The Bentleigh Greens are set to kick off their NPL Victoria campaign with a home fixture against the North Geelong Warriors on Friday, February 17 at 7.30 pm at Kingston Heath. 

The Greens will be looking to bounce back from their heavy 4-0 defeat against Oakleigh Cannons in the Community Shield and start their season with a win as they take on the newly-promoted Warriors to kick-off the league campaign.

The Greens have a new-look squad this season, building a new squad under Head Coach Petr Tichy – taking on his first season in the role – that boasts a nice balance of youth and experience.

No less than seven of the 11 players that started the game against Oakleigh were making their competitive debuts, and whilst the result was obviously not what the club had hoped for, the players will undoubtedly be better for getting that early taste of competitive football against one of the competition’s top sides.

Friday’s opponents, North Geelong Warriors, are determined to avoid immediate relegation from the NPLV, having suffered that fate the last time they stepped up to the top flight in 2017. 

The Warriors finished second by a single point last season and missed out on the premiership with a final-round defeat to Moreland City. They have made some key additions to their squad, including internationals Charlie Fleming and Marvin Brauweiler, plus experienced NPL defender Nikola Jurkovic.

Bentleigh Greens’ newly-appointed Captain, Ben Carrigan, is expected to return to the squad after missing the Community Shield due to a small injury.

The club is counting on the fans’ support as they aim to start the season with a victory in front of their home crowd, and with two sides that have plenty to prove contesting the Round One clash at Kingston Heath, this promises to be an entertaining fixture for all football lovers.