ALTONA North went down 2-0 local rivals Melbourne City on Saturday to put a serious dent in their Football Federation Victoria men’s state league 5 west promotion hopes.
Coming into the game in good form, and on the back of an excellent win last week, North were well below their best, and fell to a goal in each half.
Melbourne City looked the more organised and dangerous side in the first half, with North unable to get any kind of fluency going at all, and had a deserved 1-0 half time lead.
North came out fired up for the second period, but were unable to draw level despite a period of pressure and several chances.
With the rain lashing down, Melbourne took advantage of the wide open spaces in North’s defence to score a killer second, despite the best efforts of goalkeeper Carmelo Cassar, who had an excellent game.
Another tough match-up looms next week with second-placed Brimbank Stallions visiting Duane Reserve.
The reserve team triumphed 4-3 in a topsy turvy game to remain top of the league and in pole position for the title.
