By JARROD POTTER
SOUTH SPRINGVALE has booked its spot in the Dockerty Cup grand final following a miraculous penalty shootout win over St Albans Saints.
The Aris boys had been underdogs throughout the Dockerty Cup for the last four rounds – so the title didn’t faze them anymore – as they went to take on their third NPL side, St Albans, in the semi-final round.
Aris struck early as Darrah Ryan lobbed the opening goal over Saints keeper Tonio Baresic in the 10th minute and that’s how the margin would stay until the 71st minute when Nic Cullen broke the deadlock.
At the defensive end, Lourail Nassim and Aristidis Diakos cleared a number of half chances from St Albans to keep Aris’s hopes alive.
Steadily running out of players as injuries piled up, the stark realisation set in that none of the Aris team’s regular penalty takers – Ali Hameed, Alex Florea, Bill Damianos and Dean Panagopoulos – would be on field for the shootout as extra time elapsed.
At five apiece in the shootout, a pair of misses left the crowd speechless as Cullen skied his shot before Thomas Brooks missed to the near-side.
It would be level again at 8-8 before the main man Gifkins stole the show.
Gifkins made a save on the 10th shot – deflecting Barry Devlin’s strike – and backed it up on the 11th as St Albans goalkeeper Baresic missed his chance with the final shot for the Saints.
Walking to the penalty mark – an unfamiliar place for a goalkeeper – Gifkins strode in and thundered the winner into the net to seal the win and help South Springvale advance to the Dockerty Cup grand final.
His penalty shot training on Tuesday night turned into a masterstroke as he was able to slot the defining goal of the match.
“I’ve lost my voice I’m so stoked about it,” Gifkins said after the celebrations calmed down.
“Surreal – it’s the best feeling in my life and it’s amazing.”
“I was on the training track doing a bit of shooting on yesterday just in case, so it worked out didn’t it.”
Cherishing his time in the spotlight, Gifkins said it was the best moment of his life and wanted to send his love out to his girlfriend Helena.
Coach Bill Lambropoulos had to take a breather before the shootout as his team decided the penalty order and left him to sit to the side and watch history unfold.
“We practiced the penalties last night (Tuesday) and I’ll admit they didn’t go too well – but I didn’t want to press the point,”Lambropoulos said.
Lambropoulos praised his young goalkeeper and said South Springvale was abuzz at the moment when it came to Melbourne-area soccer.
“These boys got us here and they did the job,” Lambropoulos said.
“To play in the (Dockerty) cup at such a high level in the Melbourne precinct – nobody knew who we were and now everybody is talking about us.
“Lifted the profile of the club and we’re beside ourselves.”
“That’s the fairy-tale – we talked about it when we qualified for the Australian Cup, but this youngster (Gifkins) tonight – he’s got my praise forever and I wish him all the best for his career.”
South Springvale will face Melbourne Knights in the Dockerty Cup grand final with the location and date to be confirmed.
South Springvale’s stellar cup season continues on 29 July as it faces South Cardiff in the round of 32 of the FFA Cup at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex.
FFV SCOREBOARD
SOUTH SPRINGVALE 1 d ST ALBANS SAINTS 1. (PEN: 9-8)
