Michaela Meade
Hume City will get the chance to defend its title as Dockerty Cup champions after winning a close semi-final clash.
Hume defeated South Melbourne 3-2 last week securing a place in the final.
Coach Nick Hegarty said it was a rough start for the players, that eventually improved.
“We didn’t do ourselves any favours by conceding a goal after 16 seconds,” Hegarty said.
“But after that moment we kind of took control and, probably deservedly, went 2-1 at half-time.
“I think we conceded goals in three or four minutes in the second half, and [South Melbourne] sort of got the ascendancy.
“But then fitness kicked in, and [South Melbourne] fatigued, they watched us recover the game.
“They copped a red card and then it was just a matter of time before we got the winner.”
The game went into 30 minutes of extra time, which Hegarty said “wasn’t too bad” for Hume.
“We were definitely in the ascendancy,” he said.
“We were very confident that we had more legs, more fitness than them.
“Really the only thing that we were probably nervous about was not getting the goal within the extra time period, because penalties would be a luxury.
“[South Melbourne’s red card penalty] came nice and early, so there was not really much pressure in the end.
“Fundamentally we worked harder, committed more to the game, and when you do that, the luck flows your way.”
South Melbourne’s penalty left it only 10-strong at the back end of the game.
Hegarty said to bid for the championship again was a great opportunity, but could prove difficult in the team’s busy schedule.
“The Dockerty Cup was only taken back from us [recently], so to be able to try and get it back to the club within a week or two would be a good thing,” Hegarty said.
“We’ve got such a hectic schedule coming up.
“That could be a damper on the situation, but we’ve just got to keep going, game by game.
“Then hopefully we’ll be in a good position… so we can try and defend our trophy.”
Hume is competing in simultaneous competitions, with its regular Northern Premier League season ongoing, and its first game of the FFA Cup scheduled for August 11.
Hegarty said it was a tall order for the players, but that he had faith in their skills.
“We’ve got a lot of games coming up at the moment, and we’ve got obviously the FFA Cup in the middle of [the regular NPL season],” he said.
“So, it’s a big ask for our players, but we’ve prepared for it so fingers crossed.
“The most important thing is, when the player schedule is so big, it needs to be a squad effort.
“We’ve got a lot of good players who can do the job on any given day.
“It’s a tough job to bring people in and out without changing too much.
“I’m confident in the players we’ve got, so we’ll definitely give it our all.”
