GV Suns' Callum Schorah put in a sterling display en route to victory.
Photo by
Jazzy Johal
The GV Suns took a major step towards automatic promotion and a giant leap on the journey towards potential Victorian Premier League glory with a 2-1 victory over Springvale White Eagles in round 22.
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Just five games of the campaign remain as the boys in the navy blue look to make history by potentially claiming the title for the first time since the club was founded back in 2013.
The Shepparton side has embarked on a remarkable run of 16 games without defeat in the division, going unbeaten since the end of March to install itself as the frontrunners for the championship.
After making the 200km trip up from Melbourne, Springvale arrived at John McEwen Reserve on July 25 looking to exact revenge, having fallen to a last-minute 2-1 defeat against the Suns earlier this year.
However, it appeared that the hosts were in no mood to relent in their quest for silverware as they successfully shut out their opponents during a goalless first half versus Beli Orlovi.
Following the interval, it was clear that head coach Craig Carley was keen for the hosts to seize the initiative in the final third, and midfield maestro Callum Schorah did just that four minutes into the second half.
The Liverpudlian’s talismanic displays have been central to the side’s imperious domination of the division in recent months, and he demonstrated his qualities once more to break the deadlock with a top-corner finish.
From there, the floodgates opened for the Suns as they made no mistake of pressing home the slender advantage, with Laywi Niyonkuru eventually doubling the lead in the 70th minute.
Naturally, the visitors did not roll over easily, as Juan Sebastian Bernal Rojas halved the deficit for Springvale with just under a quarter of an hour remaining on the clock.
However, the travelling side’s joy was short-lived as they were reduced to 10 men just moments following that strike, with Goran Zoric handed his marching orders by the officials.
That dismissal meant that the White Eagles were unable to claw back a share of the points, with Carley’s charges earning the spoils to edge ever closer to the VPL2 crown.
Reflecting on the game, the Suns tactician was left proud of the efforts of his players.
“It was a case of not taking the opportunities that presented themselves in the first half, we just said to the boys that we needed to be more clinical when the chances came after half time,” Carley said.
“We came out and scored pretty quickly in the second half with Callum’s finish which settled things for us - overall I thought it was quite a transitional game, nobody really put their foot on the ball.
“Full credit to the boys, they competed and battled and they keep raising the bar game after game.”
With just a handful of games left of the campaign, this latest triumph sets up what promises to be a potentially season-defining clash with second-placed Malvern City in week 23.
Separated by just a couple of points in the standings, the fixture at Egan Lee Reserve on August 1 will effectively serve as a six-pointer and a major marker in the title picture.
