When Chris Talajic propelled Melbourne Knights to a 70th minute lead against South Melbourne on Sunday, wary home supporters weren’t resting easy.
Despite a promising season to date, with fourth place and a finals spot all but secured, the one feat still eluding the Knights in 2015 was derby victory.
The Community Shield, Round 8 and FFA Cup encounters all ended in heartbreak, with South Melbourne turning around deficits each time to claim thrilling victories.
And as the referee awarded the visitors a penalty in extra time on Sunday, a doomed sense of déjà vu enveloped Somers Street.
True to form, South had already clawed their way back once during the game, and another equaliser was on the cards.
But as Chris May positioned himself along the goal-line to face David Stirton from the penalty spot, a different kind of déjà vu was brewing.
The gloveman incredibly saved his second extra-time penalty in less than a week, instantly erasing the agony of three derby defeats for emotional fans, club officials and teammates.
“It’s a bit of instinct, you try and watch what their body language is doing, where their body is facing or where their eyes are looking,” May said.
“The last two have been a bit more instinct, the players haven’t given much away, so I’ve taken a gamble both times and it’s paid off.
“We lost three times against South in a manner which probably wasn’t really fair, a few dodgy decisions their way, then you get a penalty in the 95th minute and you think, “here we go again”.
“Emotion was running high throughout everyone, but everyone was celebrating after and rightly so.”
The win also marked an important milestone for the Knights, who defeated a top three side for the first time in the NPL this year.
Coupled with the away point against Bentleigh days earlier, the results serve as a huge statement of intent with just five rounds left in the competition ahead of the finals series.
“We believed that at the start of the season we could go all the way, though we did have a run of games where we didn’t pick up the points that we wanted,” he said.
“We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves, we’ve only won one and drawn one [against teams higher on the ladder], but we definitely believe we can beat anyone at the moment.”
May’s recent penalty exploits form just a portion of his highlight reel so far this season, with a string of match-saving performances elevating his status as one of the NPL’s best shot stoppers.
It’s been a rollercoaster ride at Somers Street for the 29-year-old, who missed the club’s drought-breaking Dockerty Cup triumph last season after serving a six-month suspension imposed on him during the FFA Cup.
Despite the setback, the custodian believes he isn’t making up for lost time, rather picking up where he left off after two previously successful seasons with the two-time NSL champions.
“The suspension last year was absolutely ludicrous, it’s not warranted at all when you get players get three games for punching somebody square in the face,” he says.
“But I’m happy to be playing consistently again, and like any other player, when you’re getting a run of games under your belt, hopefully your best form is going to come out of it.
“My form this year is probably where it was about last year, and the year before that.
“At the moment, not just myself, but the back four are playing well, though when a player has gotten in behind them I have been able to pull off a few crucial saves, which helps.”
With the implementation of the NPL providing an elite competition for footballers at a state level, Chris May’s name is often added to the mix of players regarded as having the ability to make the next step to an A-League standard.
But as discourse continues to focus around the quality of signings brought in to Australia’s premier competition, and in a system that restricts the best NPL players from fighting for promotion with their respective clubs, the former Championship player with Brighton and Hove Albion remains an advocate of NPL players – often overlooked for overseas based signings – deserving more of a chance from A-League clubs.
“There’s a lot of players that aren’t getting a look in because they’re not a [household] name, in some cases they’re foreign players, but if they [the A-League] want the game to progress they’ve got to look at the better players regardless of their age or where they’re from,” he said.
“If someone’s playing full time they will get a look in ahead of someone who works nine to five and does a few sessions a week, as fitness wise they’re not on the same level and don’t have the experience, but they’re never going to get that experience unless someone gives them the opportunity to shine.
“[A-League clubs] need to have a look at players that have established themselves in the National Premier Leagues that are consistently playing well at that level, because no doubt they can make the step up.”
Chris May’s and Melbourne Knights’ next test comes on the road against Green Gully, whose clash against Heidelberg United was postponed last week due to a waterlogged pitch.