SOCCER
JOSH Heaton has left Mornington but his playing future is uncertain. The 27-year-old is one of the finest central defenders in State 1 and his impressive CV is bound to attract a number of suitors. Heaton joined Mornington in March 2020. He is from Preston in Lancashire and came through Preston North End’s academy before signing pro forms in July 2015. In June 2018 he was signed by Scottish Premiership side St Mirren from Darlington for £75,000.
Heaton met with Mornington last week and told the club that he wanted to stop playing.
President Matt Cameron and head coach Adam Jamieson (who was on a business trip in Western Australia) were blindsided by Heaton’s decision. “He’s not enjoying his football and has lost his passion for the sport,” Cameron said. “To say ‘Jamo’ and me are disappointed is an understatement because he’s a fantastic footballer and I expect him to end up at an NPL club.”
Yet Heaton’s immediate playing future is clouded. “I’m not really considering playing right now,” he said.
“I just want to sort out some personal issues and take some time out. “I’m actually really interested in the coaching side to be honest even though I’m only 27 because I feel with my background that I could do well in that area.”
Heaton is waiting to be granted residency and expects that to happen this year. FC Melbourne (formerly Fitzroy City) in VPL2 is believed to rate Heaton highly and it would be no surprise if the Serbian-backed outfit moved to sign him.
Heaton’s ex-teammates enjoyed their second win of the season when Mornington beat Old Scotch 1-0 at Dallas Brooks Park on Saturday. The winner came after just 11 minutes via a first-time strike from James Clark.
Ryan Paczkowski returns from suspension next week, Sammy Orritt may be available after a hamstring injury while David Stirton is close to playing his first game this season following a serious calf injury.
In VPL1 high-flying Preston Lions beat Langwarrin 4-1 on Friday night at BT Connor Reserve. From the get-go Preston left winger Connor Bell loomed as a productive avenue to goal and just seven minutes in so it proved. Bell capitalised on opponent Luke Goulding being caught out of position to break quickly then cross to the far post where Wesley Jobello had a free header and made no mistake.
Langy keeper Griffin Bambach was much more involved than counterpart Bon Scott but the visitors stunned the home crowd when they drew level in the 43rd minute. Jacob Brito got free from a Goulding throw-in into the box and he squared the ball to striker Archie Macphee who looked to have blown his chance until he conjured up an innovative backheel from close range to make it 1-1. In the 68th minute Macphee was unlucky with a near post header from a Dante Avian cross from the left and five minutes later the home side was back in front.
A quick break once again involved Bell whose lay-off was finished from close range by substitute Matthew Whelan.
Tom Youngs gave Langy a spark in attack when he came off the bench but with the visitors pushing for an equaliser the home side always looked dangerous breaking forward. That was emphasised with two goals in injury time the first from substitute Jakob Cresnar and the second a fine glancing header by Whelan from a corner curled in at pace to the near post.
Langwarrin has reached the halfway mark of a 26-match season with just three losses and has eight home games in its next 13 matches. “I’m pleased with the first half of the season although results haven’t quite matched the performances,”said Langwarrin head coach Jamie Skelly. “The players are performing well and over the next two weeks we should be back to almost a full squad available.” Lucas Portelli and Jeremy Min Fa are progressing well with their recovery from injury although Charlie Fry will take some time to recover from a high-grade hamstring strain.
In State 2 news Skye snapped a five-game losing streak with a seesawing 4-3 away win over fellow struggler Doncaster Rovers on Friday night. The visitors were on the back foot after just three minutes when Doncaster captain Stefan Cardamone’s clever finish caught Skye keeper Steven Hadjikakou off his line.
Alex Roberts equalised after 28 minutes when he headed home a George Jeffs corner and six minutes later turned provider as he laid off for Marcus Collier to drive home a great finish from outside the box. Just before halftime Roberts nabbed his second and made it 3-1 when he pounced on a loose ball inside the box.
