Friday, 24 July 2009 9:24 AM
By George Kouroumalis (Photo by Craig Varty)
In what is shaping up to be the match of the round, South Melbourne FC will play host to 4th placed Hume City in a crunch game at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday.
South go into the game 3 points ahead of their opponents, knowing that a win could see the Blues go close to securing that elusive 2nd position and a guaranteed double chance and home final in the end of season finals series.
The home side, lead by veteran striker Vaughan Coveny, will be keen to make up for a disappointing home draw last week to Green Gully.
In a match that was dominated by the home side, South managed to claw itself back from a one goal deficit to draw with Green Gully. Despite the draw, South continues to find itself playing some reasonable football and will attempt to continue to build on a 5 game unbeaten run.
Alongside Coveny up front will be young striker Gianni De Nittis, who will be expected to return to the squad following a frustrating battle with a leg injury.The hard working striker will be joined by the likes of Goran Zoric, Francesco Stella and Fernando De Moraes in a very potent SMFC attacking half of the pitch.
Hume City will come to Bob Jane Stadium in some good form and with extreme confidence following a tremendous 8-0 victory against the bottom placed Preston Lions last week. More important than the win itself would be the form of some key individuals coming into the game, including striker Zoran Petrevski, who is consistently finding the back of the net and ensuring that his side is one of the highest scoring clubs in the competition.
Former SMFC captain Tansel Baser will be at the heart of Hume’s impressive defensive line-up. Baser was a fan favourite in his time at lakeside accumulating 106 games and 7 goals in a wonderful career for the Blue and Whites. He will be remembered by South fans for a career that saw him taste NSL championship success as a young defender, as well as being a key component to South’s 2006 VPL Championship win. Along with Lou Acevski in goals, Baser will be one of the key men that Hume will use in an attempt to negate the prolific SMFC attack.
Kick-off for the huge game will be at 4pm this Sunday at Bob Jane Stadium, with all SMFC members and fans urged to get behind the team as we strive towards playing finals football.
Last time they met – smfcTV Highlights