A second half fadeout left Melton Phoenix vulnerable to a rampant Hoppers Crossing at the weekend, giving the Phoenix its first FFA state league 4 west loss of the season.
With both sides unbeaten going into the clash, the stage was set for a high-quality match, but Hoppers Crossing put in a blistering second half to run away with the game 4-0 and shoot to the top of the table.
Early on there was no sign of a whitewash with both sides enjoying good passages of play and creating chances to open their account.
Hoppers Crossing struck as a scrap in the box ended with the home side slotting one past Chris Vassallo in the 20th minute.
Melton had chances to level in the half’s remaining time but couldn’t capitalise.
It didn’t take long after half-time for Hoppers Crossing to take the game away from Phoenix, with two goals within 15 minutes of the restart.
While the Phoenix players fought hard for the remaining 30 minutes, they couldn’t break through the Hoppers defence, which looked rock solid all game. A final goal in the last minute consigned Melton to one of its heaviest defeats in recent seasons, while Hoppers sent a message to the competition that it will take some beating in the title race.
Coach Theo Karapanagiotidis said Melton needed to find a way to get through the Hoppers Crossing defence.
“That’s the side we’re going to have to contend with,” he said.
“There’s been lots of talk about them and now I see why. They outplayed us so we just have to lick our wounds, get back to training and try to regroup.”
It’s the biggest loss in Karapanagiotidis’s 18-month tenure at Melton, but he remained confident his team could bounce back against Bell Park after Easter.
“I think something like this can really spur us on to bigger and better things,” he said.
“We got beaten by a better side this time, but you live and learn … my boys will be better for it.”
