PS4 NPL Victoria Preview: Round 14

Round 14 of PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria sees another one of the great rivalries in Victorian football as South Melbourne travels to Oakleigh.

Port Melbourne Sharks v Hume City
8.15pm, Friday, May 22, 2015
JL Murphy Reserve, Port Melbourne
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, ‪#‎PMvHC ‪#‎PS4NPLVIC

Last round:
Port Melbourne 1 - 1 Melbourne Knights
Pascoe Vale 1 - 0 Hume City

Form:
PM: DLDWD
HC: LWDDL

Last time they met:
Hume City 1 - 3 Port Melbourne

Louie Acevski signed three new forwards last week, and Hume still failed to score in its narrow loss to Pascoe Vale. Goals are the big problem for the boys from Broadmeadows. Hume has scored just two goals in its last five games, and one of those was from a penalty.

Friday's visitors need their new signings to gel, and gel quickly, if they're to solidify their spot in the top six - they're currently sitting in sixth by goal difference thanks to the work of goalkeeper Chris Oldfield, conceding six goals less than rivals Pascoe Vale.

Port Melbourne hasn't been poor this season, but the Sharks are a shadow of the side they were when they comfortably defeated Hume City in Round 1. It has only had one win its last five games, but two draws have come against leaders South Melbourne and fourth-placed Melbourne Knights.

But if the Sharks are to challenge the top four, they'll need to kickstart their season by repeating their performance from Round 1.

 

Pascoe Vale v Heidelberg United
8.30pm, Friday, May 22, 2015
CB Smith Reserve, Fawkner
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, ‪#‎PVvHU #PS4NPLVIC

Last round:
Pascoe Vale 1 - 0 Hume City  
Dandenong Thunder 1 - 6 Heidelberg United

Form:
PV: WLWLW
HU: WWDDW

Last time they met:
Heidelberg United 3 - 0 Pascoe Vale

In Round 1, Heidelberg United showed why it is a title contender this year. It was a confident, domineering performance from the 'Bergers, but Vitale Ferrante knows what he's coming up against this time around.

Heidelberg has been magnificent this year. Aside from a small blip on its record in Round 4, George Katsakis' men charges have been just about perfect. While they've lost mainstay Jakob Williams in this window - they've yet to replace him - it mattered little last week in a big 6-1 win over Dandenong Thunder.

Pascoe Vale has been steadily improving over the course of the season. While it has struggled to build a run, the 3-0 loss in Round 1 was well and truly its nadir so far this season. In fact since a 2-0 loss to Port Melbourne in Round 2, Pascoe Vale hasn't lost by more than one goal. How that defensive power fares against a free-scoring Heidelberg side that leads the table in goals for will be interesting.

 

Oakleigh Cannons v South Melbourne
8.30pm, Friday, May 22, 2015
Jack Edwards Reserve, Oakleigh
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #OCvSM #PS4NPLVIC

Last round:
Oakleigh Cannons  1 - 2 Bentleigh Greens
Northcote City 1 - 2 South Melbourne

Form:
OC: LWWLL
SM: WDWWW

Last time they met:
South Melbourne 1 - 0 Oakleigh Cannons

Oakleigh faces a tough challenge for the second week in a row. It almost pulled off the unthinkable last week against Bentleigh. Despite going down a man after Ben Clarke's red card, Oakleigh kept the lead for an hour against a very strong Bentleigh side. But tired legs caught up with Oakleigh and eventually Bentleigh got a 2-1 win over its rivals.

That performance should give the Cannons confidence though. If they play as well as they did last week, South won't be able to take anything for granted. South Melbourne's undefeated streak continues, and they've now surpassed that same streak from last year.

But in 2014, it came to an end at Jack Edwards Reserve in Round 13. There's a lot of bad juju for Chris Taylor at this ground, and he'll need to keep his team mentally strong coming into the match to avoid a repeat.

That's where the challenge lies for Taylor; on the pitch, his team has been solid. Brennan and Lujic have been magnificent. Roganovic has been solid in goals. Its defence has not had any major issues. If Oakleigh is to get anything from this game, it will need to shut down that Brennan-Lujic combination before it gets going.

 

Avondale FC v Melbourne Knights
3.00pm, Saturday, May 23, 2015
Avondale Heights Reserve, Avondale Heights
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, #AFCvMK #PS4NPLVIC

Last round:
Avondale FC 1 - 4 Green Gully
Port Melbourne 1 - 1 Melbourne Knights

Form:
AFC: WDLLL
MK: WLDWD

Last time they met:
Melbourne Knights 3 - 1 Avondale FC

45 minutes into the first time these two teams met, people must have been thinking Avondale could pull of a giant upset. The newly-promoted side took the lead through a Chris Irwin chip, and went into the break the better of the two sides.

