‘Magic’: Hat-trick hero Mangara leads GV Suns demolition job over Moreland City

Head coach Craig Carley has presided over two wins and three defeats during what has been a mixed start to life during the infancy of the campaign.

Just five minutes into the clash at Campbell Reserve, it appeared as if the Suns were in for another long day on the road too as Luke Mackie fired the hosts into an early lead.

However, the Shepparton outfit demonstrated the resilience that has complemented many of their more commanding displays this term, as Munguakonkh earned a penalty in the 21st minute - which was duly converted by the Suns talisman.

The goal scoring playmaker’s virtuoso performance caught the eye throughout during the trip to the state capital as he pulled the strings for the Shepp side in the middle of the park.

After scoring from 12 yards earlier in the half, the Suns managed to keep the scoreline level heading into the interval - with their hard work during the first 45 minutes laying the foundations for a masterclass in the second period.

Suns coach Carley will have been frustrated to have witnessed his side concede so early on after the break, with Ben Fawcett dispatching a penalty in the 58th minute to fire Moreland City into the lead.

However, this hammer blow just before the hour mark appeared to spring the boys from the Goulburn Valley into life during what remained of the second half.

The Suns’ Curtis Hughes grabbed a timely equaliser against the run of play on 69 to light the touchpaper in what proved to be a thrilling tussle in Melbourne.

While the home side wilted in the final 20 minutes of proceedings, the pendulum well and truly swung in the direction of the visitors during the dying embers of the clash.

Following on from Hughes’ leveller, Munguakonkhwa appeared to be a man on a mission, and he was rewarded for his tireless efforts as he fired the Suns into the lead for the first time in the match after some individual brilliance - with just seven minutes left on the clock.

The deck of cards then appeared to collapse for Moreland as Munguakonkhwa completed a memorable hat-trick as he gave his side some much-needed breathing room heading into injury time.

By this point, it appeared that the Suns had broken their opponents into submission as forward Hughes completed the rout behind enemy lines as he earned his brace in the fifth minute of added time.

Reflecting on a gutsy display on the road from his troops, Suns coach Carley gave an honest assessment of how he rated his the performance after his players came from behind twice to earn all three points.

“It’s pleasing first and foremost to get the three points, it was probably our worst performance of the season,” he said.

“Second half we were much better but first half we started very slow and I think that was partially due to the style of play from Moreland City in bypassing our midfield.

“We looked a little bit shaky in those first 15 minutes but credit to the boys second half - obviously we went 2-1 down early but then we rallied once we made a couple of changes in terms of tactics, formation and personnel.

“I thought that everyone who played gave us a lift in energy and credit to the boys, we’ve ended up being clinical in front of goal, which has probably been our Achilles heel in the past couple of weeks.

“Credit to the boys for grinding out the three points in what is going to be a difficult places to pick up points.”

It appears that Carley’s stern words to his players at half time had a resounding impact as the Suns produced a far more convincing display after the break.

“I was honest and direct with them,“ the boss said, as he revealed how he decided to go down the route of tough love with his players during the interval.

“I like to think I am authentic as I can be with the boys and I told them that things had been nowhere near good enough or the standard we expect.

“We try and allow the boys to manage the dressing room as best as they can and Liam Kielty - the captain - is doing a great job with that.

“All credit to them, they switched their mindset in the second half and started playing some good football on what was a really difficult playing surface.”

Singling out the goalscorers for praise after their respective roles in turning the tide in Melbourne, Carley waxed lyrical about the display from hat-trick hero Munguakonkha.

“Manga is a special player,” he said.

“His one-v-one ability means he can make defenders look very ordinary at times and he’s one that we don’t see too often nowadays - we had a bit of Manga magic on the weekend.

“We see that time after time in training and hopefully this is a big changing point for him where he can start doing that consistently.”

As for forward Hughes - who was on hand with a magnificent double to bookend the goalscoring during the eventful encounter - Carley also gave his seal of approval after a ruthless finishing display.

“Curtis is clinical in and around the box and he’s such a dynamic, physical striker - he never gives you as minute to settle and is constantly hassling defenders.

“He constantly gets into good positions and that’s what he got him over here for and he’s certainly living up to his qualities, he’s an asset as all of our players are.”

The result leaves the Suns in fifth place in the VPL 2 standings after six games played, with a home clash against second-placed Nunawading City to come next on March 28.

“Obviously our target is to finish in those top couple of spots and it’s going to be a good test against probably the best footballing side in the division,” Carley said.

“We need to make our home ground a fortress and that’s exactly what we’ll look to do this weekend.”