desired effect as the latter’s penalty came in at saveable height, with Theodoridis guessing the right way and making the save to keep his side in it. Jack Petrie’s penalty followed and hearts were in mouths as Gifkins also guessed its direction and got a hand to it, but the ball deflected into the back of the net. Tyson Holmes and Luke Byles also exchanged successful penalties,and it came down to Luke Pilkington to again keep his side in it. Despite a strongly hit low shot into the bottom right, Theodoridis’ outstretched arms made the vital save, sending the Bergers contingent into raptures It’s an important milestone for George Katsakis’ side who, in the NPL era at least, have been a dominant club without tangible silverware to show for it. The momentous FFA Cup game against Melbourne City stands out in the memory, but finals runs have often ended in heartbreak in the NPL. Winning the Dockerty Cup gets the monkey off the back somewhat, and may just open the floodgates for the league’s current leaders for sustained future success. At the very least, this crop of players and coaches can lay claim to creating a slice of history for the club.... Chasing duo suffer shock losses as Langy, Magic march onJuly 5, 2017Image: Langwarrin SC Both Langwarrin and Altona Magic took big steps toward promotion, as wins for the aspirational duo in addition to results elsewhere extended their respective leads at the top of their conference standings. Langwarrin’s 3-1 home success over South Springvale was aided by second-placed Caulfield United Cobras suffering a 2-1 home loss to Clifton Hill. Meanwhile in the North-West, Altona Magic defeated next-door neighbours Altona East Phoenix 3-0 in the Paisley Park derby, while second-placed Geelong suffered a shock 1-0 loss to Westgate – who began the round in bottom place. Elsewhere Banyule, North Sunshine, Preston and Sydenham Park also tasted victory, as did the likes of Mornington, Warragul and Morwell. *** Gus Macleod’s Langwarrin have established a nine-point buffer at the top of the South-East after a 3-1 win over South Springvale at Lawton Park. Alex Metcalfe gave the home side the lead inside the opening two minutes of the contest only for Michael Kariuki to continue his good goalscoring form of late by levelling proceedings in the 15th minute. However, two goals inside the final ten minutes of the half from forwards Caleb Nicholes and Connor Belger catapulted Langy towards three points, leaving Aris winless in six and hovering one point above the relegation zone. Second-placed Caulfield United Cobras suffered a heartbreaking last-minute loss to Clifton Hill as Peter Hiras’ 92nd minute strike gave the visitors all three points at Victory Park. Joe Summerbell had fired the hosts in front in the 13th minute only for an own goal ten minutes later to level the scoring as Leigh Tsoumerkas’ side entered the top half of the ladder. Mornington avenged their Round 3 home loss to Manningham United with a dominant 4-0 romp over the Blues at Park Avenue Reserve. Scott Millar opened the scoring two minutes before the break before Sam Orritt doubled the visitors’ advantage three minutes after the restart. A Ryan Paczkowski brace sealed the three points as the Englishman took his season tally up to 13 league goals, three clear of Belger in second place on 10. Warragul United jumped to fourth following a 2-0 win over the battling Mooroolbark in a heated encounter at Baxter Park. Peter O’Dea’s side found the back of the net either side of the break through Joel Baldwin and captain Thomas Ahmadzai, with the Barkers’ day dampened by the sending off of defender Jordan Ballerini. Image: The Man in the Stands Malvern City and St Kilda played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at Kooyong Park with Northern Irish forward Orman Okunaiya netting a brace for the visitors while an own goal and a Lloyd Clothier strike salvaged City a draw. The game of the round took place at Ronald Reserve in Morwell as the home side defeated Casey Comets 3-2 and in the process pushed out of the relegation zone and into tenth at the expense of their rivals. John Kuol continued his impressive form since returning to the club from Dandenong Thunder with a 32nd opener only, for Canadian striker Allando Matheson to level things up four minutes later. Hamied Zanani and Alpha Turay netted either side of the break to give Carlo Retre’s men a two-goal lead only for Matheson to reduce the deficit with 15 minutes on the clock remaining as Pegasus held on for the priceless points. The two sides will meet once again this weekend at Comets Stadium following the half-time abandonment of their Round 3 fixture at the same venue, with the scores level at 1-1. *** In the North-West, Altona Magic moved 10 points clear at the top following a 3-0 triumph over Altona East Phoenix. Former Melbourne Knights attacker Melvin Becket unleashed from range in the first-half, with his shot hitting the crossbar and bouncing just over the line and in to give his side the lead going into the break. Becket completed his brace in the second half before turning provider and unselfishly assisting Klim Dimitrieski to score his second goal in consecutive weeks as Alan