Thursday, 24 November 2005 4:24 PM
South Melbourne FC is excited to announce the signing of two high-quality players for the upcoming VPL season.
Kevin Nelson a centre forward from Trinidad and Tobago carries with him under-16 and under-23 representative honours with an impressive 71 goals from 100 games in the top tier of Canadian Football.
The South faithful can expect a predatory type of player, with Nelson’s pace and strength likely to make him a major threat to any VPL defence and a favourite at Bob Jane Stadium.
South Coach John Anastasiadis had the following to say about Nelson’s capture. “We’ve been looking for a striker for quite a while with the local scene not really delivering the quality we were after. Speaking to our contacts in Adelaide, Kevin was praised for being a quality individual both in character and on the pitch. He’s an athlete in every sense of the word, strong, quick and most importantly can find the back of the net. I anticipate that he’ll be able to form a deadly partnership with Vaughn Coveny”.
Former South old-boy Tansel Baser also returns to Lakeside after a long career at various clubs in Turkey. Baser was of course part of Frank Arok’s famous “baby-boomers” that saw the club win back-to-back national championships in the late 90’s.
Baser has represented Australia at Under-20 and Under-23 level an impressive feat considering the boy from Broadmeadows only took up the game seriously when he was 16.
Baser’s capture allows for coach John Anastasiadis to have greater depth in his playing ranks as well as creating a multitude of solutions for the defensive and defensive midfield areas of the squad.
Coach Anastasiadis said the following about Baser’s capture. “I know Tansel quite well as I played with him at South in the late 90’s. He’ll be better for his European experience and fits perfectly in my plans for the defensive midfield position”.
SMFC has maintained the majority of the last season’s squad which achieved a credible 3rd placing, with only one notable absentee – Kostas Salapisidis.
South will unveil their new line up in upcoming practise matches yet to be finalised.
The official VPL season is set to kick off on Feb 5th with South’s first home game @ BJS scheduled for the second round.
Membership packages for 2006 will be released before Christmas.