Alexander Reclaims Top Spot

By Greg Blake

Heidelberg United Alexander reclaimed top spot on the NPL table – hurdling temporary leaders Avondale – with a late rush enough to claim a 2-0 win at Altona Magic on Saturday. Goals inside the final twenty minutes from Asahi Yokokawa and a Bul Juach penalty clinched a not unexpected success. It was Alexander’s ninth consecutive road win. It didn’t come easily.

A couple of exciting cameos off the bench jump-started the frustrated Warriors on a difficult afternoon. It was like letting a couple of hungry dogs off the leash as newcomer Francis Ross and forever snarling and growling Jay McGowan flew into the game and added enough spice to get Alexander over the line.

Ross charged about with reckless disregard for occupational health and safety concerns. He set a tone. McGowan always fancies taking a ping when fresh off the bench. He’d already tested Magic goalkeeper, Christian Rossi, with a curler from a distance, but it was his clean looping gallop away from traffic down the right which changed the game on 72 minutes.

McGowan’s incisive right foot sweep to the near post was caressed home by Asahi Yokokawa to break the stalemate and seven minutes later the deal was sealed as one of Fletcher Fulton’s now trademark barnstorming runs ended with the tenacious number seven being spun to the turf just inside the penalty area.

Rossi picked the correct direction to dive but was never going to stop Juach’s lethally laser-like power drive low inside his right-hand post from the resultant penalty. A final 2-0 scoreline capped a challenging afternoon. Hardly surprising, at a ground wide-open to the elements.

Early afternoon sunshine was welcoming. Less so the gusting, blustery winds sweeping across Paisley Park, which is a deceptively pretty name. When the winds are wild the Altona venue is an ugly place to master. Send the ball long and it sweeps away at odd angles. Go high and it either stops mid-flight or billows away.

To further muddle matters, as a contest, Saturday afternoon’s game was effectively over inside the opening quarter hour, when the home side lost top-scoring Anthony Franjie to injury.

For perspective, Heidelberg’s Bul Juach has scored more times this season than all of Franjie’s team mates combined. Franjie’s loss induced an already frugal Altona Magic into a desperate men-behind-the-ball effort. It was almost enough to claw out a result.

2025 Golden Boot Contenders 

The individual battle between Magic’s Bilal Habib and Warrior Jamal Ali was the engaging sideshow as Alexander eased into the conditions but it took the Warriors perhaps thirty minutes to find its rhythmical, pattern-weaving best. Mo Aidara – one of three former Magic players now sporting black and yellow – was terrific.

The intricate web-like threads and inter-passing in tight spaces produced a swathe of half-chances going into and coming out of half time, with the best of them falling to Anthony Lesiotis, Sabit Ngor Fulton and Yokokawa.

But the largely useless shots-on-goal stats meant nothing as the contest stayed alive on the scoreboard until deep into proceedings and coach, John Anastasiadis, called on his even deeper bench.

The physical and psychological burden of this team’s unprecedented run – 20 games undefeated, including 18 wins – must be enormous. Wins such as Saturday’s in unfriendly conditions at an unfriendly venue are priceless.

A full week off now, before Alexander plunges into a swirling mix of July cup and league games, starting with a home Dockerty Cup semi final against Nunawading City. If you’re an Alexander fan, you shouldn’t miss this ride for the world.