South Melbourne FC will be confident of picking up all three points when it travels to Galvin Park to face Werribee City on Sunday afternoon.
Chris Taylor’s side put in a strong performance to defeat North Geelong Warriors 3-0 last Saturday, in the first of a number of early season road trips. That result becomes even more impressive considering the Warriors thrashed perennial contenders Green Gully 6-1 just four days later.
David Stirton was the star of the show for South last Saturday, scoring his first goal for the Club before turning provider and setting up Milos Lujic to set up the win before half-time. Andy Brennan added a third late in the game after coming on as a substitute, further confirming his reputation as the Club’s new ‘super-sub’.
Since crossing over from the Bentleigh Greens in the off-season, Stirton has added another element to a line-up already brimming with firepower. The attacker was South Melbourne’s Fix Hellas Beer Man of the Match and was also named in The Corner Flag’s ‘NPL Team of the Week’, along with holding midfielder and skipper Michael Eagar.
Having opened his 2015 account last week, Golden Boot winner Lujic will be aiming to get on the score sheet again this week as he looks to get his season up and running. Lujic, who signed a two year contract extension in the off-season, scored 23 goals in last season’s Championship.
The away form of Chris Taylor’s men will be crucial in the early part of the season, with trips to Heidelberg, Green Gully and Bentleigh Greens all coming up in the next month of football.
Taylor isn’t expected to make many changes to the line-up that defeated the Warriors, with a predominantly fit squad barring the long-term injuries to Peter Gavalas and Stephen Hatzikostas.
South Melbourne will have to be wary of the threat posed by Werribee City, who drew with Bentleigh during the week. Nino Ragusa’s men were unlucky not to gain a point in either of their first two matches this season, before Christopher Cristaldo’s strike on Wednesday night was enough for the Bees to open their account for season 2015. Cristaldo is a new arrival at Galvin Park, along with former Socceroo and South Melbourne player Simon Colosimo.
Sunday’s match kicks off at 3pm at Galvin Park in Werribee. Those unable to make the game can follow it with live updates on the South Melbourne FC Facebook page and on the Club’s official Twitter @smfc with the hashtags #PS4NPLVIC and #WCvSM.