Davidson’s men moved back to the bottom of the standings. Image: Mark Avellino That was made possible by Westgate’s shock 1-0 win over Geelong at Castley Reserve as Velibor Pavlovic’s solitary strike moved Sindeljic off the bottom of the ladder, with Tony Trifunov collecting his first win in charge of the club. Image: Westgate Geelong’s loss was Banyule City’s gain as the Bulls moved into second following a well-earned 1-0 away win over Yarraville, with Hector Moreira the scorer of the game’s only goal. The North Sunshine Eagles recovered from their 6-0 embarrassment at home to the Magic the previous week by coming from behind to defeat the Essendon Royals 2-1. Gaetano Vizzini’s audacious lob over Frano Saric gave the Royals the lead in the 32nd minute before East Timorese international Raul Isac netted a quick reply three minutes later with his first goal back since returning to Larissa Reserve a fortnight ago. Diellon Memishi settled the contest mid-way through the second half with his 12th goal of the campaign to move within one point of second place. The Eagles have also today announced the signing of former North Geelong Warriors defender Darren Lewis. Sydenham Park’s revival under John Markovski continued following a thrilling 4-3 win over the Western Suburbs at Ralph Reserve on Sunday afternoon. A double to former Brisbane Roar striker Zoran Petrevski as well as further strikes from Matt Sesay and Koce Delev had the visitors’ four goals to the good inside the opening 30 minutes of the clash. Deang Aguek got one back before the half-time interval before doubling his tally for the day and moving into double figures for the season with another one in the 52nd minute. Despite Ajak Panek’s goal on the hour mark further reducing the margin, the scoring was not extend in the final half hour of the clash as the visitors held for the win. The Preston Lions strengthened their squad ahead of their clash with Keilor Park by bringing in former Perth Glory defender Aryn Williams to BT Connor Reserve in addition to the arrivals of Japanese midfielders Sho Katayama and Ryuji Miyazaki. Second half goals to Miyazaki and Robert Stambolziev were enough for the Lions to defeat Keilor Park 2-0 with the hosts stretching their winless run to nine games as Lou Acevski’s men overtook them into seventh place on the standings.... My Football Journey: Andreas GovasJuly 5, 2017Image: Mark Avellino If you asked someone in Victoria to name Australia’s best distance shooter or dead-ball specialist, it’s likely their answer would be Andreas Govas. Some of the Port Melbourne midfielder’s strikes have earned his side vital points this season, and his exploits in the NPL over the years have previously made national headlines. Legend also has it that while at Portsmouth, the former Greek and Australian youth international chipped goalkeeper David James from range during a training session with the first team, embarrassing the former England first choice. 💣 90th min Bomba to make it 2-1 vs @NGWFC #KnuckleBall #Bomba #NPLVic @PMSCSharks #OnlyBombas pic.twitter.com/jMdOmZekCP — Andreas Govas (@AndreasGovas) June 20, 2017 “I’ve had a look at the goals I have on film – they never seem to be normal goals. They seem to be outside the box and pretty exciting to watch,” Govas admits. “It’s one of my best traits and probably the only quality I have that I can stand by and say that it’s high-class. It is a special quality that I’m lucky to have. It’s a lot of hours of practice and some natural ability helps, although sometimes it does go 30 metres over the bar.” The former Heidelberg and Fawkner junior honed his skills at the VIS before professional stints abroad at former EPL powerhouse Portsmouth and then Greece and France. Despite a promising youth career, a range of injuries scuppered his overseas odyssey, while a lack of professional opportunity upon his return to Australia also meant some of his talents weren’t fulfilled on a national stage. It was while at the VIS, however, alongside a talented pool including Paul Giannou, Matt Spiranovic, Adrian Leijer, Leigh Broxham, Milos Lujic, Dimi Hatzimouratis and Matt Theodore that his ability was noticed by Portsmouth’s scouts. “I was lucky in my first year of the VIS to have Ernie Merrick, who helped all of us. Speaking to Paul and some of the boys, they’re pretty much our best memories of youth football – you feel like a pro and trained like a pro and were surrounded by good players. “We can attribute the relative success of these boys’ careers to the program and it’s disappointing it’s not around anymore – if you look at the players who came through, the reputation speaks for itself. “I was at Portsmouth before their financial crisis – the year they were spending all their money, really, and won the FA Cup. I had teammates such as Jermain Defoe, Lassana Diarra, Niko Kranjcar and it was great to be in such an environment surrounded by great players. “Pretty much everything I learnt as a professional I learnt at Portsmouth. I had great coaches in Paul Hart and Ian Woan, who had great reputations in the UK. Everything after that … I don’t think I learnt much but it was a matter of gaining experience and continuing to develop by