Oakleigh Cannons fans saw a fifth-round FFA Cup victory over Melbourne Knights vanish before their very eyes in a dramatic finale to their cup tie at Jack Edwards reserve on Tuesday night.
Leading 1-nil with just minutes remaining, the Cannons’ hitherto solid defence cracked under a final desperate pressure from the Knights, conceding twice and ending its 2016 cup run with a 1-2 home loss.
It was a major turnaround for the Knights, who just four days prior had lost 1-3 at home to the Cannons in the league. On Tuesday the Cannons settled quickly and looked confident in defence with Steven Topalovic and Aaron Wilford rebutting several early forays of the Knights. In attack the Cannons were missing Dean Piemonte and Dimi Hatzimouratis from the starting line-up. Ross Frame was given the task of leading the line and he did quite well against his bigger, stronger Knights opponents.
The smaller Cannons looked more likely to score than the physically imposing Knights in the first half and it was Dusan Bosnjak who created and finished the breakthrough goal for the Cannons just before the break when he collected the ball just inside the half way line, brushed aside tough Knights’ midfielder Ben Surey before cutting through the Knights’ defence with an excellent give and go with Ali Hameed and then slotting the ball past Knights’ keeper Mick O’Farrell.
In the second half, the Cannons lost both Bosnjak and Hameed to injury and looked less threatening in attack. The Cannons dropped deeper as the Knights deployed a direct style of football as it urgently chased the game. With 10 minutes to go, Cannons forward Frame missed a great chance to double his team’s lead when Hatzimouratis’ pass presented him with a one-on-one chance with the keeper. Frame opted for placement over power but keeper O’Farrell was equal to the task and saved the shot. With minutes remaining, the Knights’ pressure produced a corner and in the ensuing scramble the ball fell to Knights’ centre half Milan Batur, who found the net from close range for the equaliser.
With extra time beckoning, the Knights sent a long ball forward into the box which cleared the Cannons defence. Knights’ Josh Brekalo tracked the ball and was first to it, finishing well past a helpless Cannons keeper John Honos, to complete an amazing turnaround for the Knights and give them a berth in the FFA Cup sixth round.
In other midweek FFA Cup matches Port Melbourne Sharks, Heidelberg United and Malvern City all enjoyed comfortable passage into round six with wins over Sunshine George Cross, Caulfield United Cobras and Knox City respectively. The Sharks cruised past the Georgies winning 6-1 with Zahra scoring a hat trick, while Heidelberg United defeated Caulfield United 4-nil thanks to a brace from Kaine Sheppard, and singles to Noon and Cartanos.
Meanwhile, Malvern City is one of the last remaining State League teams to make it to round six of the competition after defeating Knox City 5-nil. Scorers for Malvern included Max McArthur, Jake Moloney, Dan Hilder and Jordan Templin with a brace.