The Man at the Canteen - Ringwood City/Cairnlea

A huge weekend for me, on Friday night I was in the area and decided to go and watch Ringwood City against Eltham. A win for Ringwood would of meant they would of  been crowned champions heading into this weekend after Melbourne Uni could only manage a draw at Whitehorse on Saturday.

Having not had dinner, I was looking forward to getting to Ringwood and having something to eat. It was my first visit to the new Jubilee Park and it was a trip I had been wanting to do all year.

On the canteen menu were lots of the usual, but burgers were the big ticket item, I went for the Chicken Burger (and it was a burger, not a schnitzel) because of what was on it compared to the regular burger. Lettuce, Avocado, Grilled Red Capsicum and a Garlic and Avocado dressing! Something very different!

The whole lot was a bit on the small side (about the size of a Big Mac), but it was very nice and a good change from the usual.

Saturday I had decided early on in the week to go to Cairnlea as I had also been asked to photograph two Roller Derby bouts in Braybrook ten minutes down the road.

There was a standing offer of a free kebab the next time I went to a Cairnlea match which was gratefully accepted at half time (as well as an extra generous second kebab for the lady in the stands travelling with me for the Roller Derby).

I think the Cairnlea people would be pretty confident with their product, and I have absolutely no problem in saying that it was the best Kebab I have had in suburban football. It was the real deal, all the ingredients were spot on. Better than the kebab van on Ballarat Road I stopped at last time I was in the area! It's just a pity their club isn't open the same hours.

The Man at the Canteen - Darebin United

Fridays at my place of work is the day all the employees get together and order a take away of some description, I was hankering for a Souvlaki, but I was unfortunately out voted and had to settle for Pizza (again).

I made it my mission on Saturday to find a club who could do a good Souvlaki, I was tossing up between a few games to travel to although there was no real stand out for the smaller round of catchup games.

Moreland City's encounter against Sydenham Park was on my shortlist so I started searching around for another fixture nearby. Low and behold Darebin United were at home to Northern Falcons just a kilometre away. Their logo (which features the Greek God Apollo) had Souvlaki written all over it so I was sold.

As the grounds were so close together, I decided to park at Moreland and walk to Darebin. After my quick stroll across the Merri Creek Valley separating the grounds I arrived at the far side of Mayer Park nose high in the air hoping for a whiff of the familiar odour of meat and garlic. Nothing straight away and with little action at the club house on the far side I was a little concerned.

I kept on moving towards to pavilion, still getting nothing on the radar. I had a look at the locals, there were a few supporters from both sides and nobody was eating so I started to formulate a Plan B in my head, until like a shining beacon I saw it, a few of the old boys tucked away in the corner were shielding it from the wind, but I know a spit when I see it.

Excited I went straight to the window and ordered one of their finest, found a quiet unoccupied bench behind the goal and went to work on it. It looked fantastic, a proper souv in a wrap, not a roll, it was a little light on the filling considering it was $8 on the price list, for that price I want it to be jam packed! The Garlic Sauce could of been knocked up a notch or two, but I am a man who loves his garlic, so it might of been perfect for others who don't like reeking of the stuff.

Still it was delicious, it was a pity the match wasn't up to the same standard, but let's face it, this time I wasn't attracted by the football so it was still a win.

Two Days, Two Championships (Part 2)

On Sunday I followed one Championship win with another. Bayswater Strikers won their 6th Bayside FA Championship in 7 years when they hosted third placed Langwarrin at Guy Turner Reserve in a catchup match.

Bayswater had a difficult run home having to play the only two teams that could catch them, Langwarrin again the following week at Langwarrin and then having to travel away on the last day of the season to second placed Endeavour Strikers, it was fair to say Bayswater were pretty focused on getting the three points required and not leaving the door open for either team to have a crack in the final weeks.

