The chase for the finals is well and truly on.
Green Gully must shake off last week’s defeat to the Oakleigh Cannons and head to Hume City knowing victory gives them every chance of reclaiming a place in the top six.
After heading into the sheds a goal down on Friday night, Josh Hope’s towering header looked to have given Gully a way back into the game. But the Cannons responded immediately with two wonder strikes – first, a stunning long-range chip from Joe Guest, followed by a net-busting drive from Cameron McGilp – to send the Cavaliers home empty-handed. The scoreline will feel somewhat harsh on the visitors, who largely matched Oakleigh in chances and attacking impetus.
Gully has beaten Hume just once in their last five meetings, stretching back to 2023. Ajax’s recent record at Nasiol Stadium, however, paints a different picture: three wins and a draw in five trips to Broadmeadows.
The visitors will be wary of the threat posed by Josh Bingham, who has four goals in his last nine appearances against Green Gully. Conversely, Aamir Abdallah will no doubt be keen to impress against his former side, after beating Michael Weier from the penalty spot in a 1-1 draw in Round 2. Abdallah is fifth in the NPL Victoria Golden Boot standings with eight goals, while Hume’s top scorers Birkan Kirdar and Lloyd Isgrove have netted four apiece.
Another subplot will play out in the visiting technical area, with former Hume head coach David Chick and assistant Craig Filer returning to Nasiol Stadium for the first time.
Hume looked destined for defeat away at Dandenong Thunder on Saturday night, but emerged with an unlikely point, thanks to Rob Harker’s 93rd-minute equaliser. The Englishman was making just his fourth appearance of the season, but took Harry Ascroft’s crossfield pass confidently on the chest before striking from the edge of the area, the bounce of the ball deceiving Jamie Young in the Thunder goal.
Hume City have been the bellwether of the competition this season, tending to beat the teams below them on the NPL Victoria table – as evidenced by a run of four successive wins over Port Melbourne, Melbourne Knights, Melbourne Victory and St Albans Dinamo. Gully will have to buck this trend to claim the three points.
A win would propel Gully ahead of Hume on goal difference and into sixth place, if Thunder defeats City in the Dandenong Derby earlier in the evening. Kickoff is set for 8:30pm, and we hope to see as many Cavaliers fans as possible make the trip to Broadmeadows for what is sure to be a cracking contest!
