Despite being early in pre-season, Auckland have looked the sharpest of the A-League clubs in the Cup. Their dominant 4-0 victory over Gold Coast Knights signalled South would need to be at their best for a chance to defeat the reigning A-League Premiers. Unfortunately fans knew all too well the additional challenges we faced heading into this game. Our depth was curtailed owing to some of our new recruits being cup-tied, and the remaining squad only had three days to recover from the Dockerty Cup on the weekend – of course I’m specifically referring to the post match celebrations at Kinisi here rather than the game itself.

Our only hope was a sucker punch ala our match again Wellington, and we certainly gave that a good go. For the first few minutes we hit Auckland hard and created a couple of chances right from kick off. However Auckland quickly settled and once they had their defensive structure in place, they played the game on their terms. Auckland were patient and clinical, sitting back off the ball and playing directly with it, with an added focus on set pieces – they played like the South Melbourne of c.2022-2024 except with the added benefit of a billionaire funding them

At the 16th minute they got their chance. Auckland produced a long throw into the box and Jesse Randall produced a moment out of nothing. With his back toward goal, Randall turned on the ball and shot into the bottom corner to give Auckland the lead. From there it looked pretty grim for South, despite holding significant possession Auckland’s defence was content to sit back and except for a shot that was heavily deflected South didn’t stress the Auckland keeper. Defensively South did well to contain Auckland to one goal. We neutralised most of their set pieces by playing a high defensive line and players produced important defensive runs to nullify Auckalnd’s powerful wingers.

In the second half, South once again started well but the team’s levels dropped quickly. It was clear that the fatigue was setting in fast. Auckland scored a second, and then a third, and could have had more if it were not for some poor finishing. South looked unable to penetrate the Kiwi defence and were often limited to one man gut busting runs which served only to fatigue players more.

Cohadzic however did what he could to manage the team and change things up. Early in the second half Brennan and Menelaou were substituted on to provide more energy up the park. Three more changes were made in the final 15 minutes including Lucas Inglese, seemingly to provide a big body option in a last roll of the dice. But it wasn’t to be on the night and South were unable to even get a goal to reward the 3,700 strong crowd. Auckland looked sharp and were simply a class above.

It was a challenging end to a remarkable cup campaign but ultimately it was a performance the team could be proud of. Sometimes you score the injury time winner against Pascoe Vale, sometimes you cop three goals from long throws in an ironic twist of fate. That’s football, c’est la vie.

Fanzine distribution

I headed to Lakeside early to soak in the atmosphere and distribute fanzines. 150 were printed for this game which is the biggest run to date, and such was the size crowd, the distribution was the quickest I’d experienced with all copied gone after 20 minutes outside the gate. It’s an odd experience standing outside the game like that watching people come in. I saw hundreds of faces. A-League players, old fans, younger fans with old merch, junior players and their families, neutrals. Many people don’t realise just how diverse South’s crowds are, but standing outside watching as they pass has certainly been eye opening for me, and encouraging for the club’s current (and future) reach.

I also got a lot of different responses. I really appreciated followers of the blog saying hi, but also heard fans reminisce about old fanzines at middle park and most entertainingly experienced my fair share of confused passersby decline the fanzine as if I was recruiting them for a cult. I find that the crowds come in waves, maybe coming of the tram together, or maybe just being bottlenecked by slow walkers in front of them. These waves though seem to follow the leader though, if the leaders of a wave take a fanzine the strangers behind them will take one too, if the leaders decline a magazine I’m left to endure the people behind them awkwardly avoid eye contact with me. Distribution is an educational experience if nothing else!

Matchday experience

Big crowds have been a feature more often at Lakeside recently, and with the Australian Championship approaching I couldn’t help but pay attention to the match day set up. Gate 2 was open for prepaid tickets and the Social Club entry was used to sell general admission tickets on the spot. This confused some fans but overall entry was smooth and a great improvement on the early days at Lakeside where fans would wait in line for tickets to physically print at Gate 2.

Unlike Wellington Phoenix, Auckland didn’t bring a large contingent of away fans, but despite this (and the result) the stadium atmosphere was great, fuelled by a vocal Clarendon and decorated with flags and banners throughout the stadium. The large crowd was fed by the social club and only a single food truck (loukoumades), and there were two additional bars open on the night which were relatively quiet owing to the weeknight fixturing I suspect. I would like to see a second food option by Gate 2 for future big games, and potentially other activations around the stadium, specifically space for community groups to engage with fans (i.e. Heartbeat of Football) and better use of the open areas (i.e. bar tables or retail offerings).

Another surprising element of the match day experience was the Clarendon Corner pre-game. The group arrived together ahead of the game seemingly from the Coppersmith Hotel on Clarendon Street which I noticed boasted a South shirt and flag decorating its bar. It would be great to see this become a tradition and for the fans to form a partnership with a local pub, even just for screenings of away games. I think activation of Clarendon Street is genuinely a great opportunity for the local community on match days and regular pre-games at the Coppersmith offer a great starting point for the area.

Mural things

The first phase of the Social Club mural was out on display at the match. Adorning the walkway from the Merchandise Store to the Social Club is now a mural comprises seven panels, one summarising the club’s trophies (already out of date) and six summary panels each covering a decade of the club’s history. The summary panels comprise a short paragraph on the decade highlights as well as logos used during the period. It’s a great addition that adds colour and culture to an otherwise white wall. Practically it’s not the best place for people to stop and read but it’s a great addition nevertheless that makes the Social club feel more homely. One day I’d like to see a grand trophy cabinet installed along the other side of the walkway so that all fans entering the stadium are welcomed by our history and our past glories.

Fans may have also noticed black covering on the back wall at the social club. This is not construction work, but rather hides part 2 of the mural, which is more artistic and supposedly highlights past players and moments. The mural will be revealed next weekend at our league match supposedly and I for one am excited to see the final result! The mural was initially slated for months ago, but considering the turnaround in form, perhaps the delay was for the best.

Final thoughts

It’s been a long season, hasn’t it?