SOCCER
ASPENDALE is on the verge of clinching promotion from State 7 South-East.
Last season Aspendale finished third-last in State 5 but under the promotion and relegation rules in force due to a league restructure it dropped down two divisions to the newly created State 7.
It was a bitter pill to swallow but under new coach Jason Grieve it has rebounded in style and has a three-point buffer over fourth-placed Keysborough District with two games remaining.
The top three clubs are promoted with the fourth-placed club thrust into a promotion play-off with its State 7 North-West counterpart.
Aspendale has an eight-goal superior goal difference to Keysborough District although it faces a slightly tougher draw than its pursuer.
Aspendale is at home to fifth-placed Burwood City next weekend then signs off with an away fixture against sixth-placed Boronia.
Keysborough District has an away clash with eighth-placed Cleeland United on Friday then hosts seventh-placed Glen Waverley in its season finale.
Last weekend Aspendale continued its winning ways with a 3-0 home win over Cleeland United.
Ryan Mravljak had the home side in front after eight minutes when he drilled the ball home from outside the box.
Three minutes later it was Mravljak again this time with a tidy right-foot finish after a long throw from Nathan Padinis fell to him inside the area.
Tom Machin’s free-kick was headed home by Oscar Carter in the 90th minute to round off a comfortable win.
Mount Martha lost 4-0 away to Keysborough District last weekend.
In VPL1 Langwarrin had its most important away win of the season downing champion side Melbourne Knights 2-0 on Sunday.
The result secured the local club’s league status after flirting with relegation for some time.
Langy had signed goalkeeper Jonty Benfield from Melbourne City on an emergency loan (injury allows clubs to sign keepers outside the transfer window) prior to this clash.
Benfield likely expected to be much more active than he was indeed Knights only had two shots on target.
So did Langy but it made its shots count.
In the 6th minute Scott Lochhead won the ball in midfield then surged forward before unleashing a drive from outside the box that took a deflection and wrong-footed Knights keeper Gabriel Matti.
In the 56th minute the Langy press won back the ball inside the attacking half.
Alun Webb played the ball wide to Brad Blumenthal on the right and his low drive across the face of goal was tucked away at the far post by Tommy Youngs.
In State 1 Skye all but locked in a relegation spot while Mornington had a bye.
Skye lost 3-0 at home to South Springvale on Friday night and it would take a miracle for the local club to avoid the drop given it sits on the bottom of the ladder four points clear of safety with the worst goal difference in the league by some margin.
In State 2 Peninsula Strikers lost 5-2 away to Noble Park United on Friday night.
Luca Maio put the home side 1-0 up in the 20th minute with a strike that beat Strikers keeper Jamie Walker who was at full stretch.
Six minutes later it was 1-1 when Hayden Schreck and Matt Harrington combined to play in Oscar Colgate-Jones who buried his shot from the left-hand side of the box.
Noble Park regained the lead in the 30th minute through former Baxter captain Alex Dukic who took two attempts to score after his initial strike bounced off the post.
Strikers made three changes at half-time one of them being debutant Duval Donaldson but Noble Park went further ahead in the 54th minute with a low shot from Sarmad Nikakhter.
Further goals from Maio and ex-Strikers player Joel Bowen gave the home side an insurmountable lead and in the 88th minute a Noor Nawrozi cross found Sonny Lindsay alone in the box to slot home the consolation.
In State 4 Chelsea blew a four-goal lead away to Kings Domain last weekend while Baxter stunned league leader Springvale City and took a giant step towards avoiding relegation.
Chelsea was cruising and in complete control after 35 minutes on Saturday.
Or so it seemed.
Two balls over the top had been finished by league top scorer James Stinson in the first 11 minutes then Alex Namar was at the back post to head in from a corner in the 33rd minute.
Two minutes later an individual effort from Harry Parker ended when he drilled his shot through the keeper’s legs.
An unlikely comeback started right on half-time when Iain Hay Higgins converted from the penalty spot then a second-half brace to Joe Blackham and a Dylan Keane goal shared the spoils.
To add to Chelsea’s woes Michael Swinnerton missed a penalty and Dylan Scott was shown a straight red for dissent.
Baxter was staring down the barrel when hosting Springvale City on Saturday but defied its critics with a surprising 3-0 win.
Charlie O’Connell was suspended and head coach Billy Armour switched Aiden McKenna from his usual defensive role to playing as a central striker.
Baxter’s back four defended as if their lives depended on the outcome and that was the foundation for this result.
The home team’s cause was boosted in the 35th minute when McKenna’s attempted lob was handled outside the area by advancing Springvale keeper Angelo Ioakimidis and referee John Palatsides had little choice but to red card the visitors’ custodian.
That forced Springvale into a substitution with back-up keeper Trevor Day coming on.
Six minutes later a moment of individual brilliance from Tez Hashemi was rewarded when his pinpoint cross to the back post was headed in off the post by Ali Hazarah.
