Want to know more about our first ever Westfield FFA Cup match? Read on.
Melbourne Victory will get its FFA Cup campaign underway this week, taking on Bayswater City SC in Perth on Wednesday night.
The match, which will be live-streamed on www.melbournevictory.com.au, will see Victory battle the WA NPL leaders at WA Athletics Stadium, a venue Melbourne Victory have never played at before.
Kevin Muscat’s men have been in fine form this pre-seson, with four wins from Victory’s four outings against local Victorian NPL sides, which saw the boys in blue net 15 goals and concede just two.
With a full squad to choose from, including Muscat’s three off-season recruits in Besart Berisha, Matthieu Delpierre and Carl Valeri, Victory is expected to name a strong starting XI on Wednesday.
Captain Mark Milligan, who played his first pre-season game just over a week ago after returning from the FIFA World Cup, is also expected to play a part in the match.
But what about Bayswater City SC? Most Victory fans won’t know much about the plucky Western Australian outfit.
Coached by former Perth Glory player, Chris Coyne, Bayswater City have been in fine form this NPL season, winning 16 of their 21 fixtures so far.
Coyne has seen plenty of success during his time at the helm, winning three out of a potential four cups in his debut season in 2013.
The club has welcomed some big names through its changerooms since it’s inception in 1962, including rising Australian star and Aston Villa player, Chris Herd. Mark Jones, who was on the books at Middlesborough and Liverpool also played for Bayswater, while Manchester United, Southampton and Shamrock Rovers player, Francis Burns, coached the club in 1991 – 1992.
Three players in Bayswater’s squad know what being part of the Hyundai A-League is all about, with Jamie Coyne (Sydney FC/Perth Glory), Todd Howarth (Perth Glory) and Sam Mitchinson (Perth Glory/Melbourne Heart) all playing a big part in the current squad.
Bayswater secured their place in the FFA Cup Round of 32, after winning the WA State Cup.
A winner must emerge from Wednesday night’s Cup match, with the game going to extra-time and penalties if the sides can’t be separated after the first 90 minutes.
Bayswater City SC v Melbourne Victory
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Kick-off: 9:30pm AEST, (7:30pm Perth local time)
WA Athletics Stadium
Watch exclusively live on MelbourneVictory.com.au
Tickets: http://bit.ly/ffacupmv32
Official hashtag: #BWCvMVC
