Green Gully go regional this Saturday as they travel to face Melbourne Victory at John McEwen Reserve in Shepparton, looking to continue a recent uptick in form.
The Cavaliers were forced to settle for a draw on Saturday against Altona Magic, despite having the majority of possession and chances at Paisley Park.
The result hinged on a penalty kick in the 87th minute, awarded to Gully after Kasper Hallam’s mazy run baited George Tsitsinaris into a trip just inside the penalty area. Gianluca Iannucci took on the responsibility from 12 yards, but his attempted panenka was swatted away by the trailing arm of Magic custodian Christian Rossi, and the match finished scoreless.
The draw leaves Gully in 12th spot in a densely-packed lower half of the NPL Victoria table, just two points behind Victory in 8th.
The A-League academy side have hit their straps over the last two weeks, with a 3-0 demolition of Port Melbourne followed by an impressive 2-1 win over Melbourne Knights at Somers Street. The Victory took an early lead through Jack Mihailidis, but had goalkeeper Daniel Graskoski to thank as they absorbed wave after wave of Knights pressure in the second half. Victory eventually wrapped up the win as Daniel Lazarevski’s pinpoint through ball found Jordan Hoey, who teed up his twin brother Jesse for what proved to be the winner, as the Knights could only muster a scrappy consolation goal through Steven Lawless.
Victory coach Boris Seroshtan now faces a defensive headache against Gully, with his most experienced central defender Damien Bozinovski forced off through injury in the 83rd minute. 19-year-old Parker Williams appears the most likely replacement, who has been left out of the starting XI since he was sent off against Avondale in Round 4.
The opportunity to play in Shepparton will appeal to Gully forward Iannucci, who grew up in nearby Cobram and represented the Goulburn Valley Suns, before joining the Melbourne City academy in 2017.
Gully’s search for goals will be boosted by the return of creative midfielder Adisu Bayew, who played a promising half hour off the bench against Altona, after struggling with injuries last season. Bayew came on for Aamir Abdallah, who had only just returned from international duty with Sudan, and the reigning NPL Victoria Gold Medallist should be fit for the full 90 minutes on Saturday.
John McEwen Reserve boasts an outstanding playing surface, which hosted the Joeys in AFC U17 Asian Cup Qualifying in 2023. The pitch should suit the technical quality of both teams, and we look forward to seeing the Shepparton locals and travelling Gully faithful come out in numbers for what should be a terrific spectacle. Kickoff is set for 4pm, with the U23s in action at 10am at the Home of the Matildas in Bundoora.
