It was party time in the Sunshine George Cross clubrooms after the Georgies defeated Bentleigh Greens 4-1 at Chaplin Reserve.

The comprehensive victory was not as easy as the score line suggests, as Bentleigh gave a very good account of themselves. If anything the Greens had more possession of the ball, but the visitors were largely ineffective in front of goals. That was the big difference between the two sides with the Georgies taking their chances to win easily in the end.

It was Bentleigh who began the brightest with Marcello Pena dictating terms in midfield. The Georgie defence led by Colin Azzopardi and Thomas Johnston gave nothing away and gave good protection to Martin John's goal. The home team opened their account in the 11th minute when Nicholas Harrhy raced away on the left wing and found George Papadopoulos  with a perfect pass to score easily. Not long after Martin John was called to make a fine save from a Marcello Pena free kick from just outside the penalty area.

Bentleigh had nothing to play for in this match but were playing as if on a mission. They fought hard for every ball as if their lives depended on the result of this match and made the Georgies earn every kick. After 30 minutes the Georgies strung together a series of passes that involved David Calleja, Nick Harrhy and George Papadopoulos. The final pass put Harrhy through on goal. The striker was brought down from behind and referree Hakan Anaz immediately pointed to the spot. Nicholas Harrhy stepped up and scored from the spot to give the Georgies a 2-0 half time lead.

The Greens were back in the game 9 minutes into the second half when Marcello Pena scored a great goal from an acute angle that deceived the strong Georgie rear guard. After 15 minutes of constant Bentleigh pressure, the Georgies should have increased their lead when Steve Manceski got a lucky break and was through on goal. His goal bound shot struck the foot of the Green's keeper with the ball deflecting for a corner.

Coach Andy O'Dell made an inspired substitution after 65 minutes when he brought on Peter Koutsoupias. Within a minute Koutsoupias could have scored when his close range header narrowly went over the cross-bar. The tiny but solid striker made amends five minutes later when he took on the Greens defence, went around the keeper, and from an impossible angle scored a world class goal to make the score 3-1.

Within a minute Bentleigh was given a lifeline when Referee Hakan Anaz saw an infringement and pointed to the penalty spot. Goalkeeper Martin John kept the two goal buffer for his side with a magnificent save diving full length to his right.

At the 76 minute mark super-sub Peter Koutsoupias tussled hard in midfield with his opponent and came out with the ball. He immediately sent George Papadopoulos away on the right wing. 'Papa' did well to to round his opponent before perfectly finding Wayne Wallace who headed home goal number 4.

The 4-1 victory was a repeat score line of the first round result. It ended a perfect day for the George Cross club that began with a pre-match luncheon that included Melbourne Victory captain Kevin Muscat as guest of honour. The players and supporters joined in the celebrations after the game in recognition of a great season. Club President Charles Leo Borg said he looked forward to the challenge of playing Premier League football in 2009 and told Andy O'Dell to get him more English players.

Sunshine George Cross need one more point from the remaining fixture against Clifton Hill this coming Saturday at Kevin Bartlett Reserve in Richmond to ensure the team ends the season as first division champions.


Under 21s: SUNSHINE GEORGE CROSS 2-0 BENTLEIGH GREENS
Goal Scorers: C. Hessey, A. Agius