Tara Murray
Hoppers Crossing is finally on the board in the FV state league 2 north-west competition.
After being so close to getting their first win of the season the last couple of weeks, the Reds were able to find a way to get the points against Hume United on Saturday, winning 2-1.
Reds coach Kevin Smart told Hoppers SC TV he was thrilled to see the playing group finally get some reward for effort.
“We showed some good maturity,” he said. “I thought we started really, it was very positive.
“We looked solid in our backline as the luck has had this year, they scored and you go 1-0 down.
“I thought the boys responded really well.
“The group has all stuck together even when its looked dire. I could not ask for a better bunch of boys who are putting in the effort week in week out.”
Hume hit the front within 15 minutes before the Reds scored an equaliser before half time.
Smart said they went too high and stuffed around with the ball which saw them concede.
The Reds goal was via a rebound after a penalty shot,
“The rub of the green [and] luck goes our way,” Smart said.
“The boys deserve that luck after the last couple of weeks where the ball doesn’t seem to go our way, today it does.”
Early in the second half both teams attacked heavily and Smart said it was a good game to watch from the side lines.
The game changed when Hume United goalkeeper Kaede Kosaka was given a red card.
“Against 10 men doesn’t always result in a win, as we’ve seen against Mill Park,” he said.
“The boys were switched on and we didn’t change anything and kept playing the way we wanted to play.”
Christopher Widmar-Mavrantonis and Harry Kilpatrick were the goal scorers for the Reds.
Smart said it was good to bring some younger players on the field in the back half of the match to give them more experience.
The win moves the Reds to five points for the season.
They still sit bottom but are now only two points behind Geelong Rangers.
This week the Reds face Craigieburn City which sits in 10th spot.
Smart said their focus remains on what they’re doing.
“We don’t worry about what the other team is doing,” he said. “We worry about what we are doing, look to be defensive, play the football we have the last three weeks.
“We’ve played really good football, we’ve looked like scoring and we’ve looked the better team.”
In state league 3 north-west, Point Cook had a 1-0 win against Brunswick Zebras.
Hakan Bayrakli was the goal scorer.
It was the Jets second win of the season but they remain bottom of the table.
In state league 4 west, West Point lost to Surf Coast 2-1, while Truganina Hornets lost to Keilor Wolves, 2-1.
Both Tarneit United and Wyndham suffered losses in state league 5 west to Lara United and Maidstone United respectively.
Tara Murray
