The OCSC caught up with senior coach Bill Kotsabouikis earlier this week to get his thoughts on the Seniors 5-2 win over Bayside, and their upcoming fixture against Keysborough.

OC: On the performance against Bayside Argonauts…
BK:  We were flat in the 1st half, we gave Bayside too much time and space on the ball. We set out playing a defensive style of play which has been frustrating during the season as I coach an attacking style of play. This showed as we were trailing Bayside 2 – 0 at the end of the 1st half. We had no players supporting our strikers. We were giving the ball wide to our strikers but no one was following up in the 18 yard box to finish or even have an attempt on goals.

OC: On what changed in the second half…
BK: Our 2nd half was a better performance by far. We pressured the ball all over the park and eliminated Bayside’s space into our half, we created numerous opportunities once we had possession of the ball. We made a tactical change bringing on Hargitay and Costaras which seemed to have changed the game around. We began to play a simple passing game which opened the game up for us. We played an attacking style of football which in turn, put numbers forward supporting out strikers and eventually converting our opportunities with goals. A brilliant set piece put the scores level at 2-2 and then, it was all down hill for Bayside who conceded another 3 goals after that.

OC: On Danny Tan making his OCSC Senior debut and scoring with his first touch…
BK:  Young Danny was given his 1st senior appearance as his form in the reserves has improved with Danny scoring regularly. It was time to give him his just reward. I spoke to Danny prior to him stepping on the park and asked him to score and not worry about passing or making himself look fancy when he got the ball. On Danny’s 1st touch he dribbled past a defender and then the goal keeper before slotting the ball home. Great start, great goal for his 1st appearance definitely placing pressure on our senior strikers.

OC: On the game against Keysborough…
BK: Keysborough will be a difficult game this weekend as they have lightning fast strikers who can score from all over the park. They are a good ball playing side who love the quick long ball counter attack. We will need to step up and ensure we play as well as we did in the 2nd half against Bayside, if we play the way we did in the 1st half Keysborough won’t be as forgiving as Bayside were. We beat them 2-0 away in the 1st game, but it seems Keysborough play better and tend to get results when they play away from home. Let’s hope we take all 3 points this weekend.

OC: On player availability for this week…
BK: We have Daniel MacDonald out on suspension this week which will leave a gap in the midfield.  We will miss his work ethic and presence on the park. Chris Paton currently has the flu not sure of his availability for this weeks game. Bang Nguyen, Greg Costaras, Joao Pereira and Diego Lorenzo seem to be carrying injuries but we shall see if they pass their fitness test at training to be available for selection this week.