Coach Luiz Uehara's side has already improved on last year's six points, gaining seven points this season, and has three home games left, against Waikato-BOP, Auckland City and Wanderers.
Much has been said of coach Uehara's five-year plan, but short-term targets also have their place as building blocks for the future.
On Waitangi Day, Southern's loss to Auckland was not unexpected due to yet more player injuries, but the squad that travelled did reasonably well.
At Kiwitea St, Andrew Ridden pounced on a defensive mistake and only a desperate tackle by Angel Berlanga denied a Southern goal, and Taylor McCormack hit a shot that brought the best out of keeper Tamati Williams.
Uehara saw many positive signs in his team's defeat on Thursday.
''There were lots of signs we were doing things well defensively, especially in the second half,'' he said.
''In the first half, we had possession but there was no quality in what we did with it. In the second half, we had more control and the confidence to try things instead of just kicking the ball away.''
Tomorrow, against Waikato-BOP in Dunedin, Uehara will demand maximum effort and ball retention from his side to harness the cutting edge of Regan Coldicott, McCormack and Nick Hindson.
Keeper Tom Batty's excellent form is another positive and, if all United's defenders and midfield are fit, team selection will not be easy.
Waikato-BOP registered a 4-2 win over Southern earlier this season. It recently lost top players Maksim Manko and Milos Nikolic, but coach Pete Smith's team responded well with a 3-1 win over Wanderers last week.
Experienced Tauranga striker Jack McNab grabbed two goals and a late strike from substitute Masaki Namoto clinched the result.
McNab more than made up for the players who transferred out, and one of his goals - a booming header - signals that Southern's defence will have to be up to scratch, especially at set plays.
Southern v Waikato-BOP: Forsyth Barr Stadium, tomorrow, 1pm
Southern United: Tom Batty, Jeferson Potrich, David Hayman, Peter Overmire, Campbell Attwood, Nick Hindson, Patrick Ebanda, Henry Flood, Morgan Day, Sam Mepham, Aajay Cunningham, Andrew Ridden, Regan Coldicott, Taylor McCormack, Geordie Mansford, Peter Rae, Daniel Morris, Henrique Alves Viana, Campbell Higgins.
Waikato-BOP United: Andy McNeil, Liam Higgins, Aaron Scott, Takahiro Yokota, Tyler Lissette, Masaki Nomoto, Mark Jones, Mikhail Bredeveldt, Ethan Galbraith, Nik Robson, Jack McNab, Ben Latham, Sam Messam, Adam Luque, Shaydon Young, Florian Matk, Alexis Varela, Ben Hunt, Danyon Drake, Scott Hilliar, Wade Molony, Tom Probert, Reid Drake.