It could have been a slow start from the Knights, but Andrew Marth will be reminding his players they will need to be wary of Avondale from the first whistle. Avondale has had a tough month; coach Anthony Barbieri will be desperate for a win to shake his side's three-game losing streak.

Last week's 1-4 loss to Green Gully would have come as a shock to Avondale - two losses before that to Bentleigh and South Melbourne were understandable, and Avondale's performances admirable. But that result will have hurt them, and Barbieri has some soul-searching to make sure it isn't repeated against the Knights.

On the other hand, the Knights haven't been perfect over the last month either with eight points from a possible 15. They'll need a win here to assert their spot in the top six.

 

North Geelong Warriors v Bentleigh Greens
3.00pm, Saturday, May 23, 2015
Elcho Park, Lara
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, ‪#‎NGWvBG #PS4NPLVIC

Last round:
North Geelong Warriors 0 - 2 Werribee City
Oakleigh Cannons  1 - 2 Bentleigh Greens

Form:
NGW: LLDDL
BG: WWWWW

Last time they met:
Bentleigh Greens 2 - 0 North Geelong Warriors

The first half of the season has not been kind to North Geelong, picking up a mere five points. Losing its top scorer Robert Zadworny certainly didn't help the side in its 2-0 loss to Werribee last week, and the Warriors are precariously placed at the bottom of the ladder.

They have moved to sign Moreland City forward Gareth Richards, and will need him to put on his scoring boots quickly to start the long and arduous climb out of the relegation zone. On the flip side, life couldn't get much better for Bentleigh Greens.

The side has now accumulated six consecutive wins, and are the only other team which hasn't been defeated yet this term. New signing Ryan Love and the returning Luke O'Dea will boost the Greens this week, and with Ryan De Vries due to arrive soon, they look poised for a serious title challenge this season.

It will be a tall order for North Geelong, and it will need to bring its very best to ensure it can get anything out of this game.

 

Northcote City v Green Gully
3.00pm, Saturday, May 23 2015
John Cain Memorial Park, Northcote
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, ‪#‎NCvGG #PS4NPLVIC

Last round:
Northcote City 1 - 2 South Melbourne
Oakleigh Cannons  1 - 2 Bentleigh Greens

Form:
NC: WLWLL
GG: LLLLW

Last time they met:
Green Gully 4 - 1 Northcote City

It took six weeks and a change in coach, but Green Gully finally got its win. Out went Bob Stojcevski and Gully stalwart Rodrigo Vargas and Stephen Downes taking the reigns together. It paid dividends for Gully as they took a massive 4-1 away win at Avondale FC.

Gully needs to back it up this weekend with another big performance. The win last week against Avondale FC was invaluable, giving them the jump on rivals Avondale and putting them in to seventh. While last week, falling into the relegation zone was a distinct possibility, this week, a win will bring them a lot closer to safety, and even the top six.

Meanwhile, Northcote's last two losses have left it just two points away from the relegation playoff, and three clear from automatic relegation. At this point of the season, just three points separate eighth place and the playoff relegation spot.

 

Dandenong Thunder v Werribee City
7.00pm, Saturday, May 23, 2015
George Andrews Reserve, Dandenong
Twitter: Live updates @nplvictoria, ‪#‎DTvWC #PS4NPLVIC

Last round:
Dandenong Thunder 1 - 6 Heidelberg United
North Geelong Warriors 0 - 2 Werribee City

Form:
DT: WLDLL
WC: DDLWW

Last time they met:
Werribee City 1 - 2 Dandenong Thunder

Dandenong has had a lean May to date, picking only a point to bottom side North Geelong Warriors, and losing heavily to Oakleigh Cannons, South Melbourne and Heidelberg United. After conceding 11 goals in its two games, Stuart Munro has brought in keeper Anthony Saric from Avondale FC to try and shore up the leakiest defence in the league.

Munro has also boosted his attacking stocks, bringing in Brodie Paterson from Casey Comets and Nelson Salvatore from Ballarat Red Devils, two moves sure to provide excitement for the fans.
Meanwhile, Werribee City has hit form.

Needing to win games against teams in and around them, the Bees have shone with two wins in a row against Oakleigh and the Warriors to jump out of the relegation zone, but they need to keep up their winning ways to stay out of it. Thunder took the points at Galvin Park back in Round 1, but the stubborn Werribee outfit has improved over the course of the season. A win for either side will go a long way in their own survival bids.

 

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