The men charged with delivering South Melbourne’s first national stage victory in over a decade say they aren’t feeling the pressure.
Coach Chris Taylor and captain Brad Norton will lead South into their FFA Cup round-of-32 tie with Edgeworth Eagles on Wednesday.
Norton said it was “more exciting” rather than nerve-wracking, even though every player knew the high stakes.
“It’s good to be back on the main stage,” he said.
“To have it at home makes it even more exciting.
“For the playing group and coaching staff, we’re trying to be as normal as possible. We know the importance of the game and we’ll be going out there to give it our all.”
South Melbourne – former NSL heavyweights that now play in the Victorian NPL – have reached this stage of the FFA Cup just once before, losing an away tie to Palm Beach.
Half of the squad remains from that visit and coach Taylor hopes they will be wiser for the experience.
“We played well on the night and didn’t get the right result,” he said.
“We know we’re a good side. We’re top of the NPL in Victoria at the moment which for me is the strongest league in Australia outside the A-League.
“I dare say we go in as favourites (but) we also respect the opposition.”
The Eagles play in the Northern NSW NPL, currently sitting second, and boast a familiar face in their otherwise amateur line-up.
Daniel McBreen, now 40, won the A-League title with Central Coast Mariners in 2013 and claimed the Joe Marston Medal for best afield in the grand final.
He told the Daily Football Show both he and his club would arrive at Lakeside Stadium with confidence.
“We’ve lost one game in our last 10 in the league and got pretty much a full complement of players that are ready to go,” he said.
“My 40-year-old legs weren’t the fastest in their prime … the body is not telling me to stop just yet.”
Both sides have made interstate visits to scout their opponents in recent weeks.
Taylor said he was impressed with Edgeworth but admitted to aiming higher than merely beating them.
“We want to go as far in the tournament as we can. We’re ambitious. We actually want to win it,” he said.
“That’s what we’ll strive to achieve.”
Evan Askew
Guest
That is a pretty good crowd.
Nemesis
Guest
I agree, much better without the aths track but, having said that, there are lots of the great stadiums around the football world who share with Athletics Track.
Sydneysider
Guest
Just a shame for South Melbourne that the stands are far away from the action due to that athletics track.
Grobbelaar
Roar Guru
2,622 is a fantastic crowd for an FFA cup game, and it looked pretty good on TV last night. While we have stacks of bids making plenty of noise about building their own stadium, at least South Melbourne have one ready to go.
pete4
Guest
I thought Lakeside stadium was terrible the stands are too far away. It's a very long way off ever being a suitable A-League venue Not sure a 2k crowd at home confirms a "big club" status either
James
Guest
My South Melbourne rating for tonight: Venue - excellent Ground condition - excellent Performance - dreadful 1st half, good 2nd, great ending Atmosphere - excellent Crowd - 2,622 2nd biggest for a cup game not featuring an A league team and the biggest st round of 32. Shake the weather was awful, what I will say is lakeside stadium would be some venue during the summer months, great location
Stevo
Roar Rookie
They talk a good story don't they. Some call it wind.
Lionheart
Guest
if talk wins, South Melbourne would have three FFA Cups now
Nemesis
Guest
Good to have some decent sport to watch. The International Champions Cup is ok, but rather have decent local sport to watch in the evenings. Been to a couple of NPL matches in recent weeks. NPL clubs will be a great addition to the ALeague community.
Ken Spacey
Guest
Has the game been widely promoted to the local community? To the wider community? What are the specials in the dining room today? How was the write up in the local paper? Public transport, parking, security in these difficult times? NPL clubs aren't really judged by their (proven) football heritage or performance but by their ability to take all the above to a higher level.
Nemesis
Guest
Bit harsh to mark them purely on a knock-out comp. We've already had examples of ALeague clubs falling to NPL clubs & the history of knockout cups is filled with examples of lower ranked teams lifting for one game. What I want to see from South tonight is; - good quality football - the ground in good condition - a decent, vibrant crowd.
Dan
Guest
looking forward to the game tonight!
R King
Guest
As far as a club being 'ambitious' and playing in the 'strongest' league other than the A League, one will expect them to go all the way to the Semi's [unless they draw an A League club before hand]. The time for talk is over, now they have to front up and put all their boasting to the test. If they don't win tonight, should they reconsider their lofty ambitions and just settle for where they are currently?
Grobbelaar
Roar Guru
A few teams who have aspirations to be in the national 2nd division (or even higher) are still in the mix. What a fairy tale it would be if South Melbourne could go all the way,