Stars continue to shine

By Stuart Teather
SOUTHERN Stars continued their excellent form on Saturday, defeating Bentleigh 1-0 in their round 18 State League Division One clash.
The two teams were equal on points before the game, both one win behind the top two, and both well and truly in the battle for promotion.
With the win the Stars remain on the heels of second-placed Dandenong, while Bentleigh drops two games back and is essentially out of the promotion race with just four games to go this season.
Berkan Sakaci was the man responsible for the win, with his second half header finding the back of the net and securing the win for the Stars.
Stars coach Dean Hennessy said his side was down on its form of recent weeks.
“We didn’t play very well — the last five weeks we’ve played great football… to be fair in the first half we were poor, they were better than we were,” he said.
“But there is a confidence and belief that even if we don’t play well, we can still win.”
The win adds to an incredible run of form for the Stars, who have now won six games in a row, including matches against first and fourth, since their draw against Langwarrin way back in round 12.
“Six in a row now, it’s been an unbelievable run,” Hennessy said. “To the boys’ credit they’ve really knuckled down over the last few weeks. The pressure is still on us but we’ve responded well to the pressure… we just need to make sure we don’t get carried away.”
Dandenong Thunder kept their quest for promotion on track on Saturday with a 2-0 defeat of Langwarrin.
Langwarrin came out hard early and played an aggressive, physical brand of football, but the Thunder were able to absorb the pressure and the side’s superior technical skills began to show.
While the scoresheet remained blank at half-time, the Thunder broke the game open after the break, with Ryan Davidson and Joseph Di Iorio both scoring to propel their side to the win.
The Thunder have now gone 15 games without a loss, and are looking the goods to secure one of the two promotion spots, a game clear of the Stars in third place and just a point behind ladder leaders Sunshine.
The Springvale White Eagles went down to ladder leaders Sunshine in a close match at Chaplin Reserve.
The White Eagles held the Georgies scoreless in the first half, but Wayne Wallace got the breakthrough in the second half and the Georgies took the win 1-0.
In State League Two South East, South Springvale fell 2-0 to Chelsea at HD Thomas Reserve.
The scores were tied at half-time, but Chelsea powered on in the second half to record the win, and jumped Springvale on the ladder.
Doveton turned its form around in its State League Three South East match on Saturday, defeating Boroondara 3-1 to record its first win in its last five games.
The win was crucial for the Doves to stay clear of the relegation zone in a jam-packed division, where any team from fourth to 12th could still find itself down a division next year.
Leon Buhic scored twice and Edemer Garcia once in the win, while Adriano Ardesi scored for the Eagles.
In other games, Heatherton United held onto second spot with a 2-1 win against Endeavour United, and Springvale City tied with North Caulfield 0-0.