playing games and training hard.” A dual national, while at Portsmouth Govas was invited to represent both the Greek and Australian national youth teams. He joined fellow Greek-Australians Giannou and Dean Bouzanis at the former before switching to the latter, where he won silverware at the AFF U19 Youth Championship in 2008. “I was invited to play for Greece a few times. Australian selectors were hovering around too at the time and I was then invited to a camp. I did well and got selected for the AFF championship, which we won. While Govas’ career trajectory was on the up, his body could not keep up with the workload. “I had a few injuries in my career which I can attribute overworking and trying too hard. After training I’d go to the gym and go for runs and do too much,” he says. “My body just crashed at one stage, which is disappointing because in my first two years as a pro I had surgery four times. It makes it hard to earn contracts and I had to move from club to club to try make my mark. Released from Portsmouth, Govas headed to Greece, plying his trade across numerous clubs in various divisions. His senior debut was at Apollon Kalamarias but after seven appearances he switched to Kozani and then Kavala, returning for loan stint back at Kozani where he enjoyed his most successful overseas stint with seven goals in 27 games. “Fortunately I made a bit of a mark in Greece in the second and third divisions and earned a contract at top-flight club Kavala, which finished just a spot outside a Europa League spot. “I was sent out on loan and that was a really good experience but the club was relegated to the amateur divisions for financial issues and my contract was void.” Signing at French side Troyes before returning to Greece with Kalloni, Govas played a key part in the club’s promotion to the top flight. before #kalloni #superleague pic.twitter.com/6HRaJJzkX9 — Andreas Govas (@AndreasGovas) June 11, 2013 Taking time out to return to Australia, Govas was training at Oakleigh Cannons to keep fit when the club’s then-coach Miron Bleiberg recommended him to Ange Postecoglou at Melbourne Victory. “Europe was a bit of an adventure. You learn a lot about yourself and pro football and how things work,” he says. “But I felt like I wanted to stay and plant some roots here. I got a call from Paul Trimboli to come down. Ange was happy, things were looking quite good. “But at the time they had a full quota of players and I had to wait for a player to leave,” he says, likely alluding to Mauritian midfielder Jonathan Bru. “Unfortunately for me, that player did not want to leave and I had to look elsewhere”. With no other professional offers forthcoming, he signed on to play with Oakleigh in the first season of the newly implemented NPL Victoria. One of the highest-profile squads at the time coached by a former A-League manager, the Cannons were locked in a two-horse race with South Melbourne. Image: Graeme Furlong Despite scoring the most and conceding the fewest goals all season, ultimately they could not catch the runaway leaders, whose pragmatic style under Chris Taylor earned them the key results to take the title. “We finished second, which I think the club deemed a bit of a failure. Oakleigh went all out in terms of budget and wanted to win top spot. But South Melbourne were amazing that year and dropped hardly any points, and with no finals that year we finished second.” The 2015 season was a homecoming of sorts, a return to the club where Govas spent most of his formative years. A memorable year on numerous fronts, the club fell short in the finals but Govas took part in that magical FFA Cup night against Melbourne City, turning out in front of 11,000 people at the Olympic Village. “Going back to Heidelberg it felt like I was going back home. Deep down I could say I’m a Heidelberg fan having spent so many years at the club. “In my first season there everything was going really well with the deep cup run. I had a very good season there, as did some of the boys, including Dan Heffernan who scored a professional contract. Image: Matt Johnson “Next season I got injured in the first game against South . After that the team improved in results and George Katsakis doesn’t like to change a winning side, so I didn’t have much game time and departed. “I left on good terms. I had a really good time there and was disappointed to leave but at my age I wanted game time. Who knows, maybe I’ll be back there one day.” The 27-year-old had half a season at Bulleen Lions, following Barba to JL Murphy Reserve in 2017, where the midfielder has been one of the club’s best with eight goals – many of them his trademark long bombs. “They’re a club trying to do things the right way, Dom came in and made a lot of changes, pretty much a completely new squad, lots of the new players came in right at the end of the transfer window. “The team hadn’t really gelled early even though we got some decent results; we’ve gelled better as the season’s gone on.” While an A-League opportunity may have bypassed Govas, juggling a corporate career with his footballing commitments is a good balance for the talented midfielder, who continues to dazzle audiences with his uncanny ability