Author: John Kyrou

Male NPL Teams (U12-Seniors)

Seniors: SMFC 3-2 Oakleigh Cannnons (Minopoulos 18′, Schroen 56′, 68′)
U20s: Season concluded
U18s: SMFC 0-2 Eastern Lions
U16s: SMFC 2-0 Eastern Lions (Ahmeti, Loutrakis)
U15s: SMFC 2-0 Eastern Lions (Papazisis, Garrow)
U14s: SMFC 12-0 Eastern Lions (Abdou x3, Lewis-Hanafin x2, Zeitoune x2, Baker, Cevik, Giannakarios, Lupancu, Zimmerman)
U13s: SMFC 1-0 Eastern Lions (Panakos)
U12s: SMFC 6-0 Eastern Lions (Asani x2, Tampakas x2, Durso, Jong)

(Photo by Mark Avellino)

South Melbourne FC are the 2016 NPL Victoria Champions after recording a thrilling 3-2 win over the Oakleigh Cannons at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. Leigh Minopoulos opened the scoring and a second-half double from Jimmy Rooney Medalist Marcus Schroen gave South a record-breaking tenth State League title.

Eleven goals had been scored in the two league meetings between the sides in 2016 and the Grand Final did not disappoint in that regard, with another five goals added to that total. Minopoulos got the scoring underway after 18 minutes when he ran onto Brad Norton’s long throw-in, cut inside past Anthony Rizk and tucked the ball past John Honos and into the far corner of the net, sparking wild celebrations in the packed grandstand on his near side.

South’s lead lasted for only seven minutes before the Cannons were level through Piemonte, who had been dangerous throughout the opening period of the game. Goran Zoric beat Norton to the ball in midfield and eventually played through Dusan Bosnjak for a shot that saw the ball smash the near post but rebound for Piemonte to smash into the roof of the net.

Schroen was unfortunate to not put South ahead shortly before the halftime break, with two fantastic efforts that hit the post. His first effort was from a free kick outside the area that beat Honos but not the crossbar. Right on the halftime break, a backheel from Minopoulos teed him up to fire a second shot that again beat Honos but smashed the far post and stayed out.

It was third time lucky on 56 minutes when some excellent build-up play from the left side of midfield resulted in Schroen finally putting South ahead. Norton and Nick Epifano combined down the wing, with the latter putting in an inch-perfect cross for the incoming Schroen to head past Honos and swing the advantage back in favour of Chris Taylor’s side.

Nikola Roganovic then made two huge saves – the first from a brilliant build-up and shot from Zoric that he tipped onto the cross, the second from a Piemonte effort that he tipped wide for a corner – that were Championship-winning saves and preserved South’s slender lead.

South had one hand on the Championship on 68 minutes when Schroen got his second of the evening. Tim Mala – making his 100th appearance for the club across all competitions – threw the ball in from the sidelines for Milos Lujic to flick to Minopoulos, who teed up Schroen to take a touch before firing past Honos’ outstretched left hand and into the back of the net. Oakleigh could have pulled a goal back but Mala was on hand to clear the ball before it crossed the line.

Things turned from bad to worse for the Cannons on 88 minutes when centre-half Adrian Chiappetta was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence, however they gave themselves a consolation goal in the third minute of injury time, when Bosnjak controlled Rizk’s ball into the area before a quick turn and shot saw the ball hit the far corner of the goal.

It was too little too late as South celebrated a record-breaking tenth Victorian State League / NPL Victoria Championship, adding to the other titles won in 1962, 1964-66, 1972, 1974, 1976, 2006 and 2014. No other club in Victorian football history has won more top-flight Victorian titles than South, who also shares the most amount of National League titles won as well.

For Taylor and his squad that he has built since arriving at Lakeside Stadium in July 2013, they are giving the South supporters another one of the club’s great eras of continued success. Following an unexpected Preliminary Final finish in 2013, South has won silverware in each of Taylor’s three full seasons at the club:

2014 – NPL Victoria Champions (first past the post);
2015 – FFV Community Shield Winners, Dockerty Cup Winners, Minor Premiers;
2016 – NPL Victoria Champions (Grand Final winners).

