Author: John Kyrou

Goalkeeper Nikola Roganovic made two late penalty saves as his South Melbourne side triumphed 2-1 against the Bentleigh Greens in what was a replay of the 2015 NPL Victoria Grand Final at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday night.

Chris Taylor’s team came into the match having not recorded a win against John Anastasiadis’ Bentleigh in five attempts – including in this season’s FFV Community Shield – and not having won against them since 2014. The opportunity for one of the teams to open up a three-point lead at the top of the 2016 NPL Victoria ladder was on offer at Sunday’s game.

The Greens looked the better side in what was a mainly scrappy first half of play. Chris Lucas sprung the offside trap to go one-on-one with Roganovic but his shot hit the near post and stayed out. His side did take the lead a short time later when Matthew Thurtell’s header to the back post was smashed home by captain Wayne Wallace.

The home side had been quite poor to that point but lifted after going a goal behind. Marcus Schroen missed a great opportunity to level the score with a free header at the back post but he put the ball wide of Ryan Scott’s goal. South did manage to level things up before the interval, when centre-back Kristian Konstantinidis met Brad Norton’s free kick with a lovely glancing header for his first goal in a South Melbourne shirt.

Former South man and Bentleigh right-back Dion Kirk gave his former side a huge advantage when he received his marching orders from referee Bruno Dianiello after picking up a second yellow card early in the second half. The home side took full advantage when Mathew Theodore met Lujic’s knock-down to score his third league goal of the season and give his team a 2-1 lead.

This match will always be remembered for the chaos of the final ten minutes. Substitute and former South player Kamal Ibrahim tumbled in the area for the first penalty but Roganovic correctly guessed by diving to his left and saving Lucas’ spot kick. Lucas himself was then fouled in the box for the second penalty but again Roganovic denied Bentleigh by diving to his right to save Troy Ruthven’s spot kick.

It was further good news in the Under 20s, with captain Milan Jovanovic’s late penalty giving South Melbourne a 1-0 victory over the Bentleigh Greens. Brian MacNicol’s side remain undefeated in 2016 with five wins and two draws from their opening seven games.

In the opening round of the 2016 Women’s State League season, South’s reserve and senior female teams played away against the Melbourne Knights. Cleo Taliadoros’ goal on 50 minutes secured a 1-1 draw for the reserves, whilst goals from Rachel Jarvis (4′) and vice captain Natalie Martineau (33′) secured a 2-0 win for the seniors.

South’s senior men’s side will be looking to continue the winning form next Sunday when they host the Oakleigh Cannons at Lakeside Stadium. Kick-off is at 4pm.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 2-1 BENTLEIGH GREENS (HT: 1-1)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Wayne Wallace (21′)
1-1: Kristian Konstantinidis (45+2′)
2-1: Mathew Theodore (60′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK) / 2. Tim MALA, 3. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 5. Luke ADAMS, 11. Brad NORTON (C) / 23. Matthew FOSCHINI, 8. Mathew THEODORE (4. Michael EAGAR 81′) / 18. Matthew MILLAR, 17. Marcus SCHROEN (27. Leigh MINOPOULOS 76′), 7. Nick EPIFANO / 9. Milos LUJIC.
Unused Substitutes: 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK), 22. Andy KECOJEVIC, 77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS.

Bentleigh Greens FC:
1.  Ryan SCOTT (GK), 5. Jack WEBSTER, 8. Wayne WALLACE (C), 9. Chris LUCAS, 10. Tyson HOLMES, 11. Dion KIRK (sent off 53′), 15. Ross ARCHIBALD, 16. Troy RUTHVEN, 17. Danny DIXON (6. Liam McCORMICK 55′), 18. Matthew THURTELL (7. Kamal IBRAHIM 70′), 24. Luke PILKINGTON (12. Joshua BRINDELL SOUTH 37′).
Unused Substitutes: 21. Kane PIERCE (GK), 22. Ryan PACZKOWSKI.

SMFC Melbourne City Toyota Man of the Match: Nikola Roganovic
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 10 April 2016

South Melbourne FC finally returns to Lakeside Stadium on Sunday as Chris Taylor’s side host John Anastasiadis’ Bentleigh Greens in the 2015 PS4 NPL Victoria Grand Final rematch.

