By Josip Zilic
With three wins on the trot and three clean sheets to go with it, North Geelong Warriors faces a testing period against clubs in similar form and within a point or two from each other on the ladder.
The first test of the Warriors’ resolve will be at home on Saturday against Melbourne Victory.
Victory’s past four matches were all wins featuring easy scoring, with 13 goals across the games. A player in red hot form is Birkan Kirdar who was on the score sheet three weeks running.
With its own form running hot, North Geelong will only need to recall the last encounter with Victory to acknowledge the dangers that it presents. Victory’s fluid possession-based game will be a threat of stretching the Warriors, whose own varied style and range of goals scorers will be a challenge for the visitor.
The Warriors were able to keep their clean sheets and wins going with a 2-0 victory against Nunawading, showing they could overcome the sleek ball movement of their opposition’s three former A League stars.
Fielding a contrasting starting line-up including six players from their own youth system, the Warriors dominated the first half and capitalised on their chances.
In a set piece at the 35th minute, defender Lewis Waight got his head to the ball to guide it into the top corner. Three minutes later defensive midfielder Andreas Miltiadou pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the box to drive past the sea of legs and score.
With the score locked in at 2-0 the club witnessed another proud moment in its rich history when 15-year-old Anthony Leban had his first run for his childhood club.
The under-20s side welcomed back coach Ahmad Sulaimi to steer the lads for the remainder of the season. Unfortunately the return didn’t result in a win, with the lads going down 2-1, Marco Farrell scoring for North Geelong.
