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.