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 winning the Dockerty Cup, before defeating Sydney Olympic 4-1 to win the National League Cup for the first time. This form flowed into the League season, where South finished the regular season in the second place behind Marconi. However just like in 1988, the side could not continue their form in the finals series and subsequently crashed out in straight sets, losing on a penalty shoot-out to Melbourne Croatia before suffering a 1-0 home loss to Sydney Olympic in the Minor Semi Final. Highlights of the season included a 3-1 home win over Marconi and a 4-1 away win over West Adelaide Hellas.

Final League Position:	Fourth out of 14 teams
League Cup Placing:	Champions (4-1 against Sydney Olympic)
Top Goal Scorer (League):	Peter Tsolakis (13)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Ferenc Puskas (28 League 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 once. With less than two minutes of normal time remaining, Paul Trimboli provided a perfect through-ball for Joe Palatsides to equalise and send the match into extra time and then penalties. Croatia then missed three penalties to win the match and when Ivan Kelic missed, South were National League champions for the second time.

Final League Position:	Champions (out of 14 teams)
Dockerty Cup Placing:	Quarter Finalist (2-4 against Brunswick)
League Cup Placing:	Semi Finalist (1-3 against Parramatta)
Top Goal Scorers (League):	Kimon Taliadoros, Paul Trimboli (9 each)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Ferenc Puskas (30 League games)

 

1991/92

Puskas decided to keep the same players that had won the League the previous season and brought in Robert Csabai (Canada) and Gary Hasler (Sunshine George Cross) for further depth. Although Csabai failed to make an impact, the team had another excellent season and finished in third spot after the regular season. Highlights included a 5-0 home win over Heidelberg, a 5-1 home win against Preston, a 1-0 away win over Melbourne Croatia and a 7-1 demolition of West Adelaide Hellas at Hindmarsh, with Kimon Taliadoros netting 4 goals. South opened up its finals series with a professional 2-0 away victory against Sydney Olympic, with a memorable volley from Danny Wright that went through a hole in the net, which caused a commotion until referee Jim Fraser awarded the goal. For the second season in succession South faced Croatia in the Major Semi Final and again Croatia won out, meaning that South again had to face Adelaide City in the Preliminary Final. In a reversal from the previous season, Adelaide City denied South a shot at back-to-back championships by recording an impressive 2-0 victory at Olympic Park. In brighter news, Taliadoros’ 15 goals meant he finished as the League’s leading goal scorer for the season.

Final League Position:	Third out of 14 teams
Dockerty Cup Placing:	Champions (3-2 against Sunshine GC)
League Cup Placing:	First Round (2-4 against Preston)
Top Goal Scorer (League):	Kimon Taliadoros (15)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Ferenc Puskas (29 League 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 Michael 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 by finishing the season as the League's top goal scorer with 19 goals in a campaign which saw South sweep all before them and win the Minor Premiership. The match of the season was against Marconi 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 Mark Schwartzer's 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 before inflicting an embarrassing 7-0 defeat on South, in what is South’s worst ever defeat. South faced Adelaide City in the Preliminary Final for the third consecutive season and again Adelaide City left Olympic Park with the win. This meant that despite dominating the regular season, South were bundled out of the finals series with three straight losses. Despite this enormous disappointment, Pyrgolios was crowned the NSL Coach of the Year for his efforts during the regular season and Paul Trimboli was awarded the Johnny Warren Medal for NSL Player of the Year.

Final League Position:	Third out of 14 teams
Dockerty Cup Placing:	Runners-up (1-1 against Preston, 2-4 on penalties)
League Cup Placing:	Second Round (4-7 aggregate loss against Heidelberg)
Top Goal Scorer (League):	Francis Awaritefe (19)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Jim Pyrgolios (29 League games)

 

1993/94

Pyrgolios continued as coach and his side once again dominated the regular season to finish second in the League behind Melbourne Croatia. The 1-1 draw between the two sides at Middle Park in round 23 sealed the Minor Premiership for Croatia, following Paul Wade's dramatic injury time penalty miss. 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 2-1 but recovered to lead 2-1 in the second leg after initially going behind 0-1. However a late Fausto De Amicis goal for Croatia won them the tie and forced South to face Adelaide City in the Preliminary Final for the fourth season in a row. Again it was the visiting side that came out on top, as two second half strikes handed Adelaide City a 2-0 win and condemned South to their third straight Preliminary Final defeat against their South Australian rivals.

