FFA Cup conqueror eyes A-League match up

                                                                      oakleigh Cannons

Oakleigh Cannons' FFA Cup hero Dean Piemonte is hoping to draw Hyundai A-League opposition in the Westfield FFA Cup round of 16 and backed his team to advance deep into the competition after beating Far North Queensland Heat on Tuesday night.

Substitute Piemonte gave the PS4 NPL Victoria side the lead with a stunning free-kick three minutes into extra-time of the Round of 32 clash at Jack Edwards Reserve.

The visitors from Queensland, who'd flown in on game day, forced a penalty shootout after equalising in the 119th minute but Piemonte was on hand again to net the winning spot-kick and ensure the Cannons will be in the hat for Wednesday's last-16 draw.

And according to the super sub, the lure of taking on a top-flight side in the next round is too strong to ignore.

"It'd be nice to get an A-League side to compare ourselves to the best, but … they're all one-off games," he said.

"Any team we're going to draw is going to be pretty tough."

The attacking midfielder offered an understandably cautious response when pressed on whether or not the Cannons could go one better than fellow NPL side Bentleigh Greens, who reached the inaugural semi-finals last season.

"We'll take it game-by-game," he said.

"We've definitely got the quality I think, we've got some good players in there. We'll give it a crack, definitely."

The Heat more than held their own throughout the contest, dominating the first half and refusing to give up, with Jamie Gosling netting a deserved equaliser that shredded the nerves of the home supporters.

"One-off games are always tough no matter who you play, it was just good to get through," he said.

"I thought the boys were brilliant today.

"Hopefully we can go further in the competition."

6:40 AM