NPL – Round 13

Pascoe Vale v Green Gully
8th v 6th      
8.30pm, Friday June 13, 2014
Hosken Reserve
Radio: Live on NPL VIC Live (or via TuneIn app on smartphones – search ‘Live Cast’)
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #PVvBG #NPLVIC

Last round:
Port Melbourne Sharks 0-2 Pascoe Vale
Green Gully 6-2 Northcote City

Form:
Pascoe Vale: DLWWW
Green Gully: LLWWW

There’s a new-found confidence at Pascoe Vale and Green Gully, with both sides entering this contest on the back of three-match winning streaks.

Since taking over in Round 9, Green Gully coach Bob Stojcevski has worked wonders to lift a side which was at rock bottom, but the trip to Pascoe Vale is always a tough one.

The Vale have kept clean sheets in their past three wins and are quite content to sit back and defend a lead, rather than chase more goals. They ended Oakleigh’s unbeaten run in this fashion two weeks ago, so Green Gully can’t afford the defensive lapses it has had on numerous occasions this season on Friday night.

Bentleigh Greens v Melbourne Knights
4th v 11th       
8.30pm, Friday June 13, 2014
Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #BGvMK #NPLVIC

Last round:
Hume City 0-3 Bentleigh Greens
Melbourne Knights 4-2 Ballarat Red Devils

Form:
Bentleigh Greens: LDLWW
Melbourne Knights: LLWLW

Bentleigh is back and making its charge towards the title, while the Knights are showing great character to grind out results with a depleted squad.

With the Greens sitting 13 points behind league leader South Melbourne, they can’t afford to slip up here and may just have too much class and experience for a youthful Knights outfit to handle.

Ballarat Red Devils v Oakleigh Cannons
13th v 2nd        
3.00pm, Saturday June 14, 2014
Morshead Park Stadium
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #BRDvOC #NPLVIC

Last round:
Melbourne Knights 4-2 Ballarat Red Devils
Oakleigh Cannons 3-0 South Melbourne

Form:
Ballarat Red Devils: LWLLL
Oakleigh Cannons: WDLWW

The Cannons were all the rage last week when they ended South Melbourne’s unbeaten run in emphatic fashion, but there will be no room for complacency despite these two sides sitting at opposite ends of the table.

Oakleigh coach Miron Bleiberg may need to adjust his game plan, with forecasted rain likely to even out of a contest which doesn’t appear so even on paper.

To make matters harder for Oakleigh, star midfielder Andreas Govas is currently in Greece for a wedding and will sit out this one.

Ballarat will need to lift considerably if it is to pinch a result here and lift itself out of the relegation zone.

Dandenong Thunder v Heidelberg United
5th v 3rd
7.00pm, Saturday June 14, 2014
George Andrews Reserve
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #DTvHU #NPLVIC
Highlights to follow on FFV TV

Last round:
Goulburn Valley Suns 0-4 Dandenong Thunder
Heidelberg United 2-2 Werribee City

Form:
Dandenong Thunder: WLWLW
Heidelberg United: WWWDD

While it hasn’t been a drastic drop in form, Heidelberg United has dropped four points in its past two matches and needs to rebound this week if it is to keep the pressure on the top two.

The signs have been encouraging for the Bergers though, who have created many goalscoring chances in their past two outings but are failing to convert them.

Such is Dandenong’s inconsistency that its past six matches have followed this pattern: loss, win, loss, win, loss, win. With three wins and a draw from its five home matches however, Dandenong is strongest on its home turf.

A close battle looms here.

Werribee City v Port Melbourne Sharks
10th v 12th           
3.00pm, Sunday June 15, 2014
Galvin Park
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #WCvPM #NPLVIC

Last round:
Heidelberg United 2-2 Werribee City
Port Melbourne Sharks 0-2 Pascoe Vale

Form:
Werribee City: DWLLD
Port Melbourne Sharks: WDLLL

Port Melbourne can’t take a trick at the moment, and is living dangerously just two points above the relegation zone.

Werribee City is in a slightly better position but also in desperate need of a win.

With the mid-season transfer window opening next week, coaches Nino Ragusa (Werribee City) and Eric Vassiliadis (Port Melbourne) have signalled their intent to be active players in the window, so the pressure will be on their players to perform and keep their spot in the team.

