Melbourne City FC were convincing in their 8-0 win over Oakleigh at Jack Edwards Reserve on Wednesday night. Here’s what we learned on the night.
Quietly Koren
Robert Koren’s pre-season thus far has been really impressive. Koren was arguably best on ground in the performance, despite only playing the first 45 minutes, against Oakleigh and the marquee man was everywhere in the final third, scoring twice, supplying and creating in the process.
Koren caught the eye in the first half when he latched onto a ball on the left wing, with a turn of speed that saw him mistaken for Stefan Zinni or Steve Kuzmanovski. With a full pre-season under his belt, expect Koren to improve further ahead of the A-League season.
More Mauk Minutes
The 2015/16 pre-season for Stefan Mauk has been a busy one. The young midfielder has played a part in all of Melbourne City’s pre-season fixtures and has put in the hard yards to impress.
Finding the back of the net against Oakleigh, Mauk put his miss against Manchester City well behind him, arguably establishing himself as a key contender in the competitive City midfield.
Zippy Zinni
Another pre-season match and another start for youth player Stefan Zinni. Zinni, like Mauk, has played his part in the majority of City’s pre-season matches and the lightning winger has impressed on all fronts.
You could say Zinni has come out of nowhere this pre-season for the senior side and the striker has definitely caught the eye of the coaching staff. Son of Socceroo Andrew Zinni, the former school sprinter has definitely made a case for playing his part in the regular season.
Futuristic City
The second half saw a youthful City side hit the pitch with the majority of the National Premier Leagues squad getting a run. Adding another four goals to the first half score, City’s youth did not look out of place – albeit against a second half Oakleigh side that fielded a large youth contingent.
Although Melbourne City NPL fell just short this season for promotion into the top tier of Victorian football, one would feel confident that our NYL boys will go close to retaining their title this season.
The souvas are better…
Local league football is the lifeblood of our sport and supporting these local teams during the Melbourne City NPL season is something all fans should experience. Whether it be a kebab from Hume City, cevapi from Dandenong City, the hamburger from Moreland City or the kransky from Richmond, the local football scene is something all fans should ‘taste’ as a football supporter in Melbourne. The smell of the souvlaki cooking over the fence on Wednesday night was something you couldn’t resist.
