The Review
We’re a sorry bunch at the moment! 2/6 is a pretty poor effort, with all of our ‘out on a limb’ predictions failing to get up, as favourites Bentleigh and Avondale both won.
Bentleigh Greens 2 defeated Pascoe Vale 1 (Predicted: 1-1, wrong)
Dandenong Thunder 0 defeated by Avondale FC 3 (Predicted 2-1, wrong)
North Geelong Warriors 1 defeated by Northcote City 0 (Predicted: 1-1, wrong)
Green Gully 4 defeated Melbourne Knights 2 (Predicted: 2-2, wrong)
Werribee City 1 defeated by Port Melbourne Sharks 3 (Predicted: 0-3, correct)
Heidelberg United 4 defeated Oakleigh Cannons 1 (Predicted: 2-1, correct)
Avondale FC (10th) vs. Werribee City (13th)
The form
Avondale did what was expected of them against a down in the dumps Dandenong Thunder side, dispatching the bottom team 3-0 on the weekend. A team in similar vein of form awaits them in the form of Werribee City, who’ll also be battle weary after a midweek match up against Hume City. They lost that match 4-0, to compound the misery of last week’s 3-1 loss to Port Melbourne.
The players to watch
Jeffrey Fleming was in fine form for Avondale on the weekend running the midfield. Expect his battle-hardened knowhow to help steer Avondale through this potential banana skin fixture. He’ll be up against the bearded hardman Milan Savic, who’ll be eager to stamp his authority on the fixture.
The prediction
Pin this one down as an Avondale win, and I fancy them to do it in style. 3-0 to the hosts.
Green Gully (9th) vs. Hume City (5th)
The form
Talk about showing great character within this Green Gully side, as they’ve gone from the depths of despair following a late defeat to South Melbourne to coming back from a two-goal deficit to triumph over Melbourne Knights in a blockbuster contest.
Hume City are finals bound and look like a dark horse to take out the whole competition, dispatching Werribee City comfortably mid-week to make it five wins on the trot.
The players to watch
Midfielder Tomas Murphy had his best game for Gully in their nail-biting win, he’ll be important. Shane Rexhepi is a tough as nails defender, but on the softer side, his SR13 foundation has captured the football community’s imagination this season, with Real Madrid star Isco also showing his support while in Melbourne for the ICC.
The prediction
This is a real tough one to call. Could go either way but we don’t like the splinters sitting on the fence, so an entertaining 3-2 win to Hume as both sides have goals in them.
Northcote City (7th) vs. Dandenong Thunder (14th)
The form
The Corner Flag curse strikes again, as Northcote’s good run of form came to a halt with a shock 1-0 loss to North Geelong Warriors. Protip: If you want to stitch up opposition clubs, set us up for an interview. But surely, SURELY they can get the job done against a Dandenong Thunder outfit fresh off a 3-0 drubbing from Avondale FC?
The players to watch
Rumours circling that star winger/forward Yusuf Ahmed has departed the Thunder, which leaves a big hole that needs to be filled by a goal scorer. The experienced Veton Korcari is capable of just that on his day. For Northcote, Chris Theodoridis was one of their best performers on a fairly poor day last time out.
The prediction
Were Northcote harbouring any serious ambitions of playing finals, they had to win last week. They didn’t and post-season football looks out of the question. So maybe a decrease in pressure may play into their hands? 3-0 Northcote City.
Port Melbourne Sharks (8th) vs. Bentleigh Greens (1st)
The form
Port Melbourne have come away from their two games against cellar dwellers Dandenong Thunder and Werribee City with six points in the bag. Mind you, they face a tougher task this week against ladder leaders Bentleigh Greens, who got themselves back into the winners circle after a long awaited absence, with a 2-1 win over Pascoe Vale.
The players to watch
Dion Kirk was one player to impress at fullback in Bentleigh’s win against Paco, while Kamal Ibrahim troubled the scorers for the first time in a little while last weekend.
The prediction
It’s hard to judge where the Sharks are at the moment, given their last two wins were games they’d have expected to win. Bentleigh will be looking to consolidate on their win and shore up top spot on the ladder and I expect them to do so in a narrow contest. 2-0 Bentleigh.
Pascoe Vale (6th) vs South Melbourne FC (3rd)
The form
Pascoe Vale’s winning streak of five came to a halt last Friday, losing 1-2 to a resurgent Bentleigh. But it’s not all bad news, still sitting in a finals spot with a nine point gap over 7th placed Northcote. South Melbourne are coming off a week’s break and will be looking to once again push Bentleigh and Heidelberg in the title race.
The players to watch
Mathew Lazarides is one that keeps impressing for Pascoe Vale, with a couple of goals recently capping off a solid month. Tim Mala is thriving on the pitch at right-back, but is also doing good things off it, opening his Bean & Gone drive-through coffee shop in Reservoir! Pop by if you’re around.
The prediction
If Pascoe Vale don’t go into their shell like last time against South, they could pull of a huge result. But we’ll still go with a 2-1 win to South.
Melbourne Knights FC (4th) vs Heidelberg United FC (2nd)
The form
The Knights were on cloud nine after their derby win a fortnight ago, and looked the goods again last week when they were 2-0 up against Gully, only for the momentum to come to a grinding halt when the latter turned the game around with a 4-2 win. Heidelberg United got their mojo back last week with a 4-1 thumping of Oakleigh to keep within touching distance of top spot.
The players to watch
Reuben Way has been in top form of late for the Bergers and the Knights will definitely need to contain him on the weekend. Their own threat will come via Stipo Andrijasevic, who just can’t stop scoring at the moment!
The prediction
Can’s separate the sides at the moment. A 1-1 draw with neither side giving their opponents too many sniffs at goal.
Oakleigh Cannons FC (11th) North Geelong Warriors FC (12th)
The form
North Geelong have now won consecutive games (against Northcote and Avondale) for the first time this season to get themselves out of the automatic relegation spot and keep the survival dream alive. They’ll be up against Oakleigh, whose league form is a complete contrast to their cup run, trounced by Heidelberg to slump back to 11th.
The players to watch
Matthew Townley has been a rock for the Warriors, and they’ll need him to be at his best to keep the likes of Mirjan Pavlovic quiet, as the big Croatian always seems to be able to pop up with a goal even if Oakleigh aren’t on their game.
The prediction
Nine points separate the two teams, but we reckon Oakleigh at home on a Sunday evening may just end the Warriors’ good run. But it’ll be tough and may come via a 1-0 win.