South returned to winning ways last Saturday with a hard-fought but professional 2-1 victory at Hume City. Matthew Millar scored both of South’s goals and the result kept South on top of the NPL Victoria ladder ahead of this weekend’s round of matches.

Captain Michael Eagar and Iqi Jawadi both missed the Hume match, with Jawadi having not played since being substituted in the first half of the Port Melbourne game in early March. Both will be pushing for inclusion for Sunday’s game and it will be interesting to see who Taylor leaves out should he bring those two players into the side.

The Bentleigh Greens have started their 2016 campaign solidly, with four wins, a draw and a defeat from their opening six league matches. Their most recent result was a comfortable 3-0 victory against Melbourne Victory last Friday night. Their captain Wayne Wallace, Chris Lucas, Tyson Holmes, Troy Ruthven and Matt Thurtell are all key players for the Greens and their influence will need to be stifled if South wants a result on Sunday.

South and Bentleigh are very hard to separate in terms of the league standings in 2016 and historical head-to-head league meetings (see below table) between the two clubs. Both are at the top of the NPL Victoria table with the exact same points and goal difference, with South just ahead only on goals scored (19 to Bentleigh’s 15). Both teams finished level on points at the top of the table in 2015 – with South winning the Premiership on goal difference – before Bentleigh won the Grand Final meeting a few weeks later.

Although the two sides have been neck-and-neck in recent times, South has not beaten the Greens in five attempts (including this season’s FFV Community Shield). South’s last win against Bentleigh was on 11 May 2014 with a 2-1 win at Lakeside Stadium. The home fans will certainly accept an identical result to that this Sunday evening.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 4pm at Lakeside Stadium. 2016 SMFC memberships will be available for purchase and pickup outside the main entrance.

SMFC v Bentleigh Greens – Head to Head (League & Finals)

Matches Played: 15
Wins (SMFC): 6
Wins (BGFC): 6
Draws: 3

First match: Bentleigh Greens 0-1 SMFC (15 May 2005, Kingston Heath)
Last match: SMFC 1-3 Bentleigh Greens (13 September 2015, Lakeside Stadium)

Biggest Winning Margin (SMFC): 2 goals (3-1 win, 21 August 2005, Lakeside Stadium)
Biggest Winning Margin (BGFC): 3 goals (4-1 win, 21 July 2013, Lakeside Stadium)

Most Goals in a Match (SMFC): 3 (21 August 2005, Lakeside Stadium)
Most Goals in a Match (BGFC): 4 (21 July 2013, Lakeside Stadium)

Biggest Finals Win (SMFC): None
Biggest Finals Win (BGFC): 3-1 (13 September 2015, Lakeside Stadium)

South Melbourne FC returned to winning ways with a professional 1-2 victory against a spirited ten-man Hume City side at ABD Stadium on Saturday night. Chris Taylor’s men enjoyed slices of luck but put in a solid 90 minute performance to secure a fifth consecutive league win against Hume.

The hosts put pressure on South in the opening half and had a great chance to open the scoring but Theo Markelis dragged his shot wide of Nikola Roganovic’s far post. Hume captain Nick Hegarty was looking dangerous but South’s defenders – including Kristian Konstantinidis, who had come into the team to replace captain Michael Eagar – did well to clear any dangerous balls played into the area.

The match swung majorly towards South’s favour shortly before halftime. Hume centre-half and former South captain Rama Tavsancioglu was controversially shown a second yellow card for a challenge on Milos Lujic that was only awarded as a foul by the referee when the lineswoman put her flag up. From the resulting free kick, Matthew Millar headed Nick Epifano’s free kick towards Chris Oldfield but what looked like a regulation catch for the Hume City goalkeeper somehow saw the ball go over him and into the back of the net.

Lou Acevski’s side then had a big shout for a penalty for handball by Konstantinidis from a Kofi Danning shot right on halftime but referee Lucien Laverdure judged the contact as being ball-to-hand instead of hand-to-ball and South maintained a clean sheet at the break. Hume were then punished again shortly after the hour mark when their former player Marcus Schroen pounced on Shane Rexhepi’s failed clearance to set the ball up for Millar to blast home his second goal of the night.

With a two-goal lead and the extra man on the park, it seemed that South would comfortably see the game out and win the three points but Hume kept pressing and eventually got a deserved goal. Joe Franjic met Hegarty’s pinpoint cross with a bullet header that gave Roganovic no chance and halved Hume’s deficit on the scoreboard. Although the home side had been excellent in the second half playing with ten men, South had done just enough and managed to secure all three points.

