Thursday, 26 February 2004 12:00 AM
South Melbourne Youth have been crowned the 2003/2004 Southern Division Champions after a convincing 3-1 Grand Final victory against arch rivals Melbourne Knights Youth on Sunday afternoon.
In front of a healthy crowd at Jack Edwards Reserve, South Melbourne was in control for the majority of the match and took the game to the Knights from the outset.
After just 5 minutes of play, South Melbourne took the lead through Ibrahim Ibraimi. There were no further goals in the first half and South went into the break with a slender lead.
The Knights again lost concentration and conceded their second goal for the match inside the first 5 minutes of the restart. It was Jordan Lando, who extended South’s seemingly unassailable lead. It was Lando again who put the icing on the cake, with a third goal in the 70th minute, which dispelled any Knights comeback.
A late consolation goal by the leagues leading goalscorer Omar Ayache was not enough, and it was the Minor Premiers South Melbourne Youth who took out the match 3-1 and the title of Southern Division Champions for season 2003/2004.
South Melbourne Youth will have the opportunity to compete in this years NYL Grand Final when they take on the eventual winner of the Northern Division (NYL) at a later date to be confirmed by the Australian Soccer Association.
MATCH RESULT
Southern Division Grand Final – Sunday 22nd February 2004
South Melbourne Youth 3 (J.Lando 2, I.Ibraimi)
Melbourne Knights Youth 1 (O.Ayache)
Source: www.australiansoccer.com.au
