NEWS » slowed as the game degenerated into a success

Melbourne City have turned the expectation dial up to 11 on the eve of the A-League season, declaring the time right for a breakthrough success.City are embracing their position as one of the favourites to win the league, which kicks off on Friday, after making good use of the embarrassment of riches at their disposal.John van t Schip has brought in nine players with international or title-winning experience, headed by Socceroos legend Tim Cahill.It prompted a bold declaration by club vice-chairman Simon Pearce at the clubs season launch on Tuesday night in Melbourne.The influential Sydney-based executive said he knows rather than believes success will come to the club, who recorded their best finish - fourth - to an A-League season last year.Pearce praised the coaching set-up and infrastructure on his visit to Australia, saying City had become a world class football club.Its the clubs seventh season in the league but year three under the ownership of the mega-moneyed City Football Group.In the past two years, Citys W-League team claimed an emphatic title with a perfect season and the National Youth League side won their 2015 competition.Given the investment, the clubs hierarchy feel the time for a return is now and van t Schip agrees.The Dutchman said anything short of the clubs first piece of silverware for the senior mens side would be a disappointment.Weve been making good progression but still in that progression we missed trophies. This club is now ready, he told AAP.We have the team to achieve that. In saying that, its about hard work.City are two wins away from the 2016 FFA Cup, having drawn cross-town rivals Melbourne Victory in the semi-final of the competition, and van t Schip is eyeing it off.The first one we can do that is the FFA Cup and we more than understand - its important to the players, its important to the fans, its important to win silverware this year, he said.Of course, with expectation comes pressure.Van t Schip, in the final year of a contract with the club, suggested he knew the ramifications of falling short of the clubs lofty aims.I understand how things work, he said.Weve reached some goals in the way of how were playing. Last year, we had very good games, very entertaining.We also knew we were vulnerable in the way we defended as a team.The players that weve brought in, Im confident we will be there until the end. Randy White Jersey . 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Drew Bledsoe Jersey . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. Scarlets produced a fiercely committed performance to stun hosts Cardiff and win a thrilling Welsh derby 26-15 at the Arms Park.Early in the second half they had built a 26-7 lead before holding on determinedly despite a huge penalty count against them which saw forwards Wyn Jones, Aaron Shingler and Will Boyde all yellow carded.Thirteen Welsh squad members missed the game but it lacked nothing in entertainment as Blues made too many careless errors to turn the game in the visitors favour.Jonathan Evans, Hadleigh Parkes, Shingler and DTH Van der Merwe scored tries for Scarlets with Rhys Patchell converting three.Tom James and Blaine Scully scored tries for Blues with Steve Shingler converting and adding a penalty. Scarlets began strongly to dominate the opening minutes and were rewarded with a seventh-minute try from Aaron Shingler.The visitors secured two five-metre line-outs before strong runs from Parkes and Werner Kruger set up a try for the flanker.Scarlets dream start continued when three minutes later, Van der Merwe burst away from a ruck and slipped a tackle to send Evans over.Patchell converted both to give his side a healthy early advantage before Blues got on the scoreboard with a try after James intercepted a John Barclay pass.The frenetic opening continued as a third try for Scarlets beckoned when Van der Merwe intercepted but a brilliant cover tackkle from Rey Lee-Lo hauled the wing down ten metres from the line.ddddddddddddHowever another interception soon gifted the visitors their third try when from inside his own 22, Steffan Hughes picked off another careless pass to send Van der Merwe racing into the corner.The pace of the game eventually slowed as the game degenerated into a succession of five-metre scrums as Blues pummelled their opponents line.Referee Lloyd Linton struggled to regulate the area and issued yellow cards to props Jones and Taufaao Filise, as Scarlets somehow kept their line intact to lead 21-7 at the interval.Within a minute of the restart, Scarlets collected their bonus point when Patchell burst outside an attempted tackle from replacement Lloyd Williams to create a try for Parkes.Steve Shingler kicked a penalty before the props returned from the sin-bin in time to see James save Blues by overhauling Van der Merwe as he raced away from inside his own 22.Blues dominated the third quarter and after visitors flanker, Boyde was yellow carded, Scully collected a long pass from Jarrod Evans to score his sides second.With 10 minutes remaining, Aaron Shingler became the third Scarlet forward to be sent to the bin but they still survived to record a notable win. 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