Melbourne Knights FC Official Website The Melbourne Knights have captured back-to-back wins, on the back of a deserved brace from Anthony Frangie.
Starting XI: Thomas Manos (GK), Jack Marth, Fuki Ishibashi, Thiery Iradukunda, Ayden Brice (C), Luka Celic, Gian Albano, Anthony Frangie, Mohammad Sumaoro, Jack Morton, Luka Kolic
Substitutes: Harry Cakarun (GK), Joseph Colina, Justin Micallef, Trevor Ssemakula, Steve Sokol, Lionel Masudi
A confident Knights outfit returned home following their trip to St. Albans, claiming maximum points against bottom of the table Hume City FC.
A sombre first half saw the Knights control majority possession, keeping an eager Hume at bay. Without any real opportunities on goal for both sides, the game remained all square at the whistle, with plenty on offer in the final 45.
An electric second half saw the Knights dominate their opponents, as they continued to hold possession and find their way forward on the left hand side of the park through Gian Albano. Reward for their efforts was soon to come.
In the 56th minute, Anthony Frangie scored the first of the night, firing the ball past Lucas Trenkovski to give the Knights a deserved lead.
With 10 minutes remaining, coach Steve Bebic opted for his first substitution of the night, replacing Mohammad Sumaoro with Justin Micallef.
Moments after the substitution, the Knights were awarded a penalty, after a tussle in the box involving goal scorer Frangie. Going for his second of the night, Frangie stepped up to take the spot kick, and converted, giving home fans something to cheer about, taking his goal tally to four for the season. However, a hat-trick was not meant to be for Frangie, being replaced for Steve Sokol in the 82nd minute.
After only five minutes on the pitch, super-sub Sokol had the sealer for the Knights, making his immediate presence known on the field. His swift movement on the ball allowed him to ease past the last line of defence and go one-on-one with the Weier. Sokol slotted the ball into the back of the net for the Knights third and final goal.
Before full time, the Knights made two final game time substitutions, bringing Gian Albano and Luka Kolic off for Joseph Colina and Trevor Ssemakula. With another three points in the bank, the Knights now have a total of 12 points for the season after 7 matches and move up to sixth at the conclusion of the round.
The Knights next face off against the Cavaliers at Green Gully Reserve next Friday next at 8pm.
– Tom Hayes