ESSENDONThere is not a single draw next to Essendon Royals’ name this season, eleven wins and seven losses from eighteen games, and Friday night at Cross Keys Reserve explained exactly why this side does nothing by halves.
Werribee City struck first through Stephen Appiah inside the opening twenty minutes via an outrageous bicycle kick, and for a while the visitors carried the greater threat.
Royals captain Dean Clarke levelled it before the interval to send the sides in at 1-1, and the contest that followed swung on its hinges more than once. Bradley Norton put the Royals in front early in the second half, only for Dau Akol to drag Werribee back to 2-2 and set up a nervy final half hour.
The decisive moment belonged to youngster Marcus Kotronis, who settled it in the 87th minute to seal a 3-2 win and the three points.
The goal capped another fine moment for Kotronis, who continues his excellent development as a senior footballer at Essendon. The former junior has been a decisive factor and his winning goal moved him into the golden boot discussion, particularly with Jordan Adeyemi having had to depart the club last week to return home to the UK.
It was the kind of late, composed finish that separates a side chasing the top of the table from one drifting in mid-table, and it kept the Royals third in VPL Men 2 on 33 points, behind only Malvern City and Goulburn Valley Suns.
Werribee will feel they deserved more from a performance that twice had the Royals chasing the game, but Essendon’s habit of finding an answer is becoming the defining trait of their campaign.
With a goal difference of plus eighteen and the league’s joint-best attacking return, this is a team that backs itself to win the moments that matter.