Tara Murray
Werribee City showed plenty of character to come from behind against Goulburn Valley Suns on Saturday in the National Premier League 2 competition.
Trailing 2-1 half time, the Bees put out a stunning second half performance to get the 3-2 win and remain undefeated after two rounds.
For Bees coach Frank Petricca it was a chance for the side to show what they are made of early in the season.
He said it would give the playing group plenty of confidence throughout the season.
“It was time to show some character,” he said. “To show some character and forge our own identity.
“There was still 45 minutes to go and they could show what they could do. They dominated the second half.”
The first half was all the Bees early as they dominated the first 20-25 minutes of the game. Petricca said they let the Suns back into the game with a couple of fundamental mistakes.
They would prove costly, with the Suns scoring twice.
In the second half, Nemanja Spasojevic scored twice for the Bees, while Suns wouldn’t have a shot.
Despite having won their first two games, Petricca said they were still not putting pressure and expectations on themselves.
The Bees won just two games in 2021 and were sitting bottom when the season was called off due to the pandemic. Football Victoria decided not to implement promotion and relegation.
After the tough season, the Bees reshuffled their playing list.
“After last year, we’ve really tried to promote youth,” he said. “Young guys need to be gettin game time at this age.
“Giving them a game not just at Werribee, but in the NPL, is what is needed.
“We have no expectations or points figure we are aiming for. It’s about following processes and team structure and see what happens.
“There’s a great team morale and atmosphere.“
Petricca said the average age of the group was about the 21 or 22 mark with the oldest player 25.
“Across the board there are a lot of guys that are exciting to watch,” he said.
“It’s the next soldier up process, that when one player is tired, the next one steps up.“
It was a big week for the Bees, playing in the Australia Cup mid-week. The side lost 4-1 to the Bentleigh Greens and were knocked out of the competition.
Petricca said they used the match as a chance to give some guys who haven’t got a lot of minutes early in the season on the field.
“The game served a purpose.”
