The Lilydale Eagles journeyed out to Balwyn North for a rematch against One FC, with all sides in the VCFA Premier League 2 now having met.
The undermanned Reserves were up first, with a number of personnel changes creating a starting lineup with the evergreen Colin Dickson at left wing and usual keeper Callum Ludwig in midfield.
Ludwig showed all the grace and decorum of a keeper outfield early on in the first half, giving away a foul when contesting for a header in the 11th minute that resulted in a very early yellow card. Questionably, the booking only came after a polite request for one from a One FC player but at least good manners might still get you somewhere nowadays.
The Eagles had the majority of the play in the first half and had a golden chance denied when Mark Vanderkolk put in a curling ball to the back post which was met by a sliding Tarin Cooper, whose high shot was denied by a good save from One FC goalkeeper Jacob Carr.
The danger man Cooper wasn’t to be denied for long though, when in the 28th minute, while holding off a defender, he hooked a curling shot over his shoulder which took a deflection, looped up over the goalkeeper and into the side netting to give the Eagles the lead.
One FC didn’t manage to produce anything too threatening for the rest of the half and Lilydale went into the break with a one-goal advantage.
In the second half, One FC started to become more threatening as fatigue set in for the Eagles with limited rotations.
The substitution of Seyed Amin Seyed Mortaz for One FC also added a spark in midfield, with his ability to drive past players and get shots and passes off.
One FC’s best chance of the game came early in the second half down their left wing but stand-in keeper Daniel ‘Dicko’ Dickson made a strong save to get it out and away.
A heavy knock for right-back Dylan Donovan saw him subbed off for a lengthy period and the pressure began to pile on the Eagles who were determined to hold out for the win.
There were numerous big efforts from Lilydale players, with Tarin Cooper dropping deep from right wing to offer defensive support, Colin Dickson taking on a man-marking role on Mortaz and Amin Fazl coming on in an unfamiliar left wing position after a potential injury to Byron Loveless.
One FC’s chances started to dry up as they tired from pushing forward, with the Eagles finding themselves with more time on the ball and more space ahead after regaining possession but were unable to add any more goals to the scoreline.
It was a gritty 0-1 win for the Reserves.
The Firsts were next up looking to pick up a positive result after losing the reverse fixture back in Round One.
Things got off to a positive start when a self-proclaimed ‘coaching masterclass’ from Dicko saw centre-back Kaiden Deany-Smith start up front, sneak in to the front post and flick on a shot that snuck into the goal in only the third minute.
One FC grew back into the game, however and had a chance to level it in the 18th minute when a penalty was awarded and yellow card brandished to Lachy Hamling after he brought down One FC striker Jason Cuspilli in the box. Cuspilli duly converted with a shot into the bottom left corner.
The Eagles got back on top though and it was Deany-Smith again, this time at the back post nodding home a header from a long free kick by Dicko in the 31st minute, with the Eagles taking a 1-2 lead into halftime.
Unfortunately for the Eagles, they were again brought undone early in the second half by a set piece when Daniel Cavallin headed home from a corner in the 49th minute to equalise.
One FC started to get more physical as they looked to take the lead, resulting in bookings for Clarence Tam, Luke McDonald and Jack Nattrass throughout the second half.
They would get a go-ahead goal though, when defensive miscommunication from the Lilydale Eagles saw a ball over the top left to fall to the feet of Nattrass who tucked his finish away in the 77th minute.
The Eagles would bounce back immediately however, pushing forward through Jasper Blair who put a ball across the box which was put into the One FC net by their own player Lachlan Suffern only a minute after the restart.
With scores level again, both sides were keen to push on and try to find a winning goal but it was a defensive error from the Eagles that handed it to One FC when a misplaced pass at the back was played across the goal and intercepted, resulting in Mortaz in his second game of the day tucking it home.
Disappointingly for the Eagles, it wouldn’t be the last of the day as One FC got a late corner. Despite One FC only committing a couple of players forward for the corner as they looked to defend their lead, poor marking led to Mortaz having a free header in the 91st minute to put the game to bed.
The Eagles will take on Gideon’s Warriors at home next week.
