The two best NPL teams from last season, current NPL champion Bentleigh Greens and current Dockerty Cup holder South Melbourne, will battle it out for the first piece of silverware on offer in 2016, the FFV Community Shield, at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex in Cheltenham, this Friday 12 February at 7.30 pm.
The season curtain-raiser pits two teams which have developed a close rivalry over recent seasons. They last met in last season’s NPL Grand Final, which the Greens won 3-1 in extra time after both teams were even after 90 minutes.
Prior to the grand final, the head-to-head record over the last 11 meetings shows honours just slightly in favour of the Greens, with a 5-4 win record and two draws.
South are the current holders of the FFV Community Shield, having beaten another great rival, the Melbourne Knights, 2-1 last season.
When asked about the significance of Friday’s match with the Greens, South coach Chris Taylor told Neos Kosmos: “There’s obviously a trophy at stake and that adds spice to it. We know Bentleigh’s a very good team. They proved it last year. Look, I think it’s a great start for the season for us in that we get a good hard hit out. Obviously with a trophy at stake we take it very, very seriously.
“But as I’ve been saying for the last few seasons, the season’s based on the whole season, and not just a one-off game. While it’s great to be in the limelight early in the season, the significance for us is to make sure we’re right for the season and fire up right from the very start and start winning games.”
Taylor expects an exciting spectacle for the fans on Friday evening.
“I think it’ll be a good game. Both teams play football a little bit different in the styles. I expect it to be a good one – a high-scoring game with lots of goal mouth action.”