It’s been a whirlwind start to the NPL season for South Melbourne. Up against new opponents and some old reliables, it is the first time in the club’s 55 year history that it’s won its opening four away matches, whilst picking up a very respectable nine goals in the process. Most recently they took home a 0-3 away win against Hume City, and came up against the Ballarat Red Devils last week, ending in their fifth straight win of the season.

Now Taylor must fight complacency at the top as his team comes up against tough fixtures. Fellow Greek sponsored club Oakleigh Cannons is just two points from top spot, and with Dusan Bosnjak winning player of the month this week, pressure is mounting.

South Melbourne Coach Taylor talks to Neos Kosmos on his game plan for the rest of the season.

Helen Velissaris (HV): Congratulations on the Coach of the Month Award. Did you expect it?

Chris Taylor (CT): I didn’t even know they were having awards, it wasn’t what I expected. To be honest with you, it’s a reflection on the club as a whole.

A lot of people have put in hard work, so it’s the club’s award as far as I’m concerned.

HV: South Melbourne have had their best season opening to date – how have you gotten the team to that point?
CT: I can’t get away from the fact that things can gel and there’s a lot of luck in that. We recruited very, very well, we’ve certainly got a very good dressing room and some good characters around the place. It’s going to get tougher and tougher from here on in. We’ve just taken it as it comes.

HV: About 70 per cent of the team for this season is new. How important is it being able to recruit your own team?
CT: Obviously we want to get good players, but it’s more important to get good characters. They’re going to fit the profile we want in terms of play and representing the club, reflecting the club’s values and goals.

HV: Sadly, many who start at the top of the ladder tend to fall in the second half of the season. Can South Melbourne keep on top this time?
CT: Certainly if we can play to our full potential we’ve got a very good chance.
You need to factor in other things, there are other good teams in the league. They don’t want to stay at the back, they want to be at the top, so every game is going to be difficult for us.

HV: Is there any player in particular that you’ve been impressed with?
CT: I think it’s a collective effort. Each week we have different players that play particularly well with us, so I can’t single out individuals; we like to think it’s very much a team effort.

HV: Five straight wins on the cards?
CT: It would be nice, but we don’t want to get too complacent. A lot of what we’ve gotten so far is because we work hard and if we have the right attitude and we work hard with the right mindset, there’s no reason why we can’t win it.

HV: How has the culture changed under you at South Melbourne?
CT: We’ve set the standard, and values we want everyone to adhere to. Once that starts happening, the players pretty much carry it out. They’re the ones that set the standard and everything is a combined effort.
The board has been instrumental with the changes we’ve made, the players have been a major factor, so everyone can take a pat on the back.