Berwick City striker Orlando Mejias, who scored twice in his side’s 4-1 win over Endeavour United, is congratulated by team-mate Matthew Nitz after the game at Jack Thomas Reserve. By Paul Pickering
THE rise and fall of local rivals Berwick City and Endeavour United was on full display at Jack Thomas Reserve on Saturday.
The resurgent Lions scored three times in the opening 30 minutes before holding off an out-of-sorts United outfit in the second half to clinch an impressive 4-1 victory.
In doing so, City moved into third place on the Football Federation Victoria State League Division Three South-East ladder and condemned its foe to the divisional cellar.
The home side struck first in the 16th minute when potent striker Orlando Mejias found himself on the end of an enticing ball from Matthew Nitz and slotted it past United goalkeeper Mario Fonseca.
Six minutes later, City’s Wayne Shembri was fouled in the penalty area by Liam Ryan, with Nitz converting from the spot to establish a 2-0 lead.
The result was all but sealed in the 27th minute, when Gary Davidson pounced on the ball at the top of the box, driving it in with his left foot to net his first goal for the club.
Stung into action, United began to find its way back into the game before half-time.
The team’s rally was rewarded in the 42nd minute, when Shane Savanah knocked in an expertly directed pass from Muhammed Kirmaci.
The momentum continued to shift towards the visitors after half-time, and Damien Ithier found himself at the penalty spot after Jason Castel was felled in front of goal.
But United’s challenge was quashed when Lions goalie Bobby Pejkovic stepped up to steady his team with a vital save.
That left Mejias to apply the finishing touches to a memorable triumph in the 68th minute, slotting his second for the match and fifth for the season.
For second-year Lions coach Joe Carroll, the win was indicative of how far his charges had come since the corresponding fixture last season.
“When we played Endeavour United at home last year, we got beaten by three goals and it could’ve been 10, so the turnaround has been fantastic,” Carroll said.
“That was the best win we’ve had since I’ve been here.”
Carroll believes that improvement has been consistent across the pitch, but the addition of Mejias from Stonnington has been a revelation.
“Orlando has been our target man, he’s the fulcrum of a lot of our attacks and he creates a lot of opportunities for other players,” Carroll said of his boom recruit.
In fact, no team has scored more goals than Berwick City this season, with 15.
Meanwhile, Doveton has conceded the most goals of any team – 18 – but kept a clean sheet in its 1-0 win over Croydon City on Saturday.
Hugo Reyes scored in the second half to end a horror stretch of four consecutive losses for the Doves.
In State League Division Two South-East, the Casey Comets fought out a 0-0 draw with South Springvale at Comets Stadium on Saturday.
