Dandenong Thunder v SMFC – George Andrews Reserve – Saturday 3 March 2018 at 7pm
Coach Sasa Kolman is looking forward to Saturday night’s match against Dandenong Thunder. “We are going there for the first time in a few years [since 2015] and we want maximum points. I thought we were good against Bulleen on Monday night but we couldn’t score that second goal to win the three points and that was disappointing. The aim on Saturday is to win and to hopefully also keep a clean sheet.”
Devastatingly, goalkeeper Alastair Bray did his ACL in the late stages of Monday night’s match. Keegan Coulter replaced him and will be the first-choice keeper for the immediate future. On a positive note, the new central defensive pairing of Kristian Konstantinidis and Christos Inzidis worked very well against Bulleen, with Leigh Minopoulos and Nick Epifano also having solid games further up the park.
South has a decent record at George Andrews Reserve, losing only once at the venue in 7 league visits. The most recent trip there was in June 2015 when a thunderbolt goal from Iqi Jawadi just before the halftime break secured a 1-0 win for the away side. Kolman and his side will certainly be content with the same outcome on Saturday night.
Last Five League Meetings – click individual game for highlights
2015 (R16): Dandenong Thunder 0-1 SMFC (George Andrews Reserve)
2015 (R03): SMFC 5-0 Dandenong Thunder (Lakeside Stadium)
2014 (R23): Dandenong Thunder 0-1 SMFC (George Andrews Reserve)
2014 (R11): SMFC 5-0 Dandenong Thunder (Lakeside Stadium)
2013 (R15): SMFC 6-2 Dandenong Thunder (Lakeside Stadium)
Overall Head to Head:
Played: 14
SMFC Wins: 7
Dandenong Thunder Wins: 4
Draws: 3