Nicholas James Lawyers Match Preview: The Bounce-Back, On Our Patch

This preview is proudly brought to you by Nicholas James Lawyers.

Footballers will tell you they hate flat nights more than heavy defeats.

A 3-0 hammering at least leaves you with something to chew on. A grubby 1-0 on a cold Friday at Keilor Park, off a transition from our own corner, leaves a different taste.

It is the kind of result that sits in the kit bag all week, waiting for the next set of studs to be laced. The Royals walk back through the gate at Cross Keys this Friday night with that taste still there, and a chance to wash it out properly.

Four wins on the bounce ended a week ago, and there is no use pretending otherwise. We did not do enough at Keilor Park. Anthony Trajkoski had us on the front foot inside the first ten minutes, Phil Riccobene scrapped through the middle, Marcus Kotronis off the bench earned the loudest shout of the night with a hook-back that probably should have brought a whistle.

None of it added up to a goal.

The bigger picture is fine. Fifth on the table, eighteen points, two clear of sixth, level on points with the chase pack and ahead on goal difference. The smaller picture is the one that needs fixing.

Moreland City arrive bottom of fourteen. One win all season. Minus thirteen on goal difference. The worst attack and the worst defence in the division on paper. They have not won in their last five and their last three reads heavy, heavy, draw. They drew their last out at home to Whittlesea after going down 1-3 at Box Hill and 1-4 to Bayside. That said, they keep finding the net. Twelve goals in eleven games is not a side that turns up to be brushed aside. Whittlesea got out of their last meeting with one point, not three. Bottom-of-the-table sides in this competition will give you a game if you let them stand up.

For the Royals, the season has been a flat line of either-ors.

Six wins, no draws, six losses. We have not banked a stalemate in twelve weeks. Friday night feels like a game where Mick Ferrante’s group has to decide which version turns up. The version that put four past Whittlesea and three past Kingston, or the version that drifted through Keilor Park.