By JARROD POTTER
THE miracle run is over.
South Springvale was knocked out of the single-elimination national tournament following a late-match strike, Palm Beach Sharks kicking the go-ahead goal with less than 10 minutes remaining.
Flying up to Queensland for their Tuesday night FFA Cup clash against the powerhouse Sharks, South Springvale held its own through the first half as the defenders starred.
Aris couldn’t make many opportunities for themselves, but an early one-on-one chance from Ali Hameed was squandered as the Sharks kept the majority of possession.
South Springvale goalkeeper Rani Dowisha – the best on ground medallist in the Dockerty Cup final last month – was once again left to stop a superhuman number of shots on target and to his credit he made a number of impressive saves.
It all led up to the final 10 minutes as neither side could hit the scoresheet.
Looking like extra-time and potentially another penalty shootout were on the cards for South Springvale, Sharks midfielder Jack Boxell put the winning strike past Dowisha in the 81st minute and dashed Aris’s hopes of advancing to the final eight.
“It was a moment that will stay with me forever,” South Springvale coach Bill Lambropoulos said. “For me and the boys it was fantastic.
“I don’t think we’ll be able to accomplish that again.”
Lambropoulos was proud of his charges keeping at bay one of the strongest teams he had seen this year in any standard of Australian soccer.
“It was a fantastic effort to hold them off – credit to the boys and our staff,” Lambropoulos said. “We gained some momentum in the second half and had a chance to make some opportunities.
“No words to describe how I feel about these boys – they stayed together and played for each other and they’re warriors. At the end of the day they’re warriors.”
Lambropoulos said even following the club’s national-level achievements, they could not push into the National Premier League (NPL) – alongside Dandenong area teams Dandenong Thunder, Dandenong City and Springvale White Eagles – without City of Greater Dandenong council support to upgrade Warner Reserve’s players race, fencing and surface.
“We need the council to do the work – if we don’t get the ground, surface and fencing – we’ll never be able to accommodate the next division,” Lambropoulos said.
“I think we have the criteria and would be competitive in NPL1.”
It capped off a remarkable season for South Springvale after finishing Dockerty Cup runners-up and sixth in FFV State League 1 South East.
