South Melbourne’s 2-1 victory over Port Melbourne at Lakeside Stadium brought some much needed breathing space for a club that had endured an emotionally testing month, by its standards.
Head coach Chris Taylor was immensely relieved about getting back on track and admitted that South’s mid-week Cup capitulation to bitter rivals Melbourne Knights has left its mark on his troops.
“Happy? Well, happy after a tough week for us. The three points were a big thing for us,” Taylor said.
“It wasn’t pretty out there. Conditions were ugly. Especially coming back from a goal down, which we haven’t been able to do for a while.
“I’m disappointed about Wednesday. The expectation was that the Cup was one of the big things for us this year. Getting so close. We didn’t deserve anything that night. Knights were by far the superior side.
“To get so close? It feels like we let people down at the last hurdle. It’s pretty hard to swallow. Even today there’s still that feeling of disappointment in the dressing room.
“But at least we can put that behind us and focus on the league. We’re about getting back on track now.”
With the Victorian NPL season entering its latter stages, Taylor has deployed a deliberate rotation policy to counteract the affliction of fatigue ailing his players.
Key attacking players such as English striker Jamie Reed have been rested on the bench in recent weeks, with Tyson Holmes finding himself recuperating as a substitute on Sunday for the first time this season.
“We’re probably at the position where we need to rotate and freshen people up and get them refocused. It’s been great, the first eleven games at the start. But now we need to start exploring the depth of the squad and give them that option,” Taylor said.
“We’ve been blessed so far [regarding injuries] but we do need that depth. Shaun Timmins [Wellington Phoenix] has come in and Steve Hatzikostas from Bentleigh [too] so they just add more quality.
“We have a big squad but it could always be bigger. You don’t know what to predict in the future – whether we’ll have injuries or suspensions later. No point getting close but not having the cattle in the end.”
Along with South Melbourne’s depth and recruitment in the transfer market, Taylor also flagged the centrality of youth development at the club and noted the sparkling efforts of up-and-coming players in the junior ranks.
He did, however, express some caution about throwing his most inexperienced players into the fray and highlighted the importance of appropriate timing for blooding South’s emerging players.
“We want to [play youth]. One of the big things coming up is the likes of Andy Kecojevic, who’s been playing for the U20’s and is only 15 years old. We do want to give him some game time [for the seniors],” Taylor said.
“There’s also Dion Kirk (Adelaide United youth) who came onto the pitch on Wednesday and looks to be a very tidy player.
“But grounds like tonight aren’t going to suit them. So it’s about picking and choosing the right moments to introduce them – sometimes the right games too.”
Despite the former NSL giants presiding over an impressive six-point buffer at the apex of the NPL ladder, Taylor was adamant that each match must continue to be played on its merits.
The former Dandenong Thunder treble-winner is rarely a man to get carried away at the best of times, but for Taylor it is also fundamentally about both pragmatism and a sense of respect for the competition.
“It’s got to be [week-by-week]. It’s not like we’re two wins away from the championship. It’s going to go down to the wire,” Taylor said.
“Tough games coming up. We’re playing Northcote twice and some of the other quality teams.
“You’ve just got to respect the league. The league has got a habit of coming back and biting you in the ass if you don’t respect it. Any team can beat anyone.
“Port have had a tough season but that was a hard game tonight. Let’s give everyone credit. No team will be easy.”
South Melbourne continues its extended string of home games on Sunday 6 July, hosting Green Gully at Lakeside Stadium. Kickoff is at 5:00pm.
Follow Steven Chang at @Gixibyte.