Tara Murray
Melbourne City is set to finish in the top half of the FV state league 4 west competition, showing the improvement the side has made.
Having put together a strong squad, City had hoped to make some inroads on the competition this year.
President Toby Colgrave said it had been a relatively good season for the club so far.
“The last few years we’ve been near the bottom,” he said. “We’re sitting in fifth spot and we’re expecting to finish fifth out of 12 teams.
“This season we want to push for the top four, thereabouts. Whatever happens in the last few games will dictate if we achieve that.”
Colgrave said they had a different playing group from what they had previously, with the club expanding their player base.
He said traditionally their playing base had been from South American backgrounds, but had welcomed a number of new players from different backgrounds this season.
“We still have South American players, but we have other players who have come to the club and it’s a good mix.
“The coach has brought them all together. We are better disciplined as well, we haven’t had as many cards.”
On Saturday, City had a 2-2 draw with Barwon which sits one spot below them on the ladder.
Barwon hit the lead in the 37th minute after converting a penalty.
City levelled the scores in the 53rd minute, before Barwon hit the lead for a second time.
City found an equaliser late to take home one point.
Colgrave said they were disappointed not to walk away with the three points.
“It was a tight match and it was one of those games you go into expecting to get a positive result,” he said.
“Barwon has picked up a few players and have quality on the park. We had a few chances in the first half to put the game away.”
Colgrave said they had been strong defensively all season, but hadn’t been able to make the most of their opportunities at the attacking end to close the gap on the top sides.
City this week faces a big test, taking on top side Laverton.
The match is a local derby.
“We want to try and play our game,” Colgrave said. “We want to keep it tight in defence and get a goal of two and hopefully slow them down and change their tactics.
Colgrave said the rest of the club was going from strength to strength. After having no children’s sides in 2019 they are up to 145 children this year and have a number of junior sides including their first girls team.
“It’s going really well,” he said. “It’s really positive and we are really inclusive. Anyone can come down.”
Meanwhile in state league 1 north-west, Altona City continued its good form with a 1-0 win against Strathmore.
A goal in the 27th minute was enough for Altona City to come away with the points.
Altona City sits six points clear at the top of the table, with a game in hand.
Yarraville Glory had a 1-0 win over bottom side Keilor Park. Glory sits in ninth spot.
