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…
Author: Craig MacKenzie
SOCCER BAXTER and Rosebud go head to head on Saturday in a local derby that seems certain to relegate the loser. With the bottom two sides in State 4 being relegated Rosebud and Baxter are just a point ahead of second-bottom Monash University. Monash has been resurgent in recent weeks having only lost twice in their last five matches with both losses coming against the league’s top two teams. And while Baxter and Rosebud go toe-to-toe on Saturday Monash is away to already relegated Greater Dandenong and goes into that clash an odds-on favourite. Ashburton is also in the relegation…
SOCCER ASPENDALE is on the verge of clinching promotion from State 7 South-East. Last season Aspendale finished third-last in State 5 but under the promotion and relegation rules in force due to a league restructure it dropped down two divisions to the newly created State 7. It was a bitter pill to swallow but under new coach Jason Grieve it has rebounded in style and has a three-point buffer over fourth-placed Keysborough District with two games remaining. The top three clubs are promoted with the fourth-placed club thrust into a promotion play-off with its State 7 North-West counterpart. Aspendale has…
SOCCER FOOTBALL Victoria dumped Western United from all FV competitions last week effective immediately. The move followed the Federal Court’s decision to order WMG Football Club Limited to be wound up in insolvency. WMG held the franchise for Western United’s A-League participation and was the entity through which it competed in FV competitions. The decision has important consequences for local clubs especially through its impact on promotion and relegation in VPL1 the league in which Langwarrin competes. There will be a flow-on effect of Western United’s demise throughout the State Leagues where most local clubs compete. In a statement released…
SOCCER FOUR games remain for Mornington to cling onto second spot in State 1 South-East and earn a play-off with its State 1 North-West counterpart for the right to play in VPL2 next season. It has been a decades-long saga for the Seagulls as the road to compete at an elite level has proven to be a heartbreaking journey. Mornington’s first tilt at promotion from State 1 came in 2014 when the Seagulls finished second to Eastern Lions and only the champions were promoted. For the next two seasons the then NPL became a closed shop with no promotion or…
SOCCER LANGWARRIN, Skye United and Baxter are staring down the barrel of relegation. In a dismal season for local clubs only Mornington retains a genuine chance of promotion while Mentone already is relegated from State 6 and Mount Martha looks condemned to finish in the bottom two in State 7. Langwarrin blew a 2-0 lead at Lawton Park on Saturday and missed a golden opportunity to leapfrog opponent Brunswick City eventually going down 4-3 and ending a crazy helter-skelter VPL1 clash with just nine players. Langy led after seven minutes when Brad Blumenthal was at the back post to tap…
SOCCER BAXTER and Chelsea face a day of reckoning when these State 4 rivals clash at Baxter Park on Saturday. It’s a do-or-die derby and one that will go some way to deciding their respective outcomes this season. The home side’s recent form is abysmal losing its last five games as it slowly but surely has been dragged into a relegation dogfight. Baxter’s matchday squad contains players who have played at a much higher level and the club is at a loss to explain why they are underperforming right now. As the players are inching closer to the relegation abyss…
SOCCER MORNINGTON secured a vital three points with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over a determined St Kilda at Elwood Park on Saturday. Chances were limited throughout the opening half as both teams remained disciplined and compact. The breakthrough came in the 39th minute when returning star Kieran Dover, back from suspension, rose highest to head home a pinpoint Lachie Candy free-kick to give Mornington a deserved 1-0 lead heading into half-time. St Kilda came out with real intent after the break throwing everything forward in search of an equaliser but Mornington’s defence stood firm, producing a disciplined and resilient performance…
