Thursday, 22 July 2010 3:40 PM
By John Kyrou
South Melbourne FC vice captain Steven O’Dor will celebrate two milestones in the coming weeks. The centre-half will celebrate 100 overall senior matches for South against Hume City this Sunday, with the milestone taking into account League and RHB Singapore Cup matches. Barring injury and/or suspension, O’Dor will then celebrate 100 League matches with South the following weekend against Richmond.
During South’s National League days, O’Dor played in the club’s Youth teams. Following South’s return to the Victorian Premier League in 2005, then coach John Anastasiadis gave O’Dor his senior debut against Heidelberg United in the first round of the League season on 30 January 2005. O’Dor made a strong impression in his opening season, so much so that he only played three matches in 2006 before going to the Australian Institute of Sport and then A-League franchise New Zealand Knights. This unfortunately meant that the defender missed out on South’s VPL triumph although he was still considered very much a part of the squad.
O’Dor returned to Lakeside Stadium in 2007 but only played for half the season before departing to play professionally for the New Zealand franchise Wellington Phoenix in the A-League. At the conclusion of the 2007/08 A-League season, O’Dor decided that his university studies were more of a priority than playing in the A-League and as a result he returned to Lakeside to continue his career solely with South in the VPL.
In South Melbourne FC’s 50th year in 2009, coach Michael Michalakopoulos appointed O’Dor as joint vice captain along with Vaughan Coveny. O’Dor played in every game and was a key part in helping the club to qualify for the finals for the first time since winning the League in 2006. This season, O’Dor has continued as vice captain and has played in every single League and Cup fixture as well as getting on the score sheet three times.
South Melbourne FC congratulates Steven O’Dor on his upcoming milestone matches for the club and wishes him the very best for the remainder of the season in both the VPL and the RHB Singapore Cup.
Steven O’Dor – SMFC Statistics:
- DOB 28th January 1987
- Debut v Heidelberg United (round 1, 2005 @ Lakeside Stadium, 0-0 draw)
- Squad member of the 2006 VPL championship team
- Member of the 2007 Hellenic Cup championship team
- 2008 Theo Marmaras Medal winner
- 50th match v Oakleigh Cannons (round 17, 2008 @ Lakeside Stadium, 3-1 win)
- Member of the 2009 Hellenic Cup championship team
- Vice Captain in 2009 and 2010
Season Breakdown:
2005 – 17 games (15 starts, 2 subs), 0 goals
2006 – 3 games (3 starts, 0 subs), 0 goals
2007 – 14 games (14 starts, 0 subs), 1 goal
2008 – 23 games (23 starts, 0 subs), 0 goals
2009 – 23 games (23 starts, 0 subs), 1 goal
2010 – 19 games (19 starts, 0 subs), 3 goals*
Total – 99 games (97 starts, 2 subs), 5 goals*
* Includes 1 RHB Singapore Cup match