For many of the players, it is a second NPL Championship in three seasons and one that has been thoroughly deserved, with the club having to overcome several obstacles during the course of the season. For Taylor himself, he has an outstanding winning record of 70% in league/finals matches for South, with 69 wins from 98 matches.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 3-2 OAKLEIGH CANNONS (HT: 1-1)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Leigh Minopoulos (18′)
1-1: Dean Piemonte (25′)
2-1: Marcus Schroen (56′)
3-1: Marcus Schroen (68′)
3-2: Dusan Bosnjak (90+3′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK) / 2. Tim MALA, 3. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 5. Luke ADAMS, 11. Brad NORTON (C) (77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS 90+2′) / 23. Matthew FOSCHINI, 18. Matthew MILLAR / 27. Leigh MINOPOULOS (14. Chris IRWIN 74′), 17. Marcus SCHROEN, 7. Nick EPIFANO / 9. Milos LUJIC.
Unused Subs: 4. Michael EAGAR, 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK), 22. Andy KECOJEVIC.

Oakleigh Cannons FC:
15. John HONOS (GK), 2. Adrian CHIAPPETTA (sent off 88′), 8. Dusan BOSNJAK, 10. Dean PIEMONTE, 11. Dimitri HATZIMOURATIS (7. Sean LOVEMORE 70′), 14. Konstantinos STRATOMITROS (4. Dominic D’ANGELO 81′), 16. Anthony RIZK, 18. Steve PANTELIDIS, 19. Goran ZORIC, 21. Abdalla OKUD (6. Ioannis GEORGOPOULOS 70′), 26. Perry LAMBROPOULOS.
Unused Subs: 1. Evan KRALOGLOU (GK), 17. Jacob COLLARD.

SMFC Melbourne City Toyota Man of the Match: Marcus Schroen
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 11 September 2016

South Melbourne FC will be aiming for a record-breaking tenth Victorian State League Championship when it hosts the Oakleigh Cannons in the 2016 NPL Victoria Grand Final at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening.

South and Oakleigh finished third and fourth respectively on the league table following the conclusion of the regular season but made the Grand Final by both winning home elimination finals then away semi finals. Chris Taylor’s side qualified for the Grand Final first via a comeback 1-2 win against traditional rivals Heidelberg United in an at-times fiery derby at the Olympic Village last Saturday night. Peter Tsolakis’ side then confirmed their place in the final with a huge 1-3 victory over the Premiership winners Bentleigh Greens last Sunday afternoon.

South and Oakleigh have only previously met once in a Victorian finals series, with Oakleigh prevailing 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Craig Goodwin back in August 2011. In August last year, the two sides met in the Dockerty Cup final at Lakeside Stadium, a game that South won 3-0 thanks to a second-half double from Milos Lujic and a further goal from Leigh Minopoulos. Interestingly, South’s semi final was against Heidelberg that it won 2-1 after initially being a goal down.

A win on Sunday will mean a tenth Victorian State League / NPL Victoria Championship for South, having previously won the title in 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1974, 1976, 2006 and 2014. With nine Championships, South and Green Gully are currently the two most successful football clubs in the top flight of Victorian football – winning on Sunday will make South the outright most successful Victorian top-flight club, whilst also adding to its four National League championships won in 1984, 1991, 1998 and 1999.

For Oakleigh, a win on Sunday will give them their first title in Victoria’s top flight. Oakleigh has been very close to winning the Championship several times over the past decade but has always fallen just short each time. In 2006, they won the Premiership after finishing a whopping twelve points clear of second-placed Altona Magic but crashed out of the finals series in straight sets. In 2011 and 2012, Oakleigh finished second on the ladder, qualified for the Grand Final but lost both times, 3-2 to Green Gully (2011) and 2-1 to the Dandenong Thunder (2012) respectively.