SOCCER A WORLD-CLASS goal from Langwarrin striker Alun Webb was a highlight of a thrilling 3-3 draw with Melbourne Victory at Lawton Park on Friday night. The home side was 2-0 down and heading for another big loss when Webb struck. Victory fans were up and about in the 6th minute after Daniel Matina skipped past two opponents on the left then played Alex Lee in and he converted from close range. Things went from bad to worse for Langy in the 20th minute. It was caught on the break and a ball played in behind the defence from the…
SOCCER MOUNT Eliza maintained its promotion momentum with a 5-1 drubbing of Knox United in their State 6 clash at Carrington Park on Saturday. The local club’s leading scorer is Michael Wright who added to his tally with a thunderous free kick in the 12th minute that left Knox keeper Divesh Kumar grasping at thin air. The visitors went further ahead in the 25th minute. Kumar parried Mujtaba Sakhi’s strike and Troy Buchanan-Ferguson kept the ball in play before placing his shot into the corner of goal. When midfielder Noah Green scored the first of his two goals with a…
SOCCER IN A miserable weekend for local clubs there were just four winners from round 13 of the State league season – Chelsea, Seaford United, Mount Eliza and Aspendale. Three of them are mounting serious promotion campaigns while Seaford is hopeful of finishing the back half of the season in style. Chelsea is in second spot in State 4 just four points behind Springvale City and maintained its promotion momentum with Saturday’s 3-0 away win over Ashburton United. Chelsea came out of the blocks flying on Saturday and was three up after 23 minutes. Adam Dunsford struck first with a…
SOCCER LANGWARRIN’s resurgence continued in style with Friday night’s 5-0 trouncing of Port Melbourne at Lawton Park. In the last six weeks Langwarrin has won four games and drawn one while also keeping three clean sheets. “The past six weeks have provided the group with enormous confidence heading into the final eight rounds after the transfer window,” head coach Jamie Skelly said. “The league table has tightened considerably and our focus is on continuing to build momentum and put ourselves in a strong position to climb further up the ladder. “Our midfield has been outstanding in recent weeks with the…
SOCCER PENINSULA Strikers brought State 2 leader Knox City’s unbeaten run to a halt with Saturday’s 4-3 win at Centenary Park. Knox broke quickly in the fifth minute after Strikers lost possession in midfield and Alex Dimitriou had no problem converting from a one-on-one with Strikers keeper Jamie Walker. The home team hit back in the 22nd minute when an Oscar Colgate-Jones cross was headed home by Riley Anderton. The Kiwi striker was on target again in the 34th minute. Max Civil sent Matt Harrington down the wing and his cross found Colgate-Jones whose shot was blocked with Anderton pouncing…
Soccer MORNINGTON’S promotion push maintained momentum on Saturday when it proved too classy for St Kilda Celts at Civic Reserve. James Kelly had home team fans roaring their approval in the 15th minute when he scored a contender for goal of the season. Kieran Dover crossed from the right and Kelly’s stunning bicycle kick sent the ball rocketing past St Kilda keeper Matt Harrington. Nine minutes later Kelly was the main man again with another spectacular effort. He pounced on a poor clearance, rounded an opponent and from 25 metres struck a powerful shot that once more left Harrington clutching…
SOCCER CHELSEA scoring machine James Stinson put Greater Dandenong to the sword at WJ Turner Reserve on Saturday with a stunning seven-goal display. The former Sunderland youth striker is in his third year at Edithvale Recreation Reserve and is on course for back-to-back league Golden Boot honours. The last thing that cellar dweller Greater Dandenong needed was to go down to 10 men early in the contest and that’s what happened when Ezatullah Mohammadi was shown a straight red after a clash with Paddy Briggs in the 12th minute. A minute later Stinson put Chelsea 1-0 up and by half-time…
