Holiday Inn Match Preview: Royals back at home under Friday night lights for Box Hill test

Essendon Royals’ senior men’s side is back at home on Friday night when they take on Box Hill United at Cross Keys Reserve.

Our weekly previews are brought to you by the Geelong Holiday Inn, as we look ahead to the upcoming rounds of action.

The senior men returned from two goals down to snare a 2-2 draw with Doveton last week, with Dean Clarke and Will Thomason finding the back of the net in the second half to help overturn the visitors’ lead.

Catch up with the highlights from our 2-2 draw with Doveton below.

Royals sit in fifth spot on the ladder, seven points behind fourth-placed Altona City and third-placed Brunswick Juventus and ten points off North Sunshine Eagles and FC Melbourne Serbija, who are in first and second, respectively.

Essendon’s next test comes against Box Hill, who are in ninth spot on the ladder after 13 games but reside only four points behind the Royals on the ladder.

After back-to-back wins over Pascoe Vale and Beamuaris, Box Hill suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss at home against North Sunshine, courtesy of a last-minute goal from Nick Epifano.

The two sides played out a thrilling 3-3 draw earlier in the season at Wembley Park, where Graham Kelly’s brace helped salvage a point for 10-man Essendon.

Last Time They Met: Relive the drama from our 3-3 draw against Box Hill United earlier this season.

Kick-off is at 8:30 PM, with the Under 23s taking the field at 6:15 PM.

Our Under 23s lost 2-1 to Doveton last week and sit in sixth on the ladder, while Box Hill are in second place and only goal difference behind league leaders Brunswick Juventus after an 8-3 victory over North Sunshine.