HOPPERS Crossing found the best way to create doubt in the best defensive team in the Football Federation Victoria provisional league 2 north-west was to catch Epping City napping.
The Reds started fast, putting the home side on the back foot and they were shocked when it took 60 seconds to breach a defence that had conceded one goal in the previous 810 minutes.
Reds coach Joey Vella said his side had something to prove after the previous week’s loss to Upfield, their first loss of the season, and it showed in the opening exchanges of a 3-0 win at Duffy Street Reserve on Saturday. Prolific goalscorer Alister Smart got the final touch on a nicely worked team goal by the Reds which was started by a Gus Dos Santos throw in down the line to Khalil Assad, who spread the defence with a pass to Kevin Smart, who found his brother in the penalty box for the goal.
“That first goal put a bit of panic into them,” Vella said.
The next 15 minutes saw City strive to get back on level terms but that side constantly ran into a solid defence organised by Julian Zach.
The second goal came after a similar well-constructed piece of play to the first goal.
The Reds stretched City’s usually solid defence via good ball movement, with Assad crucial in the build-up.
Alister Smart was again on the end of it to make it a double.
“It was good timing for the goal,” Vella said of the second just before half-time. The boys were all pumped up. That was a killer blow for them.”
A piece of individual brilliance from
Tom Orndahl gave the Reds a third goal when he
gathered the ball out wide, made a solo run beyond the last defender and found the back of the net.
Assad, a ball of energy, and Zia Sherzai, who terrorised the full-back, were too much for the City defence to contain.
The Reds reclaimed top spot by inflicting City’s first loss of the season.
In the men’s metropolitan league, Truganina scored a 4-2 win over Northern United at Arndell Park on Saturday.
