Avondale and South Melbourne set up mouth-watering NPL Victoria grand final

Marcus Schroen’s wonderful last-gasp winner and Kristian Trajceski’s poacher instincts have set up a mouth-watering NPL grand final between South Melbourne and Avondale.

Marcus Schroen celebrates his match-winning goal for South Melbourne. Picture: Mark Avellino Photography

Two pieces of individual brilliance has set up an Avondale-South Melbourne NPL Victoria grand final.

On Friday night, Marcus Schroen produced a stunning 92nd minute winner to send Hellas into a second consecutive decider.

Just when extra-time seemed inevitable, a spectacular volley from outside the box secured a 2-1 win over arch-rival Oakleigh Cannons.

Kristian Trajceski quick thinking then booked Avondale’s place in the season finale on Saturday.

Having missed a tap-in by millimetres second before, the Avengers star pounced on an errant pass inside his own box and found the back of the net in a 1-0 win over Melbourne Knights.

Brad Norton is chaired off after his 300th game. Picture: Mark Avellino Photography

Schroen scored both goals in South’s win at Lakeside Stadium and said the feeling was unbelievable.

“The first one was a little bit of right time, right place but you can them whenever you can,” he said.

“The second one fell nicely for me and I was able to get good connection, it came off sweetly, and lucky to see hit the back of the net.

“The feeling you get in that moment, on that stage, is something you can’t describe.

“It’s almost in slow motion but in fast speed at the same time, it’s complete jubilation.

“I haven’t scored too many match-winners and definitely not from outside the box like that, so it’s certainly a special moment for me.”

The Hellas star gave his team the lead in the 14th minute, tapping in Jack Painter-Andrews volley.

It was game on in the 74th minute as Connor Hampson equalised for Oakleigh, winning a towering header from a Joe Guest corner.

However, Schroen would prove the match-winner just seconds before full-time.

A headed clearance fell perfectly onto his left boot and he volleyed home perfectly, somehow avoiding all the traffic, to find the bottom left-hand corner.

There were a couple of motivating factors for South on the night – last year’s grand final loss and skipper Brad Norton’s 300th.

“(The grand final) definitely played a part in my thinking, whether you want to call it redemption or something like that,” Schroen said.

“To be done 5-0 on the big stage is going to haunt us for a long time but this definitely makes us feel a little bit better.

“Brad has been such an amazing teammate, leader and friend for me and so many at the club.

“The 300 games is such an unbelievable achievement, only the fourth person in club history to achieve that, so it’s unique.”

Meanwhile, Avondale will have a shot at the NPL premiership-championship double after overcoming Melbourne Knights at Avengers Park.

The Avengers led the shots on target count eight to one but found to difficult to beat Chris Oldfield in the Knights goal.

However, Trajceski provided the decisive moment deep in the second half.

Kristian Trajceski in action for Avondale. Picture: Josh Chadwick

As the Knights attempted to play out from a goal kick, the Avengers star intercepted a Josh Phelps pass and duly converted.

Just seconds earlier he’d missed a golden chance by millimetres as a tantalising cross from Dillon Jakupi evaded his outstretched foot with the goal wide open.

Having broken goalscoring records this season, Avondale coach Zoran Markovski was most pleased with a clean sheet in a high-pressure final.

“I think Chris Oldfield was best-on-ground, that’s saying something about our group,” he said.

“He made a world-class save on Zander Guy and he made a great save on Stefan Zinni one-on-one

“We were super, so disciplined defensively, they couldn’t break us down and Tommy Manos only had to save one shot.

“We pressed them well, knowing they were going to play out, and they turned it over.

“I’m super proud of the effort … you build momentum and win the premiership and having the week off can be detrimental at times but the boys were super.

“I know we scored the most amount of goals but the way we defended (on Saturday), I think we were second best in the league.”

Both clubs head into the grand final with plenty of experience, South Melbourne having made the decider last year and several Avondale players featured in the 2019 finale.

Hellas claimed a 3-0 win at home in the first home-and-away clash before Avondale responded with a 2-1 win at home in the return leg, all but wrapping up the premiership in the process.

The grand final promises to be an enthralling contest.

“Avondale are the benchmark – they finished on top – not only this season but they’ve been thereabouts for quite a few years now,” Schroen said.

“They play a great brand of football, they’re a class side, we’re really looking forward to it and hopefully we can come out on top.

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Markovski agreed, saying “it’s going to be intense, it’s the final, it’s a massive occasion.”

“We set our sights on winning the premiership, we achieved that, and we’ve put ourselves in a good position to win the double.

“If we can achieve that, looking at the stats and records, I think we’ll go down as one of the best teams Victorian football has produced.”

The grand final will be played at Olympic Village in Heidelberg on Sunday, September 10.