The first time I attended Kingston Heath Soccer Complex was for a Melbourne Victory A-League pre-season friendly against Bentleigh Greens some seasons ago. Aided by my inept GPS, I cluelessly parked somewhere on the wrong side of the reserve, walking through the park and past the hockey field until I reached the club. The stroll back to the car later that night was both serene and spooky. Before that, the only reason I’d ever travel down Centre Dandenong Road was to shop at the Moorabbin DFO. Mum had a florist she liked nearby, and occasionally visited a decent egg farm in the area. Bentleigh, in the middle of the VPL season, put on a strong showing that night.
Today, thousands of people will stream through Kingston Heath for Bentleigh’s next chapter in their FFA Cup story, a semi-final clash against another A-League side in Perth Glory. As the only Victorian club left in the competition, the Greens will have the state behind them, hoping for the unlikely upset. Many will pass that same florist near the corner of Boundary Road on the way, or even that egg farm if it still exists somewhere. They’ll line the stands, not before complaining about the long queue for the famed souvlakis, while appreciating the club’s choice to serve full-strength Heinekens. The Bentleigh souvlakis are now so representative of the Cypriot club in the wake of the FFA Cup that every mention in the media makes a good rule for a drinking game back home. They’ve become one of many cliches or pieces of trivia associated with Bentleigh and the Cup.
Fox Sports will set up its scaffolding, cameras rolling. John Aloisi and Mike Cockerill will clear their throats for the call. Journalists will cramp the media box behind them, their view obscured by that same damn scaffolding every time the ball rolls towards the near left corner. Many journalists, pundits and fans will repeatedly echo the term ‘magic of the Cup’ to define the occasion, adding another mention to chug to for our drinking game.
The A-League connections run deep in the Bentleigh squad. Luke O’Dea, a walking injury previously on the books of both Melbourne A-League clubs, has tasted senior professional action before – two senior caps at Victory – and is fighting for another shot to play at that level. Although he never made the senior team, goalkeeper Alistair Bray (City) is another player in the same boat. Luke Pilkington and Liam McCormick both won the Football Superstar reality TV program before being released by the respective A-League sides they won contracts with. It’s been a while between drinks for some of these lads in the top-flight, so have a sip and enjoy it, because who knows when their next will be.
Andre McNamara (Victory), Christian Cavallo (Victory) and Luke Gallo (City) are youngsters with the most immediate means to work their way into A-League contention, all now gracing the National Youth League. With Melbourne Youth teams set to enter the NPL next season, their allegiances could be torn in the new year. While Cavallo is barely old enough to drink, we’ll allow a sip of the parents wine for any mention of the other youngsters.
Captain Wayne Wallace, the towering Englishman who scored the dramatic late equaliser against Adelaide City in the quarter-final to keep his team alive, will once again lead out his troops. The 30-year-old has the skill set leaving many comparing him to some of A-League fringe players and wondering why he hasn’t been called up at a higher level. Pour yourself a warm pint and top it off, it’s what Wally would’ve wanted.
The Greens’ Cup run has now culminated in the opportunity to dislodge an A-League opponent of their own – a Perth Glory side boasting the likes of Andy Keogh, Michael Thwaite and Youssef Hersi. The Glory have already been there and done that at a suburban Melbourne ground, knocking out St. Albans in the round of 16. A solemn raise of the glass for any word of our fallen Victorian comrades.
The draw currently leaves state league clubs at a disadvantage – they’re months into an off-season, while the A-League is in full swing. Many people will be mesmerised by ‘magic of the Cup’, but will Bentleigh have the right state league formula to spellbind their A-League opponent and make the final? If they do, it’ll be the game all Victorians can drink to.