Melbourne City has won over plenty of new admirers after an impressive FFA Cup campaign.
City finally met its match in the fourth round with the state league 3 minnow losing 4-1 to NPL powerhouse Dandenong City at Paisley Park on Saturday.
Melbourne City coach Leo Malik was proud of the way his side acquitted itself against a team three divisions higher in the rankings.
“We played some great football,” he told Star Weekly. “Even the coaches from the opposition told us that it was unbelievable to see a state league 3 team play the quality of football. I’m proud of the boys.”
City was given a first hand look at how an NPL can punish your errors.
The concession of the second and third Dandenong goals came on the back of City mistakes.
“When you play against an NPL team and you concede silly goals, it’s hard to come back,” Malik said.
Apart from those mishaps, it was a solid performance from City, who were battling out of their weight division.
Andy Vargas, City’s boom new recruit, formerly of the Melbourne Knights and Green Gully, had a big impact in his new colours.
Vargas set up City’s only goal, finished off by Bekkar Barakat.
“We knew him [Vargas] before he got to the club and he’s happy with the way the club is going, so he wanted to come and play with us,” Malik said. “He’s enjoying it and playing great football.”
City’s defeat to Dandenong no way diminishes their otherwise impressive results in the FFA Cup.
They enjoyed wins over Surf Coast, Epping City and Middle Park with the latter two games going to extra time.
Malik said the Cup run was the perfect preparation for their state 3 season opener against FC Williamstown on April 2.
“The last two games that we played were 120 minutes each,” he said. “To see the boys being able to run 120 minutes proves they have been working hard and the coaches are doing their jobs. We were one of the few state league 3 teams left at this stage and all the rest were clubs from NPL and State 1 and State 2. We played top quality football, but like I said to the boys, we’ve raised the bar and have to keep working hard now.”
Meanwhile, Altona Magic romped to a 4-1 win over Ballarat Red Devils at Morshead Park Stadium on Saturday evening.
Striker Jason Hayne was unstoppable for the Magic with a hat-trick.
Yarraville Glory will join the Magic in the fifth round after a 1-0 win over Brighton at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex on Saturday night.
It was huge weekend for the Glory with their women’s team advancing in the TeamApp Cup after an 8-0 thrashing of Surf Coast.
