The boys in navy blue will head back out on the road on July 18 in preparation for a clash against 12th-placed Kingston City down at The Grange Reserve in Clayton South, Melbourne.
Arguably, the stakes have never been higher for the Shepparton side, having emerged as the frontrunners for the premiership following a spectacular unbeaten run that stretches all the way back to March.
Having led the charge for the championship for most of the campaign to date, Malvern City has faltered in recent weeks, unexpectedly falling to four defeats out of its last five league outings.
That has presented a golden opportunity for the Suns, with Craig Carley’s all-conquering outfit having seized the chance to leapfrog the former pacesetters into pole position in the table.
Still in touching distance of the top two is third-placed Essendon Royals, who have won four out of their last five games ahead of a trip to face Whittlesea United next up.
With the standings making for exciting reading for fans of the John McEwen Reserve club, supporters will be hoping for a repeat of last week’s dramatic win against Nunawading City in the upcoming 21st round.
That victory probably did seldom good for any fans nursing a nervous disposition, not least as the Suns left it until the 90th minute to grab a winner to move top of the league with just a handful of games to go.
That said, no supporters will be too dissatisfied with maximum points regardless of how they are collected as they go in search of the 14 points needed to snatch the title and automatic promotion in the process.
Heading into the game up against Kingston City, Suns boss Craig Carley acknowledged that his side will not have things all its own way as they prepare for a second away trip in as many weeks.
The Reds have recently installed Arthur Psevdoikonomou as their new senior men’s head coach, alongside bringing in a host of new additions in the transfer window.
“Look, it’s another difficult game, they’re a team that’s undergone a fair bit for change in recent weeks,” Carley said.
“They’ve got a new head coach and brought a coupleof boys in from the Oakley Cannons’ Under-23s that seem to be pushing in the right direction.
“They’ve had a change of fortunes and beat Nunawading 4-0 a couple of rounds back and conceded a late goal against Whittlesea United on the weekend in a 1-1 draw.
“They’re a good side, we played them earlier in the season and I felt that was one of our better performances but they’re a team that can be really devastating on the counter attack.
“We really need to take these games now and take them by the scruff of the neck, dictate in what we do and go to difficult places and get the three points.”
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