MVFC Blog

Melbourne’s season finally started to look up last night, after a strong performance against Perth Glory. After last week’s abysmal display against Adelaide and the off-field drama’s that followed, it couldn’t have come at a better time.

It was all about the first half for Melbourne. And the man that really shone was Carlos Hernandez. Finally, we saw a game from him that showed his class. It all culminated in that one beautiful moment, when he combined brilliantly with Archie to set himself up for a goal. Lob, backheel, return pass.. and bam - a magnificent goal from what was still a tricky angle. This will have to be a confidence booster for the Costa Rican, something he seems to have been lacking in previous matches. And it will be a confidence booster for Victory fans, who have desperately lacked something to be excited about in midfield.
But it wasn’t all about Carlos. Archie’s form continues to improve - perhaps last week’s breakfast debacle made him feel he needed to prove himself. Archie has been looking the goods for a while now though. It’s the rest of the team that has needed to gel. With Brebner back, Melbourne looked much stronger in midfield than they did against Adelaide. His form has not been great this season, but last night he showed why he is such a valuable part of the team. For me, he probably played one of his better matches of the season, which can only be a promising sign. Other players look to be hitting their strides as well; Kemp delivered some excellent balls into dangerous areas. Keenan’s pace caused serious problems for the Glory defence. Even Kaz Patafta shone briefly when given a chance in the second half. His cross almost found Leandro Love, who was waiting to head the ball home.

The second half was a different affair though. Melbourne largely played with its back to the wall, defending resolutely as Perth threw everything at us. Theoklitos continued his excellent form, making some quality saves to keep Melbourne’s victory from slipping. Hernandez looked like he had used up his allocation of genius for the match and it was no surprise to see him subbed off eventually. Caceres provided some spark, but stuffed up a great chance to take a shot at goal. In many ways, the second half just became a waiting game for the final whistle. Even the crowd tried to help out wasting time, as one guy decided he wouldn’t give the ball back.. another few seconds wasted. It wasn’t a great second half by any stretch, but at least we got a decent first half and a glimpse of the Victory we would like to see every week.

Perhaps we stand a chance this season after all.