It was further good news in the Under 20s, with Brian MacNicol’s South Melbourne side coming from a goal down to defeat Hume City 1-2. Brandon Jansz (38′, 51′) scored both goals for South, who played with ten men for over half the game following Dean Nicolaidis’ red card on 41 minutes.

South finally returns to Lakeside Stadium on Sunday and will mark the occasion by hosting the Bentleigh Greens in the 2015 Grand Final rematch. Both sides are currently locked at the top of the NPL Victoria table with 13 points apiece, setting the scene for what should be a memorable match. Kick-off is at 4pm.

FINAL SCORE: HUME CITY 1-2 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-1)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Matthew Millar (39′)
0-2: Matthew Millar (63′)
1-2: Joe Franjic (77′)

Hume City FC:
1. Chris OLDFIELD (GK), 2. Daniel CHABAANI (14. Kym HARRIS 70′), 3. Jeremy WALKER, 6. Rama TAVSANCIOGLU (sent off 38′), 7. Kofi DANNING, 8. Theo MARKELIS, 10. Joe FRANJIC, 12. Daniel CLARK (28. Hernan ESPINDOLA 60′), 13. Shane REXHEPI, 17. Shaun TIMMINS (11. Ivan PAVLAK 12′), 39. Nick HEGARTY (C).
Unused Subs: 20. Jordan FRANKEN, 21. Kristian TRACJEVSKI.

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK) / 2. Tim MALA, 3. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 5. Luke ADAMS, 11. Brad NORTON (C) (12. Amadu KOROMA 63′) / 23. Matthew FOSCHINI, 8. Mathew THEODORE (77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS 74′) / 18. Matthew MILLAR, 17. Marcus SCHROEN, 7. Nick EPIFANO (27. Leigh MINOPOULOS 81′) / 9. Milos LUJIC.
Unused Subs: 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK), 22. Andy KECOJEVIC.

SMFC Melbourne City Toyota Man of the Match: Matthew Millar
Venue: ABD Stadium (Broadmeadows Valley Park)
Date: Saturday 2 April 2016

South Melbourne FC will be looking for a return back to winning ways when it travels to Hume City on Saturday evening. Following the shambolic second-half performance against Richmond, coach Chris Taylor will be looking for an immediate positive response from his side.

Richmond played excellent attacking football in the second half of last Thursday’s match and deservedly won the three points. The manner of South’s second-half collapse – in which it conceded five goals in half an hour to lose 6-3 having been ahead 1-3 – is a cause of major concern and is something that needs to be immediately rectified. Taylor acknowledged that fact in his post-match interview and indicated wholesale changes for the Hume match.

Lou Acevski’s Hume side have begun their 2016 season with three wins, a draw and a loss. Although they have not won any silverware, Hume have been in the upper echelons of the league standings in recent years and reached the semi finals of the Westfield FFA Cup in 2015.

Key players for South to watch out for on Saturday include Theo Markelis, Nick Hegarty and Hernan Espindola, whilst former South captain and championship player Rama Tavsancioglu will line up against his former side.

Saturday evening’s match at ABD Stadium (Broadmeadows Valley Park) kicks off at 7pm.

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

Matches Played: 17
Wins (SMFC): 11
Wins (HCFC): 5
Draws: 1

First match: South Melbourne 1-2 Hume City (24 February 2008, Lakeside Stadium)
Last match: South Melbourne 5-2 Hume City (19 August 2015, 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)

South Melbourne FC proudly welcomes Bayview Eden Melbourne as the club’s official 2016 Accommodation Partner.

Perfectly positioned both for business and leisure, Bayview Eden Melbourne is located adjacent to the beautiful Albert Park Lake and Golf Course. It is close to the Melbourne CBD and is only minutes away from our Lakeside Stadium home. The club has already been able to accommodate several coaches and players at the hotel thanks to the new partnership.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, an excited SMFC Operations Manager George Kouroumalis welcomed the news. “Bayview Eden have already been amazing for our club in accommodating players and coaches from overseas and interstate. With many discounts given to SMFC members, we are excited about embarking on this new partnership and having Bayview Eden Melbourne as our official Accommodation Partner in 2016.”

