By Jonty Ralphsmith
Pakenham has now won three of its last four games after rallying from 2-0 down to overrun second-placed Aspendale at home on Friday night.
Aspendale scored a goal either side of halftime before the club’s leading goal scorer Albert Mambo hit back after 63 minutes.
United was able to score two goals in a tense last 15 minutes in front of a big crowd at IYU Recreation Reserve.
The win was set up off the back of five returning players, including goalkeeper Divesh Kumar whose absence against Seaford was telling as they went down 7-0.
Kumar, who has experience playing football in Fiji, arrived after Pakenham’s 20-0 loss to Hampton Park five weeks ago.
Averaging 6.6 goals against in games he hasn’t played, Kumar has plugged a clear hole for Pakenham, letting just two past in each of his three games.
While a dark day against Hampton Park, that heavy defeat provided the tonic for Pakenham to turn it around and look to get something out of the season.
Kumar was one of a few new players who was brought in, while the incumbents wanted to lift the intensity to set the club up in the medium-to-long term.
United won a clash against fellow strugglers Barton the following week which instilled the belief that the sturdy defence and quality of forward entries could allow them to compete with anyone.
They proved that the following week by beating competition pace setters Rosebud.
Positively, it was youngsters Nana Yaw Asem Appiah and Snehashis Sinha who led the way in a 3-2 victory which was seen as the club’s best performance for several years.
After Seaford seized on them last week, they again showed on the weekend that with a full complement to choose from, they will cause some teams headaches late in the season.
Coach Dom Vigilanti combines his animated personality with his encouraging, nurturing soul, which has cut through positively for the players.
His work has also been influential in the last month.
The turnaround in the seniors has rounded off what has been a year of growth for Pakenham, with 70 new members and five more teams with more likely to be added next season.
Meanwhile, Weaam Zeitoune found the back of the net three times in Hampton Park United Sparrows’ 10-0 win over Barton.
Bunyip District got a 3-1 win over Mt Eliza, scoring first in the 14th minute and never surrendering the lead, while Casey upset Rosebud 2-0.
This weekend will see Bunyip host Pakenham in a local rivalry, a match which could see United jump to ninth spot on the 11-team table with a win, or propel Bunyip to as high as fourth.
Results: Pakenham 3 v Aspendale 2, Bunyip 3 v Mount Eliza 1, Casey 2 v Rosebud 0, Mentone 0 v Seaford 1, Barton Hampton park United Sparrows 10
Ladder: Hampton Park United Sparrows 35, Aspendale 25, Rosebud 25, Casey 22, Seaford 22, Bunyip 22, Mentone 21, Mount Martha 13, Mount Eliza 10, Pakenham 9, Barton 1
Fixture: Mount Martha v Barton, Bunyip v Pakenham, Mentone v Aspendale, Hampton Park United Sparrows v Rosebud, Seaford v Casey
