Shepparton South has climbed inside finals contention thanks to a stirring victory over rival Shepparton United on Sunday.
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A sublime Joel Aitken brace, along with a dazzling strike from teenager Nicholas Mori, helped South seal a hard-fought 3-1 triumph at McEwen Reserve.
The round eight outcome leaves South in fourth spot on the Bendigo Amateur Soccer League table.
South president Gino Cirillo was over the moon with the performance from his outfit.
“The boys knew fourth spot was up for grabs and it was great to be able to get the points,” Cirillo said.
“It was a good win against a tough opponent. United are always a hard side to come up against and the game was played in great spirits too.
“Our boys showed great character. We were without a few players and we called some of the under-18s up to help out. It was a pleasing result and big thanks to our juniors for stepping up.”
Although there were no spectators in the stands — due to COVID-19 restrictions — players still put on a captivating show.
And it was Aitken who kicked off proceedings.
The classy forward did not have to wait long to showcase his talents as he found the back of the net inside the opening 10 minutes with a header.
On the back foot early, United pushed hard to find the equaliser.
A pristine ball into the area found the feet of Roven Shaholli, who used his experience to beat the keeper in the 21st minute.
Aitken's talents were called upon again in the dying stages of the first half.
An easy tap-in gifted the wiz his brace and 15th goal of the campaign, which has him equal first in the golden boot award.
But the highlight of the day came just after the hour mark.
Mori, in his fifth match this season, produced an eye-catching volley that thundered into the back of the net.
South now has a quick turnaround for its next fixture on Wednesday evening.
It will be at home to third-placed Tatura, which is coming off a 10-0 rout of Golden City.
“We have got to focus now on Wednesday night against Tat,” Cirillo said.
“They gave us a bit of a touch-up earlier this season and I know the boys will be keen to get one back on them.”
In other results from the weekend, Cody Sellwood was the star of the show in Tatura's drubbing of Golden City.
The silky midfielder scored a hat-trick in the 10-0 triumph on the road.
His efforts on Sunday take his season tally to 15 goals, equal first on the league leaderboard alongside Aitken.
Jordan Leocata and Tristan Zito hit the scoresheet with two goals each, while Tom Leech, Koray Aktas and Tim Bordignon chimed in with one goal apiece.
The Ibises are flying along nicely and sit in third spot on the table.
