Two first-half goals set up South Melbourne's three-nil win against Football Kingz at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday evening. Goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic brought off a string of saves to snuff out any chance of a Kingz comeback, despite South playing one man short for the last fifteen minutes of the match, following Zeljko Susa's two yellow-cards inside two minutes.
Trimboli netted a third for South just after the mid-point of the second-half, and Kingz failed even to convert a penalty when Galekovic saved the first, and the follow-up from high-profile Chilean import Patricio Almendra.
Galekovic made the goalkeeper's shirt his own after a string of games where uncharacteristically for a South side, the defence leaked goals alamingly. In a shake-up of his defence, South coach Danny Wright brought in Galekovic from understudying Dean Anastasiadis, and the coach's faith has been rewarded.
"Eugene made some great saves today," said South coach Danny Wright after the game. "We got opened up to three one-on-one situations and (Galekovic) made the saves we had to."
"I thought we had the opportunities today," said Kingz coach Ken Dugdale after the game. "It could have been a three-three (draw) or four-three thriller (either way). We're disappointed, but we've got to stay optimistic and positive (because) we've done a lot of good work this year."
"It was a very even game apart from the goals," said Dugdale with a smile.
Wright explained his side's win by saying, "My senior players stood up today, and they made the difference. In (some of the) earlier rounds, I've had to rely on the young boys."
Steve Panopoulos is one of the veterans and had been given the job of marking Kingz Chilean play-maker Almendra. He did so effectively to the extent that Almendra had little influence on the match, and was substituted ten minutes from time, immediately after his penalty was saved.
"(Almendra) got tackled, and I just didn't want anything to get silly," said Dugdale explaining the substitution. "He hadn't had a good day, and the penalty didn't help, and I just wanted to make sure that nothing stupid happened. South did a good job on him - he didn't get involved the way he normally does - he wasn't allowed the freedom."
This game last season marked the start of the second set of fixtures and the beginning of South Melbourne's climb from the bottom of the Ladder to a remarkable top six finish. It also was the game in which South controversially fielded the returning Con Boutsianis - who, in a Boys' Own Annual storyline - scored South's winner in the last minute.
This time, the fixture was South's last of the first series, and Boutsianis looked on from the stand as he'd played in a warm-up fixture involving faces familiar to fans of earlier years.
Boutsianis' speciality had been from free-kicks and his successor was found just 23 minutes in, when Susa bent a 30 metre free around the wall and in off the post with Kingz goalkeeper Michael Utting grasping at air. The free had been awarded after Raffaele DeGregorio had fouled Panopoulos.
Six minutes later captain Trimboli made it two with a truly magical piece of football from the veteran. Ray Sekulovski had effectively linked with Susa in a move down the right before sending in a cross to the edge of the penalty-area. Trimboli controlled, feinted, then came inside onto his right foot before chipping Utting and lobbing the ball into the far corner of the net.
After Kingz had made such a positive opening, being two behind inside the first half-hour was rough justice indeed.
Sekulovski had a great opportunity to score South's third just before the interval when sent clear to face only the Kingz keeper, but attempted a left-foot swerving shot around Utting which failed to find the bend, and went wide.
Paul Urlovic could have brought the Kingz back into the game in first-half added time when clever lead-up play from Almendra and Andy Vlahos burst the South back-line, sending Urlovic through on Galekovic. But again Galekovic managed a blocking save with his legs when the advantage seemed overwhelmingly with Urlovic.
The second-half was balanced between the sides, with Kingz required to force the play a little to graft its way back into the game, and South prepared to soak up the pressure, sending its formation forward in numbers on the break.
From one such break, Trimboli put the game beyond Kingz reach from a close-in shot high into the net. Partick Kisnorbo had floated in a cross from the right over the Kingz defence.
Kingz had a golden opportunity to score shortly after from the spot. Mark Burton had been floored inside the box by Nick Tolios and Almendra took the kick.
His first attempt was blocked by Galekovic but it fell back to the Chilean who elected to kick with his right foot behind his left, rather than more conventionally with his left. Galekovic gathered this second effort much to Almendra's disappointment.
"We would normally have backed him (to score),² said Dugdale. "But the keeper picked him really well. We've had a word with him about the way he takes penalties (because) one of these days the keeper is going to read it - well, today was one of those days."
Immediately either side of the penalty, Susa had been booked, and so South spent the remaining minutes a player shy, but still Kingz could not break through.