By David Manuca

Image: Mark Avellino

A Liam Boland hat-trick has inspired Green Gully to a 3-1 home win over Hume City on Saturday afternoon.  

Gully scored early and went into the break with a 1-0 advantage, with Boland adding a second before Hume pulled one back through Theo Markelis.

But Boland made sure of the victory just minutes later, slotting home for his third on the afternoon, which now takes him to the top of the PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria scoring charts.  

It took just three minutes for the home side to register on the score-board, after Matthew Breeze’s brilliant cross was headed in by Gully’s big forward Boland. 

Hume had a chance to equalise just a few minutes later, but Gully goalkeeper Rani Dowisha was there to get down low to save Jai Ingham’s fierce strike. 

A defensive lapse in the Gully defence almost gifted Daniel Clark an equaliser, but luckily for them his shot stayed out of the net.

Rinor Muriqi then had Gully’s best chance since scoring in the early stages, but his attempted chip over Chris Oldfield was brilliantly saved by the Hume goalkeeper.

Mathew Reid almost doubled his side’s advantage early in the second-half, but his header from a corner bounced just wide of the back post. 

Evan Christodoulou looked to keep up his fine goal-scoring form, but despite being played one-on-one with Oldfield he was unable to get it past the on-rushing custodian.

But a few minutes later Green Gully got its deserved second, in somewhat controversial circumstances.

Breeze appeared to foul a Hume defender, before getting past the last defender and in one-on-one with Oldfield. 

But just as he was about to shoot he was brought down from behind by Isyan Erdogan, with the referee pointing to the spot. 

Despite being the last man and denying a goal-scoring chance, Edrogan escaped any form of punishment beyond giving away the penalty kick.

Boland stood up to convert the spot-kick to make it 2-0 to Green Gully. 

Ivan Pavlak and Liam Newman were brought on the Hume and the change worked almost instantly.

Pavlak broke down the left-side and played in a low cross for Markelis to tap home at the back-post.

But the hosts did not drop their heads, with Boland completing his hat-trick just minutes later after being played in by Gully substitute Luc Jeggo.

Green Gully 3 (Boland 3’, 64’, 77’) defeated Hume City 1 (Markelis 74’) at Green Gully Reserve 

Green Gully XI: 23. Rani DOWISHA (GK), 2. Mathew REID, 3. Aaron COHEN, 4. Daniel JONES, 8. Thomas MURPHY (7. Liam SCOTT 29’), 9. Evan CHRISTODOULOU, 11. Matthew BREEZE (16. Simon TOLLI 78’), 10. Rinor MURIQI (21. Luc JEGGO 71’), 17. Alon BLUMGART, 20. Hakeem ALORAIBI, 38. Liam BOLAND.

Unused substitutes: 1. Mehmet BALCI, 15. Connor BOLAND 

Yellow cards: Nil

Red cards: Nil

Hume City XI: 1. Chris OLDFIELD, 12. Daniel CLARK, 17. Marcus SCHROEN, 13. Shane REXHEPI, 4. Isyan ERDOGAN (15. Liam NEWMAN 70’), 3. Shaun TIMMINS, 2. Daniel CHAABANI, 39. Nick HEGARTY, 8. Theo MARKELIS, 7. Jai INGHAM (11. Ivan PAVLAK, 70’), 5. Petar FRANJIC.

Unused substitutes: 16. Matty HENNESSEY, 21. Nico JACKSON, 20. Tom BANFIELD.

Yellow cards: Chaabani 44’