Green Gully head into another six-pointer this Friday night, knowing that a win is all that will really do against their similarly beleaguered opponents, Dandenong Thunder.
Green Gully travel to JVS Stadium on Saturday evening to face a Thunder side in a similarly desperate situation heading into round 8.
The Cavaliers sit at the bottom of the NPL Victoria ladder, two points from seven rounds, but Thunder harbours just a two-point advantage over Gully, making this Saturday an encouraging opportunity for the boys to leapfrog a rival and make some gains in the standings.
Last round’s 1-1 draw at Altona last weekend was a step in the right direction, Scott Lochhead opening the scoring inside 11 minutes before Fabrizio levelled after the break.
A second point of the season, a second Lochhead goal, and proof that the Cavaliers can take the game to opponents away from home.
A cup loss to Goulburn Valley, 1-2 at Epping Stadium over Easter, Kifle equalising before Edwards won it in the 89th, was harder to swallow.
Green Gully was without Captain Matthew Crooks in the Cup game, with the full-back requiring stitches after suffering a wayward tackle in training, but he should be available for this critical game.
What the Gully coaching staff do need to find an answer for is finding the back of the net more regularly.
Three in seven league matches is the worst attacking return in the competition. The defensive record gets the attention, but the core issue is not being able to convert when chances come.
That has to change, and an away trip to Dandenong is as good a place as any to start.
Dandenong Thunder sit 12th on four points, one win and a draw from seven. Their own form has been poor, but JVS Stadium is a tight ground with a vocal home crowd, and Thunder will view this fixture the same way Gully should: as a genuine chance to pick up a win against a side in similar form.
The Cavaliers need to prove them wrong. Composure on the ball in the middle third, patience in the build-up, and clinical finishing when the chances arrive.
One goal changes the mood. One win changes the season.
