1999/2000

South qualified for the FIFA World Club Championships in Rio de Janeiro after defeating Nadi 5-1 in the final for the Oceania region. This set up a group stage involving Vasco da Gama, Necaxa and Manchester United. Despite losing all three matches, South put up an exceptional fight and showed that Australian teams could compete with the best in the world. John Anastasiadis’ goal against Necaxa proved a highlight, as did the team’s performance against Vasco in front of over 70,000 of its fans at the Maracana Stadium. Despite the enormous highs of competing so well in such a competition, South had to quickly re-adjust domestically as it searched for a third straight NSL Championship. South began the campaign extremely slowly and struggled to win its catch-up games after it returned from Rio de Janeiro. An unfortunate 1-2 loss to Perth at Bob Jane Stadium meant South would miss the finals. To the credit of the team, despite the disappointment it finished the season well and had some big wins, including a memorable 3-5 win against Carlton at Olympic Park. Postecoglou announced that he would be vacating his coaching position at Lakeside in order to coach the Australian National Youth side. South demolished Newcastle Breakers 4-0 in the final match of the season to give Postecoglou a well-deserved send-off.

Final League Position:	10th out of 16 teams
Top Goal Scorer:	Michael Curcija (19)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Ange Postecoglou (34 games)

 

2000/01

South went full-time in an attempt to win the Championship, qualify for the World Club Championships again and show that Australian football clubs could be professionally run. Mike Petersen was appointed as the new coach and he brought back Con Boutsianis and Mehmet Durakovic, as well as signing Zeljko Susa and Vas Kalogeracos and promoting promising youngster Patrick Kisnorbo. The move looked to have paid off as South dominated the season and won the Minor Premiership by an enormous 8 points. Wollongong beat South 4-2 over the two Major Semi Final legs to qualify for a home Grand Final in New South Wales, with the 1-2 loss at Bob Jane Stadium being devastating as it was South’s first and only home defeat for the season. Despite this, South picked itself up and beat Sydney Olympic 2-0 in the Preliminary Final, erasing the Preliminary Final hoodoo that had haunted the club throughout the 1990s. Over 2000 South fans travelled to Parramatta Stadium for the Grand Final, hoping that South could keep its 100% success rate in the penultimate match of the season in tact. This was not the case, as two quick goals by Wollongong in the second half opened up a two-goal cushion that South could not peg back, despite John Anastasiadis coming off the bench to score yet another Grand Final goal against his brother Dean. The 2-1 loss was a cruel way to end a season that had been so promising and entertaining. It was also a sad way to end the playing career of John Anastasiadis, after 104 games and 32 goals for the club, including 4 goals in three Grand Finals as well as South’s only goal in the FIFA World Club Championships. Despite losing the Grand Final, Petersen was crowned the NSL Coach of the Year and Michael Petkovic was crowned the NSL Goalkeeper of the Year after conceding only 30 goals in 32 games.

Final League Position:	2nd out of 14 teams
Top Goal Scorer:	Con Boutsianis (14)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Mike Petersen (34 games)

 

2001/02

Petersen left for the Auckland Kingz as Eddie Krncevic replaced him as coach. The departures of experienced players in Anastasiadis, Boutsianis, Kalogeracos, Andy Vlahos, Curcija and Lozanovski meant that Krncevic was forced to experiment with youth, with Steve Manceski, Vince Lia, Massimo Murdocca, Nick Tolios and Radomir Sekulovski all given time in the senior side. South kept the core of its defence from the previous season and as a result did not concede many goals, however the lack of experience in midfield and up forward (with the exceptions of Trimboli and Coveny) meant that at the halfway point of the season the team was stuck at the bottom of the league table. The turning point of the season was when Boutsianis returned, helping South gain a 0-0 draw away against Perth Glory (the first and only time South has picked up a point in Perth). The positive results continued as South smashed title favourites Sydney Olympic 3-0 at Bob Jane Stadium and lost only once in the second half of the season. A win in the final round of the season against Marconi would see South qualify for the finals series. This was achieved thanks to the brilliance of Boutsianis, who opened the scoring with a 35 metre lob of Michael Turnbull in the Marconi goal and then scored directly from a corner kick, as he orchestrated a magnificent 3-1 win. South was suddenly an outside chance to win the Championship when it smashed the Brisbane Strikers 4-1 over two legs in the Elimination Final. This was erased in the Minor Semi Final against old rivals Sydney Olympic at Marconi Stadium, when Olympic ended South’s season by recording a 2-1 win. In a consolation, Michael Petkovic was awarded the NSL Goalkeeper of the Year award for the second consecutive season, after conceding only 25 goals in 27 games.

