As the home and away season nears a conclusion, a season defining Round of action kicks-off this Sunday.
The race for the Premiers Plate is now over with South Melbourne FC clinching the top-placed finish following a 1-0 victory over Dandenong City last week. Relegation seems all but certain - barring a miracle for one side – meaning the main intrigue this weekend lies with the remaining finals positions.
Avondale v South Melbourne
South Melbourne secured home and away supremacy over the league with a 79th-minute Marcus Schroen goal handing the home side a 1-0 victory over Dandenong City.
This Sunday the league leaders will travel to Avenger Park to take on the fifth-placed Avondale FC with the chance to remove their opponents from the finals equation.
Avondale kept their finals hopes alive in Round 25, defeating Heidelberg United 4-1 in game that had held immense weight in the finals race.
Yusuf Ahmed opened the scoring in the seventh minute, before Kristian Trajceski (30) and Liston Diaz (40) capped off a dream first half for the Avengers.
Kristian Trajceski scored his second goal for the match to create a four-goal buffer and an unassailable lead with Heidelberg ace Kaine Sheppard scoring a stoppage-time goal to provide some consolation for the Bergers.
The Avengers head into the game off heartbreaking midweek defeat to Brisbane Roar.
Avondale pushed the A-League side to the brink on Wednesday night in the Australia Cup Round of 16, in front of a packed house at Valley Park. Despite losing in a penalty shootout, Avondale showed they are hitting form at the right time of the season and three points here would guarantee a finals berth in 2022.
In Round 13 when the teams last met it was one of the games of the season. South Melbourne fought back from 3-0 down after an early Avondale onslaught to claim a famous 4-3 victory.
Dandenong City v Bentleigh Greens
Dandenong City is three points behind Hume City in 12th position two and while it may be mathematically possible to escape relegation, a miracle may be in order to catch up on goal difference.
In round 25, Dandenong City played their hearts out until the final whistle, falling agonisingly one goal short of the ladder-leading South Melbourne.
Bentleigh Greens head into the game after suffering a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Port Melbourne, which has opened the door for Heidelberg United to leapfrog them in the final if they aren’t to secure all three points.
When the two sides last met in round 13 it was Bentleigh Greens who came away with a hard fought 2-1 victory.
After a tense first half, the two sides couldn’t be split until Tom Strickland opened the scoring for the home side in the 60th minute. In the 74th minute, Dandenong City captain Nicholas Kalmar leveled the match with a brilliant strike from a set piece, sending the ball rocketing into the top left-hand corner.
With time running out it was Bentleigh Greens’ Yagoub Mustafa who slotted the ball into the back of the net in the 80th minute to win the game for his side. Mustafa has returned from injury at an integral point in the season for the Greens, proving to be the hero in the Dockerty Cup Final on his return to the side two weeks ago.
Head Coach Nick Tolios will head into the game knowing the Greens hold their finals fate in their own hands. Simply put, a win would guarantee a top six finish.
Eastern Lions v Heidelberg United
The same luxury can’t be afforded to George Katsakis’ side. Sitting in seventh the Bergers need to win and hope Bentleigh or Avondale drop points.
An unlikely third option does offer a pathway into the finals – if all three win the Bergers would have to make up a six-goal goal-difference to overtake the Greens.
Two losses on the trot to Green Gully then Avondale – both at Olympic Village – have dented Heidelberg’s finals aspirations, but the Club has shown an ability to beat anyone on their day throughout 2022.
If results do go their way, Warriors fans will be optimistic that they can make a deep finals push.
Their hosts, the bottom-placed Lions have had a challenging year but undoubtedly will be keen to finish off their season on a high this Sunday.
The 7-0 drubbing at the hands of Green Gully last week was very much against the grain of recent performances, with the Lions previously earning draws against St Albans Saints and Hume City.
The two sides played out a 2-2 draw when they faced off for the first time this season in May.