Bayview have created a special booking site that allows all SMFC members access to a corporate rate that is a fraction of the usual room rate. We encourage our members to get in touch with the team at the hotel to activate these deals by mentioning SMFC.

We welcome Bayview Eden Melbourne and look forward to a productive and mutually beneficial partnership.

South Melbourne FC crumbled to its first PS4 NPL Victoria defeat in 2016 against a fast-finishing Richmond Eagles at Kevin Bartlett Reserve on Thursday night. Five goals in the last half hour of the game gave the home side its best ever win against South and condemned Chris Taylor’s side to a humiliating defeat. It is the first time since January 2000 that South has conceded six goals in a competitive match. 

In its last two league matches, both against newly promoted sides (Bulleen and Richmond), South has gained only one point, which in itself was fairly fortunate. Whilst it had been very disappointing against Bulleen, South began the match against Richmond well and had the lead after ten minutes, when Nick Epifano’s low drive from the left deflected off Richmond centre-half Geert-Arend Roorda and into the back of the net.

Richmond centre-forward Nick Niagoran sent a warning sign to South by hitting the crossbar with a header before his low drive across goal was flicked home by Liam Flynn for the equalising goal. There was some controversy with the goal as it appeared that the referee had missed a shirt pull on Epifano that should have resulted in a South free kick. South hit back and regained the advantage via a well-taken Epifano penalty following Bryan Bran’s soft foul on Milos Lujic in the penalty box.

Lujic himself got on the scoresheet seven minutes before the halftime break, latching onto a Tim Mala long ball over the Richmond defence and slotting past Tapia for his 50th league goal in South Melbourne colours. Mathew Theodore had a great chance to put South three goals ahead but Tapia made a fine save, keeping the score to 1-3 at the halftime break.

South looked to close the game off in the second half and everything seemed to be fine until just after the hour mark. Richmond rightly felt aggrieved not to have been awarded a penalty for a handball in the box before Niagoran turned Michael Eagar inside out and tucked the ball past Nikola Roganovic for a well-deserved goal.

Two minutes later, Niagoran’s back-post header fell perfectly for Nick Kokolakis to smash home the equalising goal before Richmond did eventually get a penalty for a handball in the area by Matthew Millar. 2015 South player Jake Barker-Daish sent Roganovic the wrong way with his spot-kick and all of a sudden the home side was 4-3 ahead and playing fantastic football.

Kokolakis put Barker-Daish through on 83 minutes to make the score 5-3 before Niagoran was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence. Seven minutes of injury time was initially awarded but that turned into nine minutes partly due to substitutions made. As South pushed forward trying in vain to get back into the match, Flynn wrapped up a remarkable game by springing the offside trap and scoring his second goal with the final kick of the game, confirming an incredible 6-3 win for his side.

There was further frustration in the Under 20s, with Brian MacNicol’s side unable to break the deadlock in a game that finished 0-0 with Richmond.

South needs to re-group quickly before the tough assignment against Hume City at ABD Stadium next Saturday night.

FINAL SCORE: RICHMOND EAGLES 6-3 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 1-3)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Geert-Arend Roorda own goal (10′)
1-1: Liam Flynn (25′)
1-2: Nick Epifano (33’p)
1-3: Milos Lujic (38′)
2-3: Nick Niagoran (63′)
3-3: Nick Kokolakis (65′)
4-3: Jake Barker-Daish (73’p)
5-3: Jake Barker-Daish (83′)
6-3: Liam Flynn (90+9′)

Richmond Eagles FC:
20. Gian TAPIA (GK), 5. Geert-Arend ROORDA, 6. Peter SAWAN (19. Brendan RICHARDSON 55′), 7. Hamlet ARMENIAN (4. Travis CHALK-HATTON 90+4′), 8. Jake BARKER-DAISH, 9. Nick NIAGIORAN (sent off 87′), 11. Liam FLYNN, 13. Bryan BRAN, 14. Kris KIOUSSIS, 18. Jordan SEETO, 22. Nick KOKOLAKIS (15. Jay KELLY 90′).
Unused Subs: 1. Christian ROSSI (GK), 16. Nicholas POPOVICH.

