Victorian football fans enjoyed a lot of football last weekend, with three venues staging a round 4 Dockerty Cup.
It was Jack Edwards Reserve in Oakleigh, Knights Stadium in Sunshine and George Andrews Reserve in Dandenong that have seen nine National Premier Leagues (NPL) clubs in action.
This weekend’s round 2 of the National Premier League (NPL) take off on Friday night with one of three Greek derbies, as Port Melbourne Sharks will host South Melbourne at JL Murphy Reserve.
After a strong win in the NPL opener to Heidelberg United, South Melbourne will be backed up by its progression to Round 5 of the Dockerty Cup, as it overplayed Sunshine George Cross (0-1) in an away match, while keeping a clean sheet in both games. Port Melbourne will enter the match after a 2-2 draw with Dandenong Thunder in Round 1, and a 0-3 loss to Northcote City, in Dockerty Cup last weekend.
Pascoe Vale welcomes Melbourne Knights, who have assembled a strong squad with a thrilling Round 1 win over last year’s VPL champion Northcote City. The task was not as easy for Pascoe Vale, that was knocked out of the Dockerty Cup at the weekend.
Oakleigh Cannons enter night’s match with Heidelberg United after Round 1 win and clean sheet to Goulburn Valley Suns. However, disappointment came when the Cannons conceded two goals on the break in their Dockerty Cup loss to Werribee City, on their home ground.
Heidelberg United coach George Katsakis drew many positives out of the round 1 loss to South Melbourne (0-3) and promised his side would bounce back. Their come back didn’t come immediately as they lost 1-2 when they faced off Dandenong in the Dockerty Cup.
In the battle of the two regional clubs on Saturday night, Goulburn Valley Suns will host Ballarat Red Devils. Ballarat is somewhat of an unknown, following its postponed Round 1 match. The Suns have a squad that was assembled quickly, but they also have some serious star power and were considered unlucky by some to not score in their 1-0 loss to Oakleigh.
On Saturday, Dandenong Thunder will host Green Gully Cavaliers, who looked good in their 4-0 win over Werribee City, and backed up with a 2-1 win over Ballarat in the Dockerty Cup.
The odds are in favour of Green Gully, given the squad is the least changed from last year of all the NPL sides and given the Cavaliers’ strong record over Dandenong.
The young side of Werribee City will meet Hume City on Sunday. The Bees lost to Green Gully in Round 1, but upset Oakleigh Cannons in the Dockerty Cup last weekend. They’ll come up against the rampaging Hume City, which is scoring and looking ominous, with star striker Richie Cardozo leading the charge.
In what is considered the game of the round 2 and the one to attract the biggest Greek Australian audience, the 2013 VPL Grand Final replay will see Northcote City host Bentleigh Greens, with both squads featuring a very different look in the NPL.
Bentleigh’s list has undergone major changes and features some talented National Youth League players from Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart. The Greens’ first NPL match – their round 1 fixture with Ballarat Red Devils – was postponed, and will be a daunting task away for Anastasiadis’ boys when they meet with the reigning Victorian champion.
The Hercules Boys lost in their encounter with Melbourne Knights in Round 1, but were ruthless in their 3-0 victory over Port Melbourne Sharks in the Dockerty Cup. Bentleigh Greens carved out a 3-0 victory over St Kilda Soccer Club last weekend.