Albury Hotspurs 2 Melrose 3: Three teenagers score in a crucial victory

Crippled by mass unavailability, the visitors named a team packed with teenagers for their most important game of the season.

And three of those young men popped up with the goals which earned the Purple Army a 3-2 win at Aloysius Park, moving them five points clear of Hotspurs in the battle for eighth spot.

"Over the last 8-10 weeks we've had a pretty rough run, results haven't gone our way and the mood can get down pretty quick," Melrose coach Josh Fluss admitted.

"It's been really challenging for us to keep people motivated and today we were up against it, trying to put two teams on the park, but as a club we will never forfeit.

"We will always play two teams and do what we can.

"To get two results, not just in seniors but ressies as well, is a credit to the young group of boys we had on the park.

"I couldn't be more proud of them."

Melrose had to come from behind after Kristian Shipard headed home a cross from Zachary Fordham midway through the first half

But they turned the game on its head with two goals in four minutes, Merci Rabani spinning and finding the bottom corner when a free-kick dropped at his feet in the box, before Prince Muhoza played a great one-two with Rabani and fired home.

The sight of captain Adam Waters playing in goal was a further sign of how stretched Melrose were but the stand-in keeper did a fine job, with his fingertip save to keep out a deflected Shipard strike the pick of the bunch.

Zac Burhop converted a 50th-minute corner to make it 2-2 but when Brandon Vescio was sent off for bringing Rabani down in the box, Dirck Angalikiyana stepped up to send Zachery Bonetti the wrong way from the penalty spot.

Rabani, who beat a string of players to win the penalty, was the greatest exponent of Melrose's growing confidence; having been tentative early on he wanted to get on the ball at every opportunity as the afternoon wore on.

But despite playing against 10 men, it was heart-in-mouth defending from the visitors at times, with the significance of the result not lost on either side.

Waters did superbly to keep Burhop's low shot out with his foot and then threw himself bravely at the feet of Fordham with time running out.

Angalikiyana broke clear in stoppage-time and looked set to rubber-stamp the victory but his low effort rolled agonisingly wide of the far post.

However, Melrose had done enough and there were huge celebrations in the rooms after the game.

"We went across the team and most of them were 16 or 17 years old," Fluss said.

"They didn't just hold their own, they dominated physically, mentally and continued to work themselves into the game.

"The development I've seen from them over this season, and especially the last few weeks, has been extraordinary.

"It's the future of our club and the next couple of years are going to be promising."

League leaders Albury United beat Albury City 6-2 to stay four points clear of Cobram, whose opponents Boomers forfeited.

Wangaratta, in third, hammered Wodonga Diamonds 10-3 and St Pats went down 2-0 at home to Twin City.

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