By Josip Zilic
North Geelong Warriors faces a tough task when it travels to take on Bendigo in National Premier League’s first division this Saturday.
Bendigo had a 3-3 draw against the favoured Richmond last round after holding a 2-0 lead at the 20th minute then watching three goals whizz past in the next 10 minutes. Bendigo eventually rose to the occasion, equalising late in the match to share the spoils.
North Geelong took on Kingston City last weekend, going down inside 17 minutes when a hopeful ball drifted into the box, finding Kingston’s Max Etheridge unmarked to finish neatly past Daniel Zilic.
The Warriors responded positively and minutes later Reardo Luka, who was in the thick of everything on the day, broke through a couple of challenges but hooked his shot just past the post.
Mark Paleka levelled the scores on 30 minutes when he pounced onto a squared ball at the top of the box, slamming his shot past Sermin Sadikovski.
The Warriors came out of the blocks with intent after the break.
Paleka was presented with a terrific chance two minutes in, forcing a great save from Sadikovski.
The slippery conditions took their toll on the match, with many players losing their footing and mistiming challenges. The result was a series of yellow cards shown to both sides.
North Geelong made the most of the conditions, refusing to become frustrated and instead turning the screws with patience.
The breakthrough came on 77 minutes when Luka broke free from his marker at the back post to nudge his header past the advancing keeper. The resulting collision between the pair left Sadikovski stretchered off with a suspected head injury and Luka bandaged up for a cut above his eye.
Kingston provided a few nervous moments in the closing stages but Zilic was up to the task and saved neatly.
Delighted coach Micky Colina deflected talk of promotion after the match.
“We’ll continue to work on improving each week. Our performance was good today but we need to raise the bar continually.”
Kingston coach Nick Tolios preferred to focus on the conditions of the ground, calling it a tough slog on a slippery surface.