to produce the spectacular.... NPLW Victoria Player of the Month: MayJuly 5, 2017Graphic: Ajax 55 There were a number of star performers throughout the month of May, with the task of picking a Player of the Month an incredibly tough one. Names such as South Melbourne pair Natalie Martineau and Alex Gummer were stiff to miss out on selection in the top five picks, while Candela Ferreyra Bas (Southern United) and Sarah Richardson (Heidelberg United) were their club’s best respective players. The incredible defensive record of Alamein FC throughout the month – the club conceding just the once – was reflective of the form of a number of their young defensive brigade, with Marianna Anthony another name unlucky to miss the cut. Galaxy United were one of the league’s better performers, with Jess Tay ousted by a teammate in the final third for a spot in the league’s best five. The task of narrowing down the winner from that list was an unenviable one, with the winner announced below. *** Kyra Cooney-Cross (Senior NTC) The young starlet finds herself Player of the Month – and nominated in this category for a second month in 2017 – after registering five goals in the month of May. This was highlighted by her hat-trick in the regional goal-fest against Southern United. Truly one to watch in the coming years. *** The other five shortlisted: Rachel Binning (Calder United) Her animalistic attack on the ball is the stuff of nightmares for opposition strikers, who know they need to prepare for a tough physical contest when matched up against the league’s premier defender. Lead her side to three wins and three clean sheets, with two goals coming in the loss to South Melbourne in Round 12. Calder enjoyed the second best defensive record of the month. Lisa De Vanna (South Melbourne) The big name recruit has changed the way that South have operated in the front third, taking away much of their early season dependence on Melina Ayres. Although she featured just three times in the month of May, with two of those appearances as second half subs, that was enough for her to make her mark, appearing in the Team of the Week in every single week she played. De Vanna scored three goals – including a game-changing brace against Bayside United as a substitute – and another sparkling performance against Calder after being introduced in the second half.. Ashleigh Lefevre (Alamein FC) One of the standout players in the league’s most stringent defence in the month of May. Lefevre helped her side to a month which saw Alamein record a mammoth three clean sheets and just one goal against – coming in a 1-0 loss to Southern United. Played every minute of those four fixtures and stood out with two Team of the Week starts and some nearly run performances to boot. Laura Spiranovic (Galaxy United) Galaxy’s skipper wound back the clock with a vintage performance to put Bayside United to the sword with a hat-trick, following that up with one goal in a 4-1 win over Senior NTC. Spiro lead Galaxy through a tricky run of fixtures with distinction and oversaw the transition between coaches. Four goals marks a good return for the forward in one of the best performing teams of the month, with Jess Tay, Annabel Martin and Emily Kenshole all also laying claim for a berth.... NPL2 Player of the Month: MayJuly 4, 2017Image: Passion Creations Photography. Graphic: Ajax 55 Slightly delayed and bypassing the vote for May due to a lack of time and resources, TCF has determined our Player of the Month for May. And that player is Todd Dekker after a bag of goals in a month in which Box Hill coach Greg Kassidas also claimed Manager of the Month as the club drove itself away from relegation with an unbeaten run. But congratulations also to the four nominees below, who also had exceptional months for their respective clubs. *** RF: Todd Dekker (Box Hill United) From the club’s perspective it was a fruitful month with wins over Bendigo, Nunawading and Murray, plus a credible draw against Melbourne City. On a personal note, the younger brother of Green Gully striker Wade proved himself to be quite the goalscorer, having added eight goals to his name in four games in May. A hat-trick against Bendigo City was followed up by an incredible five-goal haul in the 5-4 thriller against Murray. *** The other four shortlisted: Shaun Filipovic (Dandenong City) A goal against Melbourne Victory was followed by a hat-trick vs Eastern Lions before adding a further strike to his name against Goulburn. A tally of five for the month – not bad for a player who before this season had spent the entirety of his five-year senior career as a box-to-box midfielder. Liam Flynn (Northcote City) Flynn was particularly impressive for Northcote and versatile in a number of defensive and attacking roles on the left. Netted against old club Richmond and that free kick to salvage a draw against Moreland City was a particular standout. Charlie King (Ballarat City) The Dandenong Thunder result aside, Ballarat had another decent Month in May with good wins against Victory and Brunswick and a clean sheet against Werribee, and its defensive record particularly in those three games was is in large due to Charlie’s work in holding midfield. Aki