Nicholas James Lawyers Men’s Match Preview: Keep The Pressure On

Twelve goals in two games, a win over the league leaders on their own patch, and now the chance to do it all again under Friday night lights at Cross Keys.

The Royals return home on the back of their best fortnight of their season. Mick Ferrante’s side put eight unanswered past Springvale White Eagles, with Marcus Kotronis helping himself to four on perfect night, and then backed it up with a 4-2 win away at Malvern City. Beating the leaders in their own backyard is the kind of result that turns a good run into a statement. The result keeps Essendon third in the table and closes the gap to the top to just seven points.

Werribee City arrive in the opposite mood. They sit tenth on 19 points, three points outside the drop zone, and were beaten 4-0 away at Whittlesea United over the weekend. This will be Werribee’s fifth consecutive away game, and the Bees have won two of their last four, with pacey attacker Ali Dulleh netting in both victories.

The Royals have already had the better of them once this season, a 3-1 win away back in Round 5, as Jordan Adeyemi bagged a brace and Marcus Kotronis netted the sealer.

None of which makes it a foregone result. Werribee have four draws to their name, which tells you they can dig in and make an evening difficult if the Royals let the standards slip.

The departure of leading scorer Jordan Adeyemi, who returns home to the UK after lighting up Cross Keys Reserve for three seasons, will undoubtedly prove a blow. But recent weeks have demonstrated that the Royals can share the attacking burden, and have more than enough firepower throughout the squad.

The table keeps the stakes clear. A win closes the gap to automatic promotion to three points, with Malvern City and 2nd-placed GV Suns facing away trips on Saturday. Keep the pressure on.

Kick-off is 8:30pm on Friday night.

Forza Royals.