SOCCER
PENINSULA Strikers and Football Victoria are at loggerheads over the decision to play a catch-up game against Mooroolbark at Jack Thomas Reserve in Berwick on Tuesday night.
Strikers’ recent match with the Barkers at Centenary Park had to be abandoned after Max Civil of Strikers suffered a badly broken leg late in the first half with the visitors leading 1-0.
The loser of Tuesday’s clash will be relegated from State 2 South-East.
A draw will be enough to keep Strikers from the drop but it goes into this season-defining battle without Matt Harrington and without both goalkeepers so as we went to press the local club was scrambling to sign another keeper on an emergency transfer.
Strikers expected to retain home ground advantage for the catch-up fixture and Mooroolbark had agreed to play at Centenary Park this Saturday.
Then came FV’s bombshell decision.
Strikers will make a last-ditch appeal to FV to try and change the fixture but FV has a record of intransigence in such matters.
The local club was left seething at its treatment last week when the catch-up decision was made.
“They cannot give me a reason why they made this decision,” president Adrian Scialpi said.
“We’ve been trying all week and no-one will talk to us or consider what we have to say in fact we’ve been treated with utter disrespect.”
FV has effectively forced Strikers to play two away games against Mooroolbark this season.
No-one can find anything in the 2026 rules of competition that supports the federation’s decision indeed there is no rhyme or reason for it.
Strikers have recently been dragged slowly but surely into a relegation battle and last weekend’s 1-0 away loss to Knox City combined with Mooroolbark’s 2-0 home win over already-relegated North Caulfield set up Tuesday’s do-or-die fixture.
In State 1 Mornington fans can be excused for believing that their club is cursed and destined to never reach the elite club level of the sport in Victoria.
Not for the first time the Seagulls have stumbled in the home straight.
They gave up a two-goal lead away to league champion South Springvale last Tuesday and had to settle for a 2-2 draw then lost Saturday’s away clash 2-1 to Doveton.
A draw with the Doves would have clinched second spot and a promotion play-off against State 1 North-West’s Upfield.
On Tuesday night Mornington took the lead in the 11th minute when James Kelly hit the target with a nice strike from the edge of the area.
The Seagulls made it 2-0 in the 32nd minute with a Nathan Sim header from a corner.
But injury forced Sim off three minutes later and momentum began to swing late in the half.
South Springvale found a way back into the contest in the 79th minute when a deflection fell into the path of Aaron Dunbar and a few minutes later Thomas Simos completed the comeback.
Against Doveton the Seagulls started brightly but couldn’t capitalise and the Doves went ahead from the penalty spot after Luke Goulding had brought down his opponent inside the area.
Damir Soilovic converted from the spot.
Mornington switched to a 3-4-3 in the second-half and began finding more space but Doveton keeper Thomas Hull produced several important saves.
Doveton doubled its advantage in the 81st minute when former Mornington player Halil Reki skipped past Seagulls’ keeper Kane Runge and finished calmly.
Imagine what the Mornington bench thought as Reki celebrated in front of them.
A thunderstorm then forced both teams from the field for around 10 minutes and when play resumed Mornington pushed forward relentlessly.
A deep ball from Ryan Paczkowski found Kelly who got in front of his opponent and was brought down inside the box.
Referee Perry Mur point to the spot and Kelly converted and although Mornington threw everything at Doveton in the closing stages it was to no avail.
It was a painful end to a campaign in which Mornington needed just three points from its final three matches to secure a promotion play-off.
So where to now for the Seagulls?
With a newly laid home pitch awaiting them attention now turns to gaffer Adam Jamieson and his squad.
Who stays, who goes and whether Mornington can finally make the next step remains to be seen.
Skye United signed off on a dismal season when going down 5-1 at home to Banyule City last weekend.
Shameit Sharma scored for the locals who only won twice this year and finished on the bottom of the table.
In State 4 Baxter was relegated after Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to Rosebud.
In a game largely controlled by Rosebud with Baxter offering little going forward the visitors had the two better chances of the first half both falling to Mark O’Connor.
In the 52nd minute against the run of play Baxter striker Jai Power was taken down inside the box and he had no trouble converting from the spot.
Rosebud rung the changes with a triple sub and that worked with Connor Wharton finishing superbly on his left foot past Colby Jones in the 62nd minute.
Baxter huffed and puffed but with very little threat going forward and its cause wasn’t helped when Power was substituted in the 80th minute with the home side needing a goal to save its season.
