![Bendigo City's Lachlan Scholtens weaves his way through the midfield during last weekend's NPL1 under-18s clash against Glen Eira. Picture by Brendan McCarthy Bendigo City's Lachlan Scholtens weaves his way through the midfield during last weekend's NPL1 under-18s clash against Glen Eira. Picture by Brendan McCarthy](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/j98Hh85wiUB5yeTBh2fLTR/87e0f5d8-749f-432e-8740-59e38f8ebb25.jpg/r0_90_4035_2735_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A FEAST of soccer at Epsom Huntly Recreation Reserve on Saturday will be headlined by a senior NPL1 men's clash involving league heavyweight Avondale FC and Dandenong Thunder.
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The 2.30pm clash will be the last of six games to be played on a huge day, with Bendigo City's senior, reserves, under-18s and under-13s all sharing the stage with Avondale and Dandenong's top-tier senior and under-21 teams.
With its home base at Avenger Park in Parkville being used as a training site for international teams ahead of this month's FIFA Women's World Cup, Avondale has chosen Bendigo to host its round 21 match in Bendigo.
The decision builds on the growing relationship between Avondale and Bendigo City, which will face each other in one of the most anticipated matches of the day in the NPL1 under-18s.
City will be chasing its first win at the elite junior level of NPL soccer, following a frustrating run of draws and close losses over the last month.
Bendigo City FC technical director Nathan Claridge declared Avondale's decision to play a match in Bendigo as a coup for the local club.
"Especially involving the top-of-the-table, star-studded Avondale, who are gunning for inclusion in the second-tier of national football. It's massive," he said.
"They have broken all sorts of records. They have scored 66 goals already this season, which is the most in an NPL Victoria season and they still have five or six games to go.
"They have a quality team and are obviously putting themselves on the map and the radar for the new national second-tier."
Avondale is coached by Zoran Markovski, in his playing days, a two-time National Soccer League championship-winning defender with Melbourne Croatia.
He has the Avengers four points clear at the top of the NPL1 ladder with 17 wins, two draws and only one loss for the season, ahead of South Melbourne (16-2-1), with Oakleigh Cannons (15-2-3) a further point behind.
Dandenong Thunder enters the weekend in eighth spot with sevens wins, 10 losses and three draws.
Bendigo City still has fond memories of Avondale's 2021 visit to the region, with the NPL1 powerhouse making a surprise $10,000 donation to the local club.
Of most interest for Bendigo City fans will be the under-18s clash against Avondale at 10.30am, with coach Greg Thomas' team chasing their first win of the season.
City looked destined to break the drought last week at home against Glen Eira, leading 3-1 before conceding three goals in the final 20 minutes.
It followed a trio of draws from their previous four matches.
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Bendigo City will be aiming to avenge a 3-1 loss to Avondale in the opening round of the season.
Claridge said despite conceding three-late goals to surrender the points against Glen Eira, the under-18s had continued to prove they belonged in elite company with their performances and by being in winning positions in each of thir last five games.
"When we look at it in perspective, we're fortunate enough to have a team that qualified for NPL1," he said.
"We were devastated against Glen Eira, but they proved they belong at that level. We just have to fine-tune and re-tweak a few things and have spent a bit of time fixing up a few things from a structural perspective.
"Hopefully in the back half of the season we will see the boys have a totally different experience."
Following a 3-0 loss to Melbourne Victory last week, Avondale is eighth on the ladder with three wins, seven losses and a draw.
Claridge conceded the chance of promotion from the Men's State League 5 West for Bendigo City's senior team had been dealt a serious blow with last week's 3-0 loss to Melton Phoenix, but said the team was eager to finish the season off as strongly as possible, starting against ETA Buffalo Club of Victoria on Saturday.
However, City will need to tread carefully after ETA Buffalo Club of Victoria, which sits last on the ladder, opened its account last week with a 3-2 upset over Deakin University.
Bendigo City's under-13s will play Keilor Park at 1pm.
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