Chudiar Tharjiath opened the scoring for Heidelberg in the 11th minute, before 11 minutes later Konstantinos Stratomitros headed through a brilliant set piece Ioannis Georgopoulos at the back post.
On the eve of half-time, Georgopoulos showed ice-cold composure as he slotted through a goal from the penalty spot before Kaine Sheppard quickly responded for Heidelberg early in the second half to level the game.
Dandenong Thunder v Green Gully
Green Gully travels to Dandenong this weekend, having already sealed fourth spot.
With finals out of the equation for Dandenong, the prospect of ending the season on a high will be the aim for Thunder following a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Hume last week which ruled them out of finals.
Dandenong gained the lead in the 55th minute with Brayden Mann finishing off a terrifically constructed team goal. Hume struck back in the 73rd minute with Sam Ford coming off the bench with immediate effect before Mark Ochieng sealed the victory for Hume with a tantalising 87-minute solo run.
Green Gully got the better of Dandenong Thunder in round 13, winning 3-0 in front of their home fans.
Luc Jeggo broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute with a death touch past the keeper, before Mamadi Kamara and Nahuel Bonada sealed the victory with late goals.
Gully head into the game on a three game winning streak and look to be one of the key players heading into the finals series.
Port Melbourne v Melbourne Knights
Port Melbourne will also look to continue to build momentum ahead of the finals and hold onto second spot this Sunday, when they host the ninth-placed Melbourne Knights.
The Sharks defeated Bentleigh Greens 1-0 last weekend, picking up a vital three points. Chris Duggan slid through the match-winner in the first minute of the second half.
The win was the Sharks third in a row – and all against strong opposition. A pair of 2-1 wins against South Melbourne and Avondale proves that Port Melbourne are the real deal heading into the business end of the season and that the team is peaking at the right time of the season.
The Knights drew 1-1 with the Altona Magic at home in Round 25 with Mohammad Sumaoro opening the scoring with a powerful strike inside the box.
The last time they met was back in Round 13, where Josh Wilkins was the difference between the two sides as the Sharks defeated the Knights 0-1.
Oakleigh Cannons v Hume City
A top-two finish is on the line for Oakleigh if results fall their way, while Hume has the chance to finish their season on a stunning streak following a dire first half of the season.
The Cannons head into the game having suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat at the hands of the 10th placed St Albans Saints, conceding in the dying seconds of the match. The loss was the Cannons’ third defeat in four games, an unlikely drop off in form after being a dominant force for much of 2022.
Despite the loss coach Chris Taylor will no doubt be optimistic of a strong finish to 2022. If the Knights can draw or defeat Port Melbourne and the Cannons win, a top two spot will be assured.
Opponents Hume defeated Dandenong Thunder 2-1 in a spirited performance to mathematically avoid relegation last week. After being rooted to the bottom of the table early on in 2022, the Club has battled valiantly in the back-end of the season and fans will be full of optimism heading into the 2023 season.
Oakleigh defeated Hume 2-1 earlier in the season with Joe Knowles’ 75th-minute goal proving the difference in the match.
Altona Magic v St Albans Saints
With both sides out of finals contention, Altona and St Albans will use the final round of the season as a launching pad for next year.
St Albans in particular will be thrilled with survival in 2022 after being bottom of the table in 2021 before the season suspension.
The Magic managed to salvage a 1-1 draw with the Melbourne Knights in round 25 after Melbourne’s Mohammad Sumaoro scored the first goal.
Altona leveled the match in the 63rd minute after Robert Harding scored from a brilliant James Xydias cross.
St Albans once again proved that on any given day they can take it up to the top sides, having defeated the second-placed Oakleigh Cannons last weekend. James Temelkovski scored a dramatic game-winning goal in the 96th minute.
In round 13, Altona defeated St Albans 4-0 in a convincing display. With the shackles off for both Clubs in this clash, fans will be hopeful of an entertaining season finale.