Sporting Whittlesea sits two points clear on top of FFV state league 2 north-west after a 3-2 victory against Geelong on Saturday.
Whittlesea started the season with three successive wins and now has a 7-1-1 record.
Speaking before the weekend’s match, coach Kevin Theuma said the team had been dealing well with being the top side.
“So far, so good,” he said. “We had a rough patch with injuries and went from a squad of 20 to 13 or 14 available players.
“But everyone who came in did their jobs, which is one positive.
“We now have 17 or 18 fit, which makes it more competitive for spots in the side.
“The results have been good and we have beaten a few of the sides around us on the ladder.
“It is different being the top side … people lift when they play you and want to beat you.”
Theuma said there was still massive improvement left in his side.
“We have been 1-0 down in all but one of our games this season,” he said.
“We’re working on whether a different sort of warm-up may help.
“The first five to 10 minutes we are flat and we can’t do that against some of the better teams.”
Theuma said the next few weeks would sort out the ladder.
“Geelong on paper is one of the better sides of the competition,’ he said.
“Moreland [who Sporting Whittlesea plays this week] is second.
“It would be good to get a bit of a gap on some of the teams.
“The top four or five will separate from the rest of the pack and then we’ll fight it out between the top teams.”
In the same division, Hume United got its second win of the season by beating Fitzroy City 3-1 and is now ninth.
Hume will now meet Yarraville FC Seniors on Saturday.
