1989/90

New coach Ferenc Puskas was determined to improve the side’s league performance from the season before. With new signing Mehmet Durakovic, South began in excellent style by defeating Sydney Olympic 4-1 at Olympic Park to win the NSL Cup for the first time. This form was taken into the league season, where South dominated their opponents to finish the regular season in second place, only two points behind Marconi Fairfield. However just like in 1988, the side could not carry their good form into the finals series and South crashed out in straight sets after being defeated on penalties by Melbourne Croatia in the Qualifying Semi Final, then suffering a shock 0-1 home loss to eventual champions Sydney Olympic at Olympic Park in the Minor Semi Final. Highlights of the season included a 3-1 home win against Marconi Fairfield, a 1-1 away draw against Melbourne Croatia and a thumping 1-4 away win against West Adelaide Hellas.

Final League Position:	4^th out of 14 teams
NSL Cup Placing:	Champions (4-1 against Sydney Olympic)
Top Goal Scorer:	Peter Tsolakis (13)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Ferenc Puskas (28 games)

1990/91

Puskas kept the nucleus of the squad from the previous season and the move paid off as the team again finished second (this time behind Melbourne Croatia by three points) at the conclusion of the regular season. Determined to erase the disappointment of previous finals campaigns, South began brightly by defeating Adelaide City 4-2 in the Qualifying Final at Olympic Park. A Grand Final spot beckoned with a win against Melbourne Croatia in the Major Semi Final; however Croatia was too strong and held out to win 1-0. South managed to defeat Adelaide City at Hindmarsh Stadium in the Preliminary Final to set up an all-Victorian Grand Final showdown. In what is one of the most incredible Grand Finals in domestic history, Croatia dominated the game but could only score one goal. With less than two minutes of normal time remaining, Trimboli provided a perfect through-ball for Joe Palatsides to score an equalising goal to send the match into extra time and then penalties. Despite having three chances to win the match, Croatia missed all three shots and when Ivan Kelic missed his penalty, South was crowned NSL champions for the second time in its history.

Final League Position:	1^st out of 14 teams
NSL Cup Placing:	Semi Finalist (1-3 against Parramatta Melita)
Top Goal Scorers:	Kimon Taliadoros, Paul Trimboli (9 each)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Ferenc Puskas (30 games)

1991/92

South were determined to go back-to-back. Puskas decided to keep the same players that had won the Grand Final in such dramatic style the previous season and brought in Robert Csabai from Canada and Gary Hasler from Sunshine George Cross to provide some further depth to the team. Although Csabai failed to make much of an impact, the team had another excellent season, finishing in third spot after the regular season. Highlights included a 5-0 spanking of Heidelberg, a 5-1 win against Preston, a 0-1 win over Melbourne Croatia at Somers Street and a 1-7 demolition of West Adelaide Hellas, with Taliadoros netting 4 goals. South opened up its finals series with a professional 0-2 victory against Sydney Olympic in the Qualifying Final at Parramatta Stadium, with a memorable volley from Danny Wright that went through a hole in the net and caused a commotion until referee Jim Fraser awarded the goal. Again South faced Croatia in the Major Semi Final and again Croatia won out, meaning that for the second consecutive season South had to face Adelaide City in the Preliminary Final for the right to play Croatia in the Grand Final. In a role reversal from the previous season, Adelaide City held its nerve and recorded an impressive 0-2 victory at Olympic Park and in the process denied South the chance for a shot at a second successive championship. In brighter news, Taliadoros’ 15 goals meant he finished as NSL’s leading goal scorer for the season.

Final League Position:	3^rd out of 14 teams
NSL Cup Placing:	First Round (2-4 against Preston)
Top Goal Scorer:	Kimon Taliadoros (15)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Ferenc Puskas (29 games)

