South Melbourne FC kicks off an exciting 2019 NPL campaign with a blockbuster away clash against Bentleigh Greens this Friday.
The visit to Kingston Heath follows an action-packed pre-season for South after the permanent appointment of coach Con Tangalakis at the end of 2018. Tangalakis guided the club to safety during a challenging season and has made extensive changes to rejuvenate both the coaching and playing groups.
Despite some emotional farewells, the mood at Lakeside Stadium is full of positivity. The strong results in preseason were capped off with the deadline-day acquisition of dynamic striker, Billy Konstantinidis. The new number 9 has had an extensive career abroad, predominately in Greece. He joins a raft of other signings brought in to bolster an already talented squad which won its last friendly 2-0 away to West Adelaide.
South Melbourne faces a tough test away to the Bentleigh Greens who will be brimming with confidence after tasting silverware last Thursday. The Greens seized the Community Shield with a commanding 2-0 victory over rivals Heidelberg and will be hungry to hit the ground running in 2019. Like South Melbourne, Bentleigh has recruited heavily during the offseason and fans of the club will be hopeful they can go one better than last season, when they narrowly missed out on an NPL grand final berth.
A huge three points are up for grabs this Friday and the club urges all South fans to get down as we kickstart the 2019 NPL campaign.
Match details
Bentleigh Greens vs South Melbourne FC
Friday 15 Feb @ Kingston Heath
Kick off 8.15pm