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Kingston City coach Nick Tolios is hoping that his sides NPL 1 victory over North Geelong Warriors on Saturday will act as a springboard for the season ahead.
The victory marks a second consecutive win for the mid-table club, with the side finally able to maintain some momentum, with breaks and cup rounds disrupting each of their previous wins this year.
“For us it’s happened twice now,” Tolios said.
“We played our first game against Whittlesea and we won and then we had the week off for the cup round and then we won our second game and then we had a week off for the Easter break.
“Hopefully we can now get some momentum and build up because that’s what we’re looking for at the moment.”
The home side earned the three points courtesy of goals to Arthur Papadopoulos and Max Etheridge, with the latter earmarking his return from injury with the late sealer from the bench.
“[Max] Etheridge has been out for 3-4 weeks now so for him it’s ideal,” the Kingston coach said.
“He had a game in the first game, he scored and then he got injured in the cup. It’s good to see him get on the scoresheet so it’s great.”
“At the moment we’ve just got him back, as well as James Karvelis who’s come back this week and Peter Lord as well, so they’re three of our senior boys.”
With those senior players settling for a place on the bench, the job for the majority of the clash was left to City’s younger brigade, with Tolios proud of the way his young pups stood up against the high-flying Warriors.
“I think our young boys, it was a learning experience for them, because I think they found it hard in the first half,” he said.
“Credit to North Geelong, they are a good side, they are a physical side, They’ve got some good players there but I think our boys, they ground out a result by just keeping at it.
“We were lucky to stay in the game at 0-0 at half-time and I thought second half we overran them.”
The win takes their record to 3-2, with a pair of big derby games approaching against Dandenong City and leaders Box Hill, and Tolios is expecting a result in both matches.
“Both big games for us, ones a local derby and the other ones a local Greek derby so for us it’s a result in those two games,” he said.
“Because we’re playing one at home, one away, it’s going to be a big test for our team and for the whole squad.
“We are getting some of our players back from injury as well which is good, so we’re trying to get back to our 20 man squad which is ideal.”
Kingston City travel to Dandenong on Saturday for that local derby with kick-off at the Frank Holohan Soccer Complex scheduled for 3:00pm.