Back out ahead

After a lacklustre performance last weekend saw them ruin their winning streak with a draw, Myrtleford’s senior men’s soccer team fired back hard. Taking on Albury United in a top of the table throwdown, there was spice and red cards aplenty for the full duration of the match. Jack Milford won a penalty, which was converted to put Savoy up at Jelbart Park, before the ever-dangerous Matt Richardson doubled the lead. Frustration then boiled over, when a bloody incident off the ball saw both teams lose a man to a red card 30 minutes in. Tyler Curran took advantage of the ensuing free kick, with Myrtleford leading 3-0, a lead which was maintained into the half-time break following some heroics on the goal line from goalie Nathan Gleeson. A pair of goals early in the second half put Savoy five goals ahead, but the defence conceded a goal in the only dark spot of the game. United copped another red card after a player brought down Will Keenan in the box, and Savoy didn’t miss the penalty, 6-1. More Albury players were shown cards and penalties slotted, with United finishing the game with eight players on the field. Savoy senior coach Jayden Vescio said it was just about his team’s best performance all year. “The boys were disappointed with last week’s draw, and from the outset they were fierce in every aspect,” he said. “We had Jack Milford and Azia [Feltrin] come in, it meant we were able to have 12 or 13 fresh players, which is what you want in a top-of-the-table clash. “The way we’ve unravelled them for the previous two games has been great - we’ve played Albury United three times this year including the Cup, scored 16 goals to four. “We just needed a response, I know we drew last week but we were below our standards we set. “I know Tyler scored four goals from centre back, two of them from the spot, and Richo [Matt Richardson] scored a hat-trick and Tommy Morrison scored, but I literally couldn’t have picked the best player, that’s how even the spread was.” Savoy sit a game clear on top of the table with two games still to make up. Vescio said he was proud of how his squad is coping with the pressure of leading the pack. “It’s hard to keep winning when you’re expected to win,” he said. “There’s always the team who want to beat the team who hasn’t lost, so it’s hard to have our boys up every single week, especially when we’re in the middle of winter and it’s cold and wet. “We’re in a good place, but we’re well aware in our next three weeks we’ve got two midweek games, we’ve got to play three games in seven days in the middle of winter. “We’ve ticked one box, but we’ve got to tick the next two - if we tick them, it goes a long way to securing that top spot.” Savoy face a short turnaround for their next fixtures, at home to Wodonga Diamonds on Wednesday night, before heading across to Cobram on Sunday. Meanwhile, the reserve men continued their strong season with a 3-3 draw with the second-placed United.

Back out ahead

Police search for missing man in Harrietville

Why is Victoria continuing to protect feral deer?

Near $10,000 grant sees Bright CFA get some new gadgets

Whorouly, Bright stars rake in the awards at OKFNL presentation night

Most popular stories

Police search for missing man in Harrietville

Why is Victoria continuing to protect feral deer?

Near $10,000 grant sees Bright CFA get some new gadgets

Whorouly, Bright stars rake in the awards at OKFNL presentation night