City ends goal drought in style
MELBOURNE City last night ended a momentous day with a momentous win.
Now the prospect of ending a historic season with a historic finals appearance looms large.
In the morning City heavyweights of the Melbourne and Manchester variety were officially unveiling the club’s new $15m training facilities in Bundoora, facilities which truly indicate the type of heavyweight Melbourne’s ‘second team’ wants to be.
By night its players were producing a backs-to-the-wall performance that resulted in a 3-1 triumph over title fancy Adelaide United, a triumph that moves City three points ahead of Brisbane Roar in the race for sixth spot.
Momentous was the win, but equally so were the moments.
Australian marquee player Josh Kennedy scored his first A-League goal, the winner, with a trademark header, but also significant was the pinpoint cross from the left by international marquee player Robert Koren which provided the assist.
Singaporean international Safuwan Baharudin also scored his first goal for his new club, cancelling out Pablo Sanchez’s 32nd minute opener which had given Adelaide the half-time lead.
Baharudin’s equaliser snapped a 344-minute goal drought, but Kennedy’s closerange finish made it two goals in four minutes on the night.
City had four golden opportunities to ice the contest in the next 15 minutes, the best of which fell to Kennedy who was thwarted from a metre out by his brilliant Socceroos teammate Eugene Galekovic.
But the hosts refused to be denied and it was a former Red, Iain Ramsay, who sealed the three points with a tap in from close range in the 87th minute.
A crowd of 7345 was at least an improvement on the 6486 that turned up to watch their team play Perth five days earlier, but if the momentum from last night’s success can be harnessed then that figure should swell in the run home to the finals.
City coach John van’t Schip has had his critics this season, but last night was arguably one of his finest performances.
He again had to shuffle the decks as a result of an injury to Jacob Melling last week, but rather than stick with his tried and tested 4-3-3, he switched to a 5-3-2 formation in which Kew Jaliens played in the middle of Patrick Kisnorbo and Connor Chapman, while Baharudin and Jack Clisby roamed the flanks.