Down but not out: GV Suns players Jake Angelovski and Greg Nash watch on as APIA Leichhardt celebrates a goal.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Not for the want of trying, Goulburn Valley Suns are out of the Australia Cup.
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Stacked up against APIA Leichhardt in front of a 1546-strong crowd at McEwen Reserve on Wednesday night, the Orangemen puffed out their chest and played their hearts out in a 4-1 loss.
Braces to Tigers players Jack Stewart and Jason Romero clinched the Round of 32 win for the travelling Sydney side, though Russell Currie’s goal nearly blew the roof off Brauman St’s football mecca.
Speaking to 10Play in the post match, Suns captain Jamie England said the loss was tinged with heartache to go along with spoonfuls of pride.
“We had our set plan of probably trying to frustrate them for as long as possible,” he said.
“We know they’re a top quality team ... (there were) a couple of sloppy goals in the second half which kind of killed it, but I’m proud of the boys.
“The fans are terrific, they’ve backed us from day one this season. To get such a turnout on a cold Wednesday night is fantastic and I’m glad we got a goal to please them.”
Big tackle: GV Suns’ Jamie England.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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On the run: GV Suns’ Greg Nash.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Hard luck: GV Suns’ goalkeeper Jake Angelovski.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Man of the moment: GV Suns’ Russell Currie.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Hitting his stride: GV Suns’ Brandon Giaccherini.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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The Nightmare: GV Suns’ Russell Currie.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Pulling strings: GV Suns’ Darcy Pawlik.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Advancing play: GV Suns’ Joe Adoo-Peters.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
It was a night which will be remembered for years to come in the pantheon of great Shepparton football moments.
APIA, plying its trade two divisions above the Suns, was welcomed by a hostile home crowd, but was given the upper hand through a dubious penalty awarded 13 minutes in.
Winger Jack Armson spun past his marker and into the box and though Matt Lelliott came sliding in to make a challenge, no contact was made.
Regardless, Stewart placed the spot kick into the bottom right corner and from there the Suns were on the back foot.
Suns winger James Lelliott then came closest to finding an equaliser just before the half.
Darcy Pawlik picked his man’s pocket and fed Lelliott who rifled the ball on goal, forcing an acrobatic save out of APIA keeper Ivan Necevski.
Emerging from the sheds at half-time APIA added two more around the hour mark through a pair of neat finishes from Romero.
The American found himself free at the back post to knock home an intricate move down the left and threaded the needle inside the box three minutes later to deliver a sucker punch to the Suns’ solar plexus.
But still the Orangemen would not fall over.
Brandon Giaccherini’s well-weighted outside of the foot pass found Currie on the wing in the 78th minute and the Suns’ fans all knew how that poem was going to end.
The infallable striker cruised down the lane and caressed the ball past Necevski, eliciting a sonic boom from the stands.
A string of half-chances came for the Suns in the following passages, but a failure to capitalise ended in Steward shutting the door on the game as he finished coolly in the 88th minute.
That was it, 4-1 and done.
Yet it didn’t seem like the home side had lost.
McEwen Reserve bounced on its foundations for 90 minutes, every Suns touch was met with a roar and not one ounce of shame was attributed to the hosts in defeat.
In simple terms, Shepparton was treated to an exhibition of the beautiful game that night.
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