Oakleigh Havoc were put to the test in Week 6 against Noth. Forest. In a heated contest, the two sides went at it with Oakleigh looking to take pole position in the league and their opponents hoping to climb up to second. The match seemed evenly balanced throughout the 32 minutes of play with the outcome decided on defensive mistakes and missed chances on behalf of Oakleigh's opponents.
The first half of the game was an end-to-end affair between the two sides. A tense start ensured that there would be rough challenges on the court. The build-up to the first goal of the game, scored by Nav Srivastava, had Forest players claiming the commitment of a foul. The goal stood despite their claims and soon after they found themselves on the scoresheet.
Within three minutes of conceding, Forest went into attack and scored two goals after some poor defending from Havoc. Oakleigh responded well with an equalizer a minute later and a fourth goal to once again gain the lead.
Tensions rised after a dangerous slide tackle on J. Caruana went unpunished in the 10th minute. Despite some angered responses, the free-kick which followed was successfully converted by Srivastava and put Forest three goals behind. Havoc's opponents, however, reduced the deposit before the break to reach half-time 5-3 down.
The sides remained even in the opening minutes of the second period with each team adding another goal to their respective tallies. Oakleigh, however, ramped up their efforts in the final 10 minutes and netted another three goals to gain a 9-4 advantage over their opponents and added another two inbetween three Forest goals.
A late consolation goal from Forest saw the match end 11-8 in favour of Oakleigh. The win puts Oakleigh Havoc at the top of the league table and three points clear of 1966 who remain in second place after losing 10-8 to Brothers United.
Oakleigh Havoc FC's Men's First Team take on Donald United next Thursday night at 8:20pm. Can they maintain their position at the top and grab another three points?