Battle lines drawn

By Stuart Teather
SOCCER was back on the weekend after a break over Easter and Dandenong City fought out a 1-1 draw with local rival Casey Comets in State League Two South East action.
It may not have been an ideal result for City but the draw got the side off the bottom of the ladder, moving a point clear of the winless Kingston.
City was in control of the match early with a goal to Steven Topalovic, but a third red card in as many weeks took the sting out of Dandenong’s attack, with striker Joseph Petruzalek getting called for spitting.
Coach Toby Paterson said he did not see the incident, but intended to appeal any lengthy suspension handed down.
“One of their players alleged he spat in his direction, the linesman was called over by the referee and he was given a straight red card,” he said. “I spoke to him and if I thought he’d done that he wouldn’t have played for me again, but given the way I know him, there was no intention there. We have to wait for the report to come in from the referee’s report and we’ll certainly appeal it.”
Despite being a man down City held its lead for most of the game, but the Comets hit back on a breakaway in the 81st minute to equalise, sealing the tie.
In other State League Two games, South Springvale went down 2-1 to Malvern at Jack Edwards Reserve.
Fikret Korkaric scored for the Souths but it was not enough to get them over the line, and the side remains on one point for the season.
Heatherton United was belted 4-1 by Doncaster at Anderson Park on Friday night, with the Rovers finding the back of the net with ease.
In State League One, the Southern Stars picked up their first win of the season with a 2-0 win over Bentleigh, while Springvale White Eagles went down to Bulleen 2-1 at White Eagles Stadium.
In State League Three South East, Springvale City took the points in the local derby with Noble Park United, getting up 3-2 at Parkfield Reserve.