Australia Cup action didn’t overflow with sweet nectar at the weekend — not for Shepparton sides, at least.
Shepparton United and Shepparton Soccer Club’s cup dreams were dashed on Saturday after respective losses to Melton Phoenix and Old Ivanhoe.
It adds to a rank run for three of the district sides entered in this year’s competition following Shepparton South’s exit in round one, with only Goulburn Valley Suns (entering in round four) still in contention.
But it’s not all bad news, according to United coach Roven Shaholli following the 3-0 loss.
“To be honest, (my players) all surprised me, to see all of the fire,” he said.
“The team from Melbourne were basically all senior players, very tough at the ball, and the young ones actually stood up to them.
“For a young team, I reckon we did very well. They had a tall line-up, but we didn’t get broken down or bullied around.”
United was cruelled early as talismanic striker Ermal Marku was forced off through injury, cutting the Blues’ goal supply dry.
From there, Shaholli’s young side was no match for Melton’s size in and around the box as Phoenix converted twice from crosses in the first half.
The State League Four outfit then proved it to be its modus operandi again in the second half, scoring via delivery from out wide to kill the game dead.
Despite the result, Shaholli drew plenty of positives from the game, considering United’s squad contrasted vastly with the season prior.
“The team that we played wasn’t at the level that they’re meant to be at — they’re probably around State League One or Two level. They were very well prepared,” he said.
“Our team was really well prepared for the guys we had in the team, (they were) very young. It was a debut game for a few of the junior kids.
“It was a really good game to watch, it was intense. Even from the outside, the crowd got into it and it was exciting football.”
Further south, Shepparton met a similar fate at the hands of Old Ivanhoe.
The Reds went 1-0 down at Park Avenue Reserve inside half an hour as goalkeeper Khan Benice unfortunately bundled a long range effort over his own line.
Though the first goal was laced with luck, Old Ivanhoe’s next three were clinical as the host buried a trio of chances inside the box to progress to round three.
Shepparton and United’s knockout from the competition now leaves the region’s sole hopes in the hands — and feet — of last year’s Australia Cup bolters GV Suns.