Machiyama (Werribee City) It’s been a season of two halves for Werribee but May saw a resurgence of sorts which led to the team’s ongoing form. Werribee were impressive defensively, conceding just four times and keeping a clean sheet for the month, with wins against Springvale and, most impressively, Moreland Zebras. The Japanese defender was at the heart of defence during this run and was solid throughout. ... NPL Victoria Player of the Month: MayJuly 4, 2017Image: Mark Avellino. Graphic: Ajax 55 Slightly delayed and bypassing the vote for May due to a lack of resources, TCF has determined our Player of the Month for May. And that player is Milos Lujic after a prolific month for the league’s deadliest striker. But congratulations also to the four nominees below, who also had exceptional months for their respective clubs. *** Milos Lujic (South Melbourne) The month of May proved to be a breakout month in 2017 for the league’s top striker. Up to that point he had notably struggled to score from open play – bar a wonder goal against Melbourne Knights – netting predominantly from the spot. But the stats speak for themselves. Following the scoreless Bentleigh draw, Lujic netted once and had an assist against Kingston, netted a double to put a sloppy Bulleen to the sword, and also exchanged a goal and assist each with Jesse Daley in a 2-1 win over Port Melbourne. The four goals and two assists led to an unbeaten month and in the process Lujic appeared in Team of the Week three times, twice as a starter and once on the bench. The other four shortlisted: Reuben Way (Heidelberg United) Way played left back due to Les Doumbalis’ injury. He helped keep two clean sheets with Heidelberg only conceding twice. He was a positive influence up and down the wing for George Katsakis’ side in a winning month. Earned TOTW selections against Kingston and Port Melbourne, a game in which he had a winning assist for Jack Petrie. Goran Zoric (Oakleigh Cannons) In terms of tangible contributions, Zoric had a standout month for Oakleigh in one of the Cannons’ better months in an otherwise inconsistent season – although a defeat against Bulleen ultimately hurt the side’s prospects. Zoric notched up a hat-trick of assists in a 4-2 win against Pascoe Vale (and TOTW selection), scored against Bentleigh in a draw, had his moments in a 1-0 win over Kingston, and also had an assist in the defeat to the Lions. Andy Brennan (Bentleigh Greens) Like Lujic, it wasn’t easy going in Bentleigh and South’s scoreless meeting in the first game of the month. But then Brennan had an assist in the draw against Oakleigh, both assists in a 2-0 win over Gully (and TOTW selection), and also scored against North Geelong in a 3-0 win. Marko Stevanja (North Geelong Warriors) Selecting a goalkeeper of the second-last club may seem a stretch but the numbers actually stacked up well for Stevanja and the Warriors in one of their better months of a tough campaign. Stevanja was solid against the Knights away in a 1-1 draw, earning TOTW bench selection, conceded just once in a 1-1 draw against Hume City, kept a clean sheet in the club’s only win which came against Pascoe Vale, and despite conceding three goals against Bentleigh he was a starter in TOTW for making a number of crucial saves to deny the score ballooning out.... Q&A: Millwall head of youth development Dan MlinarJuly 4, 2017Image: Athletic Football Group What do Socceroos greats Kevin Muscat, Lucas Neill and Tim Cahill all have in common? They all made a name for themselves at esteemed East London Championship side Millwall. The Lions Head of Youth Development (U12-16s) Dan Mlinar touched down in Australia over the weekend and is conducting trials in Oakleigh this week and hosted a player development workshop at Point Cook on Monday night. TCF caught up with the well-respected coach as he took time to discuss what brought him to Melbourne, his role at The Den, and what makes a club like Millwall continually punch above its weight. DK: What brings you to Australia and what sort of expectations do you have? DM: I am coming to Australia to try and see the talent that Australia has to offer. I am expecting the players to be in and around the level of the academy standard in England so hopefully I can find a diamond in the rough so to speak. DK: What are your preconceived observations and thoughts on Australian football? DM: I have to be honest, my knowledge and understanding of Australian football other than those that have played within the European leagues and of youth football it is even less. However, for a country of its size and its history and tradition in elite sports, I’m sure there is the talent within the leagues in Australia that can make an impact upon the continent. DK: What is the reputation of Australian players at Millwall? DM: Australian players have a fantastic reputation at Millwall Football Club due to players such as Kevin Muscat, who played and become an iconic figure in Millwall history, and probably the best player to play for Millwall in the modern era Tim Cahill, who played 217 times for Millwall before a big money move the Premier League. Both players also played in the club’s successful FA Cup Final run in