But the Blues faced an uphill battle in their Cup opener, trailing 1-0 at the break despite dominating the opening quarter-hour.
With the Bendigo Amateur Soccer League champions heading into the break a goal down, the magnets were shifted and calm was encouraged by Blues’ coach Roven Shaholli.
“We were all very excited for the first game,” Shaholli said.
“I think there were a little bit of nerves to kick off.
“We really needed the break just to regroup and reset a few little things, we had to change a few positions at half-time.
“I told the boys to be a bit patient because we were rushing a bit.”
Shaholli's call for patience paid dividends.
Young gun Iftikar Saifu sparked the Blues' comeback with the equaliser, before Samip Magar put them ahead and within sight of victory.
Willie Sauiluma delivered the dagger to confirm a 3-1 win and United’s progression to the second round in the Football Victoria knockout tournament, a pathway to the Australia Cup.
It was a particularly pleasing outing from Shaholli’s perspective, with United’s young core offering a glimpse of its potential as the club prepares for life without championship winners Riki Koyanagi and Marcus Thomas.
“We were in control for pretty much the entire second half; I was happy with the guys’ performance,” Shaholli said.
“I was impressed with the young kids that came on in the second half.”
Shepparton United will host Brandon Park Soccer Club at McEwen Reserve in the second round, with the fixture date yet to be announced.
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