Photo: Mark Witte
Braedyn Crowley and Yusuf Ahmed scored on their debut’s for the Melbourne City senior side in the A-League outfit’s 4-1 victory over the Northern Fury in Townsville yesterday.
The 19-year-old former Northcote City forward joined up with the first team after his move to John van ’t Schip’s outfit was confirmed on Tuesday afternoon.
Quite fittingly, he made his maiden appearance in a City shirt against his former club in his home town netting three minutes into the second half after entering the game as a substitute following the interval.
Crowley almost doubled his tally late on but was denied first by the goalkeeper and then by a goal-line clearance before Ahmed rounded off the scoring in the 88th minute following a close-range header.
The former Dandenong Thunder forward has impressed in his first season at the club after an injury-plagued start to City career had ruled him out of action from the 2015/16 NYL season.
City had early jumped ahead to a 2-0 lead at the break before changing their starting eleven in the second half with former Dandenong City right-back Brad Clarke making another appearance.
Also coming on for City was trialist and former Melbourne Victory Youth left-back Christian Cavallo who spent the latter half of the 2016 NPL campaign with the Bulleen Lions.
The 20-year-old first made his senior breakthrough as part of Bentleigh’s memorable 2014 FFA Cup semi-finals run and hit the upright after his cross from the right deflected of a Fury defender.
City youngsters Denis Genreau, Connor Metcalfe and Gerrie Sylaidos were three other notable half-time substitutes with the teenagers invited to train with the first team after impressing of late for City’s NPL side with Metcalfe scoring four goals over the past month.
In further news, Melbourne Victory triumphed 3-1 over Sydney FC in a behind-closed doors friendly at AAMI Park.
A Besart Berisha penalty, a goal on debut from Marco Rojas and a further strike from Mitch Austin, assisted by George Howard no less will no doubt have Victory fans excited for the season ahead, with 16 year-old Sebastian Pasquali also making an appearance off the bench.