Author: John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC returns to the Veneto Club for the first time in nine years when it faces the promoted FC Bulleen Lions in Monday night PS4 NPL Victoria action.

Chris Taylor’s team goes into the match high on confidence, having secured a maximum nine points and having scored 12 and conceded no goals to open its Premiership defence. South has also enjoyed a ten day break following the 2-0 victory against Port Melbourne on Friday 4 March. Iqi Jawadi’s long-range goal and centre-back Luke Adams’ volley from a corner kick secured the three points at Anderson Reserve.

Jawadi had to be substituted after 40 minutes in the Port Melbourne match after picking up a knock, however it turned out to be minor bruising and the hardworking midfielder should be available to play on Monday night at Veneto Club. Taylor tends not to change his winning team so it is expected that South will field the same starting eleven for a fourth consecutive match.

FC Bulleen Lions have begun life in the top flight of Victorian football with a mixed bag of results. Dominic Barba’s team opened its season with a 1-0 loss at Bentleigh then defeated Oakleigh 1-0 before drawing 1-1 with Melbourne Victory last weekend. Having won the League Championship (and automatic promotion) in the 2015 NPL 1 competition, there is obviously a winning culture within the team and Bulleen will rightly feel capable of causing an upset on Monday night. One player to watch out for is former Melbourne Knights player Shayan Alinejad.

South makes its return to the Veneto Club for the first time since goals from Ricky Diaco and Fernando De Moraes gave it a 2-0 win against the Essendon Royals on 16 March 2007. It has been a very popular venue with South fans in the past, with good crowds attending Veneto Club between 2005 and 2007 when South met the Bulleen Zebras and Essendon Royals. In five league matches at Veneto Club, South has won twice, drawn twice and lost once.

Monday night will be the first time that South has played against the entity now known as FC Bulleen Lions, however several Italian-backed clubs have merged and de-merged throughout the years to form what is FC Bulleen Lions today. One of those old clubs was Box Hill, a team that kept getting promoted then relegated from the old Victorian State League in the 1960s and 1970s.

Box Hill played ten top-flight league matches against South Melbourne Hellas in 1961, 1969 and from 1971 to 1973. Hellas won 9 of their 10 league meetings, with the biggest win being a 7-0 thumping at Middle Park on 27 May 1972.

Monday night’s match at the Veneto Club kicks off at 8:30pm.

South Melbourne FC will be hoping to make it three wins from three PS4 NPL Victoria matches in 2016 when it faces Port Melbourne at Anderson Reserve on Friday night.

Chris Taylor’s side has opened the 2016 campaign with two straight victories, 10 goals scored and none conceded. The most recent result was the professional 0-4 victory against Northcote City at John Cain Reserve last Saturday, with three second-half goals securing the three points. Nick Epifano has already registered four league goals in 2016, whilst Marcus Schroen and Milos Lujic have two goals each.

Eric Vassiliadis’ Port Melbourne side has enjoyed a solid start to 2016, with an opening-round draw against the Oakleigh Cannons followed by a 1-0 victory against Melbourne Victory last Friday night. Port hasn’t conceded a goal so far in 2016 – like South – and will be hoping to continue that record on Friday night. 2015 South players Bonel Obradovic and David Stirton will feature for Port and will be keen to get three points against their former side.

Taylor tends to not change a winning side and therefore it is expected that South will start Friday night’s game with the same eleven players for a third week in succession.

Should Lujic score against Port Melbourne, he will outright join South Melbourne’s top ten leading goal scorers in the club’s league history. Lujic is currently level with 1980s crowd favourite Dougy Brown (1983-86) in equal tenth position, with both players having scored 48 league goals for the club.

Friday night’s match at Anderson Reserve in Port Melbourne kicks off at 8:30pm.

SMFC v Port Melbourne – Head to Head (League & Finals)

Matches Played: 6
Wins (SMFC): 4
Wins (PMFC): 1
Draws: 1

First match: South Melbourne 0-1 Port Melbourne (30 June 2013, Lakeside Stadium)
Last match: South Melbourne 4-2 Port Melbourne (7 August 2015, Lakeside Stadium)

Biggest Winning Margin (SMFC): 4-0 (22 September 2013, Anderson Reserve)
Biggest Winning Margin (PMFC): 1-0 (30 June 2013, Lakeside Stadium)

Most Goals in a Match (SMFC): 4 (4-0 win) (22 September 2013, Anderson Reserve)
Most Goals in a Match (PMFC): 2 (3 times) (2014, 2015 x2)

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

South Melbourne FC continued its excellent start to its 2016 PS4 NPL Victoria with a professional 4-0 victory against Northcote City at John Cain Reserve on Saturday afternoon. Two goals from Marcus Schroen, a penalty to Nick Epifano and a late goal from Milos Lujic gave South two wins from its opening two matches and a +10 goal difference.

