By Katie Lambeski (@katielambeski)

South Melbourne had to do it ugly but got the three points without too much fuss, defeating Pascoe Vale 1-0 on Sunday night to claim its ninth win in a row.

Mathew Theodore’s 25th-minute poaching goal split the two sides in a match that never reached great heights at Lakeside Stadium.

Pascoe Vale began the match brightly, having the better of the early battles and giving South early troubles. It wasn’t to last however, as the home side got on top as the half wore on, pressing forward in an attempt to make Pascoe Vale buckle.

Both sides struggled to make the incisive pass, but it wasn’t long before a goal was scored. A Nick Epifano high ball was half-cleared by the visitors’ defence, allowing Theodore to ghost in and drive a low shot past Stefaan Sardelic.

South went on to have the bulk of the chances and lock itself in Pascoe Vale’s defensive half, but the league leader wasn’t able to find a second before the halftime whistle as Pascoe Vale stood tall in defence, a recurring theme of the night.

Iqi Jawadi almost doubled the lead with a long-range drive on goal near halftime, only to have it palmed away by Sardelic, leaving Pacoe Vale still in with a chance of a result as the halftime whistle blew.

South’s organisation was enough to see off Vale’s challenge over the second half, as the away side pushed for an equaliser but fell short.

South was often able to snuff out opposition attacks before they could really get going, but wasn’t able to create many chances going forward as much of the football was played between the two penalty areas.

The match turned into a scrap as the clock ticked closer to full time, and any notion of a flowing encounter quickly evaporated as both got stuck in with challenges that rendered the match a stop-start affair.

Pascoe Vale mounted a final charge in the last minutes of the match, but it was not to be as Jason Saldaris repeatedly stood tall in the home goal.

Pascoe Vale could consider itself unlucky not to leave with a point, with its organisation in midfield and defence superb throughout the night.

Oakleigh’s draw with Northcote on Sunday afternoon also helped South Melbourne, which is now six points clear of the Cannons at the top of the table.

Pascoe Vale coach Vitale Ferrante made his disappointment at falling just short clear, and paid tribute to his side’s efforts.

“The performances are fantastic, so is the effort, the character. And we’re trying to play, but I don’t think the boys are being rewarded for it with the results,” Ferrante said.
“I was happy that we really took the game to them, I thought a draw would have been a fair result to be honest.”

South Melbourne coach Chris Taylor was happy to take what he admitted was a scrappy win, and reiterated the need for his side to continue their hard work.

“Yeah, that was ugly. Credit to Pascoe Vale, they made it very difficult for us, just fortunate we got the goal, and we’re very happy with the result,” Taylor said.

“The big thing for us is not to get complacent, it’s not like we’ve blitzed every game and won by big scores.  We’ve just got keep going the way we’re going at the moment and keep collecting the points.”

Match Details

South Melbourne 1 (Theodore 25’) defeated Pascoe Vale 0 at Lakeside Stadium [HT: 1-0]

South Melbourne: 1. Jason SALDARIS (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 14. James MUSA, 7. Nick EPIFANO (27. Leigh MINOPOULOS 45’), 8. Mathew THEODORE, 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. Tyson HOLMES, 11. Bradley NORTON, 12. Iqbal JAWADI, 17. Jamie REED (6. Dimi TSIARAS 87’), 3. Andrew MULLETT

Unused subs: 21. Chris MAYNARD, 15. Kobbie BOAHENE, 20. Slaven VRANESEVIC

Yellow cards: Mala (70’), Musa (30’)

Pascoe Vale: 1. Stefaan SARDELIC, 2. Adrian TALARICO, 3. Nathen MEGIC, 10. Davey VAN’T SCHIP, 11. Jonathan VOULGARIS (7. Luca SANTILLI 67’), 13. Matthew LAZARIDES (8. Joseph YOUSEF 62’), 14. Alvaro CARRILLO, 15. Mark PISTININZI, 16. Marco SANTILI (6. Roberto DI VITO 70’), 21. Michael FERRANTE, 22. Carl RECCHIA

Unused subs: 12. Eli LUTTMER, 25. Yaren SOZER
 
Yellow cards: Pistininzi (57’), Carrillo (80’)

Pictured: South Melbourne's Brad Norton in action (Image credit: Cindy Nitsos)