Like the match the previous day, the game was a bit of an anti-climax, but this time for a different reason. What must of been an understrength Langwarrin were dismantled by Bayswater. 4-0 up at Half Time and 7-0 up before Bayswater took their foot off the pedal and Langwarrin snuck 2 goals in, before an 8th for Bayswater capped things off.

At the other end of the table, things are not so done and dusted. Although Chelsea are relegated, Mt Lilydale currently occupying the second relegation spot on the ladder (due to a 6 point deduction for playing an unregistered player) will be travelling to Croydon Rangers on the last day of the season in what could be a winner takes all matchup.

Two Days, Two Championships (Part 1)

What a great weekend for football! It was the first weekend of Spring and I was lucky enough to witness one Championship being won and participate in another.

On Saturday I travelled back to Esther Park to (hopefully) witness Mooroolbark get the three points required for them to break their 24 year drought without a title. From the start you could tell that both the team and crowd were a bit nervous, the usually boisterous barkers supporters were quiet on the sidelines aware that they were playing a team seen as a bit of a bogey side and they were not going to take anything for granted until everything was done and dusted.

The quiet atmosphere seemed to affect the players as well, with no clear cut chances being created by Mooroolbark, you always had the feeling Old Melbournians were likely to snatch a goal whenever they went forward. They did have the best chance of the half, but the Mooroolbark keeper was able to react quickly thrusting a big palm in the way of an almost a point blank shot and forcing it over the crossbar.

45 Minutes down and with the score at 0-0 I was expecting the Barkers to come out fired up and looking to get an early goal to settle everyone down. Still it didn't come, Mooroolbark were getting forward but were struggling to find that creative edge in the final third, meanwhile the quiet crowd were still on edge every time Old Melbs went forward.

Now this part was told to me by a person from Mooroolbark after the match, so if my account has inaccuracies, please don't lynch me for it, and anyway, never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

It was told to me that around the 85th minute mark of the match, the Barker WAGS each decided to go one at a time into the ladies room in a vein attempt to invoke Murphys Law.

In theory it was a good plan, I am sure everyone of my four confirmed readers can testify to having missed a goal, a red card or some piece of vital action when answering the call of nature.

With the 94th minute ticking over and all the WAGS having had a turn, Stuart Milne stepped up to the plate. Ever the optimist, he gave a short but inspired speech and declared that he WOULD be the the one to miss history being made as he strutted off into the clubrooms. As they say, the rest is history.

Well done Mooroolbark on securing the Championship and Good Luck in whichever league the FFV places you in next year.

The Man at the Canteen - Boronia

Due to time constraints I was not able to sample any of the food on offer at either Westvale or Cairnlea this weekend, particularly disappointing for myself was reading the twitter updates after the matches and seeing that Cairnlea had 'old school' shish kebab on the menu! Oh well, another time perhaps.

On Sunday however I made my first ever trip to Boronia Soccer Club for the local derby between Boronia and Bayswater. I don't normally get to eat at these matches due to my own participation, but today after the match I was able to sample some of the local food.

As it was an important day for these two clubs Boronia had put on a family day which not only involved the visit of the Bayswater Womens, Reserves and Seniors, but also coincided with the visit of Montrose Soccer Club for a Bayside Div 2, Legends and Junior Fixture.

Boronia started off the day winning the Womens Fixture 3-1 and followed that up with the Reserves also getting up, this time 2-1. Bayswater did notch a win in the main match with their Seniors beating Boronia comfortably 4-1.

However, not all the action was on the pitch, off the park under Boronias expansive verandah the webber was on cooking up a few magnificent roasts for after the matches had concluded!

Served up for the players and fans was a magnificent Lamb & Pork Roast with a coleslaw and baked potatoes. After putting a bit of everything on my plate, I grabbed a few slices of bread and once I inhaled the potato I crammed the rest into a sandwich, threw my plate like a frisbee into the nearest bin and positioned myself on some grass so people couldn't see the mess spilling out from the overloaded bread and landing at my feet. Of course it was absolutely superb.