which we lost to Manchester United in the final – if we can find players of that ability then I will be very happy! DK: How has Millwall experienced a healthy level of success in their youth development, with many of their academy players going onto play in the EPL? DM: Millwall has had lots of success within youth development, from the start of the academy big players such as Teddy Sheringham and Tony Cascarino came through our ranks and become household names in England’s top leagues. More recently, the likes of Stephen Reid AND Chris Smalling have started within our academy before moving onto bigger and better things. I believe we are successful due to the hard-working culture of the club which I’m lead to believe runs through the Australian blood line too. Over the past few seasons we have had many players sold by us to different clubs such as Reading, Fulham and Arsenal. Not only do we have a pathway to our first team with 12 debutants from our academy in the last three seasons, we also have pathways for players at their clubs also if that’s the route they wish to take. DK: Briefly explain your role at the club? DM: My role at Millwall Football Academy is Lead Youth Development Phase Coach, where I look after the U12-16year age groups. My job is to organise how and why we work in accordance with the Millwall Philosophy. DK: Does the working class ethos of the surroundings of the club translate to your philosophy on the pitch of always trying to work hard and punch above your weight? DM: Our working class roots and being an inner London club, certainly translates onto the pitch, hard work, unity & commitment are key characteristics we look for in our players, as well as the technical, tactical and physical sides of the game.... Lions set to host Liverpool, United legendsJuly 4, 2017Their senior side might be struggling on the wrong end of the NPL2 ladder but the Eastern Lions have secured a massive coup off-the-field. The Burwood-based club will be hosting a special dinner on July 24 with two former Liverpool and Manchester United greats to be distinguished guests. Lions president Norm Willcocks has confirmed that former England internationals Robbie Fowler and Teddy Sheringham will be in attendance while the identity of the other two greats is yet to be revealed. 42-year-old Fowler spent 10 seasons at Anfield over the course of two stints at the club, scoring 128 league goals in 266 Premier League fixtures while also turning out for Leeds United, Manchester City, Cardiff City, Blackburn Rovers and the now defunct North Queensland Fury in the A-League. A two-time PFA Young Player of the Year winner, he made 26 appearances for England, netting seven times, and was a part of the Three Lions World Cup squad in 2002 as well as Euro 1996 and 2000 sides. 51-year-old Sheringham was one of the most prolific English strikers of his time, scoring 147 goals in 418 Premier League encounters over the course of a distinguished 25-year playing career. After making a name for himself at Milwall, he featured for two-time European Champions Nottingham Forest before enjoying two stints at Tottenham Hotspur in between his time at United. Further spells in the EPL followed with the likes of Portsmouth and West Ham United and was named PFA Player of the Year in 2001 at the age of 35. Sheringham is best remembered for his four-year spell with the Red Devils between 1997 and 2001 where he won three Premier League titles, an FA Cup as well as a Champions League title in 1999, memorably scoring a 90th minute equaliser in the 2-1 triumph over Bayern Munich. A veteran of 51 England caps, he netted 11 times for the Three Lions and was a part of their squad at Euro 1996 as well as the World Cups in 1998 and 2002. The dinner kicks off at 7pm at the Mulgrave Country Club, situated on the corner of Jells and Wellington Roads, and is being compered by David ‘Brooksy’ Brooks. The night includes a three-course meal, entertainment, autographs, photo opportunities and memorabilia, with the ex-Premier League stars jetting down to Melbourne as part of the Liverpool Legends vs Manchester United Legends match at AAMI Park on the following night. Drinks are at bar prices while tickets are priced at $100 per head or $900 for a table of 10, with all bookings made through the club website www.easternlions.com.au Embed from Getty Images... Zebras creep closer to Northcote, Dandy duo win, Bendigo relegatedJuly 3, 2017Image: Drazen Jurina Dandenong City earned a late win against a difficult Moreland City side to maintain their grip on top of the East, with Dandenong Thunder trailing closely behind after a straightforward 4-0 win over Bendigo which dooms the regional outfit to relegation. Northcote City however slipped up again to draw 2-2 away to Goulburn Valley Suns, allowing Moreland Zebras to close the gap further after defeating Eastern Lions. *** After a scoreless first half between Dandenong City and Moreland City, the contest burst to life in the second. Shaun Filipovic added his 17th goal of the campaign before Trent Rixon piled on his seventh for the month to equalise just moments later. However, with time running out it was a penalty and red card to Milos Tosic which allowed