Oakleigh Cannons claim first Dockerty Cup in controversial final

Oakleigh claims the first silverware of the NPL Victoria season with a maiden Dockerty Cup triumph in a controversial final against Heidelberg United.

Oakleigh Cannons lift the Dockerty Cup. Picture: Mark Avellino

It wouldn’t be a cup final without a little bit of controversy.

Amid a pair of penalties and a contentious red card, Oakleigh Cannons powered to a 3-0 win over Heidelberg United to win the Dockerty Cup on Friday night.

It is a maiden cup title for Chris Taylor and his powerhouse outfit, which claimed a first NPL championship last year.

Cannons skipper Joe Guest was awarded the Jimmy Mackay Medal for best-on-ground for a dominant display in midfield and finishing with two goals.

Guest was at the centre of it when a rather mundane match exploded into life in the 26th minute.

Oakleigh Cannons lift the Dockerty Cup. Picture: Mark Avellino

The Cannons star was clipped by Ajdin Fetahagic in the area and a penalty awarded with the United defender surprisingly showed a straight red card.

While the penalty looked straight forward, the send off was harsh call on Fetahagic – who had been Heidelberg’s best to that point – after making minimal contact with Guest.

Speaking after the game, Taylor said United had reason to be disappointed.

“In my opinion you give a penalty or you give a red card, you can’t give both,” he said.

“If they feel hard done by I agree with them to an extent but the referee might have seen something different.”

Guest would finish his work from the penalty spot to give Oakleigh the lead.

Despite being down to 10 men, Heidelberg continued to create opportunities but couldn’t test Cannons custodian Nick Feely, failing to register a shot on target in the first half.

In an almost carbon copy of the first half, an arm-wrestle was broken by another penalty decision.

A sublime Guest through ball put Alex Salmon in behind the defence and he was needlessly taken down by Jamal Ali.

Despite being similar to the first penalty, Ali wasn’t even shown a yellow card.

Guest smashed the ball past Pierce Clark to double Oakleigh’s lead.

“Joe is one of the best players in the comp,” Taylor said.

“He does really well, we’re really pleased with his work, he’s captain this year so he’s stood up to the plate and led by example.”

The night would only get worse for Clark in the dying minutes as the Cannons made it three.

Well up the field, Heidelberg’s mid-season addition attempted a clearance but missed the ball completely, allowing Salmon to charge into goal for the simplest of tap-ins.

Taylor said it wasn’t the prettiest of games but was pleased with how his players handled the occasion.

“I don’t think it was a great spectacle football wise – the send-off was debatable, two penalties – so it wasn’t fluid football but at the end of the day it’s about getting the result,” he said.

“I feel like we controlled it right the way through.

“There is (fire in a Greek derby), I think their intent was to put us off our game a little bit.

“We’re a good footballing side and there were moments when we weren’t playing as well as we could and those niggling little tackles do put you off a bit.

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“I thought we handled it quite well but it wasn’t a spiteful game.”

While now out of the NPL premiership race, Oakleigh picked up the first of what could be three trophies this season.

The Cannons will look to repeat their championship heroics when the NPL finals begin in three weeks, while they face Melbourne City in the Australia Cup Round of 32 on August 13 at Jack Edwards Reserve.

Oakleigh faces a quick turnaround in the league, facing North Geelong on Friday night.

Heidelberg will get a week off before taking on Green Gully on August 13.