Melbourne Knights edged past an undermanned Port Melbourne outfit to triumph against the Sharks for the second time in five days.
Seventh place vs eighth place on equal points meant both sides would desperately pursue all three points in yesterday’s fixture to edge closer to the top six finals positions.
Eric Vassiliadis’ men were also seeking revenge after their opponents finished their FFA Cup Round of 32 hopes merely five days before.
Jacob Colosimo turned the Port defenders inside out as he darted into the box, before caressing a shot off his left foot, scraping the wrong side of the left upright in the 13th minute.
Agile midfielder Jason Hicks departed the playing field four minutes after while feeling his ribs, making way for Nikola Jurkovic.
Mid-season signing Shayan Alinejad continued to impress on his return to Somers St, performing a box-to-box role which saw the former Bulleen man thread balls through gaps in the Sharks’ defensive line.
Port failed to produce many clear-cut openings throughout the game, Adrian Zahra attempted a finesse shot from the edge of the box after dancing through the Knights’ defence – although the 37th minute effort lacked enough power to trouble Fraser Chalmers.
Referee Lewis Guiseffi drew red in the 56th minute after David Stirton’s late and reckless slide tackle through the legs of Robbie Zadworny.
Nick Glavan slotted the much deserved goal 13 minutes after, as the fullback cut inside the box and faked his shot multiple times before driving a low hit through the near post of Luke Gavalas.
Former Bayern Munich youth player Julius Davies impressed in the stands as his 10-minute stint in the game involved composure and awareness on the ball.
Desperate efforts from the travellers late in the fixture saw countless free kicks and crosses swung into the box – Chalmers hitting the deck two minutes from full time as he was knocked while latching onto a free kick.
Five minutes of eventful injury time was witness to a caution handed to James McGarry, countless free kicks and Vassiliadis being subject to a lecture from referee Guiseffi.
It was not to be for Port at all this week as the last opportunity came from a 96th minute free kick, which saw Chalmers violated as he again latched onto the ball.
Knights manager Andrew Marth praised his side’s ability to structure themselves and perform well despite a damp playing surface.
“It’s a relief [to win] under [tough] conditions,” Marth said.
“The ground wasn’t conducive to playing good football, and the boys done exceptionally well under those conditions.”
The former Socceroo also heaped praise on his defensive line, who haven’t conceded a goal in both matchups against the Sharks, although he expressed his concern regarding his outfit’s ability to capitalise with the extra man.
“I thought everyone did quite well, Fraser [Chalmers] in goals again didn’t have much to do,” Marth stated.
“I thought our back four did exceptionally well again, it’s a bit disappointing in patches where we went one man extra and didn’t quite keep possession of the ball where I thought we should’ve, so it’s a bit of a learning curve for us.
“I think we got enough experience in the team to [take advantage of an undermanned opposition].
“[Motivation] shouldn’t have to come from the touchlines from Frank or myself, but it’s a learning curve, we got a lot of young boys out there and they’ll learn from that.”
Marth lauded the presence of fullback Nick Glavan, who scored his second goal of the season, also hailing his ability to push forward and create opportunities.
“That myself was a cracking goal, I thought he miskicked it, but Nick will probably tell you something different,” Marth joked.
“To his credit, Nick goes forward and creates opportunities for us, and for the old fashioned right back to score goals, I think he scored two goals this year, which is brilliant.”
Robbie Zadworny created havoc down the left wing, using his pace and ball control to keep the Port backline on their toes, also unfortunately being on the receiving end of Stirton’s late challenge which altered the momentum of the former North Geelong player.
Marijan Cvitkovic was also an unsung hero of the fixture, showing sheer passion and strength on the ball to push forward and create chances.
Marth was impressed by the maiden use of a pacey winger this season, highlighting the contrast between Stipo Andrijasevic and Colosimo who typically play the role.
“We got a bit of pace out wide for the first time this year, no disrespect to Stipo or Colosimo who play out wide,” Marth said.
“But it works out the way we play our system and I thought the two boys out wide done exceptional today.”
The triumph edges Knights three points closer to the top six, while the Sharks will have next round firmly in their sights as they travel to a Pascoe Vale outfit full of momentum.
Knights have the opportunity to creep one point within the top six as they travel to Bulleen for the Monday night fixture.
Image: Steve Starek/Melbourne Knights
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Melbourne Knights 1 (Glavan 69’) defeated Port Melbourne 0 at Knights Stadium [HT 0-0]
Melbourne Knights: 20. Fraser CHALMERS (GK), 23. Timmy PURCELL, 6. Damien MISKULIN, 3. Ivan GRGIC 19. Nick GLAVAN, 16. Jason HICKS, 8. James McGARRY, 7. Shayan ALINEJAD, 17. Robbie ZADWORNY, 9. Jacob COLOSIMO, 10. Marijan CVITKOVIC (C)
Substitutes: 1. Michael O’FARRELL, 2. Luke JURCIC, 11. Nikola JURKOVIC, 15. Julius DAVIES, 14. Caleb MIKULIC
Port Melbourne: 28. Luke GAVALAS (GK), 19. Shaun KELLY (C), 23. Jacob ELIOPOULOS, 4. James KARVELIS, 3. James RICCOBENE, 2. Andrew VIOLA, 20. Tyler JAMES, 7. Jamie DE ABREU, 9. Adrian ZAHRA , 10. David STIRTON, 12. Alec GOODWIN
Substitutes: 25. Michael STARK, 8. Bonel OBRADOVIC, 9. James GOULOPOULOS, 16. Alan KEARNEY