The juggernaut that is Heidelberg United, under the stewardship of coach Anastasiadis, shows no signs of slowing down as they steamroll towards the top spot in the NPL Victoria Men’s regular season. Their latest victims? Green Gully, who felt the full force of the yellow-and-black machine in a commanding 3-0 away win.
The “Greens” put up a fight for a good 70 minutes, but Heidelberg’s class shone through. The visitors dominated possession, created a flurry of chances, and ultimately walked away with a comprehensive victory. Coupled with Avondale’s 1-1 stalemate against Dandenong City, Heidelberg now sit five points clear at the summit, leaving their Italian Australian rivals in the dust.
Green Gully battled with heart and grit, keeping Heidelberg at bay until the 71st minute when captain Benjamin Collins rose highest to nod home a corner, breaching the hosts’ stubborn defensive wall. That goal flipped the script. The Greens, forced to chase an equaliser, left gaps at the back, and Heidelberg pounced. In the 81st minute, Yokokawa coolly slotted home a penalty to make it 2-0, before Jamal Ali sealed the deal in the 88th with a third, turning a tough away day into a proper party for the Greek Australian side. Heidelberg look more primed than ever to lift the title.
Oakleigh Cannons were in scintillating form against Hume City, dishing out a 4-0 thrashing that had their fans grinning ear to ear. The reigning champs controlled the game from the off, playing some cracking football and bagging four cracking goals. Connor Hampson opened the scoring with a tidy header in the 10th minute, followed by the unstoppable Duratovic doubling the lead in the 25th. The second half saw more of the same, with Deu powering home a corner in the 61st minute to make it 3-0. The Greek Australian flair came through in the 74th, as Kasumovic’s razor-sharp cross was finished by Thomas Alisandratos with a double effort, sealing a dominant win that cements Oakleigh’s spot in the top four.
South Melbourne have well and truly shaken off their nightmare start to the season. The Greek Australian outfit have found their groove, identity, and belief, climbing to tenth in the standings, just five points shy of the coveted top six. On Saturday afternoon, they welcomed Altona Magic with one goal in mind: three points. And that’s exactly what they got.
The match wasn’t one for the highlight reels—few clear chances, a lot of midfield scrapping, and plenty of sideways passing. But in the end, it’s the result that counts. South Melbourne struck early through the in-form Nahuel Bonada in the 7th minute. Things got tricky when Jankovic saw red in the 27th minute, leaving them a man down. Altona pushed for an equaliser, but Sinisa Cohadzic’s lads had other ideas. Not only did they hold firm, but Jack Pope doubled their lead in the 50th minute, securing a massive win that buries their early-season woes. With four rounds left, the question is: how high can South Melbourne climb?
Port Melbourne’s Sharks, on the other hand, are in freefall. Another loss—this time a 2-0 defeat to Dandenong Thunder—has left them languishing in the relegation scrap. The Greek Australian side were woeful, offering little in attack, no passion, and baffling decisions across the pitch. Thunder took the lead through Hassan Jalloh in the 59th minute, with Edwards adding a second in the 66th. Port Melbourne managed just one shot on target, a performance that would doom any side to defeat. Sitting second-bottom, one point above Melbourne Knights and six adrift of safety, their hopes of staying in the NPL are fading fast.
VPL1
No winner emerged in the Greek Australian derby between Clarinda and Pancyprios. The match was no classic, with action largely confined to a stodgy midfield battle and few chances to speak of. The draw did neither side any favours—Clarinda remain second-bottom, while Pancypriod slipped to second, two points behind leaders Melbourne City.
Brunswick City’s Leonidas kept their positive run going with a 4-1 thumping of Manningham United Blues at home. The Greek-Australian side ran riot, securing a vital three points that has their fans buzzing for the tough road ahead. Meanwhile, Northcote City’s Iraklis gave it a proper go against Bulleen Lions but came up short, falling 2-1. Despite showing plenty of heart and desire, they couldn’t overcome the “Lions” and left the pitch empty-handed.
VPL2
Box Hill United’s Pythagoras were thoroughly outclassed by Essendon Royals, slumping to a 4-0 defeat. The Greek Australian side couldn’t match their opponents’ quality, leaving them eighth in the standings, five points off the top six—a bitterly disappointing result for their faithful.
NPL – Results
Green Gully – Heidelberg United 0–3 (71′ B. Collins, 81′ A. Yokokawa [p], 88′ J. Ali)
Port Melbourne Sharks – Dandenong Thunder 0–2 (59′ H. Jalloh, 66′ A. Edwards)
Oakleigh Cannons – Hume City 4–0 (10′ C. Hampson, 25′ A. Duratovic, 61′ A. Deu, 74′ T. Alisandratos)
Preston Lions – Melbourne Knights 3–0 (31′, 60′ L. Francis, 72′ A. Anderson)
Avondale – Dandenong City 1–1 (61′ Y. Ahmed – 87′ Y. Cesnik)
South Melbourne – Altona Magic 2–0 (7′ N. Bonada, 50′ J. Pope)
St Albans Saints – Melbourne Victory 3-1 (32′ O. Dragicevic, 43′ J. Divin, 87′ S. Ruzvidzo – 84′ D. Bozinovski)
Photo: Con Deves
NPL – Standings
Team Matches Points
1. Heidelberg 22 54
2. Avondale 22 49
3. Dandenong Thunder 22 44
4. Oakleigh Cannons 22 42
5. Preston Lions 22 35
6. Hume City 22 31
7. Dandenong City 22 30
8. Green Gully 22 29
9. St Albans Saints 22 26
10. South Melbourne 22 26
11. Altona Magic 22 21
12. Melbourne Victory 22 15
13. Port Melbourne 22 15
14. Melbourne Knights 22 14
VPL1 – Results
Brunswick City – Manningham United Blues 4–1
Langwarrin – Melbourne City 0–3
Eastern Lions – Western United 3–3
Caroline Springs George Cross – Moreland City 6–2
Kingston City – Bentleigh Greens 0–0
Bulleen Lions – Northcote City 2–1
Melbourne Srbija – North Sunshine Eagles 2–1
VPL1 – Standings
Team Matches Points
1. Melbourne City 22 48
2. Bentleigh 22 46
3. George Cross 22 45
4. Western United 22 39
5. Brunswick 22 35
6. North Sunshine 22 33
7. Bulleen Lions 22 33
8. Melbourne Srbija 22 30
9. Northcote 22 28
10. Langwarrin 22 26
11. Manningham 22 22
12. Eastern Lions 22 18
13. Kingston City 22 17
14. Moreland City 22 14
