Melbourne Knights FC Official Website Starting XI: B. Carrigan, S. Brecevic, T. Karlovic, S. Whyte, C. Bramwell, S. Lawless, F. Dunlop, D. Nikolaidis, C. Oldfield, D. Anastovski, J. Morton.
Substitutes: G. Matti, A. Hird, J. Franjic, T. Woerndl, M. Petheriotis
Melbourne Knights suffered a disappointing 3-0 defeat at the hands of Dandenong Thunder on Friday night, in what was a scrappy affair at Tompsett Stadium. Despite the return of key players Chris Oldfield and Tomas Karlovic to the starting eleven following injury layoffs, the Knights were unable to find their rhythm and were punished by a clinical Thunder outfit.
The breakthrough came in the 36th minute when Thunder were awarded a penalty, which Jalloh calmly slotted past Oldfield. The Knights, still settling into the game, conceded a second just before halftime as Clark bundled the ball over the line in the 44th minute following a chaotic scramble in the box.
The second half brought little reprieve. Thunder extended their lead in the 53rd minute through Amerongen, who capitalised on another loose passage of play to prod home from too close range. All three goals came in untidy circumstances, highlighting a frustrating night for the Knights’ squad.
Despite the result, the return of Oldfield and Karlovic saw both players getting valuable minutes under their belt ahead of a busy stretch of fixtures. The Knights will now shift focus to the Australia Cup, where they’ll host Beaumaris Soccer Club at home before the Easter break. Their next NPL Victoria fixture will come after Easter with an away trip to Hume City, where the Knights will be looking to bounce back and reignite their campaign.