In the first season of the re-branded NPL Victoria in 2014, there was no finals series, with the championship decided via first-past-the-post. Oakleigh only lost three times that season and was undefeated in two league meetings with South  – including inflicting a 3-0 hammering at Jack Edwards Reserve – but finished seven points behind Taylor’s side in second place come season’s end.

Sunday’s game will be won and lost in defence, with the two league meetings between the teams this season producing twelve goals. South triumphed 4-1 at Lakeside back in April before Oakleigh won the return game 4-3 at Jack Edwards Reserve in July. Both sides have an abundance of attacking options – South with Lujic, Minopoulos, Marcus Schroen and Nick Epifano to name a few, whilst Oakleigh has Dimitri Hatzimouratis, Goran Zoric, Dean Piemonte and Dusan Bosnjak. Whichever team’s defence tames the opposition attack the best will decide the destination of the 2016 title.

Will South win a record-breaking tenth Victorian Championship on Sunday or will Oakleigh finally win the title it has been chasing for over a decade? Sunday’s Grand Final kicks off at 5:30pm at Lakeside Stadium.

SMFC v Oakleigh Cannons – Head to Head (League & Finals)

Matches Played: 25
Wins (SMFC): 12
Wins (OCFC): 9
Draws: 4

First match: Oakleigh Cannons 0-1 SMFC (4 March 2005, Jack Edwards Reserve)
Last match: Oakleigh Cannons 4-3 SMFC (17 July 2016, Jack Edwards Reserve)

Biggest Winning Margin (SMFC): 3 goals (5-2 / 4-1 wins, 27 Jul 2007 / 17 Apr 2016, Lakeside Stadium)
Biggest Winning Margin (OCFC): 3 goals (3-0 win, 6 June 2014, Jack Edwards Reserve)

Most Goals in a Match (SMFC): 5 (5-2 win, 27 July 2007, Lakeside Stadium)
Most Goals in a Match (OCFC): 4 (4-3 win, 17 July 2016, Jack Edwards Reserve)

Biggest Finals Win (SMFC): None
Biggest Finals Win (OCFC): 1-0 (21 August 2011, Jack Edwards Reserve)

(Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC is through to a second consecutive NPL Victoria Grand Final thanks to a thrilling 2-1 win over Heidelberg United at the Olympic Village on Saturday night. Second-half goals from Matthew Millar and Milos Lujic secured the win for Chris Taylor’s side, who had to fight back from going a goal behind on the scoreboard from the opening minute.

South started the match in slow fashion and Heidelberg’s marquee striker Archie Thompson turned provider in the first twenty seconds of the game, crossing the ball for Sean Ellis to slam into the back of the net. Although the home side had the lead, South rallied and had numerous chances in the following twenty minutes but could not break down the stubborn Heidelberg defence.

The game turned in the 33rd minute when Reuben Way lashed out at Matthew Millar after the South player had conceded a free kick. Way was given his marching orders by the referee and the Bergers now had to see out the remaining 60 minutes with only ten men on the park.

South began the second half on the attack and almost levelled when Lujic headed the ball over the crossbar not long after the restart. Chris Irwin was introduced into the game on 67 minutes and made an immediate impact just minutes later, with his good work down the right flank culminating in Millar slamming a low drive into the bottom corner of the net to level proceedings.

With the away fans still in party mode, Lujic put South ahead only two minutes later to cause chaotic scenes of celebration in the stands. Matthew Foschini hit a long ball over the top of the Bergers defence for Lujic to out-sprint Steven Pace, latch onto the ball and chip it past the advancing goalkeeper Chris Theodoridis. The goal sent the huge travelling support into delirium as the South fans and players embraced at the fence.

South meets the Oakleigh Cannons in the Championship decider after Peter Tsolakis’ side comfortably defeated the Bentleigh Greens 3-1 in their semi final meeting on Sunday afternoon.

The Grand Final will kick off at 5:30pm this Sunday 11 September at Lakeside Stadium. South will be aiming to win its tenth Victorian State League championship to add to its four national titles.

