Gallery ǀ Fortress McEwen breached as Suns suffer second straight defeat

A goalless first half at a gloomy McEwen Reserve on Saturday afternoon had both sides itching for a positive start in the second term, and the visitors got just that in the 55th minute.

Miguel Altares Diaz opened the visitors’ account from a set piece, rising above the pack to head one in at the near post.

The Pascoe Vale defence stood firm despite the Suns’ attempts to draw level, the nail in the coffin coming in the 78th minute through Riki Fostar Hosoai, who put Pascoe Vale 2-0 up after going clean through to a one-on-one with Suns keeper Zac McLeod.

Despite the scoreline, coach Craig Carley said he was pleased with the improved work-rate on Saturday.

“I certainly can’t fault the boys’ effort, I know I was fairly critical after last week’s performance,” he said.

“It was an improvement in terms of effort, I think at times we just lacked that extra bit of quality.”

A whopping nine players on the injury table has hurt the Suns, with the likes of Jamie England and Irish centre-back Eric Whelan recovering from early season knocks.

A round four recovery in a match-up with North Geelong could pay dividends, however, with very little to separate a highly competitive NPL2 division after three rounds.

Three points could see the Suns shoot to a mid-table spot, with Carley intent on changing his side’s fortunes as soon as possible.

“It’s another tough test against North Geelong, but it’s a chance for us to shoot up to mid-table with a win — every game is going to be tough this season,” he said.

“It’s been a disappointing start to the season, we’re all aware of that, and we’re all aware of what needs to be done to get back on track.”