Wangaratta 2 Albury United 1: Adam Burchell scores the winner on opening day

Burchell's goal, midway through the second half, was one of the few moments of class in a scrappy game at South Wangaratta Reserve, where the home side held on for a 2-1 win.

Latching onto Dan Kelly's header, Burchell stepped inside and whipped a terrific shot past the left hand of United goalkeeper Jay Barker.

"We're rapt and there's a bit of relief as well," Wangaratta coach Daniel Vasilevski admitted.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game. It turned into a battle and the team that won possession of the midfield would get another goal and that was us.

"What a finish that was from Adam Burchell. Having him in your team, you're almost halfway there.

"We've brought a new squad in, a lot of young players, and United are one of the teams to beat so we'll take a lot of confidence from this."

The simplicity of Wangaratta's opening goal, in the 10^th minute, irked the United coaching staff as they watched Kelly rise unchallenged to score with a header from Stoycho Ivanov's lofted free-kick on halfway.

Jordan Hore, on debut for United against his former side, went close with a header and then set up Sam Brosolo for a shot which flew wastefully over.

The Greens were level four minutes into the second half, Aidan Rees left free at the back post to convert Hore's low right-wing cross.

Kelly should have doubled his tally when picked out by Ethan Whiley but he soon made amends by laying on the assist for his strike partner.

Wangaratta, for whom 16-year-old Alex Pitt was a rock at centre-half alongside Ivanov, rode their luck at times with United hitting the woodwork twice but the visitors left empty-handed.

"The first half was pretty ugly from both sides," coach Matt Campbell reflected.

"We were as much to blame as Wang for that but we were frustrated with the goal. When he's taking a free-kick from 45 metres away in the air, your defence should have time to get someone under it and for Dan Kelly to be free, that's disappointing.

"But in the second half I thought we were really good.

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"We curtailed 'Burchy' reasonably well and started to get the ball on the deck but when he got his one decent chance for the game, he put it away."

Melrose, winless last season, beat Albury City 3-2 to hand new coach Josh Fluss a perfect start while John Irvine's time in charge of Albury Hotspurs began with a 3-0 win away to St Pats.

Nagus Henry scored a hat-trick as Myrtleford won 3-2 at Cobram, while in the women's competition, Albury United and Albury Hotspurs both scored 13 goals on their way to crushing victories.

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