FINAL SCORE: HEIDELBERG UNITED 1-2 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 1-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Sean Ellis (1′)
1-1: Matthew Millar (71′)
1-2: Milos Lujic (73′)

Heidelberg United FC:
1. Chris THEODORIDIS (GK), 2. Josh WILKINS, 3. Les DOUMBALIS, 7. Reuben WAY (sent off 33′), 8. Jack PETRIE, 10. Archie THOMPSON (11. Kosta KANAKARIS 69′), 12. Kenny ATHIU, 13. Luke BYLES (C), 14. Harry NOON (5. Phil PETRESKI 80′), 17. Steven PACE (6. Lewis HALL 76′), 19. Sean ELLIS.
Unused Subs: 15. Jordan WILKES, 23. Chris DAVIS (GK).

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK) / 2. Tim MALA (14. Chris IRWIN 67′), 3. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 5. Luke ADAMS, 11. Brad NORTON (C) / 23. Matthew FOSCHINI, 18. Matthew MILLAR / 17. Marcus SCHROEN, 27. Leigh MINOPOULOS, 7. Nick EPIFANO (77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS 90+2′) / 9. Milos LUJIC.
Unused Subs: 4. Michael EAGAR, 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK), 22. Andy KECOJEVIC.

SMFC Melbourne City Toyota Man of the Match: Kristian Konstantinidis
Venue: Olympic Village
Date: Saturday 3 September 2016

South Melbourne FC travels to the Olympic Village on Saturday night to face traditional rivals Heidelberg United for a spot in the 2016 NPL Victoria Grand Final.

Aside from the fact that two rivals will be clashing in a do-or-die Semi Finals match, Saturday night’s derby is intriguing for a variety of reasons. The two sides can hardly be separated in 2016 – both finishing equal-second on the league standings – with Heidelberg taking second spot on goal difference. This gave the Bergers last weekend off and forced South to play a cut-throat Elimination Final against Hume City that Chris Taylor’s side comfortably won 3-0 at Lakeside Stadium.

There have been eleven goals scored between the sides in two league meetings in 2016. South smashed Heidelberg 6-0 at Lakeside Stadium in the opening round of the season, however George Katsakis’ men returned serve with a 5-0 thumping of South in the return game at the Olympic Village. The results gave both sides their highest ever winning and losing margins against their rivals in 83 league/finals meetings that stretches all the way back to 1964.

The two sides can’t be separated in finals meetings, having met in four previous finals matches for two wins apiece. In the VPL/NPL era, Heidelberg defeated South 1-0 at the Olympic Village in the 2005 Preliminary Final but South gained revenge six years later with a 1-0 win at SS Anderson Reserve in the 2011 Elimination Final.

Saturday night’s match at the Olympic Village kicks off at 6:30pm. The winning team will progress to play either the Bentleigh Greens or the Oakleigh Cannons in the Grand Final on Sunday 11 September.

SMFC v Heidelberg – Head to Head (League & Finals)

Matches Played: 83
Wins (SMFC): 41
Wins (HUFC): 23
Draws: 19

First match: South Melbourne 2-1 Heidelberg (30 March 1964, Middle Park)
Last match: Heidelberg 5-0 South Melbourne (29 May 2016, Olympic Village)

Biggest Winning Margin (SMFC): 6-0 (21 February 2016, Lakeside Stadium)
Biggest Winning Margin (HUFC): 5-0 (29 May 2016, Olympic Village)

Most Goals in a Match (SMFC): 7 (7-3 win) – (2 April 1967, Middle Park)
Most Goals in a Match (HUFC): 5 (5-2/5-0 wins) – (3 July 1977/29 May 2016, Olympic Park/Village)

Biggest Finals Win (SMFC): 4-2 (21 October 1984, Olympic Park)
Biggest Finals Win (HUFC): 4-1 (18 October 1980, Olympic Park)

Heidelberg was not in the same division as SMFC in the following seasons: 1965, 1969 (State League); 1988, 1989/90, 1995/96 to 2003/04 (National League); 2013 (Premier League)

Male NPL Teams (U12-Seniors)