Northcote City v Hume City
9th v 7th
3.00pm, Sunday June 15, 2014
John Cain Memorial Reserve
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #NCvHC #NPLVIC

Last round:
Green Gully 6-2 Northcote City
Hume City 0-3 Bentleigh Greens

Form:
Northcote City: LDWDL
Hume City: WDLWL

It’s been a tough week for Hume City.

After receiving the news captain Nick Hegarty would miss the rest of the season after knee surgery, Hume City was eliminated from the Dockerty Cup and missed out on a spot in the Westfield FFA Cup with a shock 3-0 loss to State League 1 South-East outfit South Springvale, three days after losing 3-0 to Bentleigh at home.

Coach Lou Acevski labelled the midweek loss “embarrassing” and “disgusting”, and if ever there was a time for Hume City to bounce back, that time is now.

Northcote City has its own problems to solve too. After looking like it had turned the corner and solved its defensive woes, it conceded six goals in the loss to Green Gully.

South Melbourne v Goulburn Valley Suns
1st v 14th
5.00pm, Sunday June 15, 2014
Lakeside Stadium
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #SMvGVS #NPLVIC

Last round:
Oakleigh Cannons 3-0 South Melbourne
Goulburn Valley Suns 0-4 Dandenong Thunder

Form:
South Melbourne: WWWWL
Goulburn Valley Suns: LDLLL

How will South Melbourne respond after having its 11-game winning streak broken last week?

It’s the question on everyone’s lips, but it became obvious in the second half last week that the league leaders had simply run out of legs and couldn’t replicate the intensity they had shown all season.

Coach Chris Taylor said it was the loss his side needed to have, but they’ll be expected to bounce back on their home turf against a Goulburn Valley side which is severely out of form.

Last week’s stand-in captain Brad Norton was red-carded and will miss for South Melbourne, while captain Michael Eagar could return from injury to bolster the defence alongside New Zealand international James Musa.

Leading goalscorers:

11 – Daniel Heffernan (Heidelberg United)
10 - Milos Lujic (South Melbourne)
9 – Craig Carley (Goulburn Valley Suns)
8 – Matthew Sanders (Green Gully)
7 – Brent McGrath (Bentleigh Greens), Nate Foster (Oakleigh Cannons)
6 – Kaine Sheppard (Heidelberg United), Dusan Bosnjak (Oakleigh Cannons), Jamie Reed (South Melbourne)
5 – Jake Nakic (Dandenong Thunder), Osagie Ederaro (Green Gully), Goran Zoric (Oakleigh Cannons), Trent Rixon (Northcote City), Kevin Braniff (Port Melbourne Sharks)
4 – Dom Swinton (Ballarat Red Devils), David Stirton (Bentleigh Greens), Nick Hegarty (Hume City), Jacob Colosimo (Melbourne Knights), Dean Piemonte (Oakleigh Cannons), Joseph Youssef (Pascoe Vale), Nicholas Krousoratis (Port Melbourne Sharks), Leigh Minopoulos (South Melbourne), Steven Cudrig (Werribee City)

NPL 1 – Round 12

North Geelong Warriors v Richmond
8th v 5th   
3.00pm, Saturday June 14, 2014
Elcho Park
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #NGWvRSC #NPLVIC

Dandenong City v St Albans Saints
11th v 6th       
3.00pm, Saturday June 14, 2014
Frank Holohan Soccer Complex
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #DCvSAS #NPLVIC

Springvale White Eagles v Whittlesea Ranges
10th v 13th         
3.00pm, Saturday June 14, 2014
White Eagles Stadium
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #SWEvWR #NPLVIC

Box Hill United v Moreland Zebras
3rd v 9th   
3.15pm, Saturday June 14, 2014
Wembley Park
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #BHUvMZ #NPLVIC

FC Bendigo v Brunswick City
12th v 14th       
7.00pm, Saturday June 14, 2014
Epsom Soccer Complex
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #FCBvBC #NPLVIC

Kingston City v Sunshine George Cross
7th v 4th   
8.30pm, Monday June 16, 2014
The Grange Reserve
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #KCvSGC #NPLVIC

FC Bulleen Lions v Avondale Heights
2nd v 1st  
8.30pm, Monday June 16, 2014
David Barro Stadium – Veneto Club
Radio: Live on NPL VIC Live (or via TuneIn app on smartphones – search ‘Live Cast’)
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #BLvAH #NPLVIC
Highlights to follow on FFV TV

Image credit: Graeme Furlong