MELVILLE City played Westside Wolves in atrocious conditions on Sunday and came away with a last gasp 2-1 win, solidifying a mid-table spot and positioning themselves for a challenge on the top five over the coming weeks.
In driving rain that made execution of even the most basic skills very difficult, Wolves went ahead through a drag flick by former Australian representative Nick Budgeon.
Melville absorbed immense pressure for the next 15 minutes but held firm, and drew level with 15 minutes to play thanks to a fine team goal capped off by Mark Brodie.
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READ NOWA series of penalty corners to Melville built pressure until Ryan Hyder managed to score the winner with less than a minute to go.
Coach Russell Lee said it was pleasing to come up with a winner at the end.
“The conditions made it hard for both sides, and we are grateful to take the points,” he said.
“We have three very winnable games coming up which will largely determine where we finish up at the end of the year, so getting consistency into our performances will be the key over that stretch.”
The women’s State League game between Melville and Wolves will have to be rescheduled due to the heavy rain making the playing surface unsafe.