By Dejan Kalinic
ST Albans’ winless Victorian Premier League campaign stretched to 12 games after they fell to a 4-1 loss against Hume City on Sunday.
The struggling Saints took an early lead through attacker Daniel Visevic, who scored his first goal for the club, but went into the half-time break behind for the eighth time this season and City struck twice more in their comfortable win.
Football manager Vinko Buljubasic said questions needed to be asked about some of the players in the Saints squad.
“We played really well for the first 15-20 minutes. It’s been the same story every week where we’re conceding goals from set pieces, which is letting us down,” he said.
“Our heads keep dropping and the confidence keeps going down when you’re always fighting to get a result. It was disappointing the way we finished, but very positive the way we started.
“At this level, it’s not good enough. Some questions have to be asked about some of the players who are at the club at the moment.”
Buljubasic revealed the club had signed experienced defender Neven Antic from Oakleigh and he said the Saints needed to bolster their squad during the transfer window to avoid relegation.
“At the moment, with the players we’ve got, I don’t think we will pick up many points,” Buljubasic said.
“There’s got to be an overhaul in the team and hopefully I can do that in the next couple of weeks.”
Hume dominated their visitors in the opening exchanges but the Saints went ahead in the 10th minute as Visevic won a penalty after his first touch hit the arm of defender Phillip Riccobene.
He stepped up to squeeze his spot-kick under Lupce Acevski.
The hosts pushed for an equaliser and defender Fabio Dilizia went close when he struck a venomous volley against the post.
But Dilizia would level the scores, rising unmarked to head home a cross from Andy Vlahos in the 33rd minute.
St Albans was behind three minutes later as Richard Cardozo scored the first of his two goals.
Seconds after Saints goalkeeper Steven Pavlovic, who put in another stellar performance in goals, had denied him with a brilliant reflex save, Cardozo was left free at the back post to head home a Michael Bosevski cross.
It was game over when Hume attacker Atilla Ofli made it 3-1 in the 67th minute.
Vlahos squared for Steven Weir, who sliced his shot, allowing Ofli to strike into the top corner on the turn.
As the game petered out, Hume found a fourth in the second minute of additional time through Cardozo.
Pavlovic again produced a brilliant save to deny him, but the rebound fell for Ofli, who unselfishly laid it for Cardozo to place into an empty net to complete the scoring with the last play of the game.
