SOCCER
ROSEBUD won the State 5 South championship last weekend while Frankston Pines took a giant step towards avoiding relegation from State 3 South-East.
It’s Rosebud’s first senior men’s title under the state federation banner and it was achieved with a 4-1 away win over Pakenham United in difficult conditions on Saturday. Rosebud led after 12 minutes when Jacob Bigg bent the ball perfectly into the path of top scorer Dave Greening and he had little trouble in beating advancing Pakenham keeper Christopher Van Dam. Three minutes later it was 2-0 when Barney Johnson set up Andy Jerez who finished well from outside the area. But the goal of the match came from the home team when Trey Dekker used the strong wind to advantage and hammered home a long-range drive that flew into the top corner giving Rosebud keeper Colin McCormack no chance.
It was 2-1 at half-time and any uncertainty in the visitors’ camp was erased 10 minutes into the second half when Greening latched onto a Caleb Davies pass and buried the ball in the far corner of goal. And the exclamation mark on a historic day came in the 86th minute with Dougie Cunnison catching Pakenham napping and chipping Van Dam. At the end of the match Pakenham players formed a guard of honour for the newly crowned champions.
Meanwhile Pines had grabbed a State 3 lifeline the night before when Muginga Mpota’s two first-half goals were enough to defeat Sandringham 2-0 at Monterey Reserve. Whether Pines drop down into a league that includes Chelsea, Baxter, Somerville Eagles, Mentone and Rosebud or retain their current league status will be decided this weekend when they square up to Elwood City in a season-defining contest at Elwood Park.
In State 1 news Mornington lost 2-1 at home to Springvale White Eagles on Saturday. A brace from SWE’s Matheus Assumpcao had the visitors in control despite a late goal from young Mornington substitute Max Civil.
In State 2 news it was a weekend of contrast with delight for Skye United and disappointment for Peninsula Strikers.
Skye took on big-spending Greater Dandenong who had splurged on players in the last transfer window in a late bid to avoid relegation. That move threatened to draw Skye deep into the relegation mire but Phil McGuinness’ men beat Greater Dandenong 2-1 on Saturday at WJ Turner Reserve.
Skye flew out of the blocks and was 2-0 up after 20 minutes. It took just four minutes for young Riley Gill to get his first senior goal for the club after he was put through by Emmanuel Scarlett in a well-worked move. In the 20th minute Gill turned provider as he crossed from the left to find the head of Alex Van Heerwarden and the big man doubled the lead.
Skye seemed to take its foot off the pedal and three minutes into the second half a long drive from Moshtagh Hossein Yaghoubi sparked concern among the visitors. However Skye showed a resilience that has underpinned recent performances and weathered the ensuing storm to record an important win. It was Skye’s third unbeaten game in a row – a first for this season – and a result that confirmed its State 2 status for 2025.
At the top end of the ladder Strikers’ bold bid for promotion ended with Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Shipston Reserve against Bayside Argonauts. It was an entertaining contest despite the dearth of goals with Cooper Andrews having Strikers’ best chance in the first half when he cut inside before he skied his shot when well positioned.
The second half was an end-to-end battle with Strikers’ keeper Faraz Zenoozi making two top-shelf saves while his teammates squandered chances to strike the decisive blow. The best chance of this half fell to Tommy Wood who was put through by a sublime Wayne Gordon ball only to shoot straight at Bayside keeper Lewis Cotsopoulos.
The draw ensured that Bayside and Hampton East Brighton will be promoted to State 1 but despite this setback Strikers head coach Scott Morrison struck a positive note after the match. “What a massive effort by this group of players,” Morrison said. “They’ve gone toe to toe with Bayside and Hampton throughout the season and they have made the club and myself so proud of how far they have come.”
In State 4 news Chelsea’s promotion hopes were dashed by Saturday’s 4-2 away loss to Sandown Lions. Jordan Kousides put Chelsea ahead in the 36th minute with a nice finish but four second-half goals from the home side – including a penalty – were only answered by Daniel Vella converting from a Harry Parker cross. Just a couple of weeks ago Chelsea was second but dropping eight points in its last four games has pushed Gus Macleod’s side down to fifth.
