Fatih Akdogan displays some fancy footwork during the Southern Stars’ 1-0 loss to Bentleigh on Saturday. By Paul Pickering
AN 86th-minute match-winner from Bentleigh’s Nick Tsaltas denied the Southern Stars a steadying draw at Noble Park’s Ross Reserve on Saturday.
The State League Division One soccer clash pitted the in-form Greens against a Stars side that had been stung by a 4-0 loss to the ladder-leading Sunshine Georgies the previous weekend.
After starting the season so promisingly, Stars coach Dean Hennessy was keen to see how his charges would respond on Saturday.
And, for the most part, he was impressed.
But as dusk settled on a gloomy afternoon, the Stars’ eagerness to break a 0-0 deadlock saw their defence exposed.
Tsaltas found himself on the end of an impeccably placed through ball and calmly slotted it past Stars goalkeeper Michael Sivulja.
It was a cruel blow for the Stars, who had seemed to have the better of the match, yet Hennessy was philosophical in defeat.
“It’s a bit disappointing, but that’s football,” he said.
“What can you do about it?”
While the Stars have now fallen to fourth on the table, Hennessy is confident that the loss to Sunshine has served its purpose.
“Sometimes you need a bit of a wakeup call, and I thought I got a good reaction from the guys on the weekend,” he said.
“It was just a shame because we definitely deserved a draw.”
Elsewhere in Division One, the Dandenong Thunder moved into fifth spot on the table with a workmanlike 1-0 win over Langwarrin.
Mohammed Alsakran’s second-half goal guided the Thunder to a vital away victory.
On Sunday, the Springvale White Eagles took a point from Sunshine Georgies in a first-half goalfest at the Serbian Sports Centre in Keysborough.
Miroslav Karac and Kruno Stanisic both scored in the first half to offset two goals from Sunshine’s Steven Manceski, but neither side could add to their total in the second half.
Meanwhile, in State League Division Three South-East, Springvale City fell to third on the table with a 1-0 loss at North Caulfield.
Heatherton United became Endeavour United’s first victim, losing 4-1 at Reema Reserve, while Doveton was pounded 5-1 in its clash with the Boroondara Eagles.
In State League Division Two South-East, South Springvale lost 3-0 to Chelsea at Warner Reserve.Round Eight match-ups: State League Division One: Southern Stars at FC Clifton Hill, Westgate at Dandenong Thunder, Springvale White Eagles at Bentleigh Greens. State League Division Two South-East: South Springvale at Casey Comets. State League Division Three South-East: Brandon Park at Springvale City, Croydon City at Doveton, North Caulfield at Heatherton United.
