A-League dreams dawn as FFA Cup enters finals

Football's second-tier clubs are battling for victory in the FFA Cup and the chance to take on football's elite on the national stage.

A-League dreams dawn as FFA Cup enters finalsA-League dreams dawn as FFA Cup enters finals

AAP Source: AAP

The quarterfinals of football's FFA Cup are underway.

 

While the spotlight is on the Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United blockbuster, Hume City and the Oakleigh Cannons face each other in the other quarterfinal match.

 

The second-tier clubs are battling for a place in the semis and the chance to take on football's elite on the national stage.

 

The Oakleigh Cannons have been the pride of Melbourne's Greek community since 1972.

 

The club was promoted to the Victorian Premier League - now the National Premier League - in 2003.

 

Three year later it won its first championship.

 

But the FFA Cup has taken them to a whole new level.

 

Oakleigh's new manager, Arthur Pappas, says the quarterfinal berth against Hume City will be the greatest moment in the club's history.

 

"I think it's already it's already spoken of as the biggest achievement of a club of Oakleigh's stature and victory would just cement that and give us a good chance to pull off one of those great cup upsets progress into the semi finals and from there, anything is possible."

 

The 2015 season has seen some massive changes to the club, with the arrival of Pappas and the signing of five former A-League players.

 

The club has risen from the bottom of the table to finish the season 11th, and won through to the quarterfinals in the FFA Cup.

 

Former Melbourne Victory midfielder Steve Pantelidis is now hoping he'll get a chance to play against his old teammates in the semi finals.

 

"A semi final is massive and it would be nice to get Melbourne Victory, my former team, or Perth Glory or any other team really. It's just a massive achievement if we can get to the semifinals."

 

The ultimate goal for Oakleigh is to become the first National Premier League side to win the FFA Cup in Australia, but the competition also gives players a chance to show their skills to an elite-level audience.

 

Ghanaian-born Kofi Danning has played for Sydney FC and Brisbane Roar and is hoping to get noticed by A-League selectors in the FFA Cup quarterfinal.

 

"I still want to try and get back into the League so any exposure to get us back into a higher level is what we all want and that's why we all play to enjoy football and play at the highest level."

 

He's not the only one.

 

Across town Hume City players also have A-League dreams.

 

Young gun Marcus Schroen proved to be the difference in his side's victory in the round of 32 against the Brisbane Strikers, scoring a brace in the 4-3 win.

 

While he's currently studying, he'd like to make football his life.

 

"To make it as a professional, to be honest, playing full-time in a pro environment, playing day in day out doing what I love is something I really want to do. Every opportunity is really good to try and put yourself out there. "

 

Hume City FC was founded by Turkish Australians in the north of Melbourne in 1979.

 

The club has undergone several rebrands in the past three decades, and captain Nick Hegarty says he's hoping FFA Cup victory will boost the side's profile to the wider community.

 

"This stage is only the first time we've been able to get the football club out into the area of Hume. So once we get a percentage of that, knowing the club's here and wanting to come and support this team then we can become a team the whole area can be proud of."

 

The club has a one win - one loss record against Oakleigh.

 

Hume City Manager Lupce Acevski says he's hoping the side can contain the Cannons and bring home victory.

 

"I don't really care about the scoreline as long as we win the game. It can be a 1-nil or a 10-9 as far as I'm concerned. I'm just really looking forward to it as well."

 

The FFA Cup draw ensures at least one second-tier club makes the semis.

 

Just who that will be is about to be decided.

 






Share

4 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world