There were mixed fortunes for the Lilydale Eagles sides as they travelled to Clayton to take on Waverley City on a blustery but otherwise pleasant day.
The Reserves were up first with the challenge of taking on the ladder-leading side on the astroturf, meaning players had to adjust to the different surface as well as the strong breeze.
Boasting a couple of new recruits, the Lilydale Eagles made a positive start, frequently finding new signing Josh Zmegac out on the left wing and Tarin Cooper out on the right in space.
The unbeaten Waverley side tried to play out from the back and then through the lines of the Lilydale side but they remained resolute and avoided giving up any chances early to the home side.
Lilydale’s tidy build-up play saw them create some half-chances from the flanks but Waverley got back well to cover and clear the lines or put it behind for a corner.
The Eagles built up some pressure on their opponents and had the best chance of the half fall to Lucas Cordedda, but he put his shot wide.
Waverley had the most joy also on the flanks and on the counter, hitting Lilydale with pace. Keeper Callum Ludwig was forced into a couple of saves low down to his left and right as well to tip a header over the bar.
The first half was cagey and both sides looked to be heading into the break at 0-0 when Tarin Cooper broke away down the right wing and fired in a high looping shot (which definitely was not meant to be a cross) that cuaght the wind and sailed over the keeper’s head and into the far corner in the 43rd minute.
The Eagles took a 0-1 lead into halftime but faced a tough second half battling the wind.
Waverley City came out with intent in the second half and begun to get on top of the proceedings, putting some early pressure on the travelling Eagles, getting more shots off in dangerous areas that either flashed wide or forced Ludwig into action.
The Eagles were holding out resolutely but struggled to get any respite. Their opponents pressed high up the pitch, making playing out from the back a challenge and the blustery conditions meant goal kicks and long balls to relieve pressure didn’t travel far.
Disaster struck in the 66th minute when the Lilydale Eagles’ Korean import Dongyun (Andrew) Kwon attempted to clear a dangerous cross in that just missed the attacker. His header looped in the air, caught the wind and flew perfectly into the top corner of his own net for an own goal to make it 1-1 in the 66th minute.
The Eagles picked themselves up and got back to work to try and reestablish their lead, managing to make some forays forward, though they didn’t amount to much.
Waverly City kept piling on the pressure too and the Eagles case wasn’t helped by the referee, giving a corner after a Waverley player collided with Ludwig who had claimed the ball, taking him out of play in the process. Bemusingly, the referee gave a corner, claiming that the player had the right to challenge for the ball and Ludwig’s efforts to avoid the contact were reason to not give a foul. Thankfully, the resulting corner was cleared with the only damage done a nice set of stud marks down Ludwig’s leg as a reminder.
The game remained a tight contest and seemed set for a draw when Waverley countered again. The Waverley player fired off a curling shot from outside the box which the Eagles’ Trent Scott-Elsley got in front of. Unfortunately, his block only created a wicked deflection which wrong-footed Ludwig and the shot hit the back of the net to put Waverley ahead 2-1 in the 87th minute.
The Eagles were unable to peg it back in the dying minutes and they walked away with a disappointing loss despite the encouraging performance against a good side.
The Seniors took the field next, looking to bounce back from a tough loss in the cup.
Things got off to a good start against the opposition with Lilydale well on top in the midfield, keeping the ball on the deck and pushing forward.
The breakthrough came in the 15th minute when Eages’ striker Jasper Blair harassed a defender off the ball on the right wing and cut the ball across the box to midfielder Connor Hartman who tucked a tidy finish into the bottom corner to make it 0-1 Lilydale’s way.
The Eagles continued to put pressure on but Waverley just about kept them out for some time before giving away a corner in the 34th minute. Followers of recent reports would know that the Eagles’ set-piece prowess has been a strong suit and the ball was whipped to the back post where it found the shiny bald scone of captain Kaiden Deany-Smith who converted to continue his strong run of scoring form.
Lilydale had a 0-2 lead at halftime and were well on top, only looking to make minor changes to make their press a bit more effective in the second half.
An early chance to consolidate the Lilydale lead came shortly into the second half as the referee awarded a penalty to the Eagles.
Hartman stepped up and hit his shot down the middle but the keeper stayed, saving his effort, and Waverley were able to clear.
The penalty drama was far from over, however, with Waverley awarded a penalty of their own not long after when Eagles defender Lachy Hamling went sliding in and was adjudged to have fouled from behind. The Waverley player stepped up and sent his penalty crashing into the post and flying across the face of the goal to give Lilydale a let-off.
The Eagles would have a third in the 58th minute when a Lilydale shot across goal from the right-hand edge of the box was spilled by the Wavelery keeper, with J Blair on hand to tap home and make it 0-3.
Within the next minute, however, the Eagles’ bad habit of conceding shortly after scoring reared its ugly head again. Waverley would push forward and find their left winger one-on-one with Lilydale right back Braden Zammit. The winger tapped the ball inside and tried to run back onto it, running straight into Zammit and going down with the referee bizarrely awarding a penalty despite Zammit keeping his arms down and not even moving in front of the attacker. This time, Tatsuya Ando would convert the spot kick to make it 1-3.
Lilydale would put any chance of a comeback to bed in the 77th minute with a perfect counterattack. After dealing with a Waverley attack, the Eagles spread the play down the right wing and drove forward. Left winger Ethan Emmett got involved through the corridor before making a run down his flank, racing onto a perfect pass into space and firing past the keeper who couldn’t keep it out despite getting a touch.
Emmett wouldn’t be done there, however, after Lilydale were awarded a dubious penalty of their own, the fourth of the match, which he converted to make it 1-5 and a strong win for the Eagles.
Both Eagles sides face Healesville at home next week while the club will also be celebrating its Club Day, with all welcome throughout the morning to come join the festivities and activities from 10.30am at Morrison Reserve.
