SOCCER DESPITE having a raft of senior players sidelined through injury Mornington defied all odds to record a 2-1 away win over high-flying Malvern City on Saturday. The Dallas Brooks Park club reacted to its injury plight with a clutch signing leading up to this contest. The Seagulls agreed terms with 27-year-old central defender Keagan Sheridan from Dandenong Thunder and his central defensive combination with the towering Josh Heaton was an important element of Saturday’s success. Campbell Steedman put Mornington ahead in the 27th minute when he broke clear and finished well but a knee injury forced captain Wayne Gordon…
Author: Craig MacKenzie
SOCCER MORNINGTON’s injury crisis, CJ Hodgson’s playing finale and Rosebud’s drought-breaking win in a nine-goal thriller were major talking points in an action-packed round 7 of the league season. Mornington’s woes started over a week ago when marquee striker Josh Hine was rushed to hospital and underwent an emergency appendectomy. He is expected to miss between four and six weeks. First-choice keeper Taylor Davidson was expected to return from suspension last weekend but on Friday he was in hospital having wisdom teeth removed. Davidson’s replacement Josh Gates broke down during the warm-up on Saturday and reserves keeper Jerry Swift was…
SOCCER CJ HODGSON will make his 250th and final appearance for Frankston Pines on Saturday when the State 3 promotion contender takes on Elwood City at Carrum Downs Recreation Reserve at 6pm. Hodgson’s battle to overcome post-concussion syndrome has forced the 28-year-old into early retirement. He was substituted in February after a head clash in a friendly against Mazenod and has not played since. He has a medical clearance to play this weekend but the risk of long-term and serious injury is too great to continue. You won’t hear a player or a club on the local scene with a…
SOCCER BAXTER kickstarted its season with a dominant performance against FC Noble Hurricanes at Alex Nelson Reserve last Thursday night. The visitors got off to the perfect start after 65 seconds with Lachie McMinimee finishing off an Izaak Barr cross from inside the six yard box. Baxter continued to create numerous chances with McMinimee hitting the bar and Dave Greening just missing the target. The second goal came after 19 minutes and what a goal it was. A magnificent Charlie O’Connell through ball sent Robbie O’Toole clear and he calmly rounded Hurricanes keeper Jimmy Zafiriou then stroked the ball into…
SOCCER JOSH Hine’s hat-trick and Peninsula Strikers’ unblemished record were highlights of local State League fixtures last weekend. In State 1 Mornington got its promotion chase back on track with a 4-1 home win over Bentleigh United Cobras on Friday night. Assistant coach Nathan Peel resigned after the previous week’s 2-0 reversal against Casey Comets so it was important for the local club to bounce back immediately. Hine scored a second-half hat-trick and is one of the leading contenders for the league’s Golden Boot honours while John Maclean was Mornington’s other scorer. Strikers kept their faultless State 2 record intact…