Edwards double earns Suns point against VPL2 leaders to stay in title hunt

However, the visitors from Melbourne arguably represented the most stern test of the league season so far, with the championship frontrunners having lost just once in the opening nine rounds of fixtures.

With the scene set for a true clash of the titans, it was clear from the outset that Carley’s charges were in no mood to show their opponents too much respect with Bryan Nyetam-Mawo given his marching orders just 18 minutes into the first half.

Demonstrating his wealth of experience on the big stage, former Preston North End trainee Danny Edwards opened the scoring for the ten men in the 28th minute, as the Suns prepared to dig deep following the dismissal of their No. 3.

Edwards latched onto a loose ball some 30 yards from goal, bobbing and weaving his way into space before unleashing a powerful low-drive into the bottom corner, with opposition goalkeeper Gabriel Alfaro was left flailing.

Still, City were not going to roll over that easily and they grabbed a crucial equalizer via Jai Ingham just two minutes before the interval as they pushed to quell the host’s momentum heading into the break.

Suns boss Carley revealed what his message was to his troops at half-time as he looked to motivate his players following what had been an eventful first 45 minutes in Shepparton.

“We were hit with a bit of adversity with the red card early on,” he said.

“But credit to the boys with the way they performed with their defensive discipline and the way they performed on the counter-attack was phenomenal.”

“Half-time was an opportunity to take a breather and reset but the message was clear - we needed two banks of defensive structure.

“That meant [Malvern] would need to be good enough to break that down, so we shuffled things tactically.”

Despite these words of wisdom, Malvern’s Michael Hornsby put a major dent in the Suns’ hopes of emerging from this battle with all three points - as he struck the back of the net just moments after the start of the second half.

From there, the Suns were tasked with holding their nerve and they were rewarded as English ace Edwards stepped up to the mark once again to bring his side level in the match in the 52nd minute.

This time around, a defensive mix-up saw City keeper Alfaro rush out from his line - leaving him in no-man’s land after this rare foray outside of his 18-yard box - meaning the energetic Edwards was able to slot the ball into an open net with his right foot.

Suns coach Carley demonstrated his tactical nous from that point on, deploying four substitutes during the remainder of the game in a shrewd display of game-management during the final half-hour.

“The boys have been managing the dressing room and the message is always clear and everyone is familiar with their roles.

“The boys who came on understood their roles and they are making a difference.

“It’s about managing moments and at adversity when things go against us, we’d talked about the threat of Malvern in the front-third as they’ve got some really gifted players.”

Eventually, this measured approach paid dividends for Carley’s side, as they prevented the VPL2 ladder leaders from snatching the spoils - with the 2-2 stalemate ensuring the Suns remain within six points of City after ten rounds.

Reflecting on whether the result represented a point gained, as opposed to two dropped, Carley gave a balanced assessment of the performance.

“You wouldn’t have known they were a man down, and it almost felt like a loss, given the way that the game went so that speaks wonders for the boys,” he said.

“They accounted for themselves in the game so it reinforces the fact that we know we deserve to be at the top end of the table.”

Next up, the Suns will face off against Murray United in the fifth round of the Australia Cup on April 28.