Doncaster made things interesting by scoring in the first minute of the second half after Daniel Piazza wriggled free on the left and finished well. Collier restored Skye’s two-goal cushion in the 78th minute after heading home another George Jeff’s corner. However Cardamone ensured a tense finish after pulling another goal back in the 87th minute but despite some frantic moments including a goal-line clearance Skye held on for an important three points that takes it out of the bottom two.
At the other end of the table Peninsula Strikers maintained their promotion push with a gutsy come-from-behind 2-1 win over Berwick City at Centenary Park on Saturday. Riley Anderton and Tom Woods missed chances to put Strikers ahead in the first half and Berwick took the lead after 75 minutes when a long goal-kick wasn’t dealt with and Kaspar Fry made no mistake. Strikers hit back from the penalty spot after Jamie Davidson was fouled and skipper Riley Anderton converted in the 84th minute. The winner came three minutes later when a long throw wasn’t cleared and substitute Noah Musso was on hand to bury the chance at the back post.
In State 3 news Frankston Pines lost its sixth straight game when going down 3-0 to Noble Park United at Monterey Reserve on Friday night. Pines’ defender Khaliqyar Yousufi was sent off in bizarre circumstances in the 33rd minute after accidentally kicking the ball into the referee who ruled the incident intentional.
In State 4 news Chelsea won Friday night’s derby clash at Edithvale Recreation Reserve when it defeated Mentone 4-1. Goals from Tim Koulouris, James Stinson, Daniel Vella and a Liam O’Brien own goal gave Chelsea a comfortable win with Marcus Spivey replying for Mentone.
Baxter had a fruitful away trip to Dendy Park on Saturday returning with a 4-1 win over Brighton. Jack Elliott, Aiden McKenna, Ryo Togashi and Aleks Dukic scored for Baxter.
Somerville Eagles continued their good recent form when they beat promotion hopeful Endeavour United 2-1 at Westernport Secondary College on Saturday. Both teams struggled to create chances in the first half but the intensity picked up when Connor Carson’s fortunes changed dramatically within minutes. Carson scored for Sommerville with a header from a Jake Meggs corner but it was disallowed for a push. Shortly after Endeavour broke quickly and a cross was flicked on at the front post leaving Carson no time to react and he put the ball into his own net.
Somerville wasn’t kept at bay for long though when a Conor Mcfall free-kick found Meggs at the back post who squared it to Marcus Anastasiou for the equaliser. Just before the break Somerville went ahead when Tom Simmons found Anastasiou free in the box and he scored his second to give the home side a 2-1 half-time lead. The second half was a hard-fought affair with Endeavour forced to play with 10 men for the last 20 minutes following the send-off of Dejan Radojicic and Somerville held out to claim all three points.
In State 5 news Seaford United stayed on top of the league with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Aspendale at North Seaford Reserve on Saturday. Seaford went into this clash without back-up keeper Alfonso Cardinale and central defender Jack Wyer who both walked out last week with Wyer tipped to be joining Rosebud. Blake Hicks (suspected hernia) and Wisey Barakzoi (back) were injured while Sam Luxford is on holiday.
Aspendale striker Koray Yildirim shrugged off two defenders in the 23rd minute as he stormed into the area only to have his shot tipped wide by Seaford keeper Hayden Hicks. Three minutes later the Seaford crossbar shuddered after a stunning long-range strike from Felix Hampson. In the 28th minute Seaford midfielder Cory Osorio’s low shot saw Aspendale custodian Josh Mravljak get down well to block and gather at his near post.
The visitors hit the front in the 33rd minute when Seaford’s Paul Aitchinson succumbed to Aspendale’s press. Taylan Yildirim dribbled into the box then laid off to the incoming Dom Paul who couldn’t miss from point-blank range.
