The Oakleigh Cannons have booked their place in the NPL Victoria semi-finals after a 2-0 win at home against Hume City in their Elimination Final at Jack Edwards Reserve.
A date with Avondale in the semi-final awaits the Cannons after yet another impressive performance at home – extending their unbeaten streak to 18.
Goals either side of the break to Wade Dekker and Matt Foschini booked Oakleigh’s place in the semi-final, with the big story of the match being the injury to Hume goalkeeper Michael Weier in the build up to Foschini’s sealer.
This was the fourth meeting between the two sides this season – with Hume having beaten the Cannons twice, once in the league and in the FFA Cup.
Despite a shaky start to the match, the Cannons carried their impressive league form into the first week of the finals – defeating a Hume City side they had not beaten during the season.
The win sees Oakleigh in yet another semi-final, this time away to Avondale with the match set to be played on Saturday September 7 at 2:00pm.
Benteligh Greens overcome Green Gully
Finals football can be a cruel spectacle; one in which the form guide is thrown out and a season’s worth of work can be culled in a cruel instant. Such was the case for Green Gully on Saturday afternoon, as the side from Melbourne’s Northwest eliminated from contention for the 2019 NPL Victoria Championship by Daniel Stynes 43rd minute goal for the Bentleigh Greens.
It didn’t matter that Bentleigh hadn’t won a game since July 12 on Saturday afternoon, that they had failed to register a win over a top-six side since June or that they were operating at the command of their third Head Coach of the season: all that mattered for the boys from Kingston Heath is that they will now move on to a meeting with Premiers Heidelberg United in next week’s semi-finals.
In a strange twist of fate, the remaining four clubs standing – Bentleigh, Avondale, Heidelberg and Oakleigh – are the same quartet that endured at this stage in 2018.
In the semifinals a season ago, the Cannons took eventual Champions Heidelberg United to penalties at Olympic Village before succumbing 5-4 in the shootout whilst Avondale staged one of the most incredible comebacks in footballing history when they scored three goals in four minutes at the end of the second period of extra time to reverse a 3-1 deficit and defeat Bentleigh 4-3.
NPL Finals
Saturday, 7 September
Avondale –
Oakleigh Cannons, 2.00 pm.
(Avenger Park)
Heidelberg United –
Bentleigh Greens, 6.00 pm.
(JlL Murphuy Reserve)