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK) / 2. Tim MALA (27. Leigh MINOPOULOS 76′), 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 5. Luke ADAMS, 11. Brad NORTON / 23. Matthew FOSCHINI (14. Chris IRWIN 90+5′), 8. Mathew THEODORE (77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS 64′) / 18. Matthew MILLAR, 17. Marcus SCHROEN, 7. Nick EPIFANO / 9. Milos LUJIC.
Unused Subs: 3. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK).

SMFC Melbourne City Toyota Man of the Match: Marcus Schroen
Venue: Kevin Bartlett Reserve
Date: Thursday 24 March 2016

PS4 NPL Victoria action returns on Thursday night when South Melbourne FC travels to Kevin Bartlett Reserve for the first time since 2013 to play the promoted Richmond Eagles.

South cruised through to the Fifth Round of Westfield FFA Cup qualifying with a 10-0 victory against Zagame’s State League Four opponent Keysborough last Saturday. The match provided coach Chris Taylor with the opportunity to rotate his squad and give the weekend off to eight of the usual starting eleven. Whilst the majority of the usual starting eleven will be back playing on Thursday night, several players had good performances against Keysborough and may give Taylor some selection headaches.

Richmond have spent the last two seasons in NPL 1 after being relegated from Victoria’s top flight in 2013. They fell four points short of promotion in 2014 before finishing first and winning promotion on the final day of the 2015 NPL 1 season. Rick Mensink’s 2016 side have struggled so far in their return back to the top flight, securing only one point from four league matches so far. Having said that, former South men Hamlet Armenian, Bryan Bran and Jake Barker-Daish will be keen to beat their former side.

The last match between South and Richmond was a 1-1 draw at Kevin Bartlett Reserve on Friday 2 August 2013, with Luke Hopper scoring South’s goal. The two clubs first played in 1961 when South Melbourne Hellas and Richmond Alemannia met in the Victorian State League. Richmond have been in Victoria’s top flight alongside South in 1961, 1963, 2006-2013 and are back again in 2016.

Thursday night’s match at Kevin Bartlett Reserve kicks off at 8:30pm.

SMFC v Richmond Eagles – Head to Head (League & Finals)

Matches Played: 20
Wins (SMFC): 11
Wins (REFC): 5
Draws: 4

First match: South Melbourne 6-1 Richmond (3 June 1961, Middle Park)
Last match: Richmond 1-1 South Melbourne (2 August 2013, Kevin Bartlett Reserve)

Biggest Winning Margin (SMFC): 5 goals (6-1 win, 3 June 1961, Middle Park)
Biggest Winning Margin (REFC): 3 goals (3-0 win, 30 April 2010, Kevin Bartlett Reserve)

Most Goals in a Match (SMFC): 6 (3 June 1961, Middle Park)
Most Goals in a Match (REFC): 3 (1961, 2010, 2012)

Biggest Finals Win (SMFC): None
Biggest Finals Win (REFC): None

South Melbourne FC progressed to the Westfield FFA Cup Fifth Round with a 10-0 victory over Keysborough at John Cain Reserve on Saturday afternoon. Milos Lujic and the returning Leigh Minopoulos both scored hat-tricks as South booked its spot in the next round.

Coach Chris Taylor made wholesale changes from the starting eleven that drew 2-2 with FC Bulleen Lions last Monday night. Only the centre-halves Michael Eagar, Luke Adams and centre-forward Milos Lujic started against Keysborough, with Taylor gave starting berths to other players in the squad.

In the first half, Stephen Hatzikostas opened the scoring (and scored his first SMFC goal in the process) with a left-footed finish. Lujic then scored twice, via a tap-in and a headed goal, to put South comfortably ahead 3-0 at the break. Lujic notched his hat-trick early in the second half and was immediately substituted in preparation for the league match against Richmond on Thursday night.

Chris Irwin, playing for the first time in 2016, made the score 5-0 before substitute Matthew Millar added South’s sixth goal and his first goal in South colours. Minopoulos, also playing for the first time this season, scored his hat-trick in the space of eight minutes before Millar got his second of the afternoon – and South’s tenth and final goal – shortly before the full-time whistle.

Keysborough are now out of the cup but the Zagame’s State League 4 side – five divisions underneath South – should be proud, having won three qualifying matches to reach the Fourth Round.

It is the fourth time in South’s history that the senior men’s team has scored 10 goals in a competitive fixture, with the other three occasions being the 10-1 league win against Moonee Ponds (April 1960), the 10-0 win against Konica FC in the Oceania Club Championship (September 1999) and the 14-0 Dockerty Cup win against Yarraville Glory (April 2011).

