One homecoming party ruined, and one to go!

That must be the message Stuart McLaren and Luciano Trani will be giving their team tonight, after they triumphed 1-0 over South Melbourne at Bob Jane Stadium to spoil the home team’s heavily-promoted first home game of the season and go top of the NSL table - for at least a few hours.

The only goal of the game was scored by Louis Brain after 48 minutes. We will provide further details when they come to hand.

The Brisbane Strikers will now look ahead with confidence to their assignment at Adelaide’s Hindmarsh Stadium next week as the first team ever to play Adelaide United. If the mail coming out of Adelaide over the last four or five years is anything to go by, United - as the first ever non-ethnically based side from Adelaide in the NSL - are sure to have a bumper crowd on hand to witness the home team’s debut.

After beating South Melbourne today, we can be sure that Stuart McLaren and the boys will be looking forward immensely to the challenge.