1992/93

Puskas stepped down as coach and was replaced by assistant and former South player Jim Pyrgolios. Pyrgolios kept the core of the squad and added in Mike Valkanis from the reserves, Dean Anastasiadis (Fawkner) and Kevin Muscat (Heidelberg). However the biggest signing was Francis Awaritefe, who made the switch from rivals Melbourne Croatia. Awaritefe repaid his new club with a huge season, netting 19 goals (the highest in the league for the season) in a campaign which saw South sweep all before them and win the Minor Premiership. The match of the season was against Marconi Fairfield at Middle Park which was dubbed the ‘Clash of the Titans’ between the two top sides. South dominated the match but could not score until Tsolakis converted a penalty in the last minute, before Awaritife smashed a half-volley past the near post to send Middle Park wild. The two sides met in the Major Semi Final over two legs, with Marconi narrowly winning at Olympic Park and then inflicting an embarrassing 7-0 defeat on South in the second leg in what is South’s worst ever defeat. South faced Adelaide City in the Preliminary Final for the third consecutive season and for the second season running, Adelaide City left Melbourne with the win. Despite dominating the regular season, South were bundled out of the finals series with three straight losses. Despite this, Pyrgolios was still crowned the NSL Coach of the Year for his efforts during the regular season and Paul Trimboli was awarded the Johnny Warren Medal for Player of the Year.

Final League Position:	3^rd out of 14 teams
NSL Cup Placing:	Second Round (3-3 against Heidelberg, 4-7 on penalties)
Docherty Cup Placing:	Champions (6-2 against Heidelberg)
Top Goal Scorer:	Francis Awaritefe (19)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Jim Pyrgolios (29 games)

1993/94

Pyrgolios continued as coach and his side once again dominated the regular season to finish second in the league behind the Melbourne Knights. The 1-1 draw between the two sides at Middle Park in round 23 sealed the Minor Premiership for the Knights, after Paul Wade missed a penalty in injury time that would have given South the win. The two sides battled over two legs in the Minor Semi Final for an automatic spot in the Grand Final. South lost the first leg 1-2 but recovered to lead 2-1 in the second leg after initially going behind. However a late Fausto De Amicis goal for the Knights won them the tie and forced South to face Adelaide City in the Preliminary Final for the fourth season in a row. Like the previous two seasons, it was the visiting side that came out on top, as two second half strikes handed Adelaide City a 0-2 win and condemned South to their third straight Preliminary Final defeat against their rivals from South Australia.

Final League Position:	3^rd out of 14 teams
NSL Cup Placing:	Semi Finalist (1-1 against Sydney United, 4-5 on penalties)
Docherty Cup Placing:	Semi Finalist (1-2 against Morwell Falcons)
Top Goal Scorer:	Francis Awaritefe (11)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Jim Pyrgolios (29 games)

1994/95

Pyrgolios made way as Frank Arok took over as coach. South’s opening game of the league season saw it play at Middle Park for the final time before the ground was demolished. In front of a massive crowd, South smashed rivals Heidelberg 4-1 to farewell the venue in style before using Olympic Park as its home venue for the rest of the season. Despite suffering a form slump in the earlier rounds, South recovered to push for a spot in the top six, which it achieved in the final round when it held Minor Premiers Melbourne Knights to a 1-1 draw at Olympic Park. South defeated Morwell Falcons 6-1 over two legs in the Elimination Final before recording a fantastic 1-3 away victory over Sydney United in the Minor Semi Final. This set up a meeting with the Melbourne Knights in the Preliminary Final at Olympic Park. Despite a massive downpour of rain, a big crowd witnessed a fantastic spectacle, as a Mark Viduka hat-trick and a Con Boutsianis double saw the 10-man Knights hold on to record a 3-2 win. For the fourth season in a row South had been knocked out in the Preliminary Final.

Final League Position:	3^rd out of 14 teams
NSL Cup Placing:	Semi Finalist (1-2 against Melbourne Knights)
Docherty Cup Placing:	Champions (3-1 against Melbourne Knights)
Top Goal Scorer:	Ivan Kelic (15)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Frank Arok (28 games)

1995/96

Arok brought in youngsters Vaughan Coveny, Michael Petkovic, Michael Curcija, Con Blatsis and Tansel Baser and began using Steve Panopoulos and Bill Damianos more, as he worked on developing a team that would once again be Australian champions. Despite veterans Trimboli and Petersen helping the side to some excellent victories, the introduction of so many young players to the team meant that results were always going to be varied. As a result, South finished the league season in a disappointing eighth spot, the first time the club had missed the finals series since 1989. Arok was sacked before the season ended and was replaced in the final few rounds by club great Ange Postecoglou. In a positive, South won the NSL Cup for the second time to provide a highlight in an otherwise disappointing campaign. Another highlight was the opening of the Lakeside Stadium (or Bob Jane Stadium), the club’s new home ground following the demise of Middle Park. At the opening game, a crowd in excess of 12,000 saw West Adelaide score two second half goals to record a 2-3 win.