Final League Position:	4th out of 13 teams
Top Goal Scorer:	Vaughan Coveny (9)
President:	George Vasilopoulos
Coach:	Eddie Krncevic (27 games)

 

2002/03

Danny Wright replaced Krncevic as coach as Dean Anastasiadis and Bill Damianos both returned to the club. A slow start to the season was turned around with memorable home wins against Perth Glory (2-0), Sydney Olympic (6-4) and the Melbourne Knights (4-2). New signing Michael Baird quickly became a fan favourite as he scored some memorable goals early in the season; including a brilliant volley against Olympic. Goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic was also given an opportunity to impress, which he did with solid performances including an excellent penalty save against the Auckland Kingz. Heading into the final five rounds, South was on the verge of qualifying for the finals; however a 1-2 loss against Adelaide City at Bob Jane Stadium, a 1-0 loss against the Melbourne Knights at Somers Street and an embarrassing 4-1 loss against Parramatta Power made the task extremely difficult. Wright was sacked with two rounds remaining and assistant coach Peter Tsolakis took charge. South recorded a memorable 4-5 away win against the Auckland Kingz in the final round but this was not enough, as it failed to qualify for the finals after finishing one point behind sixth-placed Northern Spirit.

Final League Position:	7th out of 13 teams
Top Goal Scorer:	Vaughan Coveny (11)
President:	Peter Mitrakas
Coaches:	Danny Wright (22 games), Peter Tsolakis (2 games)

 

2003/04

Stuart Munro was appointed coach and he made wholesale changes. Iosifidis, De Amicis, Damianos, Kisnorbo, Susa, Kisnorbo and Steve Panopoulos all departed as Michael Curcija returned and Michael Panopoulos, Scott Tunbridge, Kristian Sarkies, Carl Recchia, Steve Laurie, Simon Storey, Levent Osman, Marcus Stergiopoulos and Ante Kovacevic all arrived at Lakeside. Import Max Lohy was also signed but he did not last long and left after featuring in only six matches. South used the opening home match against the Brisbane Strikers as an opportunity to honour its past by wearing the heritage strip (white top with red V), however Brisbane stole the show with an opportunistic 0-1 win. Despite the inconsistent start to the campaign, South recorded big wins against the Knights (0-5 at Somers Street and 4-0 at Bob Jane Stadium) and demolished the Kingz 6-0 to sit comfortably in the top six with four rounds remaining. However, only one point from those remaining matches saw South drop into 5th position and enter the finals series in poor form. A nervy 0-0 draw in the Elimination Final first leg against Marconi was quickly turned around with a commanding 2-0 win in the second leg, which set up a Minor Semi Final fixture against newcomers Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium. Michael Curcija sent the travelling fans wild when he opened the scoring for South, however there was to be heartbreak when Ross Aloisi equalised and then former South player Richie Alagich converted a penalty in extra time to hand Adelaide a 2-1 win. This finished South’s season and its status in the top flight, as the National Soccer League disbanded at the conclusion of the season. Mehmet Durakovic retired after 231 games and 6 goals over the space of ten seasons at South, going down as a club legend.

