Image: Mark Avellino
This week’s State League One North-West fixture sees fierce rivals North Sunshine Eagles and Preston Lions take to the field nearly a month to the date since their memorable FFA Cup tie.
The Eagles ended up with the bragging rights in the end following a 4-2 penalty shootout victory, having equalised at the death to force penalties in a 4-4 thriller at George Andrews Reserve.
One man who played a significant role on proceedings that evening was North Sunshine’s 21-year-old centre forward Diellon Memishi, who scored two goals before departing the field with an injury in the second half, as he nervously watched on the remainder of the contest.
“I was just hoping that we’d get the result,” Memishi said. “I myself thought the game was over and that we’d go into the next round. But Preston are a good squad and came back to make it 2-2 and I again thought the game was over when we scored the third goal, but that’s soccer – we had to come back and we did,” he added, with his older brother Feta Memishi converting one of the successful spot-kicks.
The wave of emotions is something all those associated with the club are used to, having taken part in a number of pulsating matches over the years with their spearhead rating the FFA Cup 5th Round victory over Preston as one of the best he’s been involved in.
“It was definitely up there in terms of it being one of the best wins we’ve ever had. We have had a few memorable wins against them, as well as that win away to the Altona Magic last year.”
A junior at Altona City and Altona East Phoenix, he continued his youth development at Brunswick City before joining the NTC setup in 2011, making his senior debut in the VPL aged only 16.
After spending a further year at Darebin, he made the switch to Larissa Reserve in time for the 2013 State League Two season, hitting eight goals over the course of the campaign.
2014 saw the Eagles promoted as Champions from the state’s fourth tier, with the then-teenager establishing himself as the focal point of the North Sunshine attack, netting 11 times.
Paul Donnelly’s men consolidated their presence in the third tier with a respectable top-half finish as Memishi netted double digits once more, with NPL clubs circling for his signature.
However, he stayed loyal to the Eagles’ cause, even when the St Albans-based outfit was handed a 12-point deduction prior to the commencement of the 2016 State League One campaign.
He took the mantle upon himself not only to lead the club away from relegation danger but ultimately up the table as the club founded by Albanian migrants finished third on the standings, having collected 51 points from a possible 66 over the campaign, two away from Champions Altona Magic.
18 league goals saw him claim the Golden Boot ahead of Magic strike pairing Jon McShane and Adamson Ajayi, staking his claim as one of the best finishers outside the NPL.
While the likes of Dandenong Thunder, Hume City and Melbourne Knights have all shown interest in the past, Memishi spoke about his commitment to the club and the reasons behind his continued stay.
“I’ve been with the boys for four years now and I played with my best friends, my brother and my cousins, so there is nothing better than scoring a goal for your people and family.”
“Other clubs have shown an interest in me before but I’m happy where I am at the moment and we’ll see what the future holds,” he continued.
Having collected 11 points from a possible 18 so far this term, Arben Isai’s men know that more will need to be done if they would like to challenge the ladder-leading Magic for promotion to NPL2.
However, their main marksman believes that the additions of VPL Championship-winning defender Shane Rexhepi and forward Reardo Luka – previously of North Geelong – will help the club in the long run achieve its aim of reaching the NPL in the years to come.
“With the likes of Shane and Reardo on board, I would like to help the club go up. We’ve definitely got the team and fanbase for it, so I believe that if we all stick together we’ve got the potential to go far.”
Having netted four goals in five games this term, and 52 since arriving at the club in 2013, Memishi will be one man the Lions’ defence will not want to take their eyes off come 3pm Saturday.
If past form is anything to go by, don’t be surprised if he makes another appearance on the scoresheet as the Eagles look to keep pace with the promotion hunt after a stop-start beginning to the year.