The focus returns back to the PS4 NPL Victoria campaign, with South’s next game being against the promoted Richmond Eagles at Kevin Bartlett Reserve this Thursday night. The match kicks off at 8:30pm.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 10-0 KEYSBOROUGH (HT: 3-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Stephen Hatzikostas (23′)
2-0: Milos Lujic (28′)
3-0: Milos Lujic (35′)
4-0: Milos Lujic (47′)
5-0: Chris Irwin (50′)
6-0: Matthew Millar (67′)
7-0: Leigh Minopoulos (70′)
8-0: Leigh Minopoulos (76′)
9-0: Leigh Minopoulos (78′)
10-0: Matthew Millar (86′)

South Melbourne FC:
21. Zaim ZENELI (GK) / 12. Amadu KOROMA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 5. Luke ADAMS (18. Matthew MILLAR 52′), 13. Luke EYLES / 6. Filtzgerald MBAKA (17. Marcus SCHROEN 56′), 77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS / 14. Chris IRWIN, 22. Andy KECOJEVIC, 27. Leigh MINOPOULOS / 9. Milos LUJIC (8. Mathew THEODORE 48′).
Unused Subs: 7. Nick EPIFANO, 33. Rory BRIAN (GK).

Keysborough SC:
1. Jean-Michel MACLOU (GK), 3. Joel WITHERDIN, 4. Fabien L’EVEILLE, 5. Euclides GONCALVES, 6. Obed BAHEERATHAN (11. Gladwyn ROBERTS 61′), 9. Heip TANG, 10. Victor PINTO (8. Mert SAKRANLIOGLU 74′), 12. Marcello PIZZIRUSSO, 13. Heip TRAN, 16. Ali HUSEN, 22. Marcus ROBERTS (18. Darren HANCOCK 52′).
Unused Subs: 15. Michael JURICIC, 21. Joshua TOSCANO (GK).

SMFC Melbourne City Toyota Man of the Match: Leigh Minopoulos
Venue: John Cain Reserve
Date: Saturday 19 March 2016

The National Premier League clubs enter the Fourth Round of FFA Cup qualifying this weekend and South Melbourne FC has been drawn against Keysborough Soccer Club. The match will be played at Northcote City’s John Cain Reserve on Saturday lunchtime.

As South was drawn before Keysborough in the live draw conducted by Football Federation Victoria on Tuesday, it reserved the right to host the game. With Lakeside Stadium unavailable this weekend due to the Formula One Grand Prix however, South decided to partner with Northcote City and host a double-header at John Cain Reserve (Northcote will host St Albans following the South game).

Keysborough are in Zagame’s State League Four – effectively the sixth tier of Victorian football – and is possibly the lowest-ranked opponent that South has ever come up against in a competitive fixture. South has only entered FFA Cup qualifying in this round but Keysborough have already played three matches to get to this stage. They defeated Darebin United 4-2 in the first round (28 February), Old Melburnians 2-1 in the second round (5 March) and then thumped the Northern Falcons 5-0 in the third round last Sunday.

It is expected that South coach Chris Taylor will make changes to his team for Saturday’s match, having started the same eleven in all four PS4 NPL Victoria matches so far this season. Having the cup tie only five days after Monday’s tough league match at Bulleen and then only having a five day buffer before the next league match at Richmond (Thursday night) is another reason why Taylor will make changes.

Starting berths may be given to players like Zaim Zeneli in goal, Kristian Konstantinidis, Philzgerald Mbaka, Mathew Theodore, Amadu Koroma, Luke Eyles, Chris Irwin, Andy Kecojevic, Leigh Minopoulos and Stephen Hatzikostas. Eyles, Mbaka and Minopoulos played in the Under 20s against Bulleen on Monday night whilst Kecojevic, Hatzikostas and Theodore (who scored) came off the bench to help change the Senior Men’s game as South scored two late goals to pinch a draw.

Saturday’s match against Keysborough SC kicks off at 12:15pm. 2016 SMFC members are entitled to FREE entry until 1pm by showing their membership card at the gate. Following the conclusion of our match, Northcote City will host St Albans at 3pm. 

Two late goals from substitute Mathew Theodore and centre-forward Milos Lujic saw South Melbourne FC scrape an unlikely draw in its PS4 NPL Victoria match against FC Bulleen Lions at a packed Veneto Club on Monday night.