Now to wash down that absolute feast of food, Boronia again supplied. Their bar is stocked with the best line up of beers I have seen in the Bayside League. As well as the usual local beers, they also had good stock of Grolsch, Stella Artois, Sail & Anchor, Coldstream Cider & Kilkenny. If my memory was better I could name more.

For those that know me, I will always try a beer I have never had before and two bottles from Hopper Whitman immediately caught my eye, The Amber Ale and The Nut Brown Ale both and both went down very well.

All up it was a great day at Boronia, a very hospitable club.

On The Road Again

As we are getting down to the pointy end of the season, I will be picking out the do or die, promotion clinching and great escape matches to go to, this week by stroke of luck I managed to get two in.

In what could possibly be my last trip west for this season, I had singled out the return match of a game I attended earlier in the year, that of Cairnlea and North Sunshine Eagles. On paper it clearly stood out from all the rest. Traditional and local rivals, Cairnlea were on top of the ladder before this match and coming off a defeat last week to Yarraville and looking to make amends for their 4-2 loss at North Sunshine in Round 8. North Sunshine on perhaps 'Mission Impossible', 5 points behind Cairnlea before the match, but with 2 games in hand and an appeal to be heard with the FFV which may still see them lose points or be expelled from the league.

I was a bit stretched for time, with my daughters last game of netball for the year due to finish at 2:00pm, I had tentatively penciled in 2nd placed Westvales match against Geelong only a few kilometres away if I could get in the area within an hour, unlikely I thought.

By some sort of miracle, we happened to get away from Netball a bit earlier than usual, made great time down Alexandra Pde and I managed to walk in the gate at McKenchie Reserve just as the match was kicking off.

Westvale were playing their match on the back park for reasons unknown to me. The main park didn't look unplayable, but it wasn't in the best shape either.

As soon as I was setup and ready to go Westvale took the lead, with their big number 11 cooly slotting home 1 on 1 with the keeper. There was not many clear cut chances in the half with most of the entertainment coming from the animated Westvale keeper. As half time neared, I quietly packed up and moved onto Cairnlea.

On arrival at the relatively new Cairnlea Park, I was greeted by the largest crowd I had seen at non VPL match all year. Both sets of supporters lined the fence on the clubhouse side of the ground with good numbers on the opposite side and behind the goals as well. I learnt that North Sunshine were leading 1-0 at the break so anticipating Cairnlea to come out firing I positioned myself in their attacking half.

It was an absorbing match, North Sunshine were pressuring the ball well and didn't give Cairnlea the time or space to get forward, frustrating them. Most of the action was happening on the other side of the ground so I made the decision to switch sides, which also meant taking shots into the sun.

As I was sneaking behind the goals North Sunshine won a corner, I cheekily asked one of the Sunshine supporters behind the fence which one of their players was going to score from the set play, he replied "The big number 9", I focused on him at the back post and waited for the kick. A Cairnlea defender cut out the kick, but as I was looking to see where the ball had gone it fell to the big number 9 who buried the shot and reeled away in celebration.

The supporters behind me, delighted that they had guessed correctly asked "did you get the shot?" I replied a bit disappointed that I had not, but even if I had I think there would of been too many bodies in the way.

Cairnlea huffed and puffed and tried to get a goal back, but the closest they came was an indirect free kick for a backpass, which North Sunshine scrambled away and another free kick from their captain from a fair way out which was floated into the box and looked to have caught the keeper out as it came back off the cross bar and was cleared away.

It finished 2-0, North Sunshine were worthy winners from what I saw and hopefully they can get another win on Monday night at the Tribunal to keep their improbable dream alive.

On another note, it was great to be recognised by a few in the crowd at Cairnlea, it is nice to hear there is people looking at the photos and appreciating them.

Images from both matches can be found on this website and on my Facebook Page.

First Impressions - Chaplin Reserve

I have never been to Sunshine George Cross's Chaplin Reserve before and I was fortunate to get my chance when the planned fixture I was going to photograph between Avondale Heights and Sydenham Park was moved to the venue presumably due to Avondale's Ground being unplayable.

