By ADEM SARICAOGLU
FRIDAY night’s blockbuster between arch-rivals Melbourne Knights and South Melbourne was billed as one of the biggest Victorian Premier League clashes of recent memory.
In front of a packed and vocal crowd of nearly 5000 at Knights Stadium, the 90 minutes of football the two foes produced in their do-or-die semi-final certainly lived up to the billing.
However it was the visiting brigade that got the last laugh, with South Melbourne claiming a 1-0 win to knock the Knights out of the title race.
A frantic and entertaining opening half failed to deliver a breakthrough for either side despite their fair share of chances, but it was Knights coach Andrew Marth’s men who would have hit the sheds feeling good about their prospects at the interval.
However it was South Melbourne who looked the more damaging outfit after the break, with Tyson Holmes unlucky not to score after hitting the crossbar from outside the box.
The deflected ball looked to have crossed the goal line but no goal was awarded after it bounced back into play.
It mattered little for the visitors, though, with Trent Nixon finding an avenue past Knights keeper Chris May for the only score of the game.
An agitated Knights faithful tried desperately to help their team home in the dying moments, but there was to be no equaliser by the time referee Lewis Guiseffi blew time.
Marth and his squad were left ruing crucial missed opportunities afterward.
“It was obviously disappointing that we lost the game but missed opportunities basically cost us the season,” Marth said.
“We had several opportunities and it’s the old story – if you don’t put your chances away you’re going to get punished, and we got punished.”
The result marked a straight sets exit for the highly-fancied Knights, but an upbeat Marth remained adamant his side’s shortcomings could easily have been rectified with better finishing up front.
“No team out-played us and we probably out-played both those teams,” Marth said of his side’s failed finals campaign.
“Football’s a funny game. If it was an AFL game, we would’ve been ahead by 10 goals.”
Marth hopes to remain in charge of the Knights in 2014.
