Supporters will be coming out of the woodwork this weekend as South Melbourne hosts South Australian team MetroStars SC at Lakeside Stadium.
The Greeks sponsored team secured their semi-final spot in the NPL Finals Series in impressive fashion through a hard fought 1-0 win against South Hobart.
The team travelled to Hobart to meet last year’s NPL grand finalists and was joined by a couple hundred fans to boot.
It took just six minutes for South to secure their win, after captain Michael Eagar’s header hit the crossbar before the ball eventually set up a shot for Jamie Reed.
South Hobart battled hard to equalise but it wasn’t on the cards, playing a defensive play that kept the visitors at bay.
South Melbourne coach Chris Taylor applauded the home team and said the game could have gone differently if it wasn’t for the contribution of goalkeeper Chris Maynard.
“They’re a very good team who tried to play… on the break they looked to snatch the game at times but I thought that we also had a lot of chances as well,” he told smfc.com.au
Now the club has settled back into normal training routine at Lakeside Stadium and have been preparing to go up against MetroStars SC.
The club defeated NPL Western Australia’s Bayswater City FC 5-4 on penalties in Perth on the weekend following a 0-0 draw after normal and extra time.
Goal-keeper Daniel Godley was the hero, making a couple of stunning saves in the penalty shoot-out after the sides couldn’t be separated after 120 minutes.
The match will also provide a bit of state rivalry. Judging by the Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United match attendance, it’ll be a tense but boisterous match.
If South Melbourne win, the club will play the winner of Bonnyrigg White Eagles (NSW) v Palm Beach Sharks (QLD) in the grand final on October 4/5.
Sunday’s semi final will be streamed live by Football Federation Victoria (FFV) on YouTube (link to follow on FFV website), with the audio live on FFV Radio.
South Melbourne vs MetroStars SC
Kick-off: 3pm, Sunday September 28
Lakeside Stadium