Sunshine George Cross are probably one of the more recognisable names in Victorian football and have a rich history which includes a stint in the old National League and being able to walk onto a ground with such history was a bit of a buzz.

In hindsight I am glad I left my earlier match before half time, as at the moment, Chaplin Reserve has been surrounded by works due to the construction of the Regional Link Rail Link which has taken up some of the land which I assume was once part of the reserve and in turn made parking an absolute nightmare.

On arrival I was greeted with double parking on both sides of the packed entrance and only a small gap to travel down to the car park at the far end, I travelled down the narrow track, behind the pavilion as far as I could, but a person parked in the middle of the road had blocked the entrance to the small strip of vacant land behind the far goal, so I had to reverse the all the way back out to the road, as there was no room to turn around. I eventually found a spot in a nearby street about 500 meters away from the ground.

The ground itself and the buildings is very old and now thanks to the surrounding work very tightly packed in with the only standing room on the clubroom side of the ground and a small space behind the goal at the Anderson Road end.

The playing area is surrounded by high fences (chin high on me) which I imagine wouldn't be very appealing to the spectators and too high for me to be able to quickly jump over with my camera bag, so I had to find another way to access the pitch.

I walked past a recently built media box (which I assume was put in place as a Premier League requirement and now looks to be used as a VIP box) and towards the main pavilion where I could see a gate and a few marshals. The clubrooms were smaller than I expected them to be for a ground which did host regular NSL games in the 80's, but the change facilities were an even bigger surprise.

*EDIT - After doing some further research, the new media box is because of a fire which destroyed the previous media box in December 2011.

Portable change rooms hosted the home team and referees, while the away team had to settle for part of a converted shed! I was really shocked and these facilities don't look like short term temporary solutions, both had been standing there for a fair while as evident by the plants growing up the wall of the portables. I can only imagine what travelling NSL teams thought of playing there back in the day.

It is very hard for me to imagine the place hosting a few thousand people for a home game against clubs like Adelaide City or Sydney United, or even a local derby against Melbourne Croatia or Footscray JUST (for all I know, the ground could of been completely different back then as well, please feel free to correct me it that is the case).

But as the game went on, you got the sense of how intimidating such a place would of been back then and there was a certain character about the place which grew on me. It is something you simply don't get to experience as a spectator at the newer venues and the open reserves.

I hope George Cross will somehow benefit from the works being done to the rail line or at the very least will get some of the land back which is being used to aid the construction so they can better accommodate supporters as it really is a neat little suburban ground.

The Man at the Canteen - Keilor Park

This week I made the long trek west again and into the unknown quantity of Keilor Park Soccer Club.

For those that like a bit of plane spotting while watching local Football, Keilor Park should be on top of your list of favourite destinations. Situated directly below the flight path for planes landing on the main runway at Tulla, it is quite spectacular and unique to see the jumbos flying so close to the ground, particularly for someone from the other side of town who is used to the distant buzzing of twin props going to and from Tooradin Airport.

The club itself has a fantastic setup, based at the back of a reserve which includes a council depot, AFL/Cricket, Baseball, Basketball & Athletics facilities the soccer club boasts five full size pitches (six if you count the middle of the Athletics track) and two of those grounds are synthetic.

The clubrooms are a sight as well, it's great to see a club with so much history having it proudly on display for all visitors to see. It was quite impressive.

Onto the Canteen which is situated inside the clubrooms. Having a quick glance at 'Today's Menu' it had all the usual fare, but I was after the big ticket item which was the burger with the lot.

It took a few minutes to make, but that isn't a complaint when it is made to order and of course the wait was worth it, the burger was very similar to your typical corner fish 'n chip shop type of burger, with Bacon and Egg being included as "The Lot" alongside the mandatory Lettuce, Tomato, Onion and Cheese.

After I ordered I noticed a second menu stuck to the wall on the side of the Canteen which also offered Steak Rolls and Chevapi Rolls, but thankfully I didn't regret my decision.

