Summary: South Melbourne find themselves back on the winner’s sheet after a 1-0 victory of Pascoe Vale at Lakeside. While South held a majority of possession throughout the game, a few nervous moments in the last 10 minutes almost saw Pascoe Vale equalise.
Without being too dramatic, this was a very important game for both teams. Pascoe Vale were hoping to claw their way out of the relegation zone, while South hoped to slowly climb their way into the top 6 (alternatively, away from the relegation zone). Neither team had done well enough for either outcome in recent games, so taking points off of each other was crucial. South’s formation seemed somewhat experimental, and filled with changes. Norton, Krousoratis and Gibson were all absent, with Marcus Schroen donning the captain’s armband. As opposed to sporadic appearances, Josh Dorron’s presence in goals seems to suggest Roganovic is being phased out as our senior keeper. On top of that, we had multiple players in different positions, with even more changes occurring throughout the match.
Throughout the first half, we completely dominated the midfield area. We seemed comfortable on the ball, and Skipper Marcus Schroen had one of his better games. He provided solidity as our central midfielder, and on more occasions than not was able to streamline play in a more concise manner. Granted, for the first chunk of the half, Gerrie Sylaidos, who was playing on the right wing, was our main option. Having Billy Konstantinidis on the left wing, however, was probably the least effective change made on the day. I assume he was switched with Marafioti based on the latter’s trouble linking up with left-back Perry Lambropoulos during play, but it rendered the threatening characteristics of Billy useless, and he had a quiet game, even when he switched positions with Marafioti mid-half. Fan favourite Melvin Becket found himself in the attacking midfield position, and while his presence was still felt, his confidence when challenging opposing players wasn’t utilised as much as in his defensive midfield role. In saying that, Kostas Stratomitros, who retained the position, did a decent job comparatively.
While our squad formation complimented midfield plays, our we were just playing better than Pascoe Vale in general, we still had serious issues when it came to our attacking third. Our main issue, simply put, is that we have no real strategy when pushing forward. At first, BK as the focal point of our attack seemed very well established, but in recent weeks he hasn’t looked very threatening. His last goal was against the Knights in the FFA cup two weeks ago, but his last league goal hasn’t been since late April, before our streak of form. Other than that, our midfielders are left to their own devices, and I think that correlates with the decrease in shots we now have during our matches. While Sylaidos and Marafioti were able to create on-target opportunities, it was Pascoe Vale that seemed more comfortable in the attack. Mainly on the counter attack, it felt like most of their shots were created with a wealth of options present. Again, they were rarely giving the opportunity, but in the 31st minute, a bending cross was punched away by Dorron, but only as far as a Pascoe Vale player. His lob, however, is cleared off the line by Aulton. While Dorron did come out of his 6-yard box a few more times than I was comfortable with, the strategy behind their attacks were solid, ours didn’t feel the same.
Our best chance of the half came in the 42nd minute, where a quick turnover sees Sylaidos play a ball to Konstantinids, who had switched back into the central striker position. He took a moment to set up a shot, before blasting the ball over the bar. With minimal crossing from Djiba and Lambropoulos, and midfielders more often than not bringing the ball into the centre, through balls were our preferred setup this game, which isn’t the most effective way to play BK (although most players should be able to put away that shot). So at the start of the second half, BK saw himself replaced by Zac Bates, and Becket, whose defensive abilities outweighed his attacking presence, was subbed for Peter Skapetis. Providing another option on the wing in Bates was what South needed, and in the 54th minute, a great linkup with Sylaidos allowed Bates to lay off an excellent cross to Marafioti, who was able to tap the ball into the net. It was reassuring scoring early, if only as a safety blanket in case they were able to score. And in easing up pressure on the ball, Pascoe Vale were given more time on it, and more time to show off their superior ability to create opportunities.
However, our defence seemed much less shaky than it has been in past weeks. And it was much more apparent that every player was tracking back, and aside from the odd chance created out of superior strategy, we seemed capable of preventing their possession from going any further. Dorren made some good saves, Tom Aulton continued to impress, and we were able to make a few counter attacks out of their desperate surges forward. Our most notable attempt in the 82nd minute, where Bates is once again able to beat his man, this time on the right side, and whip the ball into the box. It finds its was to Marafioti, whose curling shot doesn’t have enough power to beat the keeper. Our ability to play to the whistle was tested once again, as well as the inability to prevent defensive errors, by Pascoe Vale’s closest shot of the night. While trying to take the ball off Joey Youssef, Lambropoulos pokes the ball towards our goals and into the oncoming Leck, who crosses the ball in after sucking out Dorron. As the South defenders scramble to protect their goal a Pascoe Vale shot almost rolls into the bottom left corner, just bouncing off the post (though Schroen was also there to clean it up). Unable to convert this golden chance, South were able to find themselves back on the winner’s sheet, and 2 points out of the top 6.
There have been two types of people following South’s point progression: those focusing on relegation, and those focusing on finals. To be honest, most of these games encompass both; we’re playing teams below us or around the same place on the ladder, and beating them assures a 3 point gap between us, but also a chance of overtaking them on the ladder. While a potential punishment for Dandenong Thunder may make relegation even less likely, hopefully finding form for the rest of the season brings with it solutions to some pervading issues in our squad, whether that be more position changes or (hopefully) the inclusion of another strategy.
Notable players: Marcus Schroen, Gerrie Sylaidos, Giuseppe Marafioti, Zac Bates
South Melbourne FC: 1
Pascoe Vale FC: 0