Vodafone Premier League round 24 preview

Friday, 29 July 2005

Round 24 of the Vodafone Premier League will prove to be pivotal for all sides hoping to make the Finals Series and it will also produce the result that will condemn the first VPL club to relegation.

The stars have aligned nicely for the do or die meeting between hosts Altona Magic and the Melbourne Knights. As Altona coach Ken Murphy put it “we have both come from nowhere, we have dropped and they have risen all of a sudden.”

Altona’s shock 4-2 loss to strugglers St Albans Saints highlights the Magic’s inconsistent form of late considering they had beaten ladder counterparts, Oakleigh Cannons the week before. In contrast, the Knights have become Finals contenders after a four-week revival, which has earned them three wins and draw. Under newly appointed coach Joe Biskic the Knights are inspired and will definitely prove to be formidable opponents against Altona.

“Our biggest challenge will be their momentum. They’ve got the confidence and they are on a roll but we plan to do something about it,” said Murphy.

The Magic will need to tighten up their defence, which cost them two late goals and ultimately the game against the Saints last week, “…we need to increase our focus and avoid slip-ups so we don’t give away any goals,” added Murphy.

The match kicks off at 5.30pm on Saturday at Paisley Park, Altona.

Sunday football produces another very consequential meeting between second-placed Heidelberg United and fourth-placed Fawkner/Whittlesea Blues. The quiet achieving Blues are on an exquisite roll in which they have been undefeated for ten rounds. Most recently the Blues have won three and drawn two, which were against the in-form Preston Lions and league leaders Green Gully.

Equally as impressive is Heidelberg United, which is also in top form but dropped two points against the Royals last week in a 1-1 draw. Both sides are strong title contenders and the winner has the potential to shoot up to the top of the table.

Heidelberg is expected to be boosted by the return of Joe Tricarico and Yusef Yusef who were both missing from the side that drew against Essendon on Monday night.

The match kicks-off at 3pm on Sunday at the Olympic Village, Heidelberg.

This Sunday also sees relegation candidates St Albans Saints and Bentleigh Greens go head to head in a massive encounter that will almost certainly reveal the first club to be demoted to State League One. The Saints lead the Greens by one point and go into this match with a fine 4-2 victory behind them. The Greens were on the receiving end of a 4-2 score-line against Fawkner/Whittlesea last week but in such a high-tension match nothing is certain and the points could go either way.

The match kicks-off at 3pm on Sunday at Churchill Reserve, St Albans.

Other matches in round 24 include:

Oakleigh Cannons v Sunshine Georgies- Friday, 29 July@8.15pm, Jack Edwards Reserve, Oakleigh.

Frankston Pines v Preston Lions- Saturday, 30 July@3pm, Monterey Reserve, Frankston.

South Melbourne v Essendon Royals- Sunday, 31 July@5.15pm, Bob Jane Stadium, Albert Park.

Bulleen Zebras v Green Gully Cavaliers- Monday, 01 August@ 8.15pm, Veneto Club, Bulleen.