National Youth League 2008-09
Melbourne Victory Youth 0 Perth Glory Youth 2
Melbourne Victory Youth played Perth Glory Youth at Green Gully Reserve on Sunday 5 October and looked much better in the first half than they had in the opening game against Queensland Roar. Nick Ward, the marquee youth player, started and looked a different class. He had only played about five minutes the night before at the end of the senior game and needed the run. Mathew Theodore and Michael Foschini also stood out, though Foschini was unlucky to be booked for a foot-up challenge by a somewhat fussy young referee, Lucien Laverdure. But Perth got the first goal when an inswinging corner was raffled by Mijo Marinovic and Adrian Trinidad bundled it in at the far post. Then in the second half, Steve Pantelidis was sent off after the Assistant Referee on the far side spotted a push on Trinidad who was booked. At the airport afterwards David Mitchell said that there was little in it and that referees should be looking out for violent tackles not that sort of incident. I left about ten minutes before the end, and David told me that Trinidad scored again in injury time to make it two-nil at the end.
National Youth League resumes at last
By Roy Hay
After a hiatus of four years the new National Youth League kicked off again yesterday at Green Gully Reserve when Melbourne Victory went down by two goals to nil to Queensland Roar. The Victory squad was only finalised this week and played like a team which had not practised together.
While it made entire sense for the Football Federation of Australia to concentrate on its A-League and the Socceroos in the first years of its existence, a consequence has been that the career path for young Australian players has been truncated during that time.
Those who were not selected for the Australian Institute of Sport and the equivalent state bodies had no other outlet for their development apart from State league competitions where coaching support and selection in senior teams could be problematical.
Now the ladder of opportunity has been restored.
FFA CEO Ben Buckley said, ‘For more than a decade football has been the sport of first choice for boys from 5-14 years and, now with the establishment of the National Youth League, there is substantial and regular high-level competition in place for talented, male athletes.’
FFA National Technical Director, Dutchman Robert Baan added, ‘The key to improving the technical skills, proficiency and tactical maturity of players is playing games—and as many games as possible. The National Youth League provides players aged between 17-21 years of age a clear pathway from youth leagues to senior level and then on to professional level. When combined with existing State-based competitions, players in the national youth league will play between 35-40 games each year.’
Victory had two Geelong players, Ante Cicak and keeper Mijo Marinovic in the starting line-up. Cicak looked solid in defence but his passing was often awry, while Marinovic had a nonsense [meltdown in Addy] when he tried to dribble around Mitch Nicholls and lost the ball and the goal. Substitute Josh McVey scored the other for Queensland only five minutes after coming on.
Melbourne Victory Youth 0 Queensland Roar Youth 2
By Roy Hay
Melbourne Victory Youth squad versus Queensland Roar at Green Gully Reserve on 26 September 2008. Back row, left to right: Mehmet Durkaovic (Coach), Robert Wynne, Mijo Marinovic, Nathan Elasi, Steven Pace, Milos Lujic, Daniel Vasilevski, Steve Mautone (Assistant coach). Front row: Matthew Foschini, Mathew Theodore, Aziz Behich, Steve Pantelidis, Ante Cicak. Photo: Milan Ninovic.
On a dry, bumpy and windswept pitch at Green Gully Reserve, Melbourne Victory went down by two goals to nil in the opening match of the new National Youth League on Friday, 26 September 2008.
The Victory squad was only finalised this week and though the players had been together for the best part of a month, the home team was clearly struggling to find cohesion.
In the first half Victory looked reasonably sound in defence but could not create much in attack and it was the 38th minute before Nathan Elasi had a shot which came back off the post with Roar keeper Griffin McMaster saving Steven Pace’s attempt to put away the rebound.
The Roar was more adventurous particularly on the flanks but crosses were often overhit in the blustery conditions and the first half ended scoreless.
Queensland coach Rado Vidosic brought on Josh McVey for Michael Angus at half-time and the move paid off five minutes later when Mitch Nicholls, the man of the match, worked his way along the bye line and found the substitute on the edge of the area. McVey thrashed a shot into the top corner.
Two minutes later only a great one-on-one save by Victory keeper Mijo Marinovic prevented the Roar going further ahead, but the big custodian, who had looked extremely sound up to that point, then tried to dribble round Nicholls. He lost the ball and Nicholls walked it into the empty net.
Victory raised its game in the last ten minutes and Elasi drove narrowly over, while Queensland was reduced to ten men after Ben Griffin pushed Milos Lujic in the face.
Victory coach Mehmet Durakovic said afterwards, ‘The players will learn from their mistakes. The pitch and the wind were difficult. We did well in the first half but the mistakes cost us in the second.’
Rado Vidosic was pleased with the three points and the overall performance of the whole squad. An interesting difference in approaches emerged from the remarks of the two coaches. While both are concentrating on the development of their young players, Durakovic said he was trying to get his charges to play in the same style and structure as the senior team so that young players could move up knowing what was required. Vidosic on the other hand was emphasising adaptability and getting players to take on different roles so that they could appreciate what was needed in other positions on the field.
Also Roar Youth will play a number of their games as curtain raisers at Suncorp Stadium, while Victory Youth will rotate around a number of Victorian Premier League venues. If the Youth League is to get the exposure it deserves and the youngsters are to have the best possible conditions and atmosphere to play in, the Roar approach is much preferable.
On Sunday evening at Telstra Stadium, Melbourne Victory Chief Executive Officer, Geoff Miles said, 'We wanted to take the game to the clubs, which is why we are playing at Green Gully, Anderson Reserve, Port Melbourne, Epping and Bentley Greens. If we were to play at Telstra we would have to start three hours before the seniors; players could not take part in the youth and the senior game; crowds would not turn up; and there would be problems with the overuse of the pitch.'
Date Round Home Team Goals Away Team Goals
26-Sep-08 1 Melbourne Victory 0 Queensland Roar 2
26-Sep-08 1 Central Coast Mariners 0 Perth Glory 1
27-Sep-08 1 Adelaide United 0 Newcastle Jets 0
1 Sydney FC Bye
Adelaide United 3 Central Coast Mariners 0
Sydney FC 2 Queensland Roar 1
Newcastle Jets v Bye
League ladder
Team P W D L F A GD Pts
Perth Glory FC 2 2 0 0 3 0 3 6
Adelaide United FC 2 1 1 0 3 0 3 4
Sydney FC 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 3
Queensland Roar FC 2 1 0 1 3 2 1 3
Newcastle Jets 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Central Coast Mariners FC 2 0 0 2 0 4 -4 0
Melbourne Victory FC 2 0 0 2 0 4 -4 0