South’s stunner
SOUTH Melbourne coach Chris Taylor conceded he’d never experienced anything like his team’s epic FFA Cup comeback against Dandenong City on Wednesday night.
Trailing by three goals with eight minutes of normal time left, South netted four in 14 minutes to claim a round of 32 berth and a return to the national stage.
It kicks off a huge period for South as it continues pushing to join the A-League and WLeague competitions, and the Oceania Club of the Century hosts Brazilian legend Roberto Carlos next week.
Bentleigh Greens, Heidelberg United and Hume City will round out Victorian numbers in the June 29 draw.
Taylor admitted he thought it was over when Shaun Kelly netted his second in the 71st minute after Shaun Filipovic’s early double for Dandy City.
But hat-trick hero Milos Lujic, who netted his 100th goal for South, and sub Jesse Daley inspired the extraordinary turnaround.
“I’m still in shock, to be honest with you. I must admit I got home and had a couple of whiskies,’’ Taylor said.
“Having coached for 20 years, I’ve never been involved with anything like that in my life. You read about that happening in leagues around the world but to experience it yourself is amazing.
“Without doubt (I thought it was over) when they went 4-1 up. We reshuffled . . . the catalyst was bringing Jesse Daley on. He livened things up and as soon as the first went in belief was there.
“That encapsulated what the club’s about, even for a club like South to come back from the dead, it invokes all the passion we haven’t seen at the club for a long while,
“It’s right up there with our top achievements.”