MELBOURNE Victory’s poor start to the season will be compounded with defender James Donachie set to be ruled out until 2018.


Donachie, 24, is booked in to see a specialist on Tuesday but the early diagnosis is grim with the defender set to be sidelines for at least a few months with a torn quadriceps.

It looms as a far worse scenario than Victory had hoped, with coach Kevin Muscat hinting that it was a hip flexor injury after the 2-1 loss to Melbourne City on Saturday night.

Donachie clutched at his leg in the 83rd minute and tried to play on, but plans to stand upfront were scuppered as he could barely walk.

He then hobbled to the bench as Victory finished the game with 10 men, as Matias Sanchez dropped back to cover as Muscat had made his three substitutions.

Young defender Thomas Deng, who was dropped after filling in at left-back in Round 1, is likely to come into the team for the Friday night’s visit to Adelaide United.

Mark Milligan, whose preference is to play midfield, and Leigh Broxham, who’s been earmarked for left-back this season, are other options.

The injury is a massive blow for Donachie, who had a strong start to the season following on from last season’s impressive debut campaign after joining from Brisbane Roar.

He was developing a strong bond with new signing Rhys Williams after a solid partnership with Spaniard Alan Baro last term.

It may also dent the title hopes of Victory, who have had an impeccable injury record in recent seasons, after Donachie had stood tall late last season and featured in the grand final loss to Sydney FC.

Melbourne Victory set to train in Maribyrnong
OCTOBER 24, 2017 1:00 PM
BY BENJAMIN MILLAR



Maribyrnong is set to play a central part in Melbourne Victory’s training regime under a $750,000 plan to redevelop a local playing field.

Melbourne Victory Football Club (MVFC) has offered to spend $500,000 on fixing the playing surface of the cricket oval at Robert Barrett Reserve, creating two soccer training fields, in return for a proposed 10-year license agreement for the A-league soccer team.

Maribyrnong council would chip in $250,000 for the upgrade works to the cricket oval, adjacent to the Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre, found by a council report to be lacking adequate drainage, irrigation or lighting.

The oval is presently used for Saturday games and junior training by Barkly Street Uniting Cricket Club, one of the area’s oldest and largest cricket clubs.

Melbourne Victory would use the pitches for about 15 hours of training per week, enabling the cricket club to maintain access for training and Saturday games.

Works would need to be completed by April 2018.

Barkly Street Uniting Cricket Club administrator Jeffrey Law said the tight timeframe meant the council was initially going to kick the cricket club off the field barely halfway through the current cricket season.

“We have made a compromise so it [work]would start in February, which means we would only have to move one game,” Mr Law said.

Maribyrnong councillors last week backed sending the plan out for consultation, noting it was an opportunity to cement ties with the popular sporting club.

Melbourne Victory and the council last year entered an agreement to develop a junior football academy at Footscray Park and the club also inked a five-year strategic partnership earlier this year with Victoria University.

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