Chelsea signed off on a season of disappointment when going down 4-0 away to Riversdale on Saturday.
The club touted by many as a genuine title contender finished fourth following a stuttering second half of the season where it suffered the ignominy of a 2-2 draw at home to cellar dweller Greater Dandenong clearly the worst team in the league.
In State 5 both Somerville Eagles and Seaford United finished the season in style last weekend.
Two Tom Simmons goals gave Somerville a 2-1 home win over Yarra Jets while a Dylan Waugh hat-trick underpinned Seaford’s 5-1 hammering of Fortuna 60 at North Seaford Reserve.
Jay McCabe opened Seaford’s account in the 29th minute when running onto a long ball and finishing from a one-on-one with Fortuna keeper Brodie Inglis.
Three minutes later it was 2-1 when Waugh smashed the ball in from close range following a Conor McFall corner.
Waugh grabbed his second and gave Seaford a 3-0 half-time lead when a superb diagonal from Matt Cobb found Blake Hicks at the far post who headed back across goal for Waugh to finish.
Fortuna’s sole reply came in the 51st minute through Dylan Cassar-Cummings but Waugh completed his hat-trick when played in by McFall and producing a right-foot strike to make it 4-1.
The home side wrapped up a successful day with a superb Matt Davis finish from the edge of the box in the 87th minute.
Waugh scored seven goals in the last two games of the season to nab the league’s Golden Boot award a goal clear of Peter Kartsaklis of Monash Villareal and three goals clear of Somerville’s Tom Simmons.
In State 6 Mount Eliza blew its hopes of a fourth-placed finish and a promotion play-off with Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to Old Melburnians.
The match seemed destined to be scoreless until Sam Dowling put the visitors ahead in the 91st minute but a minute later Noah Green equalised.
Mount Eliza finished fifth equal on points with fourth-placed Old St Kevins with the same goal difference but with one less win.
Frankston Pines and Old St Kevins drew 3-3 at Monterey Reserve last weekend.
After a goalless first half the deadlock was broken in the 48th minute when Said Uygur clipped a ball into the right channel for top scorer Kenny Akalan to take a touch then finish into the bottom corner.
That duo combined five minutes later with Akalan poking home his second.
St Kevins pulled one back in the 64th minute when Josh McMonagle-Ihasz was given too much time on the edge of the box and rifled home a great strike into the top corner.
Young Tom Oswell made it 3-1 in the 67th minute when his tenacity caught the last defender in possession then he calmly lifted the ball over advancing St Kevins keeper Dale George for a superb finish.
The visitors came hard at Pines in the closing stages.
Adam McKeon made it 3-2 from the penalty spot in the 78th minute then in the last minute of normal time Pines didn’t react quickly enough to a free-kick that hit the defensive wall before coming back into the area where substitute Anthony Mallon poked home the equaliser.
Mentone lost 6-0 on Saturday away to Casey Panthers to bring the final curtain down on a season where it failed to win or draw ending on zero points with a minus 71 goal difference.
In State 7 Aspendale was in a celebratory mood after drawing 1-1 away to Boronia last weekend.
The result along with Keysborough District’s 1-0 home loss to Glen Waverley clinched third spot and promotion for Jason Grieve’s men.
Last year Aspendale dropped down two leagues due to a major overhaul of the State Leagues’ set-up so there’s no better way to react than to bounce back at the first opportunity.
Aspendale had to come from behind to clinch an away point against Boronia.
In the 35th minute Mitch Hodder’s misplaced pass was picked up by Dylan Phoeung who finished with a fine strike past Aspendale keeper Josh Mravljak.
Two minutes into the second half Tom Machin’s corner caused panic in the Boronia defence and Oscar Carter pounced to equalise.
Mount Martha showed great determination to come from behind with 10 men and draw 1-1 at home to Endeavour Hills on Saturday.
The visitors led in the 18th minute after veteran striker Matty Durand hit a trademark left-foot free-kick from the edge of the area.
In the 70th minute Mount Martha’s Adam Steele was sent off after being shown a second yellow card but that didn’t shake the home side’s resolve.
In the 83rd minute left back Wil Holman found space inside the box and slammed his half-volley into the top corner to level.
It was no more than the home side deserved.
Mount Martha has over 30 junior boys’ teams with two strong under-17 sides and a strong under-18 outfit.
The club is looking forward to seeing some of these boys transitioning into the senior program next season.
THIS WEEK’S GAME
Tuesday 8 September, 8.30pm
Peninsula Strikers v Mooroolbark, Jack Thomas Reserve