Final League Position:	4th out of 13 teams
Top Goal Scorer:	Michael Curcija (13)
Supporters’ MVP:	Ante Kovacevic (Seniors), Kristian Sarkies (Under 21)
President:	Peter Mitrakas
Coach:	Stuart Munro (27 games)

 

2005

South returned to the Victorian Premier League for the first time since 1976 and after a long and unbearable 10 month break. As a result of the inactivity, nearly the entire NSL squad had disbanded, with players joining other VPL clubs or venturing overseas. Legendary former player John Anastasiadis was appointed as coach and he faced the enormous responsibility of leading the club out of a very dark period of its history. Experienced players Con Blatsis (Kocaelispor) and Kosta Salapasidis (Parramatta Power) were signed to help lead the club’s revival and they joined veterans Dean Anastasiadis and Vaughan Coveny, who both remained from the NSL squad. Paul Trimboli also remained and he joined pre-season training. However after 17 seasons, 432 games and 116 goals, Trimboli decided to retire, going down as arguably the greatest player in South Melbourne’s history. Trimboli was recognised with a lap of honour in front of over 11,000 fans at the opening match against Heidelberg. Despite fears of being relegated with such a young and inexperienced squad, South began in excellent form and despite a mid-season slump finished the season in a very impressive third place, only three points behind Minor Premiers Green Gully. South smashed Altona Magic 3-0 in the Elimination Final to set up a double-chance and a date with Gully, with an automatic spot in the Grand Final at stake. A dour 0-0 draw in normal and extra time sent the match to penalties. Anastasiadis made two tremendous saves but South could not finish off the shoot-out. In the end a Sam De Vito miss gave Gully the win, which meant South had to face Heidelberg at the Olympic Village for a spot in the Grand Final. Heidelberg took the lead in the second half and held on to win unconvincingly after South missed a series of chances, including a penalty from Fernando de Moraes. In somewhat of a consolation, Dean Anastasiadis was crowned the Victorian Premier League Goalkeeper of the Year.

Final League Position:	3rd out of 14 teams
Top Goal Scorer:	Vaughan Coveny (8)
Most Valuable Player:	Dean Anastasiadis
Supporters’ MVPs:	Dean Anastasiadis (Seniors), Rama Tavsancioglu (Under 21)
President:	George Donikian
Coach:	John Anastasiadis (29 games)

 

2006

Salapasidis, Robbie Cattanach and Ryan Dinse all left as Anastasiadis signed Kevin Nelson, Jonas Salley and Tansel Baser, who returned to the club after leaving halfway through the 1998/99 NSL season to go overseas. South began the season unconvincingly but recorded important wins over rivals Heidelberg (0-2) and Preston (2-1). Nelson, Peter Koutsoupias and Arthur Tsirtsakis all left mid-way through the season and they were replaced by Perth trio Dino Djulbic, Andreas Oliveira and Antonio Naglieri. These three players were crucial signings as South exploded in mid-season and began to demolish sides, including recording an enormous 7-0 win against the Melbourne Knights, the biggest winning margin and highest score for South at Bob Jane Stadium. South finished the season in third place for the second successive season and met Green Gully in the Elimination Final. Three goals in the final ten minutes saw South eliminate Gully, who had embarrassed South 2-0 the previous week. In the Major Semi Final, youngster Gianni De Nittis showed his worth by scoring two late goals that gave South a 1-2 win and an automatic spot in the Grand Final at Bob Jane Stadium. Altona beat Heidelberg in the Preliminary Final and met South again in the Grand Final. Fernando De Moraes had been in devastating form all season and it was his turn and pin-point cross for De Nittis to head home the winning goal that won the match and the Championship for South. Both Anastasiadis brothers had written themselves into another chapter of South Melbourne’s history as they lead a team of virtual unknowns to win the Victorian Premier League for the eighth time in the club’s history. De Moraes was awarded the Jimmy Rooney Medal for being the best player in the Grand Final, whilst earlier in the week Anastasiadis had been crowned the Victorian Premier League Goalkeeper of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Final League Position:	1st out of 14 teams
Hellenic Cup Placing:	Runners-up (0-2 against Oakleigh Cannons)
Top Goal Scorer:	Fernando De Moraes (12)
Most Valuable Player:	Fernando De Moraes
Supporters’ MVPs:	Fernando De Moraes (Seniors), Gianni De Nittis (Under 21)
President:	Greg Kaias
Coach:	John Anastasiadis (29 games)

 

