The Old Paradians have made it 11 wins from as many starts, earning the four points with a narrow four-point victory over St John’s at Thomas Carroll Reserve at the weekend.

The OPs have continued to find a way these past three weeks, in the absence of their captain and spiritual leader Chris Kandilakis with a fractured eye socket and cheekbone and six senior players currently living the dream at the World Cup in Russia.

Pictured here at the recent Australia-Denmark Group C stage match at Samara Arena is at rear, left to right, Matthew Luciani, Andrew McCann and Ben Croxford; in the middle row Keenan Posar and Matt Mahony and kneeling in front Andrew’s older brother Luke McCann.

With the McCann boys in the Eurasian nation, parents Dale and Sara McCann safely jetted into London to join fellow Old Paradian and football club sponsor Chis Jackson and his partner Deb at Royal Ascot. Dale, who has steadily built the football club’s ever-expanding sponsorship portfolio, was also seen seeking new backers amongst the heavy hitters at a function for Chris’s birthday atop a rooftop bar in London.

In the accompanying image the birthday boy is seated. Those standing left to right are Dale McCann, Jayco founder and owner Gerry Ryan OAM, Old Paradian and William Hill exec Gerry Walsh, Victorian Major Events Company Director John Ribot and owner of the three-time Melbourne Cup winner Makybe Diva, Tony Šantić.

With seven home and away matches remaining, the Old Paradians senior team remains top of the ladder in D Section 2 of the VAFA – one win clear of Uhs-Vu and three wins and serious percentage to the better of Yarra Old Grammarians.

The OPs’ reserves and Under 19s teams sit in fourth place, with the thirds currently sixth.