ESSENDON
Riding a six-match winning run while still coming down from the high of Nike FC Cup glory, Essendon Royals kick off the final three rounds of the season with a big away test against Preston Lions on Friday night with everything well and truly up for grabs.
Jaiden van der Heijden’s side were pushed to the limit at home against Bentleigh Greens in Round 23, forced to reach their highest gear in the second half to run out 5-2 winners. That was a vital result as, just an hour later, Box Hill United overturned a 2-1 deficit to beat FC Bulleen Lions 3-2 and maintain their grip on top spot. As a result, the gap to the top remains at three points with Box Hill on 53 and Essendon on 50, with Avondale and Bulleen not to be ignored on 47 and 46 respectively.
With three matches remaining, every single performance gets that bit more important and it’s the perfect time for the Royals to be hitting fine form with 25 goals scored in that run of six straight wins in all competitions. But no game is easy in NPLW Victoria, and Friday night at Genis Steel Stadium against Preston Lions is no different.
On the surface, second vs 10th should be a fixture that Royals fancy a commanding win in, however in reality they run into a Preston team that has lost just one of their last five matches and won two on the bounce at home. They’ve also shown their ability to take points off the top teams with a win over Boroondara Eagles and a draw with Bulleen amongst that run of five games. Only the top three sides in the league have picked up more points from their last five matches than Preston have.
Further evidence of this fixture’s ‘banana skin’ potential comes from the reverse fixture at Cross Keys where Emma Langley’s opener was cancelled by a Mizuho Yamada goal that saw the game end 1-1 more than three months ago in Round 11.
That picture all comes together to create another huge 90 minutes for the Royals and one where full focus will need to be applied. From Kelli McGroarty’s all-conquering scoring run to the strength of the defence and composure in midfield, Essendon will need to once again put together their trademark mix of quality, tenacity and hard work in order to secure another three points and remain right in the hunt in the Premiership race.
Our U20 women kick off at 6:15pm, before the Seniors take the stage at 8:30pm. Get down and support the Royals on the road.