SOCCER
A POINT for Langwarrin and three precious points for Skye United – these were the outcomes for the only two local teams in action last week.
VPL1 outfit Langwarrin had to rely on a James Kelly penalty conversion to share the spoils with visitors Melbourne City at Lawton Park on Saturday. Early on Arion Soulemani and Ben Dunbar were the main threats to the Langy defence but on the stroke of half-time a stunning piece of close control from Kavian Rahmani broke the deadlock. The lanky winger motored down the left then cut inside jinking his way past a series of opponents before sliding a short cutback into the path of Soulemani who had the simple task of tapping the ball into goal at the near post.
Langy hit back 20 minutes into the second half through beanpole central defender Lucas Portelli who headed home following a Luke Goulding corner.
Langwarrin should have led in the 70th minute after City keeper Lachie Charles brought down Tom Youngs inside the area but Charles saved Youngs’ conversion attempt. In the 78th minute Charles brought down Youngs inside the area again but this time James Kelly took charge of proceedings and his spot kick made it 2-1.
But the visitors hit back just three minutes later. City substitute Lawrence Wong surged forward in midfield and from distance let fly with a low bouncing left-foot shot that evaded the dive of Langy keeper Griffin Bambach and snuck inside the far post.
Meanwhile Skye United’s 3-2 home win on Thursday night against Greater Dandenong allowed the local side to leapfrog its relegation rival into 10th spot on the State 2 South-East ladder. Skye head coach Phil McGuinness was unavailable so recently appointed senior assistant Alex Rojas took the reins along with Travis Mitchell.
The best chance of a cagey first half came from a corner which Skye captain Marcus Collier headed just wide.
The second half was a different affair and three goals in 10 minutes transformed this contest. In the 57th minute the visitors countered well with Muhammad Ali on hand to steer home the opener. Five minutes later it was 1-1 after Collier wriggled free following a corner and managed to stab home a loose ball.
A few minutes after the restart Mahdi Khanmohammadi who was playing against his former club won possession and struck a shot from distance which Greater Dandenong keeper Andrew Mensah failed to deal with. The final half-hour was frantic as Skye attempted to keep its opponent at bay and although the visitors hit the bar and had numerous chances to level Skye held on for a much-needed win.
Last week was a fixtured catch-up round throughout State Leagues and with most of our community clubs inactive it presented an opportunity to conduct a mid-season assessment of all 13 State League locals. Each club has been graded with C being a minimum grade for a pass.
An A grading is excellent, B is good, C satisfactory and D a failure.
Clubs are listed in order of league status starting with the Seagulls in State 1.
MORNINGTON
Grade: C–
No-one of sound mind could have predicted that Mornington would be in the bottom half of the table at this stage of the season and closer to relegation than promotion. There was much pre-season talk about the club finally realising its NPL ambition and the recruiting drive backed up the hype. New faces included Kostas Droutsas, Kyle Johnson, Blake Pearson, Carlos Abboud, Ryan Paczkowski, Sam Orritt, Luke Varga and Ryan Ramsden.
Dallas Brooks Park was buzzing but by the time the season started Droutsas had suffered a season-ending ACL injury and key first teamer David Stirton was sidelined with a serious calf injury. Since then Shaun Kenny and Orritt have also been hampered by injury.
The recent departures of Josh Heaton and Japanese defender Toshi Kurosawa only add to a bleak picture of underachievement from a group of players who promised so much. And star import Rory Currie returned to Scotland on Sunday to further deplete the senior squad.
Mornington’s first State League season was in 2010 when it finished third in State 3 South-East and it has never finished any subsequent season in the bottom half of the table. In coming weeks we will discover if there is enough pride and commitment in the current playing group to ensure that they aren’t remembered as one of Mornington’s worst teams this century.
PENINSULA STRIKERS
Grade: B
No doubt Scott Morrison’s senior squad has the quality to win promotion despite being outgunned financially by its major rivals Hampton East Brighton and cashed-up Bayside Argonauts. Morrison has assembled a squad with a measured mix of experience and youth.
In defence, midfield and attack Strikers have NPL and State 1 experience in abundance and convincing Jaiden Madafferi to come out of premature retirement could prove a Morrison masterstroke. Squad depth could play a crucial role in the back half of the season and that isn’t a problem at Strikers.
