Melbourne Knights FC Official Website 
The Knights return home this week after facing a bitter loss at the hands of Altona Magic last week at Paisley Park.
Despite the ladder position distance, the match was largely even, with both teams battling it out in every corner of the ground, but it was the Magic who peppered the goal trying to send one through. The one goal that got through was enough to hand the home side all three points and leave the Knights with a lot to ponder in the ensuing week. A late-minute Mitch Hore injury proved to reduce the side’s speed in the middle of the park, with the Magic finding ample time to congest the defence area on most of the Knights’ counters.
With half of this season’s home fixtures having already occurred, the Knights face a tough battle in the thick of the mid-season calendar, where the fight for points becomes increasingly important, as the side looks to separate itself from neighbouring teams on the ladder and inch up a few spots. With Hore training throughout the week, he hopes to be able to “hit the park running against the Cannons and put in a solid effort for the lads and the home fans”.
The Cannons have had a much better start to the season than the Knights, currently sitting in fifth place, with five wins, four draws and only a single loss (to Avondale FC). The Cannons currently score, on average, two goals per game, and concede one. Their average goals per game is helped by the fact that they have a number of NPL powerhouses in front of goal, including Alex Salmon, Joe Guest and Stefan Valentini, with Salmon and Guest currently battling it out to be the Cannons leading goal scorer of 2024, each with six goals to their name.
Going into Round 11, the Knights will have to be defensively sound to withstand the likes of Salmon, Guest and Valentini. Similarly, the speed and tenacity of Tommy Semmy, and the technical prowess of Saif Sakhi should see the Knights get onto the scoreboard.
Join the Club this Friday the 26th as the Knights take on the Cannons in Round 11 of the NPL Victoria 2024 season, kick off 7:30pm.