Mentone went down 2-1 to Springvale City at Mentone Grammar Playing Fields on Saturday with the home side paying the price for its lack of a cutting edge. Mentone controlled the first half but Marcus Spivey couldn’t finish his one outstanding opportunity when his lob was saved by Springvale keeper Kadir Puric.
In an even second half it was the visitors who were able to capitalise in the periods they were on top with goals in the 69th and 77th minutes through Edim Lolic and Almand Thomas respectively. In the 89th minute Lochy Morgan-Banks and Tyler Pollard combined to set up Eric Ervine who finished with a fine left-foot shot past Puric but this was of little consolation to the home team.
On Sunday Baxter and Somerville Eagles huffed and puffed to a 0-0 stalemate at Baxter Park.
In State 5 news Aspendale remains in the hunt to join Rosebud in State 4 South next season but its fate isn’t in its own hands. Aspendale must beat Endeavour Hills Fire while hoping that Mount Martha can upset the odds and get at least a point from its clash with second-placed FC Noble Hurricanes.
On Saturday Aspendale had a 2-1 home win over Mount Eliza thanks to a late winner from Luca Bozzo. The wind had a major impact on the game and neither side could make much headway in the first 45 minutes. It took until the 67th minute for the deadlock to be broken with danger man Koray Yildirim tapping in from a darting run and cross from Bozzo.
Mount Eliza hit back in the 81st minute from a Nickel Chand free-kick but in the final minute of normal time Felix Hampson was fouled and a free-kick awarded to the home side. Up stepped Bozzo and curled the ball into the top corner and Aspendale had stolen all three points.
Mount Martha hammered Cleeland United 8-1 on Saturday at Civic Reserve. The home side led 3-1 at half-time after a poor display against the worst team in the league but was far better after the break. Mount Martha’s goals came from Jaden Taberner (2), Harry Aylett, Marcus Poda, David Jones, Connor Gibbs, Sam Griffiths and an own goal.
Seaford United had a 1-0 home win over Bunyip District on Saturday.
Seaford created the better chances but poor finishing and a fine display from Bunyip keeper Jake Biondo meant that the visitors were always a chance to get something from this clash. The pivotal moment came in the 31st minute when Naseer Mohammad spun inside the area and thumped a firm shot past Biondo.
Just before half-time Bunyip’s Tom Thorwesten was judged to have denied Backy Borozoi a scoring opportunity and was sent off amid howls of protest from Bunyip players and supporters. Despite being a man down the visitors continued to make Seaford work hard for this win.
This weekend is the final round of the State League season.
Unfortunately Football Victoria was unable to confirm State 2 South-East fixtures as we went to press. We have made multiple attempts to contact the state body in an effort to confirm games involving Peninsula Strikers and Skye United but we have not received a response.
We have published provisional fixtures for both local clubs but please check social media for confirmation of date and kick-off times for these two games.
NEXT WEEK’S GAMES
Saturday 7 September, 1pm:
Mornington v Banyule City, Dallas Brooks Park
Peninsula Strikers v Hampton East Brighton, Centenary Park
Skye Utd v Bentleigh Utd Cobras, Skye Recreation Reserve
Elwood City v Frankston Pines, Elwood Park
Mentone v Endeavour Utd, Mentone Grammar Playing Fields
Somerville Eagles v Monash University, Westernport Secondary College
Springvale City v Chelsea, Ross Reserve
Keysborough v Baxter, Coomoora Reserve
Rosebud v Seaford Utd, Olympic Park
Aspendale v Endeavour Hills Fire, Aspendale Gardens Sports Ground
Mount Eliza v Pakenham Utd, Emil Madsen Reserve
Mount Martha v FC Noble Hurricanes, Civic Reserve
First published in the Frankston Times – 3 September 2024
