By Tara Murray
Sunbury United got reward for effort, coming away with all three points against Sebastopol Vikings in FFV state league 3 north-west.
Travelling to Ballarat, Sunbury controlled most of the match to win 4-1.
Sunbury vice-president Greg Czapnik said the scoreline was reflective of the match.
“We always travel well up there,” he said.
“It was pretty dominant as far as the scoreline goes and could have been more.
“It was a solid display apart from about 20 minutes when we lost shape.”
Sunbury started the better of the two teams and scored first, before the Vikings upped their game.
They were unlucky not to score, with a goal disallowed and Mark Lewis making a good save.
The score was 1-0 at half-time.
Sunbury made it 2-0 before the Vikings reduced it to 2-1. Sunbury responded straight away.
A Lewis save kept the margin at 3-1 before Sunbury scored a fourth late.
Jayden Mercieca scored a hat-trick. Mercieca has scored six goals in four games since returning to the club from Lalor United.
Czapnik said it was good to have Mercieca back.
“He has scored five goals in the last two weeks,” Czapnik said.
“He’s showed what he is capable of doing. He knows how to find the goals.
“His mates were still at Sunbury and he was in and out of the Lalor starting line-up.
“I think it was an easy decision to come back.”
The win has United sitting in 10th spot, with a game in hand.
Sunbury United would have been sitting in the top six had it not been stripped 10 points earlier in the season for playing an ineligible player.
Czapnik said they were still fighting that decision. He said while there was no relegation this season, they wanted to finish in the top four.
In state league 4 west, Gisborne had a 1-1 draw with Laverton.