2007

Anastasiadis remained as coach and he signed Ricky Diaco, Trent Waterson, Nathan Caldwell, Frank Drakopoulos and Yusuf Yusuf, as Naglieri, Oliveira, Karavitis and Scott MacNicol all left. South began the season strongly with seven points in the opening three matches; however the defence that had been so rock-solid for two seasons suddenly began to leak unnecessary goals. Dean Anastasiadis suffered a season-ending injury in the fourth round so young Mladen Tosic was called into goals until Mitchell Langerak arrived on loan from the Melbourne Victory and took over in goals for the rest of the season. Djulbic and Steven O’Dor both departed the club mid-season after being signed by A-League clubs. This meant that suddenly the core of the defence was missing, with new signing Adam Van Dommelle making no difference as he suffered an injury in his debut game for the club. Despite this, South still recorded important wins against Oakleigh (5-2) and the Melbourne Knights (0-2) and looked to have a finals position secured with five rounds remaining and mainly relegation-threatened teams left to play against. However, only one point from four games, including a disastrous 3-0 loss away to Western Suburbs and a 0-2 home loss against Sunshine George Cross, meant that South dropped out of the top six. Despite winning the final match of the season against relegated Kingston, South finished three points outside of the top six, a disastrous position considering the highs experienced the previous season and with the quality of players at its disposal.

Final League Position:	7th out of 16 teams
Hellenic Cup Placing:	Champions (1-1 against Oakleigh Cannons, 4-2 on penalties)
Top Goal Scorer:	Ricky Diaco (10)
Most Valuable Player:	Ricky Diaco
Supporters’ MVPs:	Trent Waterson (Seniors), Mitchell Langerak (Under 21)
President:	Paul Dimarelos
Coach:	John Anastasiadis (26 games)

 

2008

John Anastasiadis remained as coach as Langerak, Waterson, Drakopoulos, De Vito, Baser and Arthur Tsonis made way for Shane Nunes, Hamlet Armenian, Goran Zoric, Antonio La Verde and Nik Jelic. O’Dor returned from the A-League and Sam Poutakidis also returned to Bob Jane Stadium after leaving at the end of the 2003/04 NSL season. Under 21s player Robbie Wynne had experienced some senior game time in the previous season and Anastasiadis promoted him for the new season. South began disastrously, losing four of its opening five matches before recording a vital and crucial 1-2 victory away to Preston at Connor Reserve. The following week, Green Gully inflicted an embarrassing 0-3 defeat on South, which led to coach Anastasiadis departing from the club. He was replaced by former South player Michael Michalakopoulos, who took over a team that was deep in relegation trouble. After a slow start to his coaching tenure, Michalakopoulos steered South to three victories in a row that pushed the club out of the relegation zone and into contention for the finals position. Mid-season signings Scott MacNicol (back from Oakleigh), Tomislav Tomich, Adem Tavsancioglu and Sebastian Petrovic (Whittlesea) helped add strength to a depleted and injured squad. However eighth position was as high as South got all season, as devastating home losses against Heidelberg and Preston (both 1-2) and a 1-0 away loss at Fawkner erased any hope of a finals appearance and in turn sucked the club back into real relegation danger. Dean Anastasiadis announced his retirement with four rounds remaining and Michalakopoulos played him in the last two home matches against Altona and Whittlesea. A vital 1-0 win against Altona meant that South required only a draw against Whittlesea to secure its position in the Victorian Premier League for the 2009 season. Anastasiadis was superb in his final match as he made two crucial saves in a 1-1 draw that got South the point that was required for safety. The final match of the season against Frankston meant nothing as South was assured of safety and could not make the finals. Despite going 1-0 down, South fought back to comfortably win 1-3 and finish the season on a good note.

Final League Position:	9th out of 14 teams
Hellenic Cup Placing:	Quarter Finalist (0-1 against Bentleigh Greens)
Top Goal Scorer:	Fernando De Moraes (9)
Most Valuable Player:	Steven O’Dor
Supporters’ MVP:	Rama Tavsancioglu (Seniors), Robert Wynne (Under 21)
President:	Leo Athanasakis
Coaches:	John Anastasiadis (7 games), Michael Michalakopoulos (19 games)