Seniors: SMFC 3-0 Hume City (Schroen 4′, Lujic 28′, Minopoulos 81′)
U20s: Season concluded
U18s: SMFC 0-4 Box Hill United
U16s: SMFC 2-0 Box Hill United (Morgan, Dobbyn)
U15s: SMFC 1-0 Box Hill United (Fogel)
U14s: SMFC 1-0 Box Hill United (Abdou)
U13s: SMFC 2-2 Box Hill United (Andrianakos, Panakos)
U12s: SMFC 2-2 Box Hill United (Durso, Asani)

Female State League Teams (U12-Seniors)

SL1 (Seniors): SMFC 5-0 Eltham Redbacks (Greiser 13′, 67′, 87′, Boyd 33′, Trajkovska 42′)
SL1 (Reserves): SMFC 5-1 Eltham Redbacks (Taliadoros x2, Mazzeo, Singleton, Delorenzis)
SL2: SMFC 0-0 Croydon City
SL3: Bye
SL4: SMFC 0-7 Harrisfield Hurricanes
U16s: SMFC 4-5 Spring Hills (Chinnama, Karp, Trajkovska, Trease-Hemming)
U14s: SMFC 2-0 Kensington (Nickolaus, Galatas)
U12s: SMFC 3-1 Boroondara Eagles

(Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC cruised into the PS4 NPL Victoria Semi Finals thanks to a 3-0 home Elimination Final victory over Hume City at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. First-half goals to Marcus Schroen and Milos Lujic got South underway and Leigh Minopoulos finished off the scoring late in the game.

Theo Markelis had an early chance to put Hume ahead but from then on it was all South. Schroen got the scoring underway – against his former side – after four minutes with a left-footed effort past Chris Oldfield. Chris Taylor’s side then doubled their advantage just before the half hour mark when Lujic headed a back-post cross over Oldfield and into the opposite corner of the goal for his 32nd goal across all competitions in 2016.

In what was a dominant second half, South had numerous chances to add to their two goals but Oldfield produced some excellent goalkeeping to deny them. South finally had their third goal for the night on 81 minutes when Minopoulos initially hit a shot that rocked the crossbar before the ball was eventually bundled over the line. Stephen Hatzikostas’ late introduction to the game as a substitute brought up his 50th appearance for South across all competitions as South cruised to victory.

Prior to the match, South’s Senior Women’s team thrashed Eltham 5-0 to confirm the Women’s State League One (North/West) Championship. Caitlin Greiser scored yet another hat-trick to bring up an incredible 31 goals across all competitions, with youngsters Lauren Boyd and Sanja Trajcovska scoring the other two goals.

South now faces a huge Semi Final away to traditional rivals Heidelberg United next Saturday evening. Kick-off is at 6:30pm at the Olympic Village.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 3-0 HUME CITY (HT: 2-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Marcus Schroen (4′)
2-0: Milos Lujic (28′)
3-0: Leigh Minopoulos (81′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK) / 2. Tim MALA, 3. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 5. Luke ADAMS, 11. Brad NORTON (77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS 80′) / 23. Matthew FOSCHINI, 18. Matthew MILLAR / 27. Leigh MINOPOULOS (14. Chris IRWIN 86′), 17. Marcus SCHROEN (22. Andy KECOJEVIC 90′), 7. Nick EPIFANO / 9. Milos LUJIC.
Unused Subs: 4. Michael EAGAR, 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK).

Hume City FC:
1. Chris OLDFIELD (GK),  5. Peter FRANJIC, 6. Rama TAVSANCIOGLU, 8. Theo MARKELIS (17. Danny DIXON 60′), 9. Tom CAHILL (14. Kym HARRIS 46′), 11. Craig CARLEY, 12. Daniel CLARK, 13. Shane REXHEPI (21. Kristian TRAJCEVSKI 84′), 15. Charlie BEVERLY, 22. Deniz YILDIZ, 39. Nick HEGARTY (C).
Unused Subs: 2. Daniel CHAABANI, 20. Jordan FRANKEN (GK).

