Try as it might, Altona East Phoenix could not overcome an early deficit and wound up with a 2-0 home loss to Corio in their Football Federation Victoria men’s state league 2 north-west clash at Paisley Park on Saturday.
The Phoenix had to play catch-up football after conceding the early goal, but their enterprising attacking moves saw them increasingly exposed at the back and they copped a second goal to have their enthusiastic charge snuffed out.
It leaves the Phoenix with a disappointing one win from four games and having to play catch-up in the standings.
“It’s always disappointing to lose at home,” Phoenix president Leigh Karafillis said.
“The boys dug deep, they showed a lot of character and a lot of heart, but sometimes in soccer you just don’t score.
“The longer the game goes, you push forward to try to get that equaliser, you get vulnerable at the back and unfortunately they ended up scoring again in the last five or six minutes to kill us off.”
It was a big week at Altona East as coach Alan Davidson handed in his resignation citing increasing personal commitments.
The Phoenix has appointed Ben Stafrace as caretaker coach.
“Ben’s come back to the club as an assistant and he’s been enjoying it,” Karafillis said.
“He’s looking to get into coaching in the future, so we thought it would be a good opportunity for him.”
While it has been a challenging start to the season for Altona East, spirits remain high. The Phoenix opened the season with a 3-0 win over Westvale, but it has been slim pickings since.
They have lost four in a row and failed to find the back of the net in that time, but Karafillis expects the team to be up for the fight against Fitzroy City at Paisley Park on Saturday.
“We don’t dwell on losses, we look forward,” he said. “Once the game is done, we dust ourselves off and get ready for the next week.”
The major positive to come out of the first part of the season for Altona East has been the form of central defensive pairing George Noulas and teenager John Limperis.
In men’s state league 1, Altona City and Western Suburbs were locked 2-2 after 90 minutes. Michael Simms and Marcus Sherif scored City’s goals.
Yarraville Glory earned a valuable point on the road at Hoppers Crossing in a nil-all draw.
In state league 3, Williamstown enjoyed a commanding 3-0 win over Moreland United, and in state league 4 Laverton lost 2-0 to North Melbourne Athletic and Altona North drew 1-1 with Western Eagles.
In state league 5, Maribyrnong Greens crushed Melton Phoenix 5-1, while Maidstone United had a 1-1 draw with West Point.
In women’s state league 2, Maidstone United played out a 1-1 draw with Melbourne University, while Maribyrnong Swifts had a scoreless draw with Fitzroy City.
There were losses for Altona City and Altona Magic in the women’s state league 3, but Barnstoneworth United had a massive 7-0 victory over Western Eagles in the fourth tier.
In NPL, Altona Magic had to settle for a point after a nil-all draw with Moreland Zebras.
