Lead at the top down to two points - South Melbourne 0 Green Gully 0

A few years ago, and probably on more than one occasion, I quipped that should the unthinkable actually happen and South return to an/the Australian top-flight competition, that there should be a special section for the fans who continued to support the club through the pee-pee soaked heck-hole years, so that we would not have to interact with all the people who jumped off the South bandwagon when the club needed them most.

Looking back, the most fanciful part of that suggestion was not that South might get into the A-League, but that there would be enough people to even fill such a privileged section. Last week's game was on a Friday night, which I suppose was more pleasing to people at least in theory, but not so many more of them that it might make a difference in the places where the hoi polloi sit. It's a good thing that assorted random friends and well-wishers of Brad Norton's turned up to add alcohol-assisted enthusiasm, after the Celtic-Ange bandwagon seemed to last about one match. We await with baited breath the arrival of the next random group of attendees to a match at Lakeside.

Still, the seating arrangements at South matches are getting ever more garish in highlighting (assumed) cost-cutting, as well as the difference between gods and clods. The so-called "painting" works remain in progress, last week creating a rather farcical situation where not just the bays nearest the social club are roped off, but also the top half of the bays in the middle of our stand. And still, those of us still attending continue to look for evidence of the painting works. 

At some point they may as well just fence us all into a little bracket - that way Stevie's confetti show can also get contained, although it may mean his shredded newspaper might have more chance of ending up in your box of chips. At least the sponsors and their fellow travellers came in good numbers, and since they're the ones keeping this club afloat, I guess we plebs should be glad for that fact; even if we can't buy a beer to drink outside like at every other ground in the state, and even if beer isn't actually that good of a drink, and who made beer the boss of sports venue drinks? I suppose there should also be options for people who don't like beer anymore. Insert the sound of a cash register chiming right here. 

But that could just be me griping for griping's sake, seeing as how the on-field performance continues to exceed by a long way the relatively low expectations I had for the team not just before the season, but also up until about some time a few weeks ago. Even being held scoreless for the first time this season, I could hardly find the effort to complain about how the team is playing, though it would have been nice to have taken at least one of the very gettable chances presented to us. All I could think of however. apart from being glad we had not lost - which would have been an injustice, regardless of Gully's own more than passable performance in this match - was just how entertaining the match was.

It really was an enormously fun game to watch. And indeed, if one dares to quibble with the quality of skill on display in this and other 2022 NPL Victoria games, one can hardly say that South games have been boring. It helps when the team's ding well, and there's something to play for beyond a mediocre position on the table, but one of the tragedies of this post-covid interrupted seasons, is that people are looking at all sorts of things to complain about, and even if they're right (and they probably are), they're missing the point that the team has been providing an entertaining product.

Even Brad Norton's yellow card was hugely entertaining. He was looking to get a yellow to get his set of five, so he could miss the Eastern Lions game where his absence one assumes would not be sorely missed. Now when he did get the yellow, either it was a case of him not wanting to get that yellow then, or it was merely a great display of kayfabe, because his reaction to being carded was a beautiful example of "selling". Then you had the carry on from the Gully bench at various times during the night. Then our squandered chances, including what looked like a shocker by Marcus Schroen. And at the other end, some ridiculous saves by own Javier Díaz López.

The match was so entertaining, time not only flew by, but we also wondered whether or not Max Mikkola really needed to make as many long throws as he did, because they increasingly seem to wear him down. Gully also seemed to figure out, at least temporarily, how to defend them, which involved a tactic no more complicated than putting a lot of numbers back deep. Even Andy Brennan managed to get to 77 minutes, which is about 17 more minutes than his usual presence on a football field. So many stories within the larger story. 

A shame that Port couldn't even get a point against Oakleigh the next day, but them's the breaks.

Next game

Eastern Lions on Saturday afternoon at Gardiners Creek Reserve. I probably won't be there, because I looked at the kickoff time, competing commitments both before and after the game, as well as the location of the venue vis-à-vis public transport, and decided to take a different course of action: namely, to watch the game at a convalescent friend's place. Looking forward, somewhat, to the the three week stretch of home matches.

Final thought

If anyone can figure out what's going on with the social club kitchen, that would be great. Last week's burger assembly would have failed to pass any reputable building inspection. Also, half-way through the pre-game dinner service, shoestring fries gave way to a slightly thicker cut of chip. Are they just winging it on supplies?