Melbourne City will be coming up against NPL Victoria outfit Oakleigh Cannons in their first pre-season friendly under new coach Erick Mombaerts.
Kicking off at 7:30pm on Tuesday night, the match could prove to be an entertaining, competitive fixture with the Cannons coming into the friendly on an 11-league-game unbeaten streak which began in late-April. As a result, the NPL Victoria side were able to make up for a slow start to the season and claw their way back into 6th place, with a game in hand over 7th.
The Cannons boast a handful of players with past A-League experience, and City fans will likely see former-player Wade Dekker line up against his old side tomorrow night. Dekker spent several years in City’s youth academy and NPL outfit before making his A-League debut in October 2015, when he scored against Sydney FC in a 1-1 draw.
Fans may also be familiar with defender Matthew Foschini, who made 56 appearances for Melbourne Victory between 2009 and 2013.
Despite having 4-time NPL Victoria Golden Boot-winner Milos Lujic on their books, Oakleigh’s star man throughout this campaign has been Englishman Joe Guest, whose 9 goals in 21 appearances has him amongst the league’s top goal scorers.
As for City, Mombaert’s entire squad will be available for selection, meaning that this fixture represents the first opportunity for fans to watch the club’s new signings in action, including Scott Galloway, Craig Noone, Richard Windbichler, Javier Cabrera, Josh Brillante and Adrián Luna.
A solid performance will be crucial for both teams, with Oakleigh entering the latter stages of a demanding league season and City preparing for their FFA Cup Round of 32 clash against Campbelltown City.
If you’re unable to attend the match live at Oakleigh’s Jack Edwards Reserve, tune in to Talking City’s Matty Bonnici and Matt McIndoe who will be providing radio coverage of the game alongside ABC Grandstand regular and NPL expert Chris Gleeson. Coverage will start at 7pm with the game kicking off at 7:30pm. A link to the stream will be available via the Talking City Facebook page.
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