South returned to the venue for the first time since March 2007 and clearly struggled with the synthetic surface that had been laid on the Veneto Club since its last visit. Bulleen rightly used this to their advantage, starting very posititvely and taking the game to an opponent that had not conceded a league goal in 2016.

The home side took a deserved lead after ten minutes after a cross from the right found Sami Nour at the back post to score past Nikola Roganovic. Bulleen almost went 2-0 up shortly afterwards but Roganovic made an excellent double-save to deny Shayan Alinejad. The second goal eventually arrived after 19 minutes, when Takanori Nishimoto got on the end of a set piece to flick the ball past Roganovic and into the back of the net.

Coach Chris Taylor made a halftime switch, replacing Iqi Jawadi with Theodore. South settled in the second half but rarely troubled Bulleen goalkeeper Griffin McMaster and continued to ride its luck when the home side broke forward quickly. As the match pressed on, Taylor made another tactical switch by substituting Tim Mala off, switching Matthew Foschini to right back and bringing on Stephen Hatzikostas to replace Foschini in holding midfield.

Bulleen had a number of chances to finish South off, firstly when 2006 SMFC Championship player Gianni De Nittis forced a smart save by Roganovic at his near post. South’s custodian – who had been excellent all night – then almost gifted a goal to Bulleen after mistiming a clearance but he quickly got back to block Nour’s resultant shot. With fifteen minutes remaining, a wicked deflection initially wrong-footed Roganovic but again the goalkeeper made a vital save to deny Bulleen a third goal.

With six minutes of normal time remaining and amongst a sea of players in the Bulleen area, Theodore’s quick shot took a deflection and the ball looped over McMaster and into the back of the net. South was suddenly back in the match and still had time to score again. With the huge away support at the Veneto Club starting to raise its voice again, South pushed for another goal.

Four minutes later the comeback was complete when Lujic got to the ball before McMaster to head Nick Epifano’s cross into the unguarded Bulleen net to make the score 2-2. It was Lujic’s 49th league goal for SMFC in 60 league matches, which sees him overtake Dougy Brown in outright tenth place on South’s all-time leading goal scorers in league competition.

Despite being pegged back, Bulleen still should have won the game when substitute Rodrigo Covarrubias was through one-on-one but Roganovic again made a huge block to ensure that South would leave the Veneto Club with a point.

The news was better in the Under 20s as South Melbourne defeated FC Bulleen Lions 4-3 in another high-scoring match for Brian MacNicol’s side. South raced to a 3-0 halftime lead before just managing to hold off the home side in the second half. South’s goals were scored by Dean Nicolaidis, Leigh Minopoulos (penalty kick), Philzgerald M’baka and Giordano Marafioti.

There is a break in league football next weekend as the Fourth Round of FFA Cup qualifying begins. Keep an on smfc.com.au and South’s official social media pages for who our opponent will be and when the match will take place.

FINAL SCORE: FC BULLEEN LIONS 2-2 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 2-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Sami Nour (10′)
2-0: Takanori Nishimoto (19′)
2-1: Mathew Theodore (84′)
2-2: Milos Lujic (88′)

FC Bulleen Lions:
1. Griffin McMASTER (GK), 2. Eli LUTTMER, 3. Will ABBOTT, 6. Bardhi HYSOLLI (12. Rodrigo COVARRUBIAS 77′), 8. Matteo BALLAN (C), 10. Takanori NISHIMOTO, 11. Gianni DE NITTIS (20. Andrew MULLETT 61′), 13. Anthony COLOSIMO (31. Dylan BRESOLIN 29′), 17. Sami NOUR, 18. Felix ROSMAN, 19. Shayan ALINEJAD.

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK) / 2. Tim MALA (77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS 69′), 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 5. Luke ADAMS, 11. Brad NORTON / 23. Matthew FOSCHINI, 99. Iqi JAWADI (8. Mathew THEODORE 46′) / 18. Matthew MILLAR (22. Andy KECOJEVIC 72′), 17. Marcus SCHROEN, 7. Nick EPIFANO / 9. Milos LUJIC.

SMFC Melbourne City Toyota Man of the Match: Nikola Roganovic
Venue: David Barrow Stadium (Veneto Club)
Date: Monday 14 March 2016