Koray Yildirim thought he’d increased the lead in the 58th minute with a slick turn and spectacular volley but Hicks at full stretch got a hand to the ball. Shortly after despite a series of full-blooded tackles on what had become a battlefield Paul decided that it was party time despite the game still being in the balance. He teased and taunted young full-back Logan Johnson who lost patience and felled Paul with a crunching tackle earning an immediate yellow card.
In the 69th minute Seaford substitute Mikey Turner should have equalised when he got clear on the left of the area only to shoot over when well placed. Home fans were starting to despair and Seaford’s first loss of the season was staring it in the face. Until the 77th minute when Josh Vega somehow conjured up an overhead kick that sailed into the far corner for the leveller. Mravljak had clattered into Vega as the Seaford forward struck and had to be stretchered off with Matthew Self replacing him in goal. The decisive moment in this no-holds barred contest came in the 85th minute when Michael Nobbs made Aspendale pay a heavy price for not clearing the ball sending his volley rocketing past Self for the winner.
Rosebud remains hot on Seaford’s heels after Saturday evening’s 1-0 home win over Casey Panthers. The ’Buds were in control from the outset and the visitors had their backs to the wall after Finlay Moore stopped a scoring opportunity in the 32nd minute and was shown a straight red. Billy Painting’s header from a corner was handled on the line by Moore and Rosebud’s Dougie Cunnison made no mistake from the spot. Casey defended resolutely for the remainder of the contest but Rosebud should have made much more of the many chances created.
Rosebud captain Stef Papaluca made his first start of the season and with a number of regulars unavailable his man-of-the-match performance emphasised the depth in the senior squad.
Jordan Vacouftsis reports that Mount Eliza and Endeavour Hills Fire shared the points after a thrilling 2-2 draw at Emil Madsen Reserve on Friday night. The home team came out of the blocks firing and in the 12th minute went 1-0 up. Raymond Amiri played a defence-splitting through ball to Cohan King who drilled it through Endeavour keeper Josh Permal’s legs and into the back of the net. Eight minutes later it was 2-0 after Mujtaba Sakhi’s initial shot was saved and he pounced on the rebound making no mistake from close range.
As the second half unfolded momentum shifted in the visitors’ favour and they forced some excellent saves from Mount Eliza goalkeeper Luke Armao. But there was no denying Endeavour’s Seb Polydor in the 60th minute when he latched onto a through ball for a composed finish to make it 2-1. Ten minutes later Polydor curled the ball directly from a corner into the back of the net for a remarkable equaliser. The final 20 minutes were hectic with neither team taking a backward step and tackles flying in from all angles but the deadlock couldn’t be broken in this enthralling contest.
Mount Martha continues to give away soft goals and it went down 3-2 to Bunyip District at Civic Reserve on Saturday. Kayan Taberner and Jaden Taberner scored for Mount Martha which has lost all seven league games this season despite being competitive in most matches.
NEXT WEEK’S GAMES
Friday 17 May, 8.30pm:
Frankston Pines v Heatherton Utd, Monterey Reserve
Bentleigh Greens v Langwarrin, Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
Saturday 18 May, 3pm:
Gippsland Utd v Mornington, Baxter Park (Warragul)
Peninsula Strikers v Bentleigh Utd Cobras, Centenary Park
Skye Utd v Knox City, Skye Recreation Reserve
Brighton v Somerville Eagles, Dendy Park
Aspendale v Cleeland Utd, Aspendale Gardens Sports Ground
FC Noble Hurricanes v Mount Eliza, Alex Nelson Reserve
Saturday 18 May, 3.30pm:
Barton Utd v Seaford Utd, Barton Recreation Reserve
Saturday 18 May, 5pm:
Mentone v Baxter, Mentone Grammar Playing Fields
Saturday 18 May, 6pm:
Rosebud v Mount Martha, Olympic Park
Saturday 18 May, 6.30pm:
Keysborough v Chelsea, Coomoora Reserve
First published in the Frankston Times – 14th May 2024
