South Melbourne coach Chris Taylor has bemoaned his side’s wastefulness as they crashed to a 2-1 derby defeat at Knights Stadium against arch-rivals Melbourne Knights.
“We’re like a charity shop at the moment. We’re giving gifts to other sides. I’m disappointed. We had plenty of chances,” he said.
“The difference was one side was more determined and didn’t make errors. The other wasted all their chances. They had a lot more pride about what they did today.”
It had been a scrappy encounter between the former NSL giants at times. For the South Melbourne coach, determination to win was a decisive factor that separated the two sides in their 87th battle with each other.
“We knew the extent of today’s result and what it meant to everyone. But it didn’t mean enough to our boys. We deserved something, but [Knights] fought for every single ball,” he said.
Taylor, who led Dandenong Thunder to their first treble in 31 years last season, also attributed the result to defensive lapses. He was forthright about South Melbourne’s excessive reliance on their prolific goalscoring.
“We can’t just rely on scoring five or six goals every week. We gifted them two goals. You can’t come away from home and concede two goals and expect to win.
In Taylor’s view, the tricky surface at Knights Stadium contributed to the gritty nature of the match.
“The pitch was very poor, the wind didn’t help. But you have to adjust to conditions you’re presented with, and that’s what they did.
With just two games remaining until the Victorian Premier League finals, Taylor insisted that the only acceptable result for South Melbourne was the maximum six points.
“Fact is, we have to win the last two games to get into the finals. We’re presented with what we’re presented with,” he said.
The result leaves South in fifth position, level with Bentleigh Greens on 31 points.
The Lakeside Stadium outfit will now host a crunch clash against league leaders Northcote City at home on Saturday 14 September at 8pm. It will be their final regular-season home game of the season.