Soccer The twists and turns of the final round of the season had to be seen to be believed. This was the stuff of legend and will be spoken about for years to come. It’s the season that a rebuilt Skye squad achieved what most thought impossible and the season that ended in heartbreak for Strikers when the prize was ripped from their grasp. Strikers went into Saturday’s State 2 home game in second spot, one point above Skye, but Scott Morrison’s team could only draw 3-3 with Casey Comets. Skye had been given a huge opportunity to grab second…
Author: Craig MacKenzie
Soccer BAXTER’S 3-0 derby win over Somerville Eagles on Saturday has secured the winner’s league status while condemning the loser to relegation. A major State League restructure next season has severely impacted promotion and relegation rules in State 4 and State 5 divisions. While the State 4 champion is promoted, there’s no promotion in State 5. In State 4, teams finishing in second down to sixth spots remain in State 4, while teams finishing seventh to 10th drop into State 5, and the bottom two teams drop into a new State 6. Chelsea, Baxter, and Rosebud will play in State…
Soccer Mount Eliza and Seaford United have two games left to try and hold on to their State 5 status. The top two teams in their league will remain in State 5 under the pending league restructure and just one point separates these local rivals as the season draws to an enthralling climax. Morwell-based Fortuna 60 won the league last weekend and although Mount Eliza holds the whip hand in second spot it is looking anxiously over its shoulder after losing 3-0 at home to Seaford on Saturday. The visitors were the more clinical side and two goals in two…
SOCCER CHELSEA’S ace predator James Stinson grabbed his second five-goal haul of the league season as his side hammered Sandown Lions 6-0 at Ross Reserve on Saturday. The former Sunderland youth striker is in his second year at Edithvale Recreation Reserve and has turned this season’s State 4 South Golden Boot award into a one-horse race. Stinson played for English Universities in the 2017 Home Nations tournament in Scotland and arrived in Melbourne in September 2022 only to be sidelined through injury in 2023. In 2024 he joined Chelsea and was scoring for fun during pre-season. Nothing changed when the…
SOCCER FOUR games from glory – that’s what most local State League clubs are facing in the run-in to the 2025 season finale. Mornington, Peninsula Strikers and Skye United are eyeing promotion while Rosebud, Somerville Eagles, Baxter, Mount Eliza and Seaford United are desperately trying to hold on to their current league status. The off-season restructure of the State Leagues is massive. It entails creating State 6 and State 7 leagues broken into South-East and North-West divisions to finally bring regional consistency throughout the State Leagues set-up. In State 1 South-East the champion earns promotion to VPL2 while the runner-up…