Men’s Geelong Holiday Inn & Suites Match Preview: Royals face long road trip to Springvale

Back on the winner’s list and 3rd in the VPL2 table, the Essendon Royals are set for a tough test at the Serbian Sports Centre on Friday night against a resurgent Springvale White Eagles.

A solitary strike from Dean Clarke was enough to secure all three points in Round 5 in a tense and hot-tempered North-West Derby against Pascoe Vale. The VPL2’s equal-top scorer Graham Kelly turned provider for Clarke’s winner, showing Jonathan Bounas a clean pair of heels in midfield before picking out the Irishman with a well-timed release.

“The first half was a bit scrappy… but we were the better team in the second half,” reflected veteran midfielder Vince Lia after the game.

“On the balance of play and the chances created, we deserved it.”

Round 6 presents a piece of history: the game will be Essendon’s first meeting with Springvale since a Victorian Premier League match in May 2007. Gary Groenewald’s Royals triumphed 2-1 that day, with goals from Joey Youssef and Farouk Tijani. Both sides were relegated from the VPL that season, with Essendon unfortunate to finish 4th from bottom in a bloated 16-team competition.

Springvale’s late consolation that day came from a then 19-year-old Goran Zoric, who went on to represent South Melbourne and the Oakleigh Cannons. Zoric rejoined his junior club last year, and is still going strong at the age of 37, with four appearances and a goal to start the season.

The Serbian Sports Centre has historically been a happy hunting ground for the Royals, who’ve scored 18 goals there – their 5th-best return at any away venue. 

Former Altona Magic midfielder Miki Gamo leads the scoring for Springvale this season with two goals in his last two games. Gamo’s recent good form has matched his team’s turnaround – after just one point from three games to start the season, the White Eagles have won back-to-back games against Geelong and Box Hill United to climb to 7th in the VPL2 table.

After a strong start to 2025, we look forward to seeing as many of the Royals faithful as possible make the trek to the South-East to cheer us on.

Match Details:

🆚 Springvale White Eagles FC vs Essendon Royals SC

📍 Serbian Sports Centre

📅 Friday, 14 March

⏰ Seniors at 8:15 PM, U23s at 6:15 PM