A PERFECT nine wins from nine starts has Hoppers Crossing issuing a come-and-get-us challenge to all clubs bar one in the Football Federation Victoria men’s provisional league 2 north-west.
The Reds and fellow ladder leader Epping City have opened up a 10-point gap on the other competitors and the division is fast becoming a two-horse race.
Coach Joey Vella told the Weekly the next three weeks would shape the Reds’ season, with games against second, third and fourth-ranked sides.
Those games will invite more teams into the premiership race or make it nigh on impossible for them to catch up to th top two.
“We’ve got a big three weeks,” Vella said. “All the top-four teams play each other. They’ve got to come and beat us.”
The Reds are reaping the rewards of a settled squad, with Vella seldom needing to dig deep into reserves resources and those in his senior line-up are playing with the consistency and look of a side that has been together for a couple of years.
The Reds negotiated a bumpy surface that rendered their usually free-flowing game plan obsolete in a gritty 3-1 win over West Preston at Oulton Reserve on Saturday.
Vella admitted it was not one of the Reds’ better performances after they returned from the Queen’s Birthday break a bit sluggish.
“It was a scrappy game for us,” Vella said.
“The result is probably the only thing we can take out of it. We were a bit flat coming off a week off and the bumpy surface made it hard for us to play our usual game.”
The Reds controlled play in the opening 10 minutes but that did not stop West Preston from registering the first goal.
The visitors got on the board after 25 minutes when central midfield and player of the match Julian Zach headed a Gus Dos Santos corner into the West Preston goalkeeper only for the ball to rebound back to his feet for an easy tap in.
The Reds had a deserving lead five minutes before half-time when Alister Smart pounced on a defensive error from the home team.
The three points were secured 10 minutes after the break when Zia Sherzai carried the ball into the penalty area and was brought down, allowing left back Dos Santos to step up and score the resulting penalty.
With an impressive nine wins from nine starts, Vella could not be happier with the way the Reds are travelling and says it has a lot to do with the settled line-up.
“It’s been pretty consistent. We’ve been able to stick with the same 13 or 14 and that’s what you want,” he said.
“Their maturity is showing this season and being together for two years as a team has made a difference.”
Werribee City is precariously placed two points above the state league 1 drop zone.
The Bees gave up three points at home in a 2-1 loss to FC Bulleen Lions at Arndell Park Reserve on Sunday.
SCORES
SL1: Werribee City 1 lt FC Bulleen Lions 2.
PL2: West Preston 1 lt Hoppers Crossing 3.
MML: Truganina v Tullamarine City – postponed.