The Man at the Canteen - Mooroolbark

As I was already in Mooroolbark on the day, it was a no-brainer for me to head to the top of the table clash in State League 4 East between Mooroolbark and Riversdale at Esther Park. Aside from the match itself the other drawcard was trying out their Scotch Sausage.

The benchmark for me in regards to Scotch Sausage is the Dragons from Seaford United, now retired unfortunately, so I need to find a new favourite and the offering from Mooroolbark looked the goods.

Fortunately I had the foresight to take the above photo, as I inhaled the lot in record time which is an indication of how much I enjoyed it.

The roll was fresh, the sausage was a bit crispy and everything else was pretty much spot on. My only complaint was that it left me wanting more! Fortunately the good people at Mooroolbark provided and a big thanks goes out to them for the second lunch provided at half time.

I didn't pay much attention to the rest of the menu but I believe Mooroolbark also do toasties as well, hopefully if I can get back there I'll put them to the test as well, but only after I have had another Scotch Sausage.

Casey Soccer Hub

Under the heading 'Political Play' Soccer took to the front cover of my local paper the Cranbourne Star Community News.

For those unaware, Casey Council have had plans to add a soccer hub to it's impressive Casey Fields sporting complex, but this is the first time I have seen solid plans being made and news of funding being discussed.

As usual, soccer will be one of the last sports to take up residence at Casey Fields with facilities already in place for Cricket/AFL, Athletics, Rugby, Tennis & Cycling but, it could very well be worth the wait as the most recent plans put forward look rather impressive.

3 Synthetic 'Community" Pitches, 1 Grass 'Community' Pitch as well as a Grass Feature Pitch/Stadium estimated to accommodate 4,000 spectators with a 500 seater grandstand. As well as a Regional Sports house which sounds exciting.

"The Regional Sports House is designed to accommodate state and local sporting associations, industry bodies, sports related education, sports science, service delivery providers and multicultural youth officers.

The Sports House would have a 50 seat lecture theatre, four internal offices, a 20 seat open work plan area, three meeting and board rooms, overflow social rooms for programs, functions and events and kitchen and amenities."
Now judging by the article the Feature Pitch (and I assume Regional Sports House) will be shared between all rectangular sports (Soccer, League, Union & Gridiorn), which begs the question about how use of the facility will work for local clubs.

News on the grapevine suggests that the closest club to the new facility Casey Comets have already ruled out a move to Casey Fields when it was first put on the drawing board some years ago in favour of developing their current facility in O'Tooles Road, perhaps time may have changed that stance?

With the new NPLV also on the horizon, I wonder if it means a new club may be born to make use of the facilities with current local clubs taking a back seat if none have made an application to be part of the new competition.

Hopefully this facility will get the funding required as it has already been knocked back by the Regional Development Australia Fund, but with an election on the horizon anything is possible.

Read the full article here with images of the planned development...

http://cranbournenews.starcommunity.com.au/news/2013-07-04/political-play/

Consistently Inconsistent

I was at an Under 13 match today (Peninsula Strikers -v- Seaford United), the young ref who was assigned to the match had a local assessor with him taking notes about his performance.

In light of this it was an interesting observation by all on the sidelines to see the match kick off with the Peninsula goalkeeper wearing a plain yellow shirt which clashed with the all yellow shirt of the Seaford outfield players.

A few things were muttered on the sidelines, but the general consensus by all was that it was an Under 13's match and it was no massive deal.

Halfway through the first half the Peninsula coach informed the ref that they had two players with a number 14 shirt on the field, but he would rectify that at half-time, again, no problem from all on the sidelines.

However, at half time, it did come as a surprise by all of the Seaford parents and the coach when the referee walked over and asked all the Seaford players who had yellow electrical tape over their black socks to remove it as it was a 'clash'. Yet, Peninsula lined up again with their keeper in yellow and one of their players who had a shirt with the number 14 crudely amended to a 44 with the addition of white tape when the rest of the number was in yellow.

