Suns’ winless run ends

May 6 2014

Shepparton News

Goulburn Valley Suns did not have a club song before they kicked off against Werribee City on Sunday.

After Ben Clarke sealed the Suns’ first three senior National Premier Leagues Victoria points with a 72nd minute effort, they sung it six times.

Clarke’s goal was enough to seal a gutsy 2-1 win to end the Suns’ six-game losing streak.

Craig Carley, who gave the Suns the lead in the 33rd minute when he turned home his saved penalty, le d the cry of, ‘‘Oh when the Suns go marching in’’.

For stand-in caretaker coach and Shepparton boy Frankie Lagana, it was a moment to savour.

‘‘It was one of the best moments of my career,’’ Lagana said.

It was a back-to-the-walls job from the get-go with the Suns missing defenders Nick Kalafatis (suspension), Josh Glover (injury) and caretaker coach Naum Sekulovski (unavailable).

Tom Langman made his senior debut and formed an unlikely partnership in central defence with Stipo Andrijasevic, while Rudi Saglam started at left back for his second start of the season.

Andrijasevic and Saglam were particularly impressive, with Andrijasevic dominant in the air, while Saglam showed his composure on the ball to launch a number of attacks from defence.

The emphasis from the start was on remaining tight at the back, and barring a great chance for Werribee’s Robbie Naumoski in the eighth minute, it was a job well done.

The absence of Anthony Ragusa hurt the Bees and with him out the side, Lagana was confident they would struggle to break the Suns down.

The Suns’ breakthrough came when Lagana slipped in Clarke only for him to be brought down in the box by Oliver Rowland.

Carley stepped up and had his penalty saved by Tommy Dunn, who could only parry it into Carley’s path for a simple finish, granting the Suns a 1-0 lead at half-time.

Rowland got himself sent off in the second half after retaliating against a Lagana challenge.

‘‘It worked out perfectly for us. They were starting to dominate after going to a back three and pushing extra numbers forward and had us under a lot of pressure,’’ Lagana said.

The Bees managed to score after the sending off, when Petrovski misread a long ball and was forced to chest the ball clear after being drawn out of his box.

The ball fell kindly for Simon Zappia, who sent the ball over the stranded goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

However, parity was short-lived when substitute Hernan Espindola drove a Suns counter-attack down the left and had the composure to pick out an unmarked Clarke, who made no mistake one-on-one.

Lagana said the first win might not necessarily signal the start of a winning run, particularly with a tough assignment against Hume City next week, but said it would provide the players a much-needed morale boost after a tough week.

‘‘It was a real team effort, and I’m just delighted for everyone involved,’’ Lagana said. ‘‘Just in terms of morale and team bonding, it’s huge. The discipline they showed was fantastic.’’