MVFC Blog

Melbourne’s first Pre-Season Cup match has ended in a draw.

Adelaide were the first to score, with a goal in the first half from Travis Dodd putting United in front for most of the match. It was Danny Allsopp who pulled Melbourne back onto level terms, with an equaliser within the last 15 minutes.

The result gave Melbourne and Adelaide a point each, while Perth managed a 1-0 win over Newcastle.

In group B, Wellington Phoenix played its first game and came out with a defeat to the Central Coast Mariners, who are now on 4 points after having scored twice in the game (huh?). Neither Sydney nor Queensland could muster a goal in their match.

About the Victory’s draw, Merrick said:

“It was a good opening game for us. We’re happy to get the draw. We’d have preferred a win, but I thought the boys played really well given we were a striker and attacking midfielder down.”

Archie Thompson, of course, is in Thailand with the Socceroos (but the way they’re going we might see him back in Victory gear sooner than we thought); Brebner has been sidelined with injury; and new recruit Carlos Hernández only arrived on Friday. The Costa Rican is set to debut on Sunday, when Melbourne plays Newcastle in Geelong.

Perhaps the worst news from Launceston was that Steve Pantelidis suffered a hamstring injury that is likely to set him back for at least 3 weeks. Pantelidis has been a solid if understated presence in the midfield since Melbourne’s first season, so the team will miss him. That said, it gives young players like Leigh Broxham and Kaz Patafta a good chance to gain some extra game time.