The ref was queried about the goalkeeper shirt, but it was simply ignored.

Now I hope the right thing was done by the assessor and the ref was briefed afterwards about the inconsistency as this sort of error with basic rules is what gives refs a bad rap, but I get the feeling that this instruction was issued by the assessor in the first place, I sincerely hope I am wrong.

As a footnote, I will just mention that there was no altercation or kerfuffle that arose from this situation, the question was asked, ignored, then the match when on like normal.

Rectangles in Ovals

A recent observation is the ever increasing number of ovals now having soccer pitches marked in the middle of them.

The most recent venue I have come across is at Mahoneys Road Reserve in Forest Hill on my recent trip to photograph Nunawading City. The ground opposite the sky blues facility used to host Nunawading Football Club, but since the club has moved onto greener pastures the ground and clubrooms are now being shared by Nunawading City and Crossway who play in the Vic Churches League.

It is fantastic to see our brand of football getting hold of some of these venues some of which have some pretty good facilities. I would assume most of these venues would have been occupied by AFL clubs at one stage or another, some might simply be used by cricket clubs with no previous use during winter, but it does make me wonder if this trend of rectangles being put into ovals is a sign of the growth of Soccer at a suburban level at AFL's expense, or if it is yet another example of how councils are ignoring the world game when it comes to funding for new venues with priority continuing to going to AFL clubs?

As a rough guide here are the examples from the few venues I have visited this year. 

Crossway Churches - Mahoneys Road Reserve No.2 (Ex Nunawading FC - MOVED)

Noble Park United - Parkfield Reserve (Ex Noble Park Bears - DEFUNCT)

Maribyrnong Greens - Skinner Reserve (Ex Sunshine VFA - DEFUNCT)
Dandenong Wolves - WJ Turner Reserve (Ex Silverton Junior FC - DEFUNCT)
White Star Dandenong - Fotheringham Reserve (Can't find any history of AFL clubs using this venue)

Skinner Reserve in Braybrook, now home to Maribyrnong Greens.

Harrisfield Hurricanes in State 5 South have also recently been allocated Alex Nelson Reserve in Springvale, previously one of two grounds used by Noble Park Junior Football Club.

Of course the downside to using such big ovals is trying to best make use of the area to mark out a rectangular pitch. Some clubs try to squeeze two pitches into the area given, but unfortunately most venues are only suitable for one pitch, which in the middle of a big oval doesn't endear itself to spectators.

Also, as it is an oval you are guaranteed it will have a cricket pitch of some description in the middle of it, which will be a bug bear for most visiting teams who's home venues are cricket pitch-less.

If I get time and motivation I will try and research some more ovals now being occupied by soccer clubs and post it here.

The Man in the Canteen - Nunawading City

The Man headed to Nunawading City first up this week, a club who has been in turmoil off the pitch recently with their senior coach and club departing ways and several senior players walking as a result. 

It has been a long time since I had been to Mahoneys Road Reserve, if I recall correctly the last time I was there was for an Under 13 'Regionals' match (I scored the winner as well for memory), but that is going back a fair while now, so I was surprised to see that not much has changed.

The pitch is still a pretty decent surface as I remember it, and the rest of the reserve looks much the same as well, with only an extra room being a small addition to the existing pavilion on the hill. It does however look like Nunawading have taken over the clubrooms at the ex-AFL ground on the other side of the carpark with a few people from both clubs opting to sit on the balcony there and watch the match. Another positive sign for our brand of football with a Churches match taking place at the same time on the oval.

Now before I talk about the food, I would like to acknowledge the hard working volunteers at clubs like Nunawading, people who give up their time to work on match days to help out their club. I have worked in a kitchen and cooked food for a club in the past and have copped my fair share of criticism for it, but I hope if the volunteers at Nunawading are indeed reading this, that you see my comments as constructive criticism and don't take them to heart.

