South Melbourne needed a late goal to defeat Northern Spirit on Friday evening at Bob Jane in a game where the single goal victory could easily have been greater on the balance of the game.
Captain Paul Trimboli had opened the scoring with a header five minutes after the break, but Spirit drew level within ten minutes from a Pablo Cardozo penalty. Substitute Peter Buljan netted South's late winner.
"It would have been an injustice if we'd have lost today's game, or even drawn," said South coach Eddie Krncevic in the after-match media conference. "We had so many chances, and deserved to win."
Spirit's post-match media conference representative was assistant coach Jean Paul deMarigny, coach Mick Hickman staying in the rooms addressing the players. "(Hickman) is having a little chat (with the players)," said deMarigny. "Just a quiet one."
"We're always disappointed after a loss," he said. "But (they) tried their best, and South Melbourne played some good football."
"The first twenty minutes South Melbourne took the game to us. Once we settled down a bit more the game started to go our way a little bit, but South always had control of the game really."
Key to South's victory this evening, to whom South's recent form turn-around can also be attributed, was Con Boutsianis. Although he didn't get on the scoreboard on this occasion, he was instrumental in both South goals, and had posed Spirit some problems the visitors never really resolved.
Boutsianis' return has ennervated South's youngsters, and the team-spirit on display, even when South's dominance wasn't being reflected on the scoreboard, was such that after every reverse, players girded themselves to fashion the next opportunity.
Like last week against the Knights, South opened with all guns blazing. Within two minutes, Trimboli had attempted a lob, clearing Spirit goalkeeper Paul Henderson, but dropping onto the roof of the net.
Shortly after, Coveny shot from 20 metres requiring a diving deflection around the post from Henderson.
And Henderson's involvement in the early action continued when he was required to block, then gather a stinging 20 metre drive from Coveny.
Spirit's first chance of the game took until after the half-hour. Cardozo had gone on a trademark twisting run, fending off the South defenders who were drawn to him, and worked himself into a shooting position. Perhaps as his attention had been focussed on the ball during his tussle with the South defenders, he'd not noticed Adrian Cervinski free to his left, and shot over, when a pass may have produced a better outcome.
Boutsianis is South's free-kick specialist and had a number of opportunities in the first half to try his luck, but it took until the 50th minute for the breakthough. Boutsianis had been having a game-long tussle with Simon Bell his marker, and was often drawing the foul, as much because of his ability to protect the ball as a tackle came in, as any deliberate flouting of the game's laws by Bell.
Just after half-time, Bell had once again fouled Boutsianis at the corner of the Spirit penalty-area - a part of the pitch where Boutsianis is most dangerous when over a dead ball.
Boutsianis sent in a left-foot in-swinger which was likely meant as a direct shot, but Trimboli intervened, getting his head to the ball to divert it high into the net from close range.
Ray Sekulovski - one of the raft of youngsters in this year's South squad pressed into early NSL action - had another fine game. Shortly after Boutsianis' opener, Sekulovski decided to try the spectacular, launching a shot from fully 30 metres which was only just tipped over at the last by Henderson.
If South felt that the momentum had now swung its way, Spirit came right back into the contest with an equaliser from the penalty-spot after Robert Liparoti had fouled Cervinski on a rare Spirit break away.
Cardozo stepped up and sent Michael Petkovic the wrong way.
"It was a penalty," said Krncevic. "I thought we could have cleared it earlier, but that's the way the game goes."
South's task was now clear. With such a poor start to the season, a draw would be insufficient reward. Resources continued to be pressed into attack.
Midway through the half, Trimboli opportunistically took advantage of a ball deflected from Julian Watts when a pass was being attempted, to run onto the rebound inside the penalty-area. Trimboli's shot - hit with the outside of his left foot in an attempt to bend it around the advancing Henderson - passed Henderson, but hit the upright allowing Spirit to scramble a clearance.
Within two minutes Trimboli had set up a chance with a through-ball to Boutsianis wide on the right. Boutsianis' cross fell to Coveny, but Henderson managed a save under pressure from the lanky Kiwi.
There was always the possibility that South, in committing itself to attack, would leave space at the rear. But on the rare occasions Spirit was able to work the ball into an attack of its own, space was quickly closed down such that Spirit was compelled to shot from distance.
Spirit's best two opportunities came within a minute. From a Foster corner, the ball was played back to substitute Robbie Enes, some 25 metres out from goal. Enes' shot arrowed in on Petkovic's goal, but Petkovic had positioned himself well to make the save.
Robbie Trajkovski had a shot from similar range shortly after, but from a slightly wider angle. His thunderbolt went narrowly past Petkovic's right post.
Fausto De Amicis, making a return to the side after breaking his arm a fortnight ago, and playing in a cast, had been providing an attacking option down the left as the game wore on. From one such cross, Boutsianis was able to head across to Trimboli at the opposite post, but it was just out of reach with Henderson stranded.
With time running out, Coveny - himself having a sustained period of good form in recent games - had sent in an inviting cross from the right to Boutsianis at the far post. Boutsianis headed back across goal to Buljan at the edge of the six-yard box, who in turn headed it into goal for the winner.
"I was happy with the momentum, especially in the second half," said Krncevic. "(Spirit) were never really in the game."