Final League Position:	Third out of 14 teams
Dockerty Cup Placing:	Champions (6-2 against Heidelberg)
League Cup Placing:	Semi Finalist (1-1 against Sydney Croatia, 4-5 on penalties)
Top Goal Scorer (League):	Francis Awaritefe (11)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Jim Pyrgolios (29 League 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 to make way for the Formula 1 Grand Prix track. In front of 11,926 fans, South smashed rivals Heidelberg 4-1 to farewell the venue in style before calling Olympic Park home for the rest of the season. Despite losing many games in the earlier stages of the season, South recovered to push for a spot in the top six, which was achieved in the final round with a 1-1 draw against Minor Premiers Melbourne Croatia at Olympic Park. South defeated Morwell Falcons 6-1 over two legs in the Elimination Final before recording a stunning 3-1 away victory over Sydney Croatia in the Minor Semi Final. This set up a meeting with Melbourne Croatia in the Preliminary Final at Olympic Park. Despite a massive downpour of rain, a big crowd turned out to witness a fantastic spectacle, as a Mark Viduka hat-trick and a Con Boutsianis double saw ten man Croatia 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:	Third out of 14 teams
Dockerty Cup Placing:	Semi Finalist (1-2 against Melbourne Croatia)
League Cup Placing:	Semi Finalist (1-2 against Melbourne Croatia)
Top Goal Scorer (League):	Ivan Kelic (15)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Frank Arok (28 League games)

 

1995/96

Arok brought in many youngsters including Vaughan Coveny, Michael Petkovic, Michael Curcija, Con Blatsis and Tansel Baser. In addition he began using Steve Panopoulos and Bill Damianos more as he slowly pieced together a young South side that would soon challenge to be National League champions once more. Despite the experience of Paul Trimboli and Mike Petersen helping the side to some excellent victories, the introduction of so many young players to senior level at once meant that inconsistent results were the common theme during the season. As a result, South finished the League season in eighth spot, missing the finals for the first time since 1989. Arok was sacked before the season ended and was replaced in the final few rounds by club great Ange Postecoglou. In positive on-field results, South won both the Dockerty and National League Cups. Another highlight was the opening of Lakeside Stadium (later being re-named Bob Jane Stadium), South’s new home ground following the demise of Middle Park. At the opening game, a crowd of 11,956 saw West Adelaide score two second half goals to record a 3-2 victory.

Final League Position:	Eighth out of 12 teams
Dockerty Cup Placing:	Champions (3-1 against Melbourne Croatia)
League Cup Placing:	Champions (3-1 against Newcastle)
Top Goal Scorer (League):	Vaughan Coveny (9)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coaches:	Frank Arok (30 League games) Ange Postecoglou (3 League games)

 

1996/97

South started the League campaign extremely slowly but eventually recorded 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 Croatia over two legs in the Elimination Final, setting 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 by heading home a Bill Damianos cross less than a minute into extra time. With confidence building, South faced Minor Premiers Sydney Croatia at Parramatta Stadium in the Preliminary Final. Ante Milicic's lone goal proved the difference as he denied South a spot in the Grand Final. Despite the disappointment of another Preliminary Final defeat, there were plenty of highlights including a 3-1 win over Marconi and a 4-0 thumping of the Collingwood Warriors in front of 12,652 fans at Lakeside.

Final League Position:	Third out of 14 teams
Dockerty Cup Placing:	Runners-up (1-1 against Altona, 5-6 on penalties)
League Cup Placing:	Semi Finalist (1-3 against Collingwood)
Top Goal Scorer (League):	Paul Trimboli (10)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Ange Postecoglou (30 League games)

 

1997/98

South began the League campaign with a 3-0 away victory against defending champions Brisbane Strikers, with new signing Goran Lozanovski marking his South debut with a wonder goal from outside the area. The momentum continued throughout the season as South took all before them to finish as Minor Premiers for the first time since the 1992/93 season. 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 in the second leg at Lakeside 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's triumph in the 1990/91 season. John Anastasiadis (signed from PAOK) opened the scoring early before Carlton equalised with ten minutes left. With the match heading 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 National League championship. In a season of awards and highlights, Ange Postecoglou was crowned NSL Coach of the Year, 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:	Champions (out of 14 teams)
Tynan-Eyre Cup Placing:	Champions (4-1 against Carlton)
Top Goal Scorer (League):	John Anastasiadis (12)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Ange Postecoglou (29 League games)

 

1998/99

Back-to-back championships were high on the agenda as South looked to celebrate its 40th birthday in style. The incentive was doubled with the introduction of the FIFA World Club Championships, giving the National League 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 Croatia and the Minor Premiership. In the Major Semi Final, South defeated Croatia 2-1 win at Bob Jane Stadium before holding on to record a tense 0-0 draw in Sydney to win the tie and set up another Grand Final at Olympic Park. A crowd of 15,194 saw Mile Sterjovski open the scoring for Croatia, with the away side having the better of the first half. South dominated after the halftime break and equalised when Paul Trimboli headed home a Goran Lozanovski corner. Ange 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. With minutes remaining, a wonderful team move starting from midfield culminated in Anastasiadis heading home to establish a 3-1 lead. Despite conceding a late consolation goal, South held on to win back-to-back League championships for the first time. 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.

Final League Position:	Champions (out of 15 teams)
Tynan-Eyre Cup Placing:	Semi Finalist (0-1 against Morwell)
Top Goal Scorer (League):	Vaughan Coveny (14)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Ange Postecoglou (31 League games)