A Souvlaki can be a difficult thing for a club to pull off, and I am perfectly willing to accept diced lamb in a roll as a Souv, but today I felt that Nunawading had it all wrong and here is why....

• For starters the roll was a standard soft supermarket hotdog roll, which after sitting in a bain-marie (although I was assured it was freshly made) had a consistency similar to that of a Red Rooster microwaved 'Rooster Roll'.
• The Lamb was fine although personally I think the regular diced lamb would go better than the stuff with the 'Gyros' seasoning coated all over it.
• Mixed lettuce in a souvlaki is a no-no. Stick to the basics, iceberg lettuce is fine.
• No (or very little) Garlic Sauce, perhaps it is because it was the gyros seasoned lamb, but Garlic Sauce on a Souvlaki is a must!
• More is more, a good souvlaki has lots of everything particularly if you are selling them for $7 each!

Now unfortunately for me I had decided to go to Box Hill for the second half as they kicked off at the later time of 3:15pm. They also had Souvlaki on the menu and I wished I had held off for the extra hour as Box Hill had the full spit in operation and it looked and smelt spot on the money!

The Girl in the Stands who was with me opted for the Chicken Schnitzel Roll, which came with lettuce, tomato and cheese. She had no complaints, but it did look like the same quality materials were used and it again cost $7.

FOOD

Souvalaki - $7

Chicken Schnitzel Roll - $7

Hot Dogs

Potato Cakes

etc.

BEER

None at the canteen from what I saw, probably served at the clubrooms across the carpark.

The Man in the Canteen - White Star Dandenong

After having a quick look at the fixture list there was no matches that immediately grabbed my attention, I was toying with the idea of going to Eastern Lions -v- SGX, but I was led by my appetite to head down to White Star Dandnong.

For those of you who are not already aware, White Star are a club of Polish heritage and the food and beer probably has a better reputation than what they have been serving up on the pitch in recent times.

In past visits a light beer at White Star comes in around the 4.5% mark with the heaviest coming in around the 10% mark, but it was best I stayed away from them on this day and instead headed for the BBQ for some of their trademark Kransky.

I am by no means a reviewer of food, more a reporter on the subject, but I must say it was fantastic and worth the trip, a traditional Polish Sausage served in a crusty roll with a self serve salad, it really did hit the spot and if I didn't have to take some photos I would of easily gone back for another.

FOOD
Kransky in a Roll (w/ onion & salad) - $5

BEER
Zywiec
Brok
and more

I don't wear a hat, a cravat or have any facial hair (unless I am being really lazy) but....

It has been suggested to myself (and Steve from Football Chaos) that as we are visiting so many different grounds recently we should do a brief write up on what fare each club canteen has to offer.

It seems like a good idea, there is so much variety out there in our brand of Football, much better than the tired old Hot Dog, Pie, Sausage Roll combos offered at most local AFL venues.

I have already based a few of my trips based on what food was available at particular venues, and have also found a few ripper canteens in unexpected places as well.

There is a bit of catching up to do for this year and I hope to fit them all in if this proves to be popular with people.

Venues to catch up on (in no particular order)

Western Eagles
Springvale City
Noble Park United
North Sunshine Eagles
Waverley Wanderers
Croydon Ranges
Mt Lilydale
Dandenong Wolves
Bentleigh Greens

Some I might need to revisit to refresh my memory ;)

MATCH REPORT - LIONS TAME PLUCKY EAGLES TO REACH QUARTER FINALS

For me by far the most interesting of all the Round 5 Cup ties was the matchup of two ex-powerhouses in Victorian Football, Western Eagles (Polonia) -v- Preston Lions and after arriving at the Polish Sports Complex and seeing a gleaming trophy cabinet, you knew the Eagles weren't going to be pushovers despite being two leagues below their more fancied opponents.

The Eagles started the brightest, getting the ball forward and catching out the scrambling Lions defence on a few occasions. Western figuring that attack was the best form of defence soon took the lead, the Preston defence failed to clear their lines and the loose ball dropped to Phillip Mucha who curled his shot into the far corner beyond Kostadinovski in the Lions goal.

