FFA Cup action continues on Tuesday night.
It wasn’t too long ago that Fahid Ben Khalfallah and Michael Theo were winning championships in the A-League.
Today, they are preparing for another milestone, a record run in the FFA Cup for their NPL3 team Nunawading City.
A 2-1 win over NPL giants Heidelberg United in the last round, propelled Nunawading City to Round 5 of the competition for the first time in the club’s history.
And there was no doubt in anyone’s minds that this was the biggest win in the club’s history.
The 5 time championship winning A-League goalkeeper said it was a huge moment for the club and they now have the belief they can go deeper in the competition after drawing another NPL team, Dandenong City on Tuesday night.
“We know Dandenong City are without a win so far this season. We know it will be a difficult battle but if we can replicate what we showed against Heidelberg, we are confident of progressing,” Theo said.
Khalfallah, an exciting winger in his time at Melbourne Victory and winner of the 2014/5 Victory Medal has the added responsibility of being the club’s player coach. These days he’s playing as a centre half.
‘I’m a little older now, so I think this position suits me better.”
“We have great aspirations as a club and I believe we can progress further in the competition. We have been building together over the last few years and I’m really enjoying the challenge of coaching.
“I am still learning as a coach and still making mistakes, but I think it’s very important to do your learning at this level. I would like to coach at a higher level when the time is right but right now, my focus is on achieving something special with this group,” he said.
“We have taken this group from State League Division One and our objective this year to be promoted again and to progress in the FFA Cup. It is great to be back playing and I can see something special happening for this club over the next few years,” he said.
Nunawading will face Dandenong City play at Oakleigh’s home ground, Jack Edwards Reserve on Tuesday night.
For a list of other fixtures in Round 5 of the FFA Cup, click HERE.