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Keep an eye out for our picture gallery including photos from the Cannons’ win - on this site later today.*
IT took Oakleigh Cannons 90 minutes to find the winning goal but that goal kept the Cannons’ Victorian Premier League title hopes alive with a 1-0 elimination semi-final win over arch-rivals South Melbourne last night.
Substitute winger Craig Goodwin found space in the box in the 90th minute and didn’t need a second invitation to use his favoured left foot to crack a shot across South keeper Zaim Zeneli, and into the far corner.
The former South Australian Premier League under-21 player of the year sprinted to the Cannons bench and was mobbed by his teammates.
Cannons coach Arthur Papas said Goodwin had made big strides in his first season in the VPL after signing with the Cannons in the off-season.
“It’s hard for a player like Craig to come in from the level he came from and get consistent playing time.
“But we always had faith in him and told him if he got the ball on his left to fire away.
“That goal was massive; it was the best feeling, not just for me but for the whole team. This group has been through a lot together this season.”
The win capped a trying week for the Cannons who dropped a 3-2 lead against Hume City in the qualifying final last Sunday.
They will get the chance to avenge that loss when they again face City in the preliminary final this Sunday.
The match is expected to be at Kingston Sports Centre but the venue and game time were not confirmed as of last night.
The winner of the preliminary final will face Green Gully in the grand final.
Papas said the win came down to his side digging in and going back to basics against South Melbourne’s highly-rated attackers.
The win was the Cannons’ first over South Melbourne this season and came when the side was without star striker Ricky Diaco and midfielder Shaun Ontong, who were both injured.
“We had to take the emotion out of the game and go back to working on the simple things,” Papas said.
“The dressing room is very emotional tonight. But now we have to take that emotion away again and prepare for this week’s match which will be just as hard.”
Papas said Diaco would certainly play this Sunday while Ontong, who has a quad injury, would remain uncertain until game day.
Last night, on a Jack Edwards Reserve pitch better suited to beach soccer than finals football, both sides struggled to crack each others’ defences and keep control of the ball.
The all-Greek affair stirred plenty of feeling between supporters and between players but despite a few badly laid tackles, the referees managed to avoid using the red card with only a few yellows handed out.
South Melbourne supporters will rue a second half goal which was ruled offside, but the visitors failed to create enough clear chances to score the much-needed goal despite having plenty of possession in advance areas.
Keep an eye out for our picture gallery including photos from the Cannons’ win - on this site later today.
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