Final League Position:	8^th out of 12 teams
NSL Cup Placing:	Champions (3-1 against Newcastle Breakers)
Docherty Cup Placing:	Semi Finalist (1-1 against Altona Magic, 5-6 on penalties)
Top Goal Scorer:	Vaughan Coveny (9)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coaches:	Frank Arok (30 games), Ange Postecoglou (3 games)

1996/97

South started the league campaign extremely slowly but eventually began recording crucial victories to climb up the table. New signings Fausto De Amicis, David Clarkson and Steve Iosifidis complemented the youth in the side as South finished the regular season in third place. South showed they meant business when they defeated rivals Melbourne Knights in the Elimination Final, recording a 7-1 aggregate win over two legs. This set up a meeting with old foes Adelaide City in the Minor Semi Final. The match went into golden goal extra time, where Con Blatsis proved the difference when he headed home a Bill Damianos cross less than a minute into extra time. With confidence building, South faced Minor Premiers Sydney United at Parramatta Stadium in the Preliminary Final. Despite creating a series of excellent chances to score, South could not break the Sydney United defence. An Ante Milicic goal proved the difference, as South was again bundled out in the Preliminary Final stage of the finals series. Despite the disappointment, there were plenty of highlights, including a 3-1 win over Marconi and a 4-0 demolition job of the Collingwood Warriors in front of a big crowd at Lakeside.

Final League Position:	3^rd out of 14 teams
NSL Cup Placing:	Semi Finalist (1-3 against Collingwood Warriors)
Top Goal Scorer:	Paul Trimboli (9)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Ange Postecoglou (30 games)

1997/98

South began the league campaign with a devastating 0-3 victory against 1996/97 champions Brisbane Strikers, with new signing Goran Lozanovski marking his South debut with a wonder goal from outside the area. The momentum from the win continued throughout the season as South took all before them to finish as Minor Premiers for the first time since 1992/93. A win over two legs against newcomers Carlton in the Major Semi Final would ensure direct entry to the Grand Final, thus avoiding the much-dreaded Preliminary Final that had haunted the club throughout the 1990s. South managed this by winning 3-1 on aggregate, including a 1-0 victory at Bob Jane Stadium in front of a crowd of 14,850. The two sides met in the Grand Final at Olympic Park, the first all-Victorian Grand Final since South beat the Knights in the 1990/91 season. John Anastasiadis (signed from PAOK) opened the scoring in the 9th minute before Carlton equalised in spectacular fashion with just over 10 minutes of regulation time remaining. With the match seemingly headed for extra time, Paul Trimboli produced a magnificent through-ball for Con Boutsianis to latch onto and score past Dean Anastasiadis, giving South its third NSL championship. Postecoglou was crowned the NSL Coach of the Year, Paul Trimboli was awarded the Johnny Warren Medal for NSL Player of the Year and Fausto De Amicis was awarded the Joe Marston Medal for being the best player in the Grand Final.

Final League Position:	1^st out of 14 teams
Top Goal Scorer:	John Anastasiadis (12)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Ange Postecoglou (29 games)

1998/99

Back-to-back championships were high on the agenda as South looked to celebrate 40 years of existence in style. Further motivation to win the championship was provided with the introduction of the FIFA World Club Championships, which would give the Australian champion the opportunity to compete for the right to represent Oceania at the tournament. South went through the entire season unbeaten at home but fell one point short of Sydney United and the Minor Premiership; however the opportunity for direct qualification to the Grand Final still presented itself. A 2-1 win at Bob Jane Stadium set South up for the return leg at Edensor Park, where it rode its luck but held on to claim a 0-0 draw and set up another Grand Final appearance at Olympic Park. A crowd of 15,194 saw Mile Sterjovski open the scoring for Sydney United, with the away side having the better of the first half. South dominated after the halftime break and equalised when Trimboli headed home a Lozanovski cross. Postecoglou replaced Michael Curcija with John Anastasiadis in a move that earnt Anastasiadis the nickname of ‘Super Sub’, as he scored within 10 seconds of entering the field of play. Anastasiadis then sealed the result with a powerful header after an excellent team move down the field. Despite conceding a late consolation goal, South held on and won back-to-back NSL championships for the first time. Goran Lozanovski was awarded the Joe Marston Medal for being the best player in the Grand Final and Michael Petkovic was crowned the NSL Goalkeeper of the Year after conceding only 29 goals in 31 games.