Monday, 10 February 2003 12:00 AM
Last night’s loss to traditional interstate rivals Adelaide City put a slight dent into South Melbourne’s push for a record 15th finals appearance. South Melbourne now sit in 6th place but a win against Brisbane this Wednesday evening will see the Club reaffirm its position in the top six and jump three spots up the league table.
The Blue and Whites worked hard in yesterday’s clash but were unable to achieve a result as a structured Adelaide City line-up stuck to their game plan for the entire 90 minutes.
Coach Danny Wright was obviously disappointed with the result but cannot afford to dwell on the loss, as he has to prepare for another encounter in two days.
“We welcome the return of Vaughan Coveny to strengthen our attack and also the inclusion of Nick Tolios, who will take the position of the suspended Patrick Kisnorbo”, says Wright.
Steven Pace who was selected in the squad for only the second the second time this season came on late in the game, providing a burst of energy which resulted in South’s only goal.
The goals have been few and far between of late, to the disappointment of the demanding South Melbourne faithful. Wright acknowledged the fans displeasure but highlighted the positive effect that supporters have on the success of the famous Blue and Whites.
“The disappointment and reaction from home fans on Sunday was to be expected because we aspire to bigger things and the expectations from supporters are naturally going to be high,” says the South coach.
There were no injuries last night but South Melbourne will spend their time on recovery and light training leading into Wednesday’s match against the 9th placed Strikers.