Anastasiadis’ side disposed of Wellington Phoenix 1-0 in the FFA Cup Round of 32 and will now meet Broadmeadow Magic away in the next stage.

It was the latest in a series of upsets in the FFA Cup and Anastasiadis said the gap between the NPL and A-League was getting smaller.

The Bentleigh boss said more NPL players needed a proper opportunity to showcase their potential.

“A lot of these boys have been overlooked for some reason,” Anastasiadis said.

“Sometimes you have to give these boys a go and it doesn’t mean you give them a go for two weeks or two months. You give them a year and they will get better because they’re in a professional environment.

“With these expansion clubs coming in, where are they going to look? They’re going to look at the NPL because they can’t go and get 50 players from overseas. It’s a great opportunity for them to do so because there are quality players there.”

Anastasiadis also said narrowing the gap between the leagues would benefit Australian football’s top flight.

“The A-League players train twice a day and then they train during the week through the regular season,” he said.

“We train twice a week and play on a Friday or Saturday. If that improves, there’s no doubt the gap will be much smaller and the A-League will benefit from that.

“We hope and we’re hearing about second divisions, if that happens, that’ll be great because it’s a bit more professional for these players.”