No one would have banked on a self-confessed pub club making it into the top 16 of the country.
South Spingvale (Aris) have done it. Top two of the state thanks to the Dockerty Cup, and now the first to qualify for the top 16 of the country. Taking out the A-League clubs, they are possibly in the top six of the country, an unbelievable achievement.
Their FFA Cup win, decided on penalties, had coach Bill Lambropoulos breathless as his blood pressure skyrocketed.
Now, after a couple of days to calm down and let the win sink in, he’s finally coming to terms with what he’s achieved over the last three years.
“It’s like we’ve won the World Cup,” he told Neos Kosmos after beating NSW NPL club South Cardiff.
“It’s been an absolutely unbelievable ride, we never believed firstly how serious this tournament was and that we would be there centre stage.”
The third tier club didn’t have a senior team three years ago and its pitch struggled to get enough light for night games.
Now, the fable of Aris and its coach is Australian folklore, with the players becoming household names.
The saviour of the match, goalie Rani Dowisha cut his overseas holiday to make it back to play in the match, and by god that was a good decision.
With his team cramping and physically exhausted from 120 minutes of match time, the result was in his hands.
“I was trying to get in his head a bit, I was telling him that if he missed, it was game over and he was going to send them home,” Dowisha said of the last penalty shot taken by Jarryd Johnson for their opponents.
The news hasn’t just stayed in Australia; Lambropoulos says his phone has been ringing off the hook for days.
“I’ve had phone calls from players in Malaysia, it’s been unbelievable,” he says.
The team hasn’t heard the end of it, which is probably why Lambropoulos organised a close get-together at the club on Thursday night.
“We’re going to get together, we’re definitely going to nurse some soreness, because we played 130 minutes of football, we’ve organised a BBQ at the club, for a bit of a comradely happening with the boys; they’re still pinching themselves,” he said.
The club isn’t done yet – they have a league match to prepare for.
Despite the hectic fixture, Aris has managed to stay on top of things and hasn’t lost a league match since May.
They are back on the pitch today, taking on eighth placed Diamond Valley. Lambropoulos concedes that some players will have to be rested, but he’ll be using the match to get a closer picture on what team he’ll be playing in the state final and the FFA Cup match.
“We’re playing out at Diamond Valley, so obviously we’re going to have to rest some boys, and I think, not that I’m going to make it a point to make the league a side issue, but we’re definitely going to have to nurture some players as to be available for this Dockerty Cup final and A-league opponents,” Bill Lambropoulos says.
The prospect of coming up against an A-League club is something the team wouldn’t ever have dreamed of.
If all ten teams make it into the top 16, the reality is they will most likely be up against A-League heavyweights.
As much as the players want to test themselves with Australia’s best, Lambropoulos is secretly banking on an easier opponent, to see if they can keep the fairytale alive for just a little bit longer.
“I think it’s 99 per cent that it will be an A-League team,” he concedes.
“I would like it if it wasn’t, to have another go, to make the story, this fable, even better.
“But we’re more than happy to approach it any way it comes, just to play an A-League team, they’re going to have to travel to us to get the crowd, it’s going to be a massive month for the boys.”
Whoever gets Aris in the draw, they will be travelling into yellow and gold territory. With the Greek community by its side and the underdog status firmly intact, Aris will have the backing of thousands.
Best of luck, boys!