Their brand of football certainly has, starting the National Women’s League season with four wins, one loss, and sitting second on the ladder.
After losing to defending champions Eastern Suburbs 1-0 in the opening round, they bounced back to smash Phoenix Reserves 5-0, beat Kate Sheppard Cup champions Western Springs 3-2, beat Wellington United 1-0 and ground out a 2-1 victory against Canterbury United Pride.
"It’s the old cliche. If you were to tell me that we were going to do this beforehand I’d be pretty happy," head coach Kris Ridley said.
"I guess to do it week-by-week, prepare for the team we’re facing, that’s all we do. We don’t focus on anything else.
"I’m just really impressed with how the girls are responding. Their training attitude is sensational."
Southern scored 19 goals last year, which included 14 rounds compared with nine plus the final this season. They have already scored 11 times.
Ridley, who is in his second season, focused on their technical side coming in last year and was pleased to see the improvements this year.
"It’s been a big focus on sort of combination play, our technique yet again, but really honing the skills now from our previous games this year."
Southern was not the complete package, but they were building — and Ridley wanted people to take notice of his players.
"We’re wanting to be competitive and really show teams that they should be looking down here.
"We’ve got players down here that are extremely coachable . . . I don’t really like to say it, but it’s kind of like they fall off the face of the earth when they choose Dunedin.
"Then all of a sudden Southern United is doing well and people go... ‘who are those girls?’
"They’ve been here the whole time, exactly the same as the rest of the country, and maybe you give them a little bit of respect now and have a look down here.
"All we’re wanting to do is make people talk in a positive way, which they are.
"I feel that we’re doing really good things, but it’s not over."
Southern play top-of-the-table Auckland United away tomorrow.
Auckland won the Northern league and were effectively the best team in the country, Ridley said.
"These are the games that everyone wants to play, coach, watch.
"The girls are definitely ready. They know that they can beat Auckland United.
"They now have in their mind that they can beat anyone in the league and that’s quite a powerful place to be."