SOCCER A REFRESHED Peninsula Strikers line-up recorded its second win of the State 2 season when downing Noble Park United 4-2 at Centenary Park on Saturday in a dominant display. Strikers’ boss Ross Walliss brought Hayden Schreck, Sam Delaney and recent signing Max Civil into the starting line-up. Civil, ex-Mornington, and former Chilean pro Angel Orellana were both announced by Strikers as new signings late last week. From the outset on Saturday Matt Harrington controlled the midfield for Strikers while Delaney capped off his energetic outing with a well-earned man-of-the-match performance. Strikers struck early when Oscar Colgate-Jones whipped a dangerous…
SOCCER MORNINGTON has signed former Wellington Phoenix youngster Lachlan Candy. The 20-year-old made his A-League debut in 2024 and has played four youth internationals for the All Whites. The attacking midfielder was playing with NPL heavyweight Oakleigh Cannons when the chance to switch to Dallas Brooks Park emerged. Cannons boss Chris Taylor wanted the youngster to have more senior game time and pointed him in Mornington’s direction. Former Seagulls player and current senior assistant Marinos Panayi watched the youngster train and play and recommended him to head coach Adam Jamieson. “He’s the best 20-year-old I’ve ever seen,” Panayi said. “And…
SOCCER SKYE United emerged from Saturday’s chaotic contest with Hampton East Brighton with a precious point after a six-goal thriller at Dendy Park. Both teams were searching for their first win of the season and the hosts were well on their way to breaking that duck when taking a 2-0 lead in the first half. HEB struck its first blow in the 33rd minute when Jay Leader headed home from a corner and 10 minutes later Joshua Frame flicked on his header from a free-kick to make it 2-0. Skye hit back on the stroke of half-time when Jason Nowakowski’s…
SOCCER SOMERVILLE Eagles have Tom Simmons to thank for their 4-3 away win over East Bentleigh on Saturday. He opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a moment of real quality latching onto a through ball and lobbing East Bentleigh keeper Adam Stone in style. Two minutes into the second half Sebastian Davies levelled but in the 53rd minute Troy Dekker regained the lead directly from a corner. Simmons made it 3-1 four minutes later with a crisp left-foot strike from the edge of the area. He completed his hat-trick in the 66th minute from the penalty spot but…
SOCCER A STUNNING eight-minute hat-trick to substitute Blake Hicks lit up North Seaford Reserve on Saturday. The veteran striker came off the bench against East Bentleigh in the 68th minute and scored in the 72nd, 78th and 80th minutes to end any hopes the visitors had of a comeback. Seaford had struck first when Jayden LeBron put Zain Ahmad through in the 27th minute and the latter finished from a one-on-one with East Bentleigh keeper Adam Stone. The home side went 2-0 up in the 35th minute when Matthew Cobb sliced his cross over Stone after a good Seaford build-up…
SOCCER MORNINGTON took no mercy on Skye United on Friday night and exposed serious shortcomings in the home side’s make-up with a staggering 9-0 victory. This was a result of seismic proportion that sent shockwaves through State 1 South-East and cements Mornington’s bona fides as a serious promotion candidate. No-one envisaged the orange tsunami that would engulf Skye Recreation Reserve but it started in the 9th minute with a Ryan Paczkowski header from a Joe Hunt free-kick. Kieran Dover made it 2-0 in the 15th minute with a low shot that was diverted by Skye’s Hamish Millar past his keeper…
SOCCER BAXTER thumped Greater Dandenong 7-1 at WJ Turner Reserve last Friday night. The contest was a feisty affair with Baxter captain Cody Storton-French sent off in controversial circumstances a few minutes before half-time. Baxter led 1-0 from a Nicholas Brigo free-kick but a dreadful linesman’s decision allowed Greater Dandenong to level and led to Storton-French’s dismissal. Down to 10 men and scores tied at 1-1 Baxter produced a dominant six-goal second half that left its opponent in disarray. Brigo completed his hat-trick, Kyle Eichenberger got in on the act with a brace while Jai Power and Charlie O’Connell also…
SOCCER THERE are no local sides left in this year’s Dockerty Cup. The competition doubles as qualification for the prestigious Australia Cup but over Easter the three remaining local outfits were dumped from the knockout competition. Langwarrin lost 1-0 away to Westvale, Mornington lost 2-1 away to Western United and Skye United was thumped 5-0 at home by Brunswick Juventus. On the back of a short turnaround Langwarrin made eight changes to its starting line-up and the bench was made up of under-20 and under-23 players. It was a scrappy contest but an error from young Langy keeper Branten Kindler…