Chris Taylor and his side came into Saturday’s game expecting a difficult time. Many have predicted Northcote to struggle in 2016 but South themselves historically had been very average against Northcote, only defeating them twice in seven attempts at John Cain Reserve.

The away side opened the scoring after ten minutes. Matthew Millar hit a fierce shot across goal that beat goalkeeper Phillip Petrovski but not the far post and the ball rebounded back to South’s right-sided midfielder. Millar then cut the ball back into the penalty area and referee Alex King awarded a spot kick after spotting a handball. Petrovski guessed the right way for the spot kick but couldn’t stop Epifano from registering the first goal of the afternoon.

The home side had a wonderful chance to level when, following a scramble in the South penalty area, referee King spotted an infringement by goalkeeper Nikola Roganovic and issued the custodian with a yellow card. Michael Karvouniaris stepped up to take Northcote’s spot kick but Roganovic dived to his left and made the all-important block to preserve his clean sheet and keep South’s lead intact. Karvounaris almost levelled a short time later with a header that beat Roganovic but not the crossbar as South went into the halftime break narrowly ahead.

South doubled its lead early in the second half, when Millar played Schroen through to score his first goal in a South Melbourne shirt. With a 2-0 lead, the three points appeared confirmed for South, though a couple of lapses at the back almost allowed Northcote through to pull a goal back. Lujic confirmed the three points twelve minutes from time by scoring a tap-in following a scramble in the box, before Schroen scored his second goal of the afternoon three minutes from the end to make the final score 4-0.

Saturday’s win was Chris Taylor’s 50th league win as South Melbourne coach (in 73 matches), an overall winning record of 68%. It was also South’s best win against Northcote since the clubs first met in 2010.

Milos Lujic’s goal was his 48th league goal in 58 league games for South, putting him in equal tenth with the great Dougy Brown (1983-1986) on South’s all-time top goal scorers in league competition.

In the Under 20s, Northcote City and South Melbourne drew 3-3. South took an early 2-0 lead with a penalty from Milan Jovanovic (2′) and a goal at the back post from Nashir Hussainy (18′), however Northcote scored two goals to be level at the halftime break. Luke Eyles (50′) restored South’s lead with a fantastic strike but Northcote again levelled in what was a free-flowing and end-to-end match.

FINAL SCORE: NORTHCOTE CITY 0-4 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-1)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Nick Epifano (10’p)
0-2: Marcus Schroen (50′)
0-3: Milos Lujic (78′)
0-4: Marcus Schroen (87′)

Northcote City FC:
1. Phillip PETROVSKI (GK), 2. Jordan WILKES, 4. Gregory LOMBARDO (C), 6. Aaron WARD (15. Todd DEKKER 12′), 7. Michael CUNNINGHAM, 11. Anthony RIZK, 17. Aron HANDAKAS, 19. Ryan GO, 20. Nick TZOULIS, 21. Michael KARVOUNIARIS, 23. Jonathan BOUNAS.
Other Used Subs: 8. Josh BERRIOS, 14. Anthony RAMZY.
Unused Subs: 16. Steven SIFINOS, 25. Luke GAVALAS (GK).

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK) / 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 5. Luke ADAMS, 11. Brad NORTON / 23. Matthew FOSCHINI (8. Mathew THEODORE 70′), 99. Iqi JAWADI / 18. Matthew MILLAR, 7. Nick EPIFANO, 17. Marcus SCHROEN / 9. Milos LUJIC (22. Andy KECOJEVIC 81′).
Unused Subs: 3. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS, 33. Rory BRIAN (GK).

Melbourne City Toyota Man of the Match: Marcus Schroen
Venue: John Cain Reserve
Date: Saturday 27 February 2016

South Melbourne FC will be looking to continue its excellent start to the 2016 PS4 NPL Victoria season when Chris Taylor’s side faces Northcote City at John Cain Reserve on Saturday afternoon.

South silenced many pre-season critics last Sunday evening at Lakeside Stadium with a thumping record 6-0 hammering of old rivals Heidelberg United. Nick Epifano registered a hat-trick in the first half alone as Milos Lujic, substitute Mathew Theodore and Iqi Jawadi also got on the score sheet.

