Summary: In a high intensity match between NPL Victoria’s greatest rivals, South Melbourne FC and the Melbourne Knights have drawn 1-1 at Lakeside stadium. After two goals within the first ten minutes of play, the teams remained locked, a fierce competition only ceasing at the final whistle.
It was a miserably cold day at Lakeside, though one filled with infinite possibilities (mostly leaning towards negative results for South). After being knocked out of the FFA Cup by the Melbourne Knights, and considering their victory over first placed Avondale last week, the signs weren’t encouraging. Having skipper Bradley Norton back in our lineup, however, did warm me up, and would hopefully provide a spurring motion for our side. Considering our sporadic set of results, nothing was impossible, including a goal within the first minute.
We were in a unique position in this match, in that we essentially started the game in the lead. From kick-off we brought the ball up in a familiar fashion, utilising wide passing to find Marafioti on the wing. His cross drifts just outside the box to Gerrie Sylaidos, who takes a touch before smashing a low ball past Jordan Gifkins and into the bottom corner. In 20 seconds, we were rewarded for acting un-South like in our shooting; quick and simple. We didn’t need to pass the ball around for too long, nor did we have to walk the ball into the net. It marked the beginning of a solid performance by the squad, though this discovery seemed neglected as we continued to create goal-scoring opportunities.
While scoring at a game’s start is ideal, it never felt like it was going to last. The adrenaline of conceding spurred the Knights to play more aggressively, and our fear of conceding prevented us from bringing the ball out too far. It only took 10 minutes for the Knights to reply with goal matching ours in simplicity. As the ball is crossed into Hamish Watson, who is facing away from goal, he is able to chest it down and pass it off to Mohamed Awad, and another low shot in the corner beats a stranded Dorron.
Now we possessed the post-conceding adrenaline, and our attacking plays were much more compelling than in recent weeks. Having Sylaidos on the wing allowed for quicker plays up the field, and more opportunities for wide crosses into the box. In the 12th minute, one of these runs saw Sylaidos pass multiple defenders as he brought the ball exceedingly close to the goals. His cross is way too deep, but the defender’s clearance goes to the feet of Peter Skapetis. He, unfortunately, takes the ball wide, in a disappointing effort all things considered. Konstantinidis and Stratomitros also had notable efforts, some requiring actual saves from Gifkins. Towards the end of the half, a Knight’s corner is cleared by Sylaidos, and Skapetis is able to turn his defender, and push the ball up our attacking half. He gets into the goal square before squaring up a shot, which is deflected at the last second by a defender. To watch such great plays fizzle out was frustrating, and if we had learned anything from our first goal, it’s that less is more in terms of time on the ball (at least for us).
In terms of scoring potential, however, we possessed the superior attacking presence in the first half. This can be attributed to the return of skipper Bradley Norton. Having a fullback with the ability to make attacking runs results in the opposing team needing to mark him more aggressively. In doing so, we can stretch their players wide, and either create linkups along the line with plenty of options, or play it central with more space to work with. We weren’t able to capitalise on our attempts, however, and towards the second half, the Knights did begin to push, with a curling shot from Watson possessing a bit too much power, but still encouraging for the away side. We held on, but I was worrying about what this shift in possession may signify for the next 45 minutes.
Our momentum did wane in the second half, and it felt like it was anybody’s game.
There were a few shaky incidents from our new keeper Josh Dorron which could have cost us on two instances. The first was when he threw the ball to a partially switched off Norton, where conceding a corner was the only way to prevent a devastating counter. This was (I hope) a one-off incident, but there is also an aspect of his play style that I’m uncomfortable with. Instead of catching the ball, Dorron often punches it away, which isn’t inherently a bad thing, but it requires a degree of confidence, mainly, that it won’t be going to an opposing player. In the 72nd minute, Awad sends a low cross into Watson, who can’t get a foot onto it. It bounces behind him and to Dorron, who palms it into the box and to the feet of an oncoming Gian Albano. Fortunately, he sends the ball blazing over the bar, but it was by far the best opportunity of the match. In fairness to Dorron, seeing the ball at that speed, and with a body in your way would have made tracking the ball difficult, but I fear it’s indicative of a saving habit which may bring with it unnecessary risks.
As the attacking prowess of both teams remained equal, scoring opportunities decreased, a central header from Giuseppe Marafioti and a central shot from Marcus Schroen being the most notable of the few, but we were still playing compelling football, football that was enjoyable to watch. We dropped off in the last 10 minutes, as the Knight’s hunger persisted, and they began to close down our midfield. We were able to keep our composure, and excellent defending from our entire line left me feeling pretty confident throughout the match.
As the likelihood of relegation becomes slimmer and slimmer, I spend more of my time excited that I’m going to games where South are playing well. But I would like, within the next few games, for a couple of poorly-fought wins so that I can truly relax.
Notable players: Gerrie Sylaidos, Bradley Norton, Tom Aulton
South Melbourne FC: 1
Melbourne Knights FC: 1