New Yarraville Glory coach Paul Donnelly was aware of the enormous task facing the club in its bid to get back to being competitive with teams in the top half of the Football Federation Victoria men’s state league 1.
It is not surprising to see the Glory begin the 2018 campaign slowly, having only signed Donnelly in the week prior to the season and rolling out an unsettled line-up due to underdone or injured players.
After Saturday’s 1-0 away loss to North Sunshine Eagles at Larissa Reserve, which provided elements of encouragement for Donnelly, the Glory remains point-less from three games and on the bottom of the ladder.
Donnelly is not deterred and is vowing to pick the Glory back up in time for a crucial away trip to Hoppers Crossing this Saturday.
“It was heartbreaking for the guys because they put in a massive shift,” he said of the loss to the Eagles.
“We still haven’t found our feet yet, we’re not fit enough yet and we’ve got a few injuries … but this was probably the best XI I’ve had on the park since I’ve been there, so it was good.
“We knew we were playing a top side, so we were a bit more resolute and made it hard for them … it was a shame we couldn’t nick a point.”
Yarraville was on a mission to contain the real threat that North Sunshine posed up front.
At the top of the list of Eagles to blanket was Diellon Memishi.
Memishi was the state league 1 golden boot winner with 19 goals last season and had already found the back of the net twice in two matches.
For most of the game, Memishi was kept in check, but he only needed a sniff of goal to be the Eagles’ match winner.
“We had a game plan to nullify him,” Donnelly said. “It worked for 89 minutes, but he’s got himself free for 20 seconds just after half-time and found the back of the net.”
The Glory players walked away empty-handed, but feeling good about their performance.
Ryan Stewart has been a fantastic addition to the centre of Yarraville’s defence and was outstanding for the Glory on Saturday.
Captain Steve Georgekakis will be better for the run and forward Keith Burch is working his way back to peak form.
Attacking players Darcey Den Ouden and Lewis Shannon have endured interrupted starts, but will be crucial to the Glory’s strike force this season.
Meanwhile, Altona City suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss to Sydenham Park at Kim Reserve on Friday night. City is mid-table sixth with four points from three matches.
In state league 2, Altona East Phoenix was pipped 1-0 by Geelong Rangers at Myers Reserve. In state league 3, Williamstown piled on four goals in the first half of a 5-2 road victory over La Trobe University.
In state league 4, Laverton beat Golden Plains 3-0 and Altona North eclipsed Bell Park 2-0.
In women’s state league 2, Maribyrnong Swifts had a 0-0 draw with Ballarat Eureka Strikers, while Maidstone United lost 3-2 to Lara United.
In NPL 2 west, Altona Magic’s had 2-0 win over Box Hill United.