SMFC Melbourne City Toyota Man of the Match: Kristian Konstantinidis
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 28 August 2016

Everything is on the line on Sunday evening when South Melbourne FC hosts Hume City in their Elimination Final meeting at Lakeside Stadium. The losing team will conclude their 2016 season, with the winning team to progress to meet Heidelberg United in the Semi Finals next weekend. 

South goes into the game on a three-game league winning run, with its most recent being a come-from-behind 4-2 victory against Green Gully in the final round of the home & away season. This left Chris Taylor’s side level with Heidelberg United on the league table but South had to settle for third place due to an inferior goal difference.

Hume concluded their regular season with a surprising home defeat to the Bulleen Lions, who guaranteed their NPL Victoria survival with that win. In fairness, Hume did have Wednesday night’s FFA Cup tie against Melbourne Victory on their minds, a game that they were defeated 0-1. Hume can now concentrate fully on the NPL Victoria Finals Series, starting with Sunday’s match against South. If either South or Hume can manage three straight wins, they will be crowned as 2016 Champions.

South has the upper hand in overall meetings between the two clubs but Hume have the advantage in finals meetings, winning the Elimination Final back in August 2009 with a 2-0 win at Epping Stadium. Hume has never defeated South during Chris Taylor’s era at Lakeside Stadium and will welcome breaking that record this Sunday.

Sunday evening’s match kicks off at 5:30pm at Lakeside Stadium. All 2016 SMFC members have free entry to the game.

SMFC v Hume City – Head to Head (League & Finals)

Matches Played: 19
Wins (SMFC): 12
Wins (HCFC): 5
Draws: 2

First match: South Melbourne 1-2 Hume City (24 February 2008, Lakeside Stadium)
Last match: South Melbourne 2-2 Hume City (1 July 2016, Lakeside Stadium)

Biggest Winning Margin (SMFC): 6 goals (6-0 win, 25 April 2010, Broadmeadows Valley Park)
Biggest Winning Margin (HCFC): 5 goals (5-0 win, 17 April 2011, Broadmeadows Valley Park)

Most Goals in a Match (SMFC): 6 (25 April 2010, Broadmeadows Valley Park)
Most Goals in a Match (HCFC): 5 (17 April 2011, Broadmeadows Valley Park)

Biggest Finals Win (SMFC): None
Biggest Finals Win (HCFC): 2-0 (23 August 2009, Epping Stadium)

(Photo by Kevin Juggins)

South Melbourne FC defeated Green Gully 4-2 in its final home & away match of the 2016 PS4 NPL Victoria season to head into the finals series on a three-game winning run. All four goals came in the second half as Chris Taylor’s side confirmed itself a home final in its next match.

South almost opened the scoring after just ten seconds but the chance was put wide of the goal. Arthur Papas’ Green Gully side opened the scoring midway through the first half when an unmarked Evan Christodoulou met the ball at the back post and fired a neat left-footed finish past Nikola Roganovic.

The home side was back on level terms shortly after the halftime break, when Leigh Minopoulos cut the ball back for Milos Lujic to notch up his 24th league goal of the 2016 campaign. South’s two centre-halves then combined to put the home side 2-1 ahead on 66 minutes. From Marcus Schroen’s corner kick, Luke Adams headed the ball back for the incoming Kristian Konstantinidis to hit home from just inside the area for his second goal of the season.

The three points were won on 76 minutes when Schroen put Lujic through to score his 25th league goal in 2016 and his 31st goal across all competitions. Schroen was next to get himself on the score sheet, with a neat turn and finish with the left foot on 84 minutes that gave goalkeeper Rani Dowisha no chance and gave South’s hardworking midfielder a second goal in successive weeks. Gully’s substitute striker Lewis Shannon scored arguably the goal of the game in injury time, volleying an unstoppable shot for a consolation goal for his side.

Apart from the excellent second half performance and securing the three points, the most pleasing aspect of the win was the first-team debut of Joshua Hodes. The 16-year-old right-back came off the bench late in the game to see out the remaining few minutes on the field, a just reward for a young defender that has had an exceptional season playing in the Under 20s. Hodes joins Rory Brian, Massimo Pesce and Andy Kecojevic as players from the U20s that have experienced first-team football in recent seasons.

