SOCCER FRANKSTON Pines and Somerville Eagles were the only local teams to start the 2018 State League season on a winning note. Pines head coach Paul Williams gave starts to Mitch Landers, Naseer Mohammed, Aaryn Rix and CJ Hodgson and used their pace and ability to transition quickly to hurt home team Heatherton United on Saturday eventually running out a 2-0 winner in their State 2 South-East contest. Heatherton was caught on the break half a dozen times with former Pines’ keeper Alfonso Cardinale making a fine save to deny Landers from converting Pines’ best first-half chance. It took a…
Author: Craig MacKenzie
SOCCER THE State League season kicks off this weekend with Mornington, Peninsula Strikers and Skye United looming as serious promotion prospects. Mornington and Strikers will underpin their promotion push with quality visa players while Skye has used the local market to bolster its senior squad. Promotion for Mornington would mean a third State 1 South-East title in four seasons and would unlock the NPL door for Adam Jamieson’s men. “If anything I was probably guilty of being overconfident last season so I’m a bit more wary this time but we know what’s ahead of us and what we have to…
SOCCER LANGWARRIN’S victory against high-flying Dandenong City and FFA Cup wins to Mornington and Peninsula Strikers highlighted last weekend’s local action. Langy went into Saturday’s league clash at Lawton Park as a pronounced underdog having come off a 4-1 thumping from Springvale White Eagles and facing the big-spending second-placed team in NPL2. But Gus Macleod’s men defied the odds and stunned the Croatian-backed visitors with a 2-1 triumph in front of a large crowd. “I keep telling people that we’re three years behind all these other NPL clubs,” Macleod said, a reference to the league’s inception in 2014. “We go…
SOCCER PENINSULA Strikers and Frankston City Council are at loggerheads over the dire state of the club’s home ground at Centenary Park. Strikers claim that their plea to council in January to water the ground fell on deaf ears. The main pitch is now unplayable and council has ordered the club not to use it. Strikers president Trevor Johnston fears that it won’t be repaired in time for the start of the league season on 24 March. “I’m having an onsite meeting with council on Monday (today) to see what can be done but I can’t see how it will…
SOCCER GOALSCORING legend David Greening led Somerville Eagles to a nailbiting FFA Cup upset over Balmoral at Somerville Secondary College on Saturday. The man dubbed “The Green Machine” scored in the 18th minute of extra time to give Somerville a 3-2 win over its more fancied State 4 opponent after scores were deadlocked at 2-2 after normal time. Balmoral started brightly and took the lead in the 26th minute with a decent strike from the edge of the box by Enver Malkic but Somerville levelled in the 35th minute via a long-range wind-assisted free kick from Greening which sailed over…