Oakleigh Cannons’ new signing Kris Kioussis says it’s not all doom and gloom after his side’s 1-0 loss to South Melbourne in the first game of the 2015 season.
An own goal in the 23rd minute was enough to split the two sides after a cagey start to the contest, followed by a second half full of missed opportunities for the visitors.
“It’s a long season so we’re not really beat up about it,” Kioussis said.
“We played well. We played some really good football, created chances and the ‘keeper [South Melbourne’s Nikola Roganovic] was on song tonight.”
Really healthy crowd at Lakeside Stadium for the big #NPLVIC opener. Nice warm night for it too. #SMvOC pic.twitter.com/0cOb6s07CE
— Steven Chang (@Gixibyte) February 19, 2015
Roganovic was influential throughout the night, making a number of vital saves including a last-minute reflex parry off the line from a point blank header.
South’s defensive line was also impressive, shutting down a barrage of Cannons balls inside the final third towards the end of the game.
It was an almost new look side for Oakleigh in front of the 3,523 strong crowd at Lakeside Stadium, with five of the starting 11 making their first appearance for the club.
“There are a lot of new players, so everyone has to gel and learn how each other plays, but we are starting to click,” Kioussis said.
“We’ve got good team chemistry and we played pretty well today, so day by day we’re getting better.”
The left wingback, also a newcomer to Oakleigh this season after signing from Dandenong Thunder, was only able to watch on from the stands due to an injury to his right hand.
The 22-year-old, however, remains confident that his first game for the club will come sooner rather than later.
“I’ll hopefully be back in two weeks time. I’ll go and see the specialist tomorrow and see what happens.”
The addition of Kioussis to the Oakleigh squad will provide extra pace on the left side, along with the quick link up play and flair he was known for at his previous clubs, an exciting prospect for the team at Jack Edwards Reserve.