Match Preview – NPL R13 – Green Gully v SMFC

South Melbourne FC will be seeking an immediate return to winning ways when it travels to Green Gully Reserve to face Green Gully on Saturday afternoon.

Chris Taylor’s side suffered only its second league defeat of the season last Friday night with a very disappointing home loss (0-1) against Pascoe Vale at Lakeside Stadium. Despite the poor result, South still remains on top of the PS4 NPL Victoria ladder and will stay there should they win Saturday’s match.

Centre-half Luke Adams will be missing for the next 4-5 weeks after being called up to represent the New Zealand National Team. South will be forced to reshuffle the defence, with Adams’ natural replacement at centre-half, Kristian Konstantinidis, not available as he continues to recover from a minor injury sustained in the 2-0 win against Avondale. Right-back Tim Mala has also been missing from the squad for the last few weeks as he also recovers from injury and is a 50-50 proposition for the Gully match. Matthew Foschini may be forced to take up a defensive position should Mala not play on Saturday.

Arthur Papas’ Green Gully side started with mixed results in their opening six league matches of the season but in traditional and typical Green Gully style, they have hit mid-season form and currently sit in third place on the ladder. Gully have won five of their last six league matches and are also just one win away from qualifying for the Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32 thanks to a 2-0 win against Heidelberg United in their Sixth Round tie on Tuesday night.

Should Gully win on Saturday, it will bring them to within two points of South on the league table, proving what a crucial match Saturday is shaping up to be for both sides.

Saturday’s match at Green Gully Reserve kicks off at 3pm. 

SMFC v Green Gully – Head to Head (League & Finals)

Matches Played: 31
Wins (SMFC): 15
Wins (GGFC): 11
Draws: 5

First match: Green Gully 0-2 South Melbourne (11 March 1984, Green Gully Reserve)
Last match: South Melbourne 3-2 Green Gully (7 July 2015, Lakeside Stadium)

Biggest Winning Margin (SMFC): 5 goals (5-0 win) – (22 June 1986, Middle Park)
Biggest Winning Margin (GGFC): 3 goals (3-0 win) – (6 April 2008, Lakeside Stadium)

Most Goals in a Match (SMFC): 5 (5-0 win) – (22 June 1986, Middle Park)
Most Goals in a Match (GGFC): 3 (four times) – (2008, 2011 to 2014) 

Biggest Finals Win (SMFC): 3-0 (1 September 2006, Lakeside Stadium)
Biggest Finals Win (GGFC): 0-0 (5-4p) (3 September 2005, Green Gully Reserve)