NPL3
Melbourne Victory will be looking to keep their distance from the chasing pack at the top of the NPL3 standings on Saturday as they make the longest trek in NPL football to face the Goulburn Valley Suns.
Joe Palatsides’ side did it comfortably last week, recording its second consecutive 3-0 win over Boroondara-Carey Eagles thanks to Eli Adams’ double and Jordi Valadon’s opener.
It was also a first start for Matt Bozinovski who made a full return from a foot injury that scuppered the back end of his A-League Men’s season as the scholarship players continued to impress at NPL level.
With ten matches played in the competition so far, Victory have set the marker in the league with an 8-1-1 record but face an interesting test against the strongest regional side in Victorian football.
The Goulburn Valley sit in fourth spot, eight points off the pace-setters, Victory and have seen inconsistent results this season. A loss last week against Geelong was in contrast to their win the week before against Nunawading and their inconsistency could be both a positive and negative heading into the contest.
GVS are also one win away from the Round of 32 of the Australia Cup, setting up a blockbuster clash against Hume City in June so the Shepparton based side will be looking to take some positive form into the contest for the chance to feature in the national stages for the first time.
The man to watch for GVS is Russel Currie. The British import has taken the NPL3 and Australia Cup competitions by storm, leading the Golden Boot race in the league with eight goals. The tall, physical striker will provide a great test for the Victory backline as they look to shut him out at home.
The Under 20’s will look to make it eleven wins from eleven as they travel with the Senior side to Shepparton on Saturday.
Victory face Goulburn Valley on Saturday at John McEwen Reserve, kick-off 3.00pm, Under 20’s 12.30pm.
Academy
Our junior sides return to Darebin for JBNPL1 Round 5 fixtures.
AWT
The Afghan Women’s Team made it four wins from four with a 2-0 win over Malvern City. Goals either side of the break confirmed the result for the side as they maintained their perfect start to the season.
It’s a top of the table clash this week as they face Collingwood City at Kevin Bartlett Reserve, kick-off 1.30pm.