A massive, heavy, black cloud has gathered over Lakeside Stadium, the home of South Melbourne Hellas. Their recent home defeat against Dandenong City seems to have been catastrophic. South Melbourne now finds itself in the relegation zone, having started the season in the worst possible way.
The discontent is immense, the atmosphere is heavy, and rumours are swirling about the potential dismissal of coach Estaban Quintas. Whispers from behind the scenes even suggest negotiations are underway with a coach, who is currently working for another Greek Australian club in the same league.
We reached out to the club’s president Nikolas Maikousis, to get his thoughts on the performances of his club. He declined to say much, but his few words were enough to give us a taste of the atmosphere within the club’s walls and what we can expect from management in the immediate future.
“The image we’ve projected since the season’s outset is simply unacceptable. An immediate and radical change is imperative; this downward spiral cannot continue,” Nikolas Maikousis said, expressing his profound dismay at South Melbourne’s current plight.
While acknowledging the team’s crippling injury list under Quintas, Maikousis refused to accept it as an excuse for their dismal run. “Injuries have plagued us, leaving us without our two main strikers on Monday. However, this doesn’t absolve us of the need for a drastic change in our approach. We cannot persist with this level of performance.”
Maikousis stressed that a mere improvement wouldn’t suffice to rescue South Melbourne from their precarious position. “We need a significant and immediate transformation, starting with the crucial match against Altona Magic. We have no room for further errors.”
The question looms: can the Greek Australian team rise to the occasion and deliver a crucial victory?
The Oakleigh Cannons seem to be in a completely different state. Chris Taylor’s “cannons” are firing every week, elevating the team’s performance level and filling their fans with optimism. However, the path to becoming champions again this season will not be easy at all. They will travel to Nasiol Stadium this week to face one of the best teams in the league, Hume City.
The Turkish Australians are currently sixth in the standings, having shown a relatively good face since the start of the season. They are a team that loves to drive games with speed and high pressing, and this is something the Cannons will need to watch out for if they want to leave Hume’s home ground with all three points of victory.
Heidelberg United aims to continue spreading smiles among their fans this week. John Anastasiadis’ team has been performing exceptionally well in recent weeks. They play beautiful and effective football, seemingly brimming with confidence and momentum, essential elements for any team aspiring to win the championship.
Their opponent, Green Gully, is a quality team that doesn’t intimidate the “yellow-blacks,” especially when they play at their home ground, Olympic Village. This match, which opens the curtains for the ninth round of fixtures, is scheduled to kick off on Friday evening at 7.30pm.
The smiles have barely faded from the faces of Nea Hellas supporters after their victory against the Preston Lions.
This week, the Sharks aim to continue their upward trajectory, but their mission is anything but easy.
They will play at one of the toughest away grounds in the league, Dandenong Thunder.
The Albanian Australians are an exceptional team, capable of defeating any opponent. The visitors must replicate their performance against the Lions if they hope to stand a chance against Thunder.
A second consecutive positive result could completely transform the team’s psychology and the morale of the Greek Australian side.
VPL1
The big “Greek” derby between Pancyprios and Clarinda is the match that draws all eyes this week.
The “Greens” have started their journey in the new season brilliantly. They are currently second the table, showing a team ready for overachievement.
The visitors have also shown a positive face in these early games of the new championship. They play direct, particularly effective football, which has brought them to sit roughly in the middle of the standings so far. Every result is open for this match, which is steeped in the football history and rich past of the two clubs. We hope to see a direct duel worthy of the reputation and rich history of the two clubs.
A particularly difficult away mission awaits the Leonidas this week. The team from Brunswick will face Manningham United Blues away from home, in an effort by the Greek Australian team to maintain their position as high as possible in the standings.
Equally dangerous is the mission for Iraklis. Northcote City will host the quality Bulleen Lions on Friday evening. The visitors are in very good form, as demonstrated by their performance in their last match, when they managed to beat Bentleigh Greens by 1-0.
VPL2
Pythagoras will play away against Essendon Royals this weekend.
The Box Hill-based team aims to return to winning ways after their painful home defeat last week to Werribee. However, the hosts are no ordinary team. They are a well-drilled, experienced side capable of posing significant challenges to any opponent. Let’s hope United can return to positive performances, putting themselves in serious contention to leave Essendon with something better than another defeat.
NPL – Schedule
Friday April 4
Heidelberg United – Green Gully 7.30pm
Melbourne Knights – Preston Lions 7.30pm
Dandenong City – Avondale 7.45pm
Hume City – Oakleigh Cannons 8.30pm
Saturday April 5
Altona Magic – South Melbourne 6.15pm
Dandenong Thunder – Port Melbourne Sharks 7pm
Monday April 7
Melbourne Victory – St Albans 8pm
Table
1. Avondale 8 21
2. Oakleigh Cannons 8 16
3. Heidelberg Utd 8 16
4. Dand Thunder 8 16
5. Preston Lions 8 11
6. Hume City 8 11
7. Dand City 8 10
8. St. Albans 8 10
9. Green Gully 8 9
10. Melb Knights 8 9
11. Mel Victory NPL 8 8
12. South Melbourne 8 8
13. Altona Magic 8 6
14. Port Melb Sharks 8 6
VPL1 – Schedule
Friday April 4
Moreland City – Caroline Springs George Cross 8.30pm
Northcote City – Bulleen Lions 8.30pm
Bentleigh Greens – Kingston City 8.30pm
Saturday April 5
Western United – Eastern Lions 2.30pm
North Sunshine – Melbourne Srbija 3pm
Manningham United Blues – Brunswick City 3.15pm
Sunday April 6
Melbourne City – Langwarrin 3pm
Table
1. Melb City 8 20
2. Bentl Greens 8 18
3. Bulleen Lions 8 16
4. Brunswick City 8 15
5. Western Utd 8 14
6. Carol Springs 8 12
7. Northcote 8 12
8. Kingston 7 10
9. Manningham 8 10
10. North Sunshine 8 7
11. Langwarrin 8 7
12. Melbourne SRBIJA 8 5
13. Eastern Lions 8 5
14. Moreland 8 5
