A last-minute goal from New Zealand international Vaughan Coveny gave South the win over Parramatta Power at Bob Jane Stadium last Sunday evening, breaking the heart of Power coach Nick Theodorakopoulos who thought his team was the better.
Coveny had bundled the ball over the line after a deep cross from the left from Vince Lia was headed down by Michael Baird.
"We came (here) looking for three points," said Theodorakopoulos. "We never got any. If it was a boxing match we would have been a few points ahead."
The Power coach had regularly bested South when coach at Wollongong, and it looked as if he would do so again, until striker John Buonavoglia drew his second yellow card late in the game and was dismissed. The diminutive front-man was carded early in the first half apparently for diving, and seemed to be penalised again for the same offence six minutes from time.
"You guys saw it - I'd like you to mention what you see," he said. "If that was a dubious decision, you can comment on it."
South coach Danny Wright said his side was second-best until the dismissal, and then seemed to start to play.
"Our confidence wasn't there as it normally is," said Wright. "The big turning point was the send-off. For some reason the players lifted, and we started playing a bit more."
Despite the win, and South's third in a row after a faltering start to the campaign, it hid some structural deficiencies in the side, according to Wright. "I'll have to go back to basics, I think," he said. "We're not doing the basics well enough at the moment. Parramatta was quicker to the ball, and our natural passing game and movement wasn't there."
"Things broke down in the middle of the park," Wright said.
South's preparation was disrupted when Wright was compelled to make an early change. Bill Damianos had pulled a hamstring after just ten minutes of the game. Paul Trimboli came on as his replacement.
The first-half was a disjointed affair, with both sides turning the ball over at rates that would have caused both coaches to despair.
Peter Buljan and Baird made a return to the South formation after a two-week absence as a result of suspensions and had combined as early as the tenth minute to break the Power offside trap onto a through-ball. Power keeper Liam Reddy spotted the potential though, and just beat the pair by rushing off his line to clear.
Just after the quarter-hour Brendan Renaud loosed a left-foot thunderbolt from 30 metres after the ball broke his way, but South keeper Eugene Galekovic managed to hold on even though it came through a mass of players on its way.
Midway through the half, Coveny raced down the right onto a through-ball, reaching the bye-line before cutting back onto his left foot and sending a shot from the edge of the area crashing off the far-post, with Reddy beaten.
But there was little to enthuse about in the opening half, and it seemed the second-half would continue the pattern. However, the game burst into life just after the hour when both sides created more chances in a ten minute period than in the entire game to that point.
Kosta Salapasadis commenced the flurry with a right-foot shot from the point of the area forcing Galekovic into a full-stretch diving save.
Ahmad Elrich then made space down the right and cut-back a dangerous ball into the path of Brad Maloney clear on the penalty-spot. Inexplicably, Maloney had an air shot and the chance evaporated.
Baird immediately had a good opportunity with a close-in shot following a nod-on by Buljan inside the area, but Reddy was down smartly to block, then gather on the line.
Power then mounted its best effort when Alvin Ceccoli made an impressive charge from half-way, setting up Renaud at the edge of the area for Renaud to smash a shot off the post with Galekovic grasping air.
Before anyone could gather breath, Lia launched a deep cross from the left which fell to Coveny at the far-post, but Reddy again made a fine save.
Wayne O'Sullivan then attempted to lob Galekovic from 25 metres but the ball carried narrowly over the bar. It seemed likely that it would be Power to break the deadlock.
"I was very happy with our central-midfield," said Theodorakopoulos. "I thought the game was going to be won or lost (there). A bit of (South) good luck and some fine goalkeeping prevented us from pulling off a sound victory."
But it was the combination of Lia crossing from the left to the far-post in the game's final minutes which brought the goal. Baird out-jumped the defenders at the far-post and Coveny bundled it over the line from directly in front after Reddy had managed a block.