A pitch-black page has been added to the heavy history book of the Nea Hellas club. The Greek Australian side, after a 4-0 thumping by Altona Magic, lost any mathematical hope of staying in the NPL.
It’s been a disastrous season that’s seen the Port Melbourne Sharks transform from a top-six contender into one of the most disappointing outfits in the division.
The result against Magic was a perfect snapshot of the image the port side has presented all year. The hosts did whatever they fancied against a hapless Nea Hellas, who couldn’t react. The visitors showed no sign throughout the match that they could resist Magic’s superiority. The damning 4-0 scoreline in favour of the Altona lads sealed the fate of the Greek Australian club, extinguishing the dreams of its people and plunging the entire organisation into a vicious cycle of negativity and gloom.
It’s almost admirable how the team managed to go from protagonists to bit-part players in just one season. A few months of poor management, bizarre on-pitch decisions, and fatal errors were enough to demolish the historic outfit. Let’s hope we see Nea Hellas back competing in the NPL salons very soon.
John Anastasiadis: It’s particularly disappointing that once again we conceded a goal in the dying minutes.
The points and the plaudits were shared on Friday night between Alexander and Oakleigh Cannons.
The final 1-1 left a bitter taste in the mouths of the home faithful, who saw their side, yet again this year, lose the win in the final seconds of a match.
The first half belonged entirely to the hosts. Loads of chances for goals, a missed penalty, and intense dominance from Alexander were the elements that ruled the first half.
Anastasiadis’ side finally found the net in the 54th minute, courtesy of the club’s heavy artillery, the unstoppable Bul Juach this season. The flashy forward for the yellow-and-blacks has now reached 19 goals in the league, undoubtedly enjoying the most productive campaign of his career so far.
The visitors, though, hadn’t said their last word. Chris Taylor shuffled the deck, bringing on fresh faces in the hope of shifting the balance and finding an equaliser. Which he ultimately achieved through young Campbell Strong in the 91st minute.
The fact that Alexander conceded yet another goal in the dying embers of a match was commented on by the team’s gaffer, John Anastasiadis.
“It’s particularly disappointing that we conceded another goal at the end of the match. I can’t explain it. But I spoke to the lads in the sheds and told them to keep their heads high. We played three particularly demanding matches in six days. Many players had to feature in all the games. Anyway, I told them they should be proud; right now we’re just one point behind Avondale and 99% in the new league that starts in October. We have reasons to be happy.”
South Melbourne Hellas endured a torrid afternoon against ladder-leaders Avondale, with the Greek-Australian side suffering a crushing 0-5 home defeat at Lakeside Stadium. The visitors ran riot on the pitch, completely outclassing their opponents, as the match stats starkly illustrate. The Italian-Australian outfit not only bagged five goals but also dominated possession and racked up 23 shots, 10 of which were on target.
The scoring opened in the 26th minute through former Cannons star, the flair-filled Valentini, who put Avondale ahead. That 0-1 scoreline held as the teams headed to the sheds at half-time.
VPL1
The mighty Pancyprios now resemble a freight train. George Katsakis’ side have set their sights on promotion to the NPL, and no one looks capable of derailing them. The latest victims of the greens were North Sunshine Eagles, who suffered a 1-2 home defeat. Bentleigh Greens, after this crucial win, continue to lead the standings race with 55 points, one ahead of second-placed George Cross. The big star of the greens’ victory was Sean Ellis, who scored both goals for the visitors.
A stunning away win was also pulled off by Leonidas over the weekend. The Greek Australian side swept through like a whirlwind with a 1-5 scoreline at the home of bottom-placed Moreland City. After this win, the Greek Australian outfit settles into fifth place in the standings with 39 points.
Clarinda copped a brutal 6-0 thrashing away to Melbourne City, with the match slipping away early for the visitors. City’s young guns opened the scoring in just the 13th minute, setting the tone for a one-sided affair. This heavy defeat has pushed the “red and whites” to the brink of disaster, with relegation to VPL2 now looming larger than ever.
Kostas Tagkalakis’ side will need a footballing miracle and a favorable combination of results in the final round of the regular season to avoid the drop.
VPL2
With a 1-2 scoreline, the great Pythagoras passed through Boroondara’s ground. The Box Hill side turned up particularly fired up on Saturday afternoon, played tidy footy, converted their chances into goals, and ultimately returned home with the three golden points from the win.
NPL – Results
Green Gully – Preston Lions 0 – 1 (60′ J. Markovski)
Hume City – Melbourne Victory 1 – 2 (14′ J. Bingham – 23′ D. Bozinovski, 51′ P. Wall)
Heidelberg United – Oakleigh Cannons 1 – 1 (54′ B. Juach – 90+1′ C. Strong)
Altona Magic – Port Melbourne Sharks 4 – 0 (37′, 74′ A. Frangie, 83′ B. Habib, 85′ J. Rodriguez)
Dandenong City – Melbourne Knights 7 – 1 (40′, 44′, 70′ K. Athiu, 55′ W. Bower, 64′ J. Latham, 81′ B. Plant)
St Albans Saints – Dandenong Thunder 1 – 5 (75′ A. Cepiviroski – 17′ D. Clark, 34′ B. Djiba, 40′ W. Dekker, 83′ D. Avain, 90+1′ M. Domfeh)
South Melbourne – Avondale 0 – 5 (26′ S. Valentini, 54′ B. Carpenter, 64′ C. Cuba, 67′ K. Kur, 69′ G. Ott)
NPL – Standings
Team Matches Points
1. Avondale 25 58
2. Heidelberg 25 56
3. Dandenong Thunder 25 53
4. Oakleigh Cannons 25 46
5. Preston Lions 25 44
6. Dandenong City 25 37
7. Hume City 25 35
8. Green Gully 25 31
9. South Melbourne 25 28
10. St Albans Saints 25 27
11. Altona Magic 25 24
12. Melbourne Victory 25 18
13. Port Melbourne 25 16
14. Melbourne Knights 25 15
VPL1 – Results
Eastern Lions – Bulleen Lions 2 – 0
Northcote City – Manningham United Blues (Postponed due to poor weather conditions)
Moreland City – Brunswick City 1 – 5
North Sunshine Eagles – Bentleigh Greens 1 – 2
Melbourne Srbija – Caroline Springs George Cross 0 – 2
Melbourne City – Kingston City 6 – 0
Western United – Langwarrin 2 – 1
Northcote City – Manningham United Blues (this match will be played on Monday 18/8 afternoon)
VPL1 – Standings
Team Matches Points
1. Bentleigh 25 55
2. Melbourne City 25 54
3. George Cross 25 54
4. Western United 25 46
5. Brunswick 25 39
6. North Sunshine 25 36
7. Melbourne Srbija 25 34
8. Bulleen Lions 25 33
9. Northcote 24 32
10. Langwarrin 25 29
11. Manningham 24 22
12. Eastern Lions 25 21
13. Kingston City 25 20
14. Moreland City 25 17