South’s Under 20s had a solid 3-1 win over Green Gully, with goals coming from the usual suspects in Nashir Hussainy, Charly Layton and Giordano Marafioti. Brian MacNicol’s side have played one less game than leaders Richmond but the Eagles secured the championship with a 5-1 victory over Avondale FC. If South completes and wins its game in hand, they will finish their 2016 season only one point behind Richmond.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 4-2 GREEN GULLY (HT: 0-1)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Evan Christodoulou (24′)
1-1: Milos Lujic (57′)
2-1: Kristian Konstantinidis (66′)
3-1: Milos Lujic (76′)
4-1: Marcus Schroen (84′)
4-2: Lewis Shannon (90+1′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK) / 2. Tim MALA (16. Joshua HODES 89′), 3. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 5. Luke ADAMS, 11. Brad NORTON (C) / 23. Matthew FOSCHINI (4. Michael EAGAR 89′), 18. Matthew MILLAR / 14. Chris IRWIN, 17. Marcus SCHROEN (22. Andy KECOJEVIC), 27. Leigh MINOPOULOS / 9. Milos LUJIC.
Unused Substitutes: 7. Nick EPIFANO, 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK).

Green Gully FC:
23. Rani DOWISHA (GK), 4. Daniel JONES, 5. Rodrigo VARGAS (C), 6. Callum RICHARDSON, 7. Tomas MURPHY, 8. George LAMBADARIDIS, 9. Anthony RAGUSA (17. Lewis SHANNON 66′), 11. Evan CHRISTODOULOU (18. Todd DEKKER 81′), 15. Jay DAVIES, 19. Luke WALKER (13. Yach BOL 72′), 38. Liam BOLAND.
Unused Subs: 1. Sebastian MATTEI (GK), 14. Aaron WARD.

SMFC Melbourne City Toyota Man of the Match: Marcus Schroen
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 21 August 2016

South Melbourne FC hosts Green Gully in the final round of the NPL Victoria season at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday afternoon. 

It is still possible for Chris Taylor’s side to finish the season in second spot should it win on Sunday. The reality however is that regardless of Sunday’s result, South will finish in third spot and host an elimination final at Lakeside Stadium next weekend. Gully come into the game in fourth position – which also means hosting an elimination final next weekend – however Arthur Papas’ side can still finish as low as sixth after Sunday. They will be looking for all three points to confirm a home final.

With four crucial games in two weeks for Gully – they played the Dockerty Cup final on Wednesday, play South on Sunday before their FFA Cup next Wednesday and then their first finals game next weekend – it will be very interesting to see how Papas approaches Sunday’s meeting with South, considering the importance of winning the game and securing a home final.

For South, Sunday is an opportunity to head into the finals series on a three-game winning run, with Taylor’s side having beaten the Melbourne Knights and Pascoe Vale in the last two rounds.

Sunday’s match at Lakeside Stadium kicks off at 3pm.

SMFC v Green Gully – Head to Head (League & Finals)

Matches Played: 32
Wins (SMFC): 16
Wins (GGFC): 11
Draws: 5

First match: Green Gully 0-2 South Melbourne (11 March 1984, Green Gully Reserve)
Last match: Green Gully 0-1 South Melbourne (21 May 2016, Green Gully Reserve)

Biggest Winning Margin (SMFC): 5 goals (5-0 win) – (22 June 1986, Middle Park)
Biggest Winning Margin (GGFC): 3 goals (3-0 win) – (6 April 2008, Lakeside Stadium)

Most Goals in a Match (SMFC): 5 (5-0 win) – (22 June 1986, Middle Park)
Most Goals in a Match (GGFC): 3 (four times) – (2008, 2011 to 2014) 

Biggest Finals Win (SMFC): 3-0 (1 September 2006, Lakeside Stadium)
Biggest Finals Win (GGFC): 0-0 (5-4p) (3 September 2005, Green Gully Reserve)