Two of the current top three in the league are likely to find themselves in State 1 next season and Strikers should enter the run home brimful of confidence.
SKYE UTD
Grade: C–
Jonathan Crook, Jason Nowakowski, Billy Painting, Dusko Erkalovic, Lewis Gibson, Leo McLeod, Brett Heskins, Michael Rovinson, Harrison Michaelis, Mitch Blake and Delfin Mosibe all left the senior squad during pre-season with only Heskins and Blake returning recently. Alex Rojas has stopped playing and now is a senior assistant coach.
Add those player losses to Alex Van Heerwarden’s availability problems as he is assistant coach of Langwarrin’s under-23s and limited appearances from Mark O’Connor and Mo El Hassan due to injury and it’s little wonder the side is flirting with relegation.
Then there is the issue of Skye’s playing budget. Undoubtedly Skye punches well above its weight given that most State 3 and many State 4 clubs spend more on players so operating in State 2 on a shoestring is a tall order indeed.
Skye might hover around the relegation zone for the remainder of the season and its fate could go right down to the wire.
FRANKSTON PINES
Grade: D
Pines has the unenviable record of being the only local side to reach the halfway mark of the season without a win earning just a solitary point from 10 games in an 11-team league. The worst performing Pines side this century was the 2008 version which played in a 14-team Premier League and lost 17 games that season.
Fast forward to 2024 and head coach Donn Delaney faces a daunting task in his first season at Monterey Reserve given the extent of the club’s debt and the need to slash its playing budget. That forced a major squad makeover in the off-season and right now the quality of the players Delaney brought in is in question.
He wasn’t helped when star striker Ardi Ahmeti walked out after the opening game of the league season and shortly after Deniz Karabadzak and Josh Botha followed suit. Pines needs a minor miracle to avoid the drop and whether that comes in the form of a remarkable onfield turnaround or through a rumoured league restructure remains to be seen.
CHELSEA
Grade: B
Chelsea could be on target for its highest State 4 finish since winning the State 5 South championship in 2018.
It finished fourth under Carlo Melino in 2022 and is chasing down that side’s 39-point season tally with 22 points so far. The club’s ambition was clear when it appointed Gus Macleod as senior coach and Stuart Munro as technical director at the end of last season. Macleod readily identified a need to score more and concede less and already Chelsea has outscored last season’s tally.
James Stinson and Jake Ross have been the club’s most important signings this year and an injury-free Dylan Scott has played a big part in the side’s seven wins so far. Macleod would love to sign another couple of players to add both quality and depth to the squad and if he does then Chelsea fans are going to have a lot of fun in the back half of the season.
BAXTER
Grade: B–
Touted as a title challenger this year before the first ball was kicked in anger Baxter has reached the halfway mark 10 points behind table-topping Hampton Park United, the only unbeaten side in the league. Last season Baxter outscored champion White Star Dandenong and was State 4’s highest scoring outfit but much of its attacking threat has been blunted.
Top scorer Jack Elliott had an abbreviated pre-season as did 2023 best and fairest Noah Green while ace striker Liam Baxter, Fijian international Sava Baledrokadroka and Aaran Currie all have left. Head coach Kevin “Squizzy” Taylor believes that his side is poised to make a charge up the table but just to emulate last season’s points tally Baxter needs to take 28 points from the 33 still on offer. And that still might not be enough to get it into State 3.
MENTONE
Grade: C+
Jason Grieve and his players deserve plaudits given that the club’s main aim was to consolidate its State 4 status after winning promotion last season. With just a handful of additions to his squad Grieve has produced a competitive unit that should ensure more State 4 football next season. Mentone has done well to retain star hitman Marcus Spivey as he has attracted plenty of interest from other clubs but remains loyal to the Mentone cause.
SOMERVILLE EAGLES
Grade: C–
No-one likes playing Somerville and that’s a measure of how much the team’s competitive edge has been honed in recent seasons. But emulating last year’s fifth-placed finish is a big ask and one that seems out of the reach of this current group.
Mark Larner’s side has only won three games to date and would need to win eight of its 11 remaining games to match the win record of the 2023 outfit coached by Adam Steele. Larner was appointed head coach of the Eagles last October and relied heavily on a recruitment drive from his previous club Mount Martha but the improvement needed to mount a concerted promotion campaign isn’t evident. And the club’s talismanic striker Marcus Anastasiou could be out for an extended period after rupturing an MCL in the round 8 clash with Brighton and straining his ACL.
