Super season ahead for south east

By Glen Atwell
SOCCER is alive and kicking in south east Melbourne.
The Football Federation Victoria State League Three South East division burst into action on the weekend after a delay due to the drought with the first of 22 action-packed rounds.
Fixture rescheduling resulted in only two of six games being played on Saturday, with the remaining four postponed until the Queen’s Birthday weekend.
Team promotion after the 2006 season has led to the formation of a ‘super south east’ league that will keep local soccer fans warm as toast during the coming winter months.
Berwick City, Doveton, Endeavour United, Springvale City and Southern Suburbs are the local teams contesting the State League Three South East division this year.
The exciting schedule means a number of appetising local derbies will be served up to spectators from as early as 28 April, when Doveton hosts Berwick City at Waratah Reserve. Endeavour United president David Reeves said he had waited a while to see all the local teams align in the same division.
“It’s been a very long time coming,” he said. “We’ll see big crowds, big games and top-quality competition.”
Doveton and Springvale City were promoted to State League Three after finishing first and second in the top south east provisional league last year.
But which team is the one to watch? Reeves believes Endeavour United is ready to win the championship.
“It’s time this year, the team is ready to fire,” he said.
Berwick City Soccer Club president Perry Mur said soccer was enjoying a growth spurt in the region and Berwick was attracting a lot of local talent.
“We have over 500 players signed to our club across all the teams,” he said. “We have 80 to 90 senior women playing and the average age of our top men’s team is only 21.
“We’re a young exciting team.”
On Saturday Doveton defeated Southern Suburbs 1-0, thanks to a magnificent Glen Bristow strike, however Berwick City lost 1-0 to Mooroolbark.
This Saturday, the entire division kicks off. Springvale City hosts Fitzroy, Frankston welcomes Endeavour United, Berwick travels to Morwell and Southern Suburbs play Nunawading City.