It was a long time in the making, but Saturday February 21 finally brought what football fans of the Murray Region were so eagerly awaiting, the National Premier Leagues competition.
Without an empty seat to be seen, fans came together en masse to get their first glimpse at what promised to be the region’s premier football competition, and not one person left disappointed.
Hosting Melbourne club Box Hill United, it was widely acknowledged by Murray United fans, and the club, that these were uncharted waters. We believed in the quality of our region’s best players, but how would the boys stand up to the quality of the NPL1 competition? Well, all questions were answered, and for those lucky enough to have been there, all agree, we have a hell of a lot to look forward to.
The spectacle began with the Under 20’s taking to the pitch against a high quality Box Hill outfit. Understandably there were nerves on and off the field, but from the sound of the first whistle, the quality of the Murray United team began to shine.
With the temperature in the mid thirties, the Murray United boys fought relentlessly through the conditions, creating a number of great opportunities. A couple of wayward shots and some great saves from Box Hill saw both teams head to the rooms at half-time having been unable to reach the back of the net.
With the second half underway, the crowd of well over 1000 together willed our boys to keep the pressure up, and finally, it happened. In the 72nd minute Tom Morrison scored the first ever Murray United NPL1 goal. Some brilliant footwork followed by a strike from the top of the box, his efforts too good for the Box Hill keeper. With the ninety minutes up with no further scores, it was a historic win for our Under 20 boys.
Murray United coach James Coutts said “I couldn’t be prouder of the lads. Having to deal with the nerves of such a major event, to go in with a game plan and execute it well, they have done an outstanding job.”
“We still have plenty of room to improve, so to get the points against a quality team like Box Hill, it’s just great. We’ve worked hard on creating a strong team with great unity, and it’s paying off.”
With a recovery session on Monday and a full game review with the team in the next couple of days, the attention moves to next weekend when Murray United take on Springvale.
Following the Under 20 game, it was now time for the Murray United Seniors to take to the pitch. A team filled with the best players our region has to offer, similar uncertainty surrounded as to whether our senior team would stand up against a club like Box Hill. A team that last year only just missed out on being promoted up to the NPL Well, it didn’t take long for all questions to be answered.
Just seven minutes in, a brilliant pass gave Adam Waters the opening he needed, and with a strike worthy of the history books, Murray United found themselves one goal up, a dream start.
With the crowd well and truly up and about, the fast paced and quality game of football continued. It was Box Hill’s turn next, converting in the 35th minute. Desperately wanting to go into half time with the lead, and having had plenty of the ball, the goal scoring abilities of Zac Walker were next to be put on show. Hitting the back of the net, and showing some very impressive celebratory dance moves, it was Murray United up 2-1.
With the second half underway, it didn’t take long for Box Hill to again equalize, with in the 52nd minute, managed to break through the strong Murray Unite defence and capitalize on the opportunity.
Both teams continued to put on a quality show for the fans. Box Hill were coming home very strongly when their keeper picked up the ball after a back pass, resulting in an indirect free kick for Murray United. Unfortunately for MUFC fans, a goal didn’t follow, and in the 86th minute John’s from Box Hill scored, giving them the lead for the first time in the match. An agonizing few minutes followed, with a series of amazing saves from the Box Hill keeper and defence, and in the end, it was not meant to be for Murray United, going down by one.
Senior Coach Mick Richards said “We put it up to a really good team, and were with them for a really long time. We played a structure of being compact in the back and then hitting them hard on the break. It worked well. Our speed created a number of chances.”
“The players are disappointed they didn’t get the win, but they know they are able to complete against a team that is right up there. We just need to stay positive and keep improving.”
Despite some concerns from fans when Zac Walker went down close to goal, Richards said the boys came out of the game unscathed “There will be some sore bodies, but a good recovery will sort that out. Zac had cramp, he ran himself into the ground. His effort was outstanding considering he’s only played a couple of games recently.”
With another exciting home game scheduled for next week against the Springvale White Eagles, all in all, fans of Murray United have a lot to look forward to as the season continues.