CHELSEA staged a stunning come-from-behind 3-1 win with 10 men against Ashburton United in their State 4 South-East clash last weekend. Undermanned following the straight red shown to Adam Dunsford in the 67th minute in an off-the ball incident and down 1-0 the royal blues faced a mighty hurdle to record their opening win of the season. Their get-of-jail-free card came in the form of East Bentleigh recruit Patrick Briggs whose two goals in five minutes turned this contest on its head. In the 70th minute Briggs made Ashburton pay for not clearing from a corner and his firm low…
SOCCER MORNINGTON set out on the long haul to VPL glory with a convincing 3-0 win over Collingwood City last weekend. The match was played at Civic Reserve which Mornington will use for State 1 South-East home games this season while a major redevelopment of its usual headquarters at nearby Dallas Brooks Reserve takes place. This was a composed and clinical display by the Seagulls who lifted their intensity after an even first half and the impact of their substitutes proved significant. They broke the impasse in the 64th minute when Keiran Dover finished a well-worked move heading home a…
SOCCER THREE local teams remain in the Dockerty Cup after last weekend’s third preliminary round. Langwarrin, Mornington and Skye United will fly the flag for peninsula football. Skye is at home to Brunswick Juventus, Langy is away to Westvale and Mornington is away to Western Unted in round 4 ties which are expected to be played over the Easter weekend. Last Saturday Mornington strolled to a 5-0 Cup win over Moonee Ponds with goals from Ryan Paczkowski, Kieran Dover, Campbell Steedman, Natthan Sim and Kosta Droutsas. The tie was over at half-time with Mornington leading 4-0. Skye beat Baxter 3-1…
SOCCER MORNINGTON gaffer Adam Jamieson has signed Taketo Hosokawa from Bayside Argonauts and has now turned his attentions to a forward and a midfielder with impressive CVs. The pair on the Seagulls’ radar are from NPL and VPL1 clubs respectively and would see Mornington entering the State 1 season with one of its strongest ever squads. Hosokawa, 22, joined Bayside Argonauts last year from Japanese outfit Joganji Toyama. He’s an attacking wide player who can also play in a central midfield role or even up top. Mornington assistant coach Marinos Panayi knows Hosokawa well from their time at Argonauts and…
SOCCER IT’S been an interesting week in the life of Peninsula Strikers president Adrian Scialpi. He was away at work last week only to be thrust into an administrative maelstrom upon his return. We can only imagine his reaction when told that his club was no longer a member of Football Victoria and therefore couldn’t participate in the second preliminary round of the Dockerty Cup. When the dust settled (and the smelling salts had taken effect) it laid bare a bizarre turn of events. Last November FV sent an email to senior and junior clubs with a form attached that…
SOCCER NEW signings for Rosebud, a first win of the season for Langwarrin while Peninsula Strikers and Baxter are on a Cup collision course. These were the main stories to emerge in the last week as Rosebud gaffer Jason Symonds put his men through their paces twice in 48 hours with friendlies against Skye United on Thursday night and Mount Eliza on Saturday evening. On Thursday night Rosebud went down 4-2 to its State 1 host. A stunning free kick from Charlie Gunning and a fine finish from Connor Wharton enabled Rosebud to go in 2-2 at the interval but…
SOCCER ELLIOTT Craig has joined Rosebud, Nathan Yole has switched to Frankston Pines while Jordy May and Jacob Pay debuted for Baxter last weekend. It’s the time of year when State League clubs ramp up their wheeling and dealing on the player market as they zero in on the kick-off to their league campaign next month. Elliott, 21, had a breakout senior season last year with Skye United finishing with six goals, one behind the club’s top scorer Varmah Mgoneh. But a heart-to-heart discussion with Skye gaffer Phil McGuinness at season’s end prompted him to look elsewhere. “He was very…