It could be a tough run home for the Eagles.
ROSEBUD
Grade: A
Our highest graded club and the only unbeaten local side Rosebud sits on top of the State 5 South ladder with a squad that boasts talent and depth. Head coach Stuart Johnston has combined top-flight veterans with quality younger players and it shows. If there are doubts about Rosebud’s depth and its ability to maintain a serious title challenge they could be dispelled shortly as defender Jack Wyer and striker Ethan Sanderson are training with Johnston’s squad and are tipped to sign.
Wyer has been on the local scene for a few seasons now while Sanderson is a proven scorer at this level and returning to the sport following long-term injury. ’Buds fans can expect more joy in the back half of the season as they cheer on a worthy promotion favourite.
SEAFORD UTD
Grade: B
Seaford started the season in stunning fashion with a 10-0 win over Cleeland United. Since then head coach Paul Williams has struggled to field the same starting line-up in consecutive games and key players have been injured or unavailable for a variety of reasons. Williams has been plagued with goalkeeping issues with both first-choice keepers quitting the senior squad throughout the season.
Alfonso Cardinale returned and is the current number one but Hayden Hicks remains in limbo while Bayleigh Caulfield’s injury problems have seen him miss a large chunk of the season. Seaford has only lost once this season but has dropped nine points in its last four games and now sits fourth in the league nine points adrift of leader Rosebud. Everything has to go Seaford’s way for the cherished goal of promotion to be realised.
ASPENDALE
Grade: B
Like Seaford third-placed Aspendale has to go on an extended winning run while hoping that Rosebud and second-placed FC Noble Hurricanes drop points. Coach Gregor Macnab has produced a well-drilled attacking outfit that is the highest scoring side in the league. In Matthew Bruce it boasts one of the best attacking midfielders in State 5 and the close skills of wide player Dom Paul and his ability to run at defenders are crucial to Aspendale’s fortunes.
MOUNT ELIZA
Grade: C+
In just its second State League season Mount Eliza has established itself as a competitive unit with high expectations of finishing in the top half of the table. Although it has lost to all top-four opponents it only went down 2-1 to both Rosebud and Aspendale while Seaford had a tough time at Emil Madsen Reserve in its 1-0 success.
Setting aside the politics of the sacking of Alex Halikias as senior coach there’s no denying the impact he has had on the squad. And luring last year’s Doveton gaffer Gerry McDonagh as his replacement is the coaching coup of the season.
There’s every reason to believe that McDonagh and his players can maintain the momentum built this year.
MOUNT MARTHA
Grade: D
Mount Martha had its most successful State League season in 2023 with a record tally of 29 points and an 8th-placed finish. It won nine games last year following a four-win haul in 2022. Those results clearly indicate an upward trajectory which could have give the senior side a genuine shot at a top-half finish this year.
Instead Mount Martha has won one game in the first half of the season and only goal difference separates it from the outclassed bottom outfit Cleeland United. The coaching staff rightly point to a number of games this season where the side extended the opposition even a top-ranked opponent such as Seaford United but based on results Mount Martha’s senior program has gone backwards. One of the few shining lights in a disappointing season has been Daniel Bancroft up front.
NEXT WEEK’S GAMES
Friday 21 June, 8.30pm:
Langwarrin v Werribee City, Lawton Park
Skye Utd v Chisholm Utd, Skye Recreation Reserve
Mentone v Monash University, Mentone Grammar Playing Fields
Cleeland Utd v Seaford Utd, Thomas P Carroll Reserve
Saturday 22 June, 3pm:
Collingwood City v Mornington, Kevin Bartlett Reserve
Greater Dandenong v Peninsula Strikers, WJ Turner Reserve
Middle Park v Frankston Pines, Albert Park Field 16
Baxter v Sandown Lions, Baxter Park
Brighton v Chelsea, Dendy Park
Springvale City v Somerville Eagles, Ross Reserve
Aspendale v Pakenham Utd, Aspendale Gardens Sports Ground
Mount Eliza v Bunyip District, Emil Madsen Reserve
Mount Martha v Barton Utd, Civic Reserve
FC Noble Hurricanes v Rosebud, Alex Nelson Reserve
