WERRIBEE City took full advantage of a 10-man Whittlesea Ranges with a crushing 4-1 win to consolidate its place in the Football Federation Victoria men’s state league 1 top four.
The Bees are on an exhilarating ride with a 22 points from their past 10 matches to be one of the in-form teams in the competition, although it has not always been so smooth sailing.
Click on the image below for our gallery of the game against the Ranges.
The young and developing team experienced teething problems with just two draws from the opening five matches, while a move to a makeshift base at Arndell Park Reserve and a constant battle with injuries offered nuisance value.
Bees coach Nino Ragusa and his players refused to let those issues cripple their season.
The second-year man-in-charge has educated and tweaked in order to escape from the stress of sitting in the relegation rungs on the ladder.
All of a sudden, the Bees are sitting pretty in fourth, trailing top side Port Melbourne Sharks by only seven points with a game in hand.
Ragusa credits on-the-run adjustments made by his team for their convincing three-goal win in the wet over Ranges at Arndell Park on Sunday.
The Ranges scored the first goal inside 10 minutes but the Bees reacted swiftly and
got back on level terms with a goal from young striker Simon Zappia in the 24th minute.
They also had the bonus of playing with an extra man after the referee gave a Ranges player his marching orders just before the break.
It took a long time for the Bees to make it count, but when they did, it came with a three-goal avalanche with attacking midfielder Leigh Minopoulos putting them into the lead in the 73rd, captain Milan Savic adding another in the 84th and Zappia making his a double in stoppage time.
The brilliance of Minopoulos was key for the Bees and Zappia continued his remarkable form in front of goal.
The teenager is one of the rising stars of this division with 11 goals to his name.
“Put it into perspective, he’s a 19-year-old boy,” Ragusa said.
“Only five players in the league last year managed to reach double figure goals.
“It’s a magnificent achievement. He’s just got that knack, he wily, he’s very clever.”
The Bees have a tough away trip to Sunshine George Cross on Saturday.
SCORES
FFV
SL1: Werribee City 4 Whittlesea Ranges 1
PL2: Hoppers Crossing 3 Western Eagles 1
MML: Truganina 0 Mill Park 5
