After going down in a five-goal thriller in Broadmeadows, Green Gully will pick themselves off the canvas and go again as they host Port Melbourne in Keilor Downs on Friday night.
It’s set to be a special occasion at Green Gully Reserve as the club celebrates its 70th anniversary, with fireworks, a live DJ, and plenty of tales from the storied history of the nine-time Victorian champions.
Gully twice fought back from a goal down in Round 16 against Hume City, with Adisu Bayew netting his first league goal for the club in six years, darting to the front post to meet a pinpoint Aamir Abdallah cross, and burying his own rebound.
Elioan Kifle levelled again in first-half stoppage time after Jalil Regague’s header struck the post, but it was Hume’s Rob Harker who netted the winner soon after the restart, latching onto a slide-rule pass from Josh O’Kane and firing across Liam Driscoll for his second goal of the game.
Bayew forced a sharp save from Damon Camilleri from an acute angle, before substitute Paul Hodges dragged a left-footed attempt inches wide of the far post, but a third equaliser of the night proved a bridge too far.
The result leaves Gully marooned in mid-table, comfortably nine points clear of the drop zone, but six points adrift of finals football. However, Gully will face four sides below them in the table over the next five rounds, as well as 7th-placed Dandenong City, so the next month presents a golden opportunity to move up in the standings.
Friday’s opponents will be desperate for a result. The Sharks were rooted to the bottom of the table before they parted ways with head coach John Markovski, but have experienced an uptick in fortunes since appointing former Zenit Saint Petersburg analyst Maxim Gaydovsky.
Gaydovsky led the Sharks to a shock 2-0 win over South Melbourne at Lakeside in his first game in charge, before going down 1-0 in a creditable display against Avondale at home. Last Friday’s 4-1 defeat away to the Oakleigh Cannons, however, will have alarm bells ringing at JL Murphy Reserve. Port Melbourne are still second from bottom, but three points could see them leapfrog Melbourne Victory and St Albans and climb out of the drop zone.
The Sharks will be buoyed by the return of Liston Diaz, who scored both goals in the first half against South Melbourne before he was withdrawn through injury at the interval. His return as a halftime substitute against Oakleigh suggests the lightning-quick forward could be fit to start against Gully, and with six goals in just six appearances this season – at a rate of 52 minutes per goal, by far the most efficient in the competition – the Sharks will be anxious to have their captain available again.
Gully will be eager to make amends for their defeat at JL Murphy Reserve in Round 4 – a 1-0 reverse thanks to a long-range bomb from Thomas Alisandratos in the 75th minute. The Cavaliers’ season has taken a U-turn since then, largely thanks to its recent home form, winning four matches in a row at Green Gully Reserve.
Can Gully make it five on Friday night, and celebrate 70 years in style? Kickoff is set for 7:30pm, but make sure you’re there early to catch all the pre-game entertainment. Bring your friends, family, ex-teammates and coaches – let’s make this a night to remember!
