Points were up for grabs on Saturday afternoon at Green Gully Reserve, with away points crucial to any season, this game lived up to its hype.
The Sharks entered the game in sixth place, just two spots behind their opponents, though confidence was at a premium after they grabbed a last minute winner thanks to a Jamie De Abreau nine days earlier against Pascoe Vale.
The Sharks however were a little shaky in the fist 15 minutes of the game, with Alan Kearney having to be attended for a short period of time early in the match with a cut to the head.
Stjepan Gal was caught off his line not long after, though he did well to get a hand to the ball and push it wide.
After that the Sharks got into gear. Vassiliadis made a tactical change before the match giving Alec Goodwin his second consecutive start, as well as playing him in a central forward role and pushing David Stirton out to the left of the park. The move proved to work as Goodwin would link up well with Adrian Zahra, Stirton, and De Abreau as the Sharks mounted their forward attacks.
In a rare chance for Green Gully Evan Christodoulou was able to split the Sharks defense just outside the edge of the 18 yard box, though his shot sailed over the bar.
Then right on the stroke of half time, Goodwin was able to receive the ball in the middle of the park, play De Abreau out on the right, who beat his man, cut the ball back into the six yard box, to which Goodwin was able to tuck the ball away to the keepers left hand side, and into the back of the net.
After the break things started where they finished off with the Sharks continuing to control proceedings especially in the midfield. The ball movement from either flank was instrumental to the second goal, when on 62 minutes De Abreau’s resulting cross from the right hand side was met by the Green Gully goal keeper Rani Dowisha.
Dowisha’s punch didn’t go merely far enough as Goodwin was able to control the ball with his thigh and volley the ball into the left hand corner of the goal.
With the game hanging by a thread for Green Gully and with Port Melbourne continuing to scamper any attacks, it forced Green Gully to taking shots from long range, though to no avail. Nicholas Krousoratis did however force Gal to make a brilliant save on 71 minutes. The intern break saw Kearney make way for Andrew Viola. Goodwin was then subbed off on 75 minutes making way for Erhan Yalaz, which saw Stirton back to that central strikers role.
With the points all but assured, Trent Manicas was able to see some action as he game on for Zahra on 85 minutes. With the crucial three points, the Sharks now sit third on the table, just two points behind ladder leaders South Melbourne.
Port Melbourne head to Olympic Village on Sunday afternoon to take fourth placed Heidelberg United in what promises to be another cracking game of football.
