Preston Lions advanced to the quarter-finals of the Australia Cup with a dominant 4-1 win over Brunswick Juventus on Wednesday, setting up a clash of immense feeling with rivals South Melbourne Hellas in the next round.
Preston won the match with a three-goal burst in the final ten minutes of the first half, having conceded the opener against the run of play to Juventus’ Nuh Sehavdic on 25 minutes. Those goals – through Juventus defender Lachlan Campbell’s own goal, then Jamal Ali and Lleyton Brooks – gave a far reflection of the contest at the break, with the home side then kept at arm’s length in the second.
In truth much of the second half was spent thinking of what is now to come, such is the gravity of Preston & South Melbourne again meeting on the national stage. Their most recent NPL meeting in July was marred by supporter conduct; they’d want to ensure this goes off without a hitch, given the momentum state-level sides are again building to stake their claim in the nation’s top flight.
A mounting sense of revolution has washed through this year’s Australia Cup, with A-League sides falling at pace. The tightening of the gap between professional and state-league football has been apparent for some time, but Tuesday’s further two Cupsets accelerated the feeling that this year’s edition really is there for the taking for semi-professional outfits.
Just two A-League sides will feature in the quarter-finals, and both are on the same side of the draw. An NPL side has featured in two of the past four finals, but on both occasions as hopeful outsiders; never has a place for a state-league club been guaranteed this far out, as it was after Lions FC beat Melbourne City on Tuesday. Opportunity knocks – and four days on from winning their first Dockerty Cup in 34 years, Preston played the first half with the intensity of a side that knew it.
But still, despite early dominance they were punched in the mouth as Juventus took the lead, a Juve free-kick helped on by two separate defenders to flip the ball over their own defence. It had come from nothing, and was calmly controlled and finished past Preston ‘keeper Ryan Scott by Sehavdic.
It wasn’t the first time Scott had been sighted, but he’d been nowhere near as busy as opposite number Nick Feely, a goalkeeper of great Australia Cup pedigree. But now a goal to the good, and already conceding the bulk of the ball, a 75-minute hold out mission seemed an enormous task for a team presently in NPL2, and with three mid-season signings Cup-tied.
Luca Tevere went to work. Fresh from his Dockerty Cup sealer, the seasoned NPL star dropped persistently into midfield and set up opportunities so frequently that Preston couldn’t help but score. His cross to Ayden Brice forced Campbell’s 36th minute own goal and while he wasn’t directly involved in their next two, Preston could pour numbers forward thanks to the midfield dominance he held. Ali’s goal two minutes later finished some neat build-up work, before ex-Victory men Stefan Nigro and Brooks linked up for the third.
Juventus created chances in the second half but couldn’t find the second that would have really prised the game back open. Preston substitute Jonas Markovski completed the scoreline 81 minutes; by that time, most in the stands had already turned their attention firmly to Hellas.