Nicholas James Lawyers Men’s Match Preview: Bottom-Half Battle Carries Season-Defining Weight
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There is a version of football that does not care about aesthetics or ambition. It cares about points. Cold, hard, necessary points. Saturday at Costas Mitre 10 Park is one of those days.
Essendon Royals sit 13th. Three points from four rounds. One win. Werribee City sit 12th. Four points. One win, one draw. Both sides have conceded nine goals. Both are searching for consistency. Both need this more than either would like to admit.
The Royals’ story so far is one of self-inflicted damage. Conceding inside the opening quarter of an hour in all four matches is no longer a pattern. It is a problem. Friday night’s loss to league leaders Malvern City, 1-2 with ten men after Bradley Norton’s dismissal, produced a much-improved 45 minutes in the second half. Josh Markovski finished with composure; Jordan Adeyemi’s engine down the flanks created the opening.
But football does not reward second halves when you have already given the first away.
Werribee’s season has followed a different kind of frustration. They led Kingston City 1-0 at half-time in Round 1 through Ellis Ashe, only to concede twice in the final ten minutes, including a penalty in the 87th. Round 2 was a 0-4 hammering at home to Bayside. Round 3 was the wildest result in the division, 3-3 against Box Hill after leading 3-1 through goals from Stephen Appiah (15′), Ashe (20′) and Taira Yoshimura (46′). They held a two-goal cushion at the break and watched it disappear.
The R4 win over Whittlesea, Ali Dullah’s goal in the 81st minute sealing a 1-0 result, was the first time they have led a match at full-time this season. It was also their first clean sheet.
Werribee are a side that can score. Five different goalscorers in four rounds. Ashe is their most dangerous, with two goals, and Yoshimura showed real quality in that Box Hill match. But they have also shown a tendency to lose concentration in spells, the kind of defensive lapses that cost them against Kingston and Box Hill.
For the Royals, the blueprint is clear. Start the match. Not the second half. The character shown against Malvern with ten men proved that this group has fight. Adeyemi’s and Markovski’s three goals in four rounds have been the bright spots, but they need company.
The reluctance to shoot from a distance that marked the Malvern second half cannot carry into a match in which the Royals are expected to take the initiative.
Both sides sit in the bottom four. Both have a goal difference of minus two or worse. A win here does not fix a season, but it separates the two and gives one side something tangible to build on. Three points would lift the
Royals to 6 and into the middle of the table. A loss, and the conversation changes.
Saturday afternoon, 3 pm out west. Time to start fast.
Around the Grounds – VPL Men 2 Round 5
Friday Night
Nunawading City FC vs Moreland City SC
Mahoneys Reserve | 7:30pm
Nunawading have been one of the form sides, sitting second on nine points with three wins from four. Their only blemish was a Round 2 defeat at Altona. Moreland are mid-table on five points after a goalless draw with Kingston last round. Nunawading’s attacking output, eight goals in four rounds, should prove the difference at home.
Kingston City FC vs Box Hill United Pythagoras FC
The Grange Reserve, Clayton South | 7:45pm
Kingston’s quiet unbeaten run continues. Two wins and two draws have them third on eight points with just two goals conceded, the best defensive record in the division. Box Hill have been inconsistent, a 3-3 collapse at Werribee followed by a 1-1 draw with Bayside, and sit seventh on five points. Expect a tight, low-scoring affair.
Springvale White Eagles FC vs Eastern Lions SC
Serbian Sports Centre | 8:30pm
Springvale grabbed their first win of the season with a 2-1 result at Altona in Round 4, lifting them off the bottom. Eastern Lions sit fifth on six points after a convincing 3-1 win over GV Suns last round. This is a test of whether Springvale’s Round 4 result was a turning point or just a one-off.
Saturday
Bayside Argonauts FC vs Whittlesea United SC
Monterey Reserve | 3:00pm
Two mid-table sides with contrasting recent form. Bayside have drawn their last two (0-0 at Kingston, 1-1 at Box Hill) and sit sixth on five points. Whittlesea lost 1-0 at Werribee last round, a late Dullah goal the difference, and have just four points from four matches. Both could do with a win to stay in touch with the top half.
Malvern City FC vs Altona City SC
Egan Lee Reserve | 5:00pm
The league leaders host Altona in what looks like another step on Malvern’s march. Four wins from four, twelve points, Hornsby and MacDonald combining for eight of their eleven goals. Altona have dropped to four points after a 1-2 home loss to Springvale last round. Malvern will be expected to extend their perfect start.
Goulburn Valley Suns FC vs Keilor Park SC
John McEwen Reserve | 7:00pm
GV Suns will be looking to bounce back after their 1-3 defeat to Eastern Lions in Round 4 snapped a two-game winning streak. They remain fourth on six points with ten goals scored, the second-highest tally in the league. Keilor Park sit bottom on three points after losing 1-2 to Nunawading last round. A long trip that favours the hosts.