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Baby gives Victory food for thought

20 August 2009 | 15:50 - AAP

An impending birth in the Melbourne Victory camp means the makeup of their A-League side to play North Queensland on Saturday will be decided at the very last minute.


 

Defender Matthew Kemp's wife Steph is expecting the couple's first child any day, and he will be given as much time as he needs to declare himself available for the match.

Victory coach Ernie Merrick will bring defensive midfielder Billy Celeski back into the starting lineup.

But just who misses out and how Melbourne line up defensively against the Fury may not be determined until just before kick-off.

Melbourne have added experienced defender Steven Pace and teenage fullback Matthew Foschini to an expanded squad - all part of the plan to cover all contingencies should Kemp be unable to play.

"We've planned ahead, we'll look at taking an extra player up, allowing Kempy to fly in late and allow him to fly out early before (post-match) recovery," Merrick said.

"Family is much more important than football.

"It's an exciting time for him so we might just take an extra player."

Pace was a semi-regular in the Victory side two seasons ago but injuries cruelled him for much of last year.

Foschini is yet to make his A-League debut and is highly rated by the Victory's coaching staff.

But Merrick looks unlikely to throw him in at the deep end unless Kemp is unable to play.

The Victory's defence is already without skipper Kevin Muscat, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury.

And their problems in that area were made clear following a shaky first half in their thrilling 3-3 home draw with Brisbane Roar last weekend, in which they trailed 3-1 at halftime.

The Fury were dismal in a 5-0 shellacking by Gold Coast United and are yet to register a point in their debut season.

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