City HUMEiliate Green Gully

A Richie Cardozo Hat Trick was the catalyst for a massive win for second placed Hume City over fifth placed Green Gully at Broadmeadows Valley Park on Saturday.

Green Gully were again missing star recruit Simon Storey which played right into the hands of Hume's attacking due of Captain/Coach Andy Vlahos and Golden Boot contender Richie Cardozo.

The game was played under testing conditions with a strong breeze blowing straight down the park but that didn't stop the game being of high quality with both teams needing a win to maintain their respective positions on the Alanic VPL table.

On 23' Vlahos neatly sliced through the Green Gully defense and crossed the ball on the carpet to Cardozo who cheekily back heeled the ball into the back of the net to give Hume City the lead.

The game then took a strange twist when Green Gully stalwart Andy Vargas became involved in a sledging match over the fence with his own supporters which looked like getting really ugly until the referee stepped in to dissolve the situation, Vargas continued his tirade after the half time whistle to the amazement of the small crowd.

The Second Half started similarly to the first with both teams not willing to give an inch and not creating many chances until the 59th when the game turned on its head as Cardozo grabbed his second and without doubt the best goal of his career with an over the head bicycle kick that would be goal of the year in most competitions around the world.

Cardozo then grabbed his hat-trick four minutes later after Vlahos again put a splendid through ball into the path of Hume's Number 10 who clinically finished past Gully 'Keeper Roganovic.

The Match was put beyond doubt on 66' when Zoran Petrevski got a slight touch from a long range free kick to see Hume win the match 4-0.

The win sees City go three points behind VPL leader Oakleigh Cannons with two games in hand whilst the loss sees Green Gully move out of the top five after Northcote thrashed Dandenong 6-0. The loss was also the Cav's first defeat in eight games and sets up an intriguing run to the finals with only 11 points separating first and eighth place with five rounds to go.

Hume City 4, Cardozo 23', 59' 63' Petrevski 66'

Green Gully 0

HUME CITY

1. Lupce ACEVSKI, 22. Phillip RICCOBENE, 6. Serdar PIR, 20. Michael BOSEVSKI, 7. Isyan ERDOGAN, 9. Pece SIVESKI, 10. Richie CARDOZO, 15. Zoran PETREVSKI, 4. Mark PISTINIZI, 12. Ross THOMPSON, 11. Andy VLAHOS.

Subs: 3. Fab DELIZIA, 21. Dusko DELIC, 17. James RICCOBENE, 18. Kenny GROH.

GREEN GULLY

1. Nikola ROGANOVIC, 2. Daniel JONES, 4. Cameron DRAKE, 6. Stephen DOWNES, 7. Jeffrey FLEMING, 8. Jason HAYNE, 10. Graham HOCKLESS, 12. Mathew SANDERS, 18. Mile MEDJEDOVIC, 17. Andy VARGAS, 19. Johnathon MUNOZ.

Subs: 23. Michael O'FARRELL, 9. Brent FISHER, 11. Pasquale VIZZARI, 18. Joel NIKOLIC, 20. Joshua PUGH.