An all-PS4 NPL clash on match day 4 of the Westfield FFA Cup sees a Queensland side in-form and desperate to atone for last year's failure at this stage face a Melbourne club managed by a rising star of Aussie coaching.
MATCH DETAILS
Oakleigh Cannons v FNQ Heat
Tuesday, 11 August 2015
Jack Edwards Reserve, Oakleigh (VIC)
Kick-off: 7:30pm local (7:30pm AEST)
Referee: Patrick Chaplin
Assistant Referee 1: Luke Brennan
Assistant Referee 2: Alessandro Arbizzani
Fourth Official: Adam Bavcar
Tickets: Click here for ticketing details
Online Broadcast: Streamed online at www.foxsports.com.au/football/ffa-cup/ffacupondemand and Apple TV via FOX SPORTS Now
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash-tag #OACvFNQ
Oakleigh Cannons squad: 1.Evan KRALOGLOU (gk), 2.Rowan McNAMEE, 3.John BLACK, 4.Theo PAPAGEORGIOU, 5.Aron WILFORD, 6.Steve PANTELIDIS, 7.Stephen FRANTZESKAKIS, 8.Dusan BOSNJAK, 10.Dean PIEMONTE, 11.Kofi DANNING, 12.Tremayne SADLER, 14.Mirjan PAVLOVIC, 15.Jake McLEAN, 16.Sean ROONEY, 18.Adam LE CORNU, 22.Matthew FOSCHINI, 23.Julian DE THOMASIS, 25.Delarno PHAROE, 26.Lampros HONOS, 35.Lajos HUN (gk), 76.John HONOS (gk)
FNQ Heat squad: 1.Nick MOONEY (gk), 2.Cameron MORRISON, 3.Shimon WATANABE, 4.Tamas MAFFEY-STUMPE, 5.Josh JENNISON, 6.Jamie GOSLING, 7.Charlie BEVERLEY, 8.Alex SMITH, 9.Mqondisi NKIWANE, 10.Crios O'HARE, 11.David DI LUCCHIO, 12.Cameron NUCIFORA, 13.Shaun OWENS, 14.James PRICE, 15.Matthew FILIP, 16.Ethan DOCHERTY, 17.Jamie CARROLL, 18.Joshua PIN, 19.Jaiden NIGHTINGALE, 20.Kevin WARD (gk)
PREVIEW
BLUFFER’S GUIDE
The only PS4 NPL clash of the night sees Arthur Papas’s Cannons hosting Martin Doherty’s Heat.
In the corresponding fixture last year, the Far North Queensland-based club struggled to adapt when they met Sydney United on a chilly night in western Sydney.
What’s more, for this clash in Melbourne Heat could be without free-scoring midfielder and game-changer Alex Smith, currently training at an A-League club. He is however a former Cannons player so he’ll have some insights into how they may play and his partner-in-crime forward Jamie Carroll should cause the Cannons some problems
And after a 2-1 win on Saturday, those three points extends Heat's unbeaten run to five matches and brings the club to within two points of a top four finish with two matches remaining.
They’ll land at Tullamarine in a confident mood. As for Oakleigh, Papas is one of the shrewdest young coaches in the NPL and the former A-League assistant coach at Heart/City and the Jets will have his squad well-prepared.
And like Rockdale Suns last week, there’ll be a host of former A-League names in the Cannons squad, including Kofi Danning, Steve Pantelidis, Mirjan Pavlovic, Matthew Foschini and Sean Rooney.
How the long flight and the chilly conditions will affect the aptly named Heat remains to be seen. But the Cannons will go into this one as deserved favourites.
WHAT THEY SAY
Kofi Danning (Oakleigh Cannons)
‘‘It’s a big opportunity not just for myself but everyone in the FFA Cup, just to show what they can [do] and be seen by the whole of Australia.”
Alex Smith (Far North Queensland Heat)
“I’m sure there are a few things I know about their players and club as a whole that I can pass on to the boys,” Smith told the Cairns Post. “Oakleigh is a very strong club with an excellent set up … they are a club with a lot of culture, history and tradition. They’ve just signed a few ex A-League players so they’ll definitely be tough.”
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
OAKLEIGH CANNONS
League: PS4 NPL Victoria
Current ladder position: 11th in PS4 NPL Victoria
Latest result: 1-0 loss to Dandenong Thunder
Who to watch out for: Dusan Bosnjak
Official site: www.oakleighcannonsfc.com.au
FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND HEAT
League: PS4 NPL Queensland
Current ladder position: Fifth in PS4 NPL QLD
Latest result: 2-1 win over Olympic FC
Who to watch out for: Jamie Carroll
Official site: www.fnqfc.com.au
