by John Fotinos
Heidelberg United has suffered its first loss in the 2024 season – ending its 17 game unbeaten run in all competitions.
The ‘Bergers were outplayed by an aggressive Oakleigh outfit, and looked to be jaded following two games in succession against Altona Magic, conceding twice from corners & finishing with 10 players on the pitch in a lacklustre 3-0 defeat.
Salmon was on hand to give Oakleigh the lead shortly after the half hour mark, with Heidelberg’s best chance of the match through Sean Ellis somehow not levelling up the game. Oakleigh then doubled its advantage through Valentini, and added a third in the second half, with Hampson putting the game beyond Heidelberg’s reach.
A rueful John Anastasiadis acknowledged that Oakleigh were the better team on the day: “To be fair, we lacked our usual aggression from the start, and to Oakleigh’s credit, they looked to have more intent than us all throughout the park.”
He added: “We’ll get back to work straight away this week, and analyse the game – and I’m positive the boys will bounce back as we prepare for our next game against Dandenong Thunder next week (Sunday June 2 at 4:00pm) at home.”
Match details – Men’s NPL Round 15
Oakleigh Cannons 3 (Salmon 34’, Valentini 39’, Hampson 55’) – 0 Heidelberg United
Under 23 Result: Oakleigh Cannons 0 – 2 Heidelberg United
