Now with three competitive games under their belts, the City boys will have some run in their legs when they take on Hume City this Wednesday in the FFA Cup Round of 32.
The fixture represents City’s second game in a bumper two-week, four-game stretch that will test our squad depth and early-season form.
The City boys will be thankful for the short turnaround to the Hume City clash, with the team likely eager to make up for their late-game lapse against Adelaide United in Round 2 of the Izuzu UTE A-League that saw a two-goal lead squandered late in the match.
The 2-2 result would have been a frustrating watch for City fans, with the boys withstanding Adelaide’s early superiority to dominate the middle third of the game, only to concede two goals in the final 12 minutes of regular time.
Jamie Maclaren got off the mark for Season 2021/22, with Andrew Nabbout setting him up for a tap-in after the pair were released by a brilliant ball from midfield by Connor Metcalfe in the 28th minute.
Nabbout netted one for himself in the 61st minute, scoring an early goal of the season contender when he beat James Delianov with an incredible outside-of-the-boot curling effort from long-range.
However, it was a fortunate 78th-minute tap-in for Stefan Mauk – aided by Kusini Yengi’s initial shot rebounding off the post and then Tom Glover’s back – that swung momentum back in Adelaide’s favour, before Ben Halloran opportunistically equalised for his side in the 90th minute following a turnover high in City’s half.
After failing to secure all three points from such a promising position early in the second half against Adelaide, the City boys will be fired up as they head into Wednesday’s game.
Our Round of 16 opposition, Hume City, have lost several important players following the premature conclusion of the 2021 NPL 1 Victoria season but under manager Nick Hegarty will be confident of their chances of causing a ‘Cupset’ when they take on the Australian top-flight Champions on Wednesday.
In their recent NPL campaign, Hume were able to secure a fourth-placed finish on the back of an impressive 37 goals scored, the second-most in the league. Former Central Coast Mariner Josh Bingham was at the forefront of those goals, netting 13 times to finish second in the league’s golden boot race.
In the Round of 16, Hume was able to survive a late scare against fellow NPL 1 Victoria side Port Melbourne Sharks. Hume opened the scoring through former Adelaide United man Mark Ochieng, but their opponents were able to equalise with just over 10 minutes to go. It was their league hero Bingham who stood up again for his side in the Cup, netting a 92nd-minute winner to send Hume fans into raptures. The final 3-1 scoreline was then finalised a minute later when Nahuel Bonada was slipped through on goal and finished with composure.
City’s Wednesday night clash looms as an opportunity to utilise its incredible squad depth, with the likes of 2020/21 Grand Final winners Marco Tilio, Stefan Colakovski, Nathaniel Atkinson and Rostyn Griffiths all yet to start in the A-League Men’s season to date. Italian midfielder Manuel Pucciarelli is also in contention to make his club debut, having faced NPL opposition in friendly matches over the past two weekends as he continues his preparation for first-team involvement.
Match Details
FFA Cup Round of 16
Hume City FC vs Melbourne City FC
Wednesday 1 December, kick-off 7:30pm
ABD Stadium