Nick Kalmar to step up from the penalty spot and ensure Dandy City added a three points to their tally, ensuring Thunder couldn’t close the gap at the top. Eastern Lions’ woes continue, sitting outright last and three points behind Richmond after a defeat to Moreland Zebras. It was a tough assignment for the lowly Lions against the West’s second-placed side but both went into the sheds equal with neither able to break the deadlock. However Josh Sabidussi broke the deadlock in the 57th minute, before Nic Niagioran lobbed home the advantage in the 71st. NPL2 round 21 Eastern Lions v Moreland Zebras from Eastern Lions Soccer Club on Vimeo. Northcote’s lead now just sits at five after picking up just one point in their last two games. A frantic second half saw a quick exchange of goals as Northcote came back twice to salvage a 2-2 draw on the road to Goulburn Valley Suns. A Cody Sellwood header got proceedings going before Alec Goodwin equalised. Craig Carley again got the go-ahead goal soon after but Josh Knight was able to peg one back from the penalty spot. City soon had a numerical advantage as livewire Rob Hughes was sent off with 10 minutes remaining but the scores remained level until the end. Dandenong Thunder sunk Bendigo City 4-0 to ensure the regional outfit is the first to mathematically be relegated from NPL2 in 2017. The Thunder started strongly as Veton Korcari got proceedings going while Brandon Barnes added to his season tally with a quickfire double by the 20th minute. The scoring slowed thereafter but another milestone came when Jordan Seeto netted his first goal for the club in the second half. Ballarat City triumphed 3-1 in a regional battle over Murray United. Josh Dorron made a second penalty save in recent times, but Murray still struck first as youngster Lewis Greenwood netted another goal in his breakout season. But Ballarat hit their straps in the second half as David King hit back, young visa import Courtney Austin’s continued his good first impressions for the club with the second goal in the 65th minute, while Pat Karras sealed all three points minutes later. Melbourne City’s grip on promotion hopes continues to slip, now nine points behind Dandenong Thunder after losing out to Sunshine George Cross. Japanese import Yosuke Saito headed Sunshine the lead, before Austin Wong latched onto Lucas Portelli’s long ball to apply a clinical finish. Sunshine re-took the lead when David Younan’s fantastic strike – and second goal in a fortnight – sailed into the back of the net, which was a worthy winner for his side. Richmond secured a crucial three points to break away from bottom-placed Eastern Lions by defeating an out-of-sorts Whittlesea Ranges 3-1. A mid-season coaching change in Brian Vanega and some mid-season additions have contributed to some crucial wins recently. Dion Paola was first on the scoreboard via a one-on-one in 25th minute, while Valli Cesnik finished off the side’s second to double the lead. Ross Frame’s deflected header gave the visitors a lifeline in the 40th minute, but Rowan McNamee ensured the Ranges had little hope of a comeback by netting in the 80th minute. Another West outfit in freefall at the moment is Melbourne Victory, who suffered defeat to Springvale White Eagles and moved down to second last on the ladder. The hosts were on the back foot early after Isaiah Joseph’s opener, but Callum Goulding’s second-half penalty won by Brandon Jansz – an ex-Eagle – had drawn Victory level. However, a late double by Jerry Karpeh secured the 3-1 win which has Springvale in sixth and a fairly comfortable mid-table existence. Brunswick City came crashing back down to earth after defeating Northcote last week, put away by a five-star Box Hill. Todd Dekker continued his fine form in the 34th minute, while a Nathan Fox own goal doubled the advantage just before the break. Andre Mcnamara had a second-half double either side of Lachlan Cho’s 56th minute goal. Yusuf Yusuf pegged one back in the 72nd minute but it was merely a consolation for the outclassed Brunswick outfit. Nunawading City had no answer for Werribee City’s three goals in a comeback win as the Bees continue to buzz late in the season. Buoyed by last week’s win over Richmond had them clear of relegation for now, after 22 minutes a rocket Patrick Gerhardt free kick was saved onto the crossbar before James Brown tapped in the opener. But that’s as good as it got as a quality equaliser from George Slefendorfas had the score at 1-1. Jordan Franken saved a penalty before the break, but Werribee weren’t to be denied the lead much longer when Cameron Davies scored a header from a corner. Brad Murray sealed the three points after a penalty was called against Gerhardt, with Franken unable to replicate his earlier exploits.... Thurtell runs riot, Bergers extend lead as Gully halt SouthJuly 2, 2017Image: Natasha Morello A massive 25 goals were scored across the seven games as Heidelberg extended their lead at the top after Gully defeated South at Lakeside, while there were wins for Bentleigh, Oakleigh, Pascoe Vale and Port Melbourne – the latter against Hume which ended the coaching tenure of Ufuk Kubilayhan. Elsewhere, Knights and Avondale split a