Wednesday, 5 February 2003 12:00 AM
South Melbourne’s narrow 3-2 loss to Olympic Sharks on the weekend not only saw the club drop to fifth place, but skipper Paul Trimboli limped off the field with an injured knee.
The MRI scan on Monday night confirmed that Trimboli had ruptured his medial ligament and caused minor damage to his cartilage. Trimboli will be sidelined for the rest of the season as doctors have unfortunately indicated that the four time Grand Final player will not return for the finals series.
Luckily Trimboli didn’t damage his anterior cruciate ligament, an injury that potentially could ruin any players career. Trimboli goes in for surgery on Friday and will be out of action for up to four months.
Soccer Australia’s tribunal decision to strip the Glory of their Round 1 victory and award them to Parramatta, now has South Melbourne in fifth place behind the Power on goal difference. Over the next week, maximum points become vital for South Melbourne as Parramatta take on Northern Spirit tonight in a Round 13 deferred match which could see the Power move into third place.
This weekend South Melbourne host Adelaide City in a must win match for the Blue and Whites. The Force are in sixth place just one game adrift of South Melbourne. The important Round 21 fixture has a large emphasis on the shaping of the top six standing as a win to South Melbourne will give some breathing space from the Force.
The Lakesider’s also take on Brisbane next Wednesday 12 February in a Round 25 deferred match. A few days later, the Albert Park Club travels to Knights Stadium for the Melbourne derby. With South Melbourne undefeated at home all season, there is good reason to be optimistic about Danny Wrights men obtaining full points in their final two home matches and hopefully consolidating a finals spot with a win against rivals Melbourne Knights.