Kostadinovski, apparently going into the match with a torn quad sustained the previous week, had to be subbed off shortly afterwards and was replaced by Justin Kiklevski for the remainder of the match.

Preston tried to work their way back into the game and started moving the ball around and creating a few half chances, the best of which fell to Tony Steryovski at the back post, Steryovski had time to take a touch but instead lashed his first time shot high over the bar. Preston also managed a shot off the post and a direct free kick well turned around the post by Klek in the Eagles goal, but couldn't find that killer finish and went into half time 1-0 down.

The second half saw a change in style from Preston, instead of moving the ball around and trying to walk the ball into the back of the net, they started to play more directly which began to expose a few cracks in the Eagles defence. The Eagles were finding it hard to get back into rhythm and get the ball forward, Prestons defence being reshuffled and looking much more solid than the first half.

A long ball over the top, misjudged by the Eagles defence saw Danny Barakat pounce and lift the ball over Klek into the far corner of the net to level the match.

The Eagles didn't drop their heads instead kept plugging away trying to get forward and creating that one chance they needed to win the match, Preston still had more of the ball, but were not dominating their opponents with clear cut chances still at a premium.

A rare attack by Western Eagles saw a deflected long range effort wrong foot Kiklevski but the ball cannoned off the crossbar and out for a corner as the Eagles players, staff and supporters collectively put their hands on heads knowing that they were not going to come much closer to regaining the lead.

The match was starting to look destined for extra time until Robert Najdovski fired in a shot through bodies from just outside the box beating Klek, who had been in fine form all game, and nestled into the near corner of the net.

Clearly frustrated Western Eagles soon went down to ten men with substitute Alec Stzycharski who was lucky to not be shown a straight red earlier for an apparent head but on his Preston Lions opponent, being show two yellow cards in quick succession.

The Eagles were not done though and continued to show their fighting spirit. With the last opportunity of the match, they pumped a long free kick into the Lions box, Kiklevski came but missed the ball and it was scrambled away by the Lions defence.

Western Eagles will feel themselves unlucky to not have at least forced extra time as they matched their higher ranked opponents for most of the match, but it will be Preston Lions into the hat for the Quarter Finals.

More Photos on my Facebook Page.

GREAT DAY AT POLONIA!

I didn't regret my choice of match!

It wasn't a fantastic spectacle and Preston looked nowhere near a State League 2 side, but the sun was out, the people were friendly and the food and beer was superb! If you ever get to a match at Western Eagles try the Kransky! You won't be disappointed!

Also, have a look inside the social club, all the old trophies are proudly on display as well as team photos. So much history at this once great club!

Match Report and Photos up as soon as I get around to it.

FFV CUP ROUND 5

Out of all the matches the only one which stood out to me was the Western Eagles -v- Preston Lions match up, two teams which used to be powerhouses in Victorian Football facing off at the Polish Sports Centre in Albion.

Now I have never been to the Polish Sports Centre before, but there is a few things which appeal to me when looking for a match to photograph...

Firstly, I prefer the lower league clubs, and when I say lower league, State 2 and below or 'Community Clubs' as the FFV will refer to them as of next season. Why? The Premier League gets plenty of coverage from photographers, State League One gets a bit of press as well, but nothing is hardly seen of the lower league clubs and there is so much good football and intense rivalries at this level. That is not to say that I won't go to a VPL or State 1 match, but it would have to really appeal to me or suit my schedule to get me there.

Secondly, the food, if Western Eagles are anything like their Polish brothers White Star Dandenong then I know there will be plenty of good food and beer (pity I can't get someone to drive me :P) to be had.

Lastly, I like going to a club I have never been to before, I do get time restricted on weekends, so my ability to travel can be hampered which is why I tend to stick close to home around the south eastern suburbs, but after my first trip to the west last week to North Sunshine and Maribyrnong Greens, I was very encouraged to return.