point each. *** It took only a minute for South to register the first goal against Green Gully after a slick passing move ended up with Nick Epifano finding Milos Lujic for the opener. With South’s pursuit of the top of the table and Gully’s indifferent form lately it looked like South were good value for the victory but it wasn’t to be. Star defender Michael Eagar was out while Kristian Konstantinidis was returning from suspension but the team’s overall defending for the equaliser left plenty to be desired as, from a corner, Gully were able to get a header away that hit the post and pinballed around in the box before Wade Dekker bundled it over. Jonathan Bounas’ goal before the break was much more pleasing to the eye, taking possession and bursting through the middle before unleasing a spectacular effort from distance. The second half proved interesting despite a lack of goals, with both Jesse Daley and Matt Millar handed yellows for dives, but then on a third attempt from Stefan Zinni after a burst into the box the referee awarded a penalty. It wasn’t meant to be however for the hosts as Lucas Spinella denied Lujic a brace and the scores remained 1-2 for the rest of the game, marking South’s first defeat at home this season. Heidelberg travelled to Elcho Park with the opportunity to extend their goal difference against a lowly North Geelong, and duly delivered. Last time both sides met a 10-man Heidelberg won 8-0, and this time the Warriors halved the deficit over the 90 minutes (with no red cards). With South’s loss the Bergers are now three points and +5 goal difference ahead. Reuben Way opened the scoring after a pinpoint cross from Kostas Kanakaris. The latter was involved for the second goal as it was his shot that was followed in by Michael Trigger. Adrian Zahra got on the end of a long pass from Jordan Wilkes to make it three, before Kenny Athiu wrapped up proceedings with the fourth. Nth Geelong Warriors Vs HU #Bergerbrigade @FFV365 @gazzagazzagc pic.twitter.com/53wOPlE6Qx — Bergerbrigade (@bergerbrigade58) July 1, 2017 Kingston fell back to earth after beating Pascoe Vale with a 3-0 defeat to Bentleigh. The result was all the more disappointing given a Ryan Scott red card put the Greens on the back foot in the 17th minute. Substitute goalkeeper Jordan Gifkins came on for his first league appearance with Dimi Hatzimouratis sacrificed through the early sub. But Kingston couldn’t make the Greens pay and Matt Thurtell gave the 10-men Greens a lead after the break via a free kick situation as Lambros Honos’ short free kick to Trent Clulow led to a delivery which Thurtell controlled and tucked past Kile Kennedy. Thurtell sprung the offside trap again for the second as Honos played him through the middle for the second goal. Clulow had another assist for the sealer, with Thurtell lifting a shot over an onrushing Kennedy for his hat-trick. Port Melbourne notched up a third straight win, defeating Hume 3-1 to also put themselves in the top six mix. Andreas Govas opened the scoring and then assisted Jordon Lampard to have the Sharks 2-0 up early before Jayden Prasad found Atilla Ofli in on goal to peg one back. Oleksiy Khrapko then sealed the win in the second half. Port Melbourne have become coach killers somewhat, with Ufuk Kubilayhan departing Hume after that defeat, as did Eric Vassiliadis after the Sharks defeated the Knights. Nick Hegarty takes the reins of the senior side in a player-coaching role until further announcements are made. Pascoe Vale recovered from Monday’s defeat to Kingston to abruptly halt Bulleen’s recent good run with a solid 3-1 win at home. Matt Lazarides turned in Davey van ‘t Schip’s cross for the opener, while the Dutchman doubled the advantage with a lovely move that included a return ball from Philippe Bernabo-Madrid for the finish. The latter then bundled in the third to seal off proceedings. Bulleen pegged one back when Oliver White crossed in for Lewis Hawke. Oakleigh Cannons kept their top six hopes intact after a big win against bottom side St Albans. The hosts fell behind early however after a penalty call for handball on Janiel Silva, with Ryan McGuffie making no mistake from the spot past injury replacement and one-time Heidelberg keeper Pasquale Gioffre. But Oakleigh pegged one back from the spot to equalise as Dusan Bosnjak squared the ledger. St Albans were then reduced to 10 men as Ben Shaper committed a vicious foul on Steve Pantelidis to receive his marching orders. From there Oakleigh took full advantage as Wayne Wallace bundled the ball over following Tom Matthews’ cross. Mehdi Sarwari was next on the scoresheet, following in Tom Barforosh’s saved effort. Bosnjak put the cherry on top by cutting in and curling one into the back of the net for his brace and a 4-1 brace. At the tenant derby the honours were split between Melbourne Knights and Avondale. Jonatan Germano scored from the spot when the Knights conceded a penalty but Kym Harris equalised before the break with his first league goal of the campaign. The scores stayed that way in the second half as each side had to settle for a point each with the Knights reducing the gap on Kingston to four points after their defeat to Bentleigh....