Altona Magic and Altona East Phoenix share a patch of land on the corner of Ross Road and Mills Street.
You could say they are harmonious co-tenants at the Paisley Park Soccer Complex – Altona North’s home for the world game.
When the National Premier League was launched in the off-season, the Altona clubs found themselves in the reformed Football Federation Victoria state league 1 north-west, and their old rivalry was rekindled.
The Altona derby is the one that players of both sides would have circled in the calendar when the draw was released – a chance to sort out which is the best club on Altona soil this season.
First time around, the clubs played out a 1-1 draw, but it was almost a feeling-out period of the season back in round three.
This Saturday, the Phoenix will have hosting rights to a game that will be pivotal to both sides in the wider context of the season. The close proximity of both clubs to the relegation zone will add fuel to the fire.
Stuart McCluskey, hired only a month ago, will get to experience his first Altona derby.
The 36-year-old understands the importance of beating your local rivals, having crossed the local divide in Scotland to play with both
St Johnstone and Dundee, who are arch-rivals.
“It’s always big to get one over your rivals,” McCluskey told
Star Weekly. “We’re looking forward to it. It’s going to be a real battle for 90 minutes. [Form] kind of goes out the window a bit and it’s the team that applies itself most on the day that will come out on top.”
Phoenix coach Terry Antoniadis has always played down the notion that one game is bigger than another. They don’t give you a bonus point for beating one team over another and he would quickly point that out to you.
But even Antoniadis conceded this occasion is both important for the local game – pointing out that crowds have been dwindling in recent years and he’s hoping for a big turnout for the derby – and because of where the teams are precariously positioned on the ladder.
“There’s a bit of spice just being next door neighbours so we’re looking forward to it,” Antoniadis said.
“We’re hoping for a decent crowd. It’s a very important game for both teams; it’s a derby and fingers crossed it’s a nice day and they turn out to see a good game.”
The Magic enter the game third-last on the table with 15 points.
They have lost their previous two matches after claiming six points in McCluskey’s first two games in charge.
Despite the recent defeats, McCluskey is adamant his team is “heading in the right direction”, but he warns that it takes time to implement a new high-intensity playing style and an overall change of mindset.
“The games we’ve done well, we’ve really pressured the ball and played with a bit of intensity,” he said.
“The game’s we’ve not done so well, there’s been no intensity and no pressure on the ball.”
At one stage, the Phoenix were sitting pretty in second position on the ladder, but they’ve tumbled to fourth-last with 16 points.
It’s no coincidence that results have been poor since the start of the World Cup.
“We’ve had a pretty tough few weeks – we’ve been beaten three times – so all of a sudden we find ourselves in a very different position to what we were in,” Antoniadis said.
“With the World Cup on, some boys saw it as an opportunity they couldn’t miss, so we lost six players to overseas travel.
“There are two or three other clubs in the league with a similar scenario, but unfortunately for us we haven’t really got the depth to cover those losses.
“I’m not just talking about any six or seven, I’m talking about players who would probably be in the match day squad most Saturdays.”