Four minutes into the second half the hard-working McKenna chased down Simon Webster’s back pass and Day’s attempted clearance deflected off McKenna and into goal to make it 2-0.
A moment of madness in the 63rd minute saw Baxter’s Kyle Eichenberger sent off.
He’d been booked in the first half and when he decided to hold onto the ball following a free-kick to Springvale his deliberate act of time wasting earned a second caution.
But Baxter’s defence weathered the resulting momentum swift and five minutes from time the local fans were celebrating after Robbie O’Toole set up Ali Noor who half-volleyed his decisive strike into the top corner of the Springvale net capping an excellent overall performance from the home team.
Still in State 4 Rosebud lost 3-1 away to Ringwood City last weekend.
Elliott Craig scored for Rosebud.
In State 5 local rivals Seaford United and Somerville Eagles shared the points in a six-goal shootout at North Seaford Reserve on Saturday.
Seaford was without Hayden Hicks due to concussion and Blake Hicks took over in goal.
Dylan Waugh put the home side 1-0 up in the 10th minute when he outmuscled Hamish Bugden and lobbed Nick Bucello.
Marcus Anastasiou equalised in the 39th minute when Seaford was slow in setting up and a quick set piece from the Eagles provided Anastasiou with simple tap-in.
Seaford regained the lead seven minutes into the second half when Waugh’s cross from the left was converted from close range by Conor McFall.
But the home side was on the back foot when Somerville scored twice within a minute.
A Hicks error in the 55th minute led to Max Watson squaring the ball for Tom Simnmons to smash home and make it 2-2.
Seaford barely had time to blink before it went 3-2 down when Hicks missed an attempted clearance and Watson was able to tap the ball into an empty net.
Seaford equalised in the 67th minute through a goalmouth scramble following a Jayden LeBron cross with Jay McCabe tapping the ball home.
In the last 20 minutes Bucello pulled off four brilliant saves and Somerville looked likely to grab the points late only for Anastasiou to be denied by Hicks who made amends for earlier errors with an excellent save.
In State 6 an Alfie Harris goal was all that separated promotion contenders Mount Eliza and Whitehorse United at Emil Madsen Reserve on Saturday.
Harris struck in the 60th minute to give Mount Eliza a precious three points in what is an intriguing promotion battle.
A scramble inside the box following a Noah Green corner saw Harris manage to get boot to ball in the pivotal moment of the contest.
Mount Eliza will win automatic promotion if it finishes in the top three and will go into a promotion play-off if it finishes fourth.
Gerry McDonagh’s men are currently fourth with just two points separating second from fifth.
Casey Panthers and Frankston Pines drew 2-2 at Monterey Reserve on Saturday evening.
It was a home clash for Casey who switched venues as its ground was waterlogged.
Pines took the lead on 12 minutes when an inswinging corner was met by a Charley Hunt header only for it to be blocked on the line.
Zac Beitner was on hand to turn it in at the back post.
Casey piled on the pressure as it approached half-time.
The Panthers hit the post after being awarded a harsh penalty then levelled in the 44th minute when their captain Ben Rigby was given too much time on the edge of the box and hit a fantastic strike into the roof of the net.
The Panthers were awarded another penalty in the 52nd minute and this time Alisina Hussaini made no mistake to make it 2-1.
Pines built into the second half from this point and slowly started to control play.
Their good football finally paid off when a great piece of one-touch passing saw Kenny Akalan play a one-two with Said Uygur before firing the ball into the bottom corner for an 84th minute equaliser.
Mentone lost 3-1 away to Knox United.
Imran Afzali scored for Mentone who had Sulkipli Sulican red carded in the 63rd minute.
THIS WEEK’S GAMES
Friday 28 August, 8.30pm
Chelsea v Greater Dandenong, Edithvale Recreation Reserve
Pakenham Utd v Frankston Pines, IYU Recreation Reserve
Saturday 29 August, 3pm
Mornington v Hampton East Brighton, Civic Reserve
Peninsula Strikers v Mooroolbark, Centenary Park
Yarra Jets v Seaford Utd, Fairfield Park
Mentone v Brighton, Mentone Grammar Playing Fields
Aspendale v Burwood City, Aspendale Gardens Sports Ground
Glen Waverley v Mount Martha, Carlson Reserve
Saturday 29 August, 3.30pm
Templestowe Wolves v Somerville Eagles, Donvale Reserve
Saturday 29 August, 4.30pm
St Kilda v Skye Utd, Elwood Park
Saturday 29 August, 5.15pm
Ringwood City v Baxter, Jubilee Park
Saturday 29 August, 6pm
Rosebud v East Kew, Olympic Park
Saturday 29 August, 7pm
Bunyip District v Mount Eliza, Bunyip Recreation Reserve
Sunday 30 August,3pm
Langwarrin v North Geelong, Lawton Park
