Summary: Heidelberg have secured the 2019 minor premiership after a comfortable 3-0 victory over South Melbourne at Lakeside Stadium. After establishing an early lead, South were unable to challenge the NPL’s top side, and would run out the season in eighth place.
Our final match of the 2019 season was played on the 25th of August, on a cool Sunday afternoon. For some, the end couldn’t come quick enough, but for others, the changes that must occur in-between seasons seems so arduous and exhausting that they’d prefer to remain in limbo. Not much could be expected from our squad; we were winding down, part of another dead-rubber match, against a team that had much more to gain from a win, and were overall a stronger side.
As if to mirror South Melbourne’s 60th anniversary event occurring co-currently, our lineup was more concerned with showcasing older talent than introducing youth to the senior squad. Leigh Minopolous and Kristian Konstantinidis (although only announced after the fact) were to play their last matches in a South shirt, while captain Brad Norton was to play his 200th game for the club. Giuseppe Marafioti was, unsurprisingly, absent from the lineup, and had most likely played his last match for the club also.
From the starting whistle, it was apparent that Heidelberg were playing at their best; they had mitigated some of their clumsy aggression, opting to lurk more in the midfield and pinpointed the weaknesses of South’s defensive strategy. They would first prevent us from pushing up centrally, pushing us to the wings before cutting us off. Once our squad was sufficiently dispersed, they would send long balls over our defence to an attacker who would weave in between them. While their first few attempts at this strategy were offside, it was proved effective enough. Sean Ellis’ goal in the 3rd minute, even if offside, allowed us to identify their strategy, a strategy we had no chance of responding to. Their ability to get behind our defence so rapidly emphasised an attacking fluidity we are yet to establish when pushing into our attacking third.
They were really pushing to get an early goal to coast off of, and in between testing our defence, we weren’t given a lot of opportunities on the counter. Heidelberg instilled in our players a feeling of rarity whenever we would make an aggressive play, which visibly panicked them. They would run through the little free space given to them, before letting off wild shots in fear of losing the ball from an attempted setup. Billy Konstantinidis made space to send a powerful volley wide from outside the box in the 6th minute, but our attempts looked impressive only because of how unideal their setup/positioning was. It wasn’t a case of “going for glory” (though Peter Skapetis’ bicycle kick in the second half might be tinged with it), they were early acts of desperation.
Even if playing conservatively, a clash between these teams is always a physical affair. Ben Djiba found himself with a face injury very early on, and coach George Katsakis was awarded a yellow card for his reaction to Jake Marshall’s foul on Tom Cahill. From said foul, Heidelberg almost opened the scoring, with their free kick in the 7th minute setting up Tom Cahill to miss a shot right in front of goals, another case of a Heidelberg player slotting past our defence.
As Heidelberg continued to send in long balls, there were only so many instances where the recipient of them would be offside, and our main defensive player at the time was the linesman. But in the tenth minute, there was nothing he could do. As a throw in is sent bouncing into the box, some Heidelberg players throw their bodies at it, allowing it to travel all the way to Sean Ellis at the back post, who tucked it past Nikola Roganovic. There is some deliberation between the referee and linesman, but a goal is ultimately rewarded.
Slowly, South were permitted more time on the ball, but it became apparent that our midfield was ineffective at bypassing Heidelberg’s defence. With Norton back in the squad, Perry Lambropoulos was pushed out to a midfield role, one that I don’t think he was particularly effective in. As it pushed Melvin Beckett into a more defensive position, I’d like to think that if we’re going to play people out of position, they should at least be based on some loose logic e.g. Peter Skapetis would have made more sense as another attacking option.
Our two most convincing chances in the half were created by two of our younger players. In the centre of the field, Marcus Schroen lets off a ball to Zac Bates in the 22nd minute, who is able to get past defender Harry Noon, but as he lunges into the box, the ball gets a tad too far from him, and his weak shot was easily saved. Ten minutes later, Gerrie Sylaidos is able to let off a curling shot just outside the box, which has to be palmed over by the keeper. We were more likely going to score from set kicks, but the few opportunities we did have were squandered.
It would be Heidelberg who would double their lead before halftime. In the 42nd minute, Cahill brings the ball into the box and lets off a weak cross. However, Alex Schiavo weaves between two South defenders, who were waiting for the ball to get to the hands of Roganovic, and the Heidelberg attacker was able to back-heel it in. They almost scored a third three minutes later, but Lucas Derrick’s volley produces a reflexive save from Roganovic. Going into halftime, knowing Avondale were very likely to win their game, I was somewhat disappointed that our match had really been a formality for an already victorious Heidelberg. But perhaps if we played a bit better, it wouldn’t be a totally embarrassing display on our part.
Aside from Peter Skapetis’ penalty appeal in the opening minutes of the half, South were either playing halfheartedly, or just completely outplayed. Harry Noon was able to tuck a ball past Roganovic, but it was another Heidelberg attempt deemed offside. Attempting to mimic the Berger’s initial strategy, we began sending long balls up to Skapetis, who couldn’t do anything with them; their defence was too strong, and when the ball did get to him, there were no options for Peter to further the ball. As Leigh Minopoulos and Kristian Konstantinidis made their final appearances for the club, they also partook in a series of fruitless runs up the line that sum up our season. Minopoulos was able to get one notable attempt, a nice strike that hovers over the keeper on a tight angle, but even when pushing Jake Marshall into a forward role, our predominant long ball strategy was ineffective. In extra time, Heidelberg got their deserved third goal; Andrew Cartanos causally skipped around our defence before playing a shot that Roganovic seemed to have no intention of saving. And with just enough time to let out a melancholic sigh, South Melbourne’s 2019 season was over.
What can truly be said about this season? Even if the term “developing” is used, it doesn’t make the results any less unsatisfying. Our squad was a mish-mash of new players and youth players, who at times never really seemed to mesh together. There were moments where it looked like we had sorted things out, but squad variability and positional issues often led to lacklustre performances, performances based on stock tactics that complimented our volatile squad rotation. Stock strategies also allowed coaches to pick up what was left by their predecessors, but always with similar success. Stability in our squad is a must for next year; take players that have the capacity to do damage, and mould plays around them. That is the only way to ensure we are using our players to the best of their ability. Watching players throw their arms up in frustration when they have to frequently shift positions mid-match is not a viable strategy, nor is it a morale-strengthening exercise.
If changes are to be made managerially, they should be made early, giving future members of the club time to invest in their plays and their squad. Same with players. It might seem like an overwhelming task at first, but as long as there’s some semblance of a plan for the future, there can be something to strive towards. Each season can’t be directionless drifting, where 13 games in we are waiting for the season to end so we can make changes, only for the cycle to restart. We still have things going on for us; our youth system has produced many talented players that can be slot amongst more experienced players, and our club’s name is still a form of enticement for players. Take advantage of these things, because soon they will be of little value when attached to a mid-table club picking the bones of lower-division sides.
I’d just like to end this piece by thanking everyone from the South Melbourne family for supporting my work during this season. Initially it was a daunting task, putting out work about a club which means so much to so many, but the response has been very kind, and I’ve fed off of the passion of other supports. I’d like to thank Paul Mavroudis as well for his support, who was a catalyst in me undergoing this project to begin with.
Until next year!
Notable players: Marcus Schroen
South Melbourne FC: 0
Heidelberg United FC: 3