Bentleigh Greens continues to create more club history after winning the Dockerty Cup for the first time on Wednesday evening, when it defeated Green Gully 1-nil in extra time at ABD stadium thanks to a Ryan Paczkowski winner.
A crowd of about 300 people watched the reigning NPL champion and current league leader take on Arthur Papas’ Green Gully, which went into the game as the only other Victorian team alive in all competitions. They watched the Greens, impressive as always in possession despite missing key players Wayne Wallace, Chris Lucas and Matt Thurtell to injury. However, the best chance of the half fell to Gully striker Liam Boland, whose powerful strike just before the break was kept out by a reflex save by Bentleigh keeper Ryan Scott.
Scott also made important saves from the same player late in the second half when Boland launched a couple of thunderbolts from distance.
However it was a combination of centre half Jack Webster’s right foot and Paczkowski’s left foot which produced the Cup winner just two minutes into extra time. Webster’s 45-metre diagonal pass from just inside his half caught the Gully defence off guard, picking out Paczkowski’s run on the outside of his defender.
The striker’s first touch on the edge of the box was good enough to take him in behind the Gully back four and into the box without breaking stride, and he lunged to tap the ball past the advancing Gully keeper Rani Dowisha and watch the ball roll gently over the line and into the net.
In extra time, Bentleigh denied a chasing Gully the opportunities to get back in the game by doing what they do better than any other team in the competition, that is, keep possession of the ball.
At the end of the match, the Bentleigh players received their cup winning medals, defender Jack Webster was awarded the Jim Mackay medal for player of the final, and coach John Anastasiadis publicly paid tribute to Gully’s efforts before praising his own team. Addressing his players he said: “We’ve had it tough for the last four to five weeks but today you were immense. It took us 120 minutes but I think we’re used to it after the FFA Cup ( away win in Adelaide) and now the Dockerty Cup.
“I couldn’t be more proud of you boys. Just keep on going wherever it takes us.”