Matthew Millar had a very solid debut on the right side of midfield for South, having only signed a few days earlier during the final day of the transfer window. Fellow debutant Matthew Foschini also played well but was substituted and sent to hospital for precautionary checks after a head clash in the first half. Thankfully for South, he should be clear to play against Northcote on Saturday.

Alex Gymnopoulos’ Northcote City side opened their 2016 NPL Victoria season with a 1-0 defeat against the Melbourne Victory at Epping Stadium last Saturday afternoon. With a relatively youthful squad and the departures of several experienced players over the summer, many people are predicting Northcote to spend the 2016 season fighting relegation. Despite this, South will expect a tough match due to recent history.

South’s record against Northcote City at John Cain Reserve is very average, with only two hard-fought wins in seven attempts since Northcote joined Victoria’s top flight in 2010. Northcote enjoys a narrow lead over South in head-to-head league meetings between the clubs but South remains undefeated in the last four meetings thanks to three wins and a draw.

Saturday’s match at John Cain Reserve kicks off at 5pm.

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

Matches Played: 13
Wins (SMFC): 4
Wins (NCFC): 5
Draws: 4

First match: Northcote City 3-3 South Melbourne (13 March 2010, John Cain Reserve)
Last match: South Melbourne 3-0 Northcote City (23 August 2015, Lakeside Stadium)

Biggest Winning Margin (SMFC): 3-0 (23 August 2015, Lakeside Stadium)
Biggest Winning Margin (NCFC): 5-0 (08 May 2011, John Cain Reserve / 13 October 2013, Anderson Reserve)

Most Goals in a Match (SMFC): 3 (2010, 2011, 2015)
Most Goals in a Match (NCFC): 5 (2011, 2013)

Biggest Finals Win (SMFC): None
Biggest Finals Win (NCFC): 5-0 (13 October 2013, SS Anderson Reserve)

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce that is has expanded its coaching staff for 2016 with the following additions:

John Kobiela joins SMFC as Strength and Conditioning Coach. John has previously worked with Melbourne Heart, Central Coast, Cricket Victoria, Fremantle Football Club and the Young Socceroos in maintaining elite athlete performance.

George Stefanidis joins SMFC as Opposition Analyst. Stefanidis enjoyed a two-year stint at Hume City, where he played an integral behind-the-scenes role in providing their coaching staff with detailed player performance and opposition analysis.

Both George and John join the existing coaching and medical staff in Chris Taylor (Coach), Chris Marshall (Senior Football Advisor), Bojo Jevdjevic (Goalkeeping Coach), Frank Piccione (Team Manager), Kris Peladarinos (Assistant Team Manager) and James Cole (Medical/Kieser Training).

South Melbourne FC is delighted to welcome Air Serbia as its Official Airline Partner for the 2016 season.

Air Serbia is the national airline of the Republic of Serbia and serves 39 destinations in Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. This includes flights to Athens and Thessaloniki and summer services to Larnaca.

Air Serbia is also a member of Etihad Airways Partners, which provides convenient double daily flights from Melbourne (with Etihad Airways) to Abu Dhabi and then onward connections from Air Serbia directly to its hub at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla International Airport.

Speaking with smfc.com.au, SMFC Operations Manager George Kouroumalis welcomed our latest partner. “We are delighted to welcome Air Serbia to the SMFC family in 2016. Our partnership will provide exciting competitions, including sending a lucky SMFC fan to Europe during 2016. Air Serbia will also provide SMFC fans with special offers for flights to Europe.

We look forward to seeing the Air Serbia and Etihad Airways Partners branding at Lakeside Stadium during the course of our 2016 season.”

Click here to view special offer to SMFC members (PDF)

South Melbourne FC (4-2-3-1):
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK) / 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 5. Luke ADAMS, 11. Brad NORTON / 23. Matthew FOSCHINI (8. Mathew THEODORE 46′), 99. Iqi JAWADI / 18. Matthew MILLAR, 17. Marcus SCHROEN (77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS 58′), 7. Nick EPIFANO / 9. Milos LUJIC (22. Andy KECOJEVIC 72′).
Unused Subs: 3. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 33. Zaim ZENELI (GK).

Heidelberg United FC:
1. Chris THEODORIDIS (GK) (sent off 43′), 2. Joshua WILKINS (23. Pierce CLARK [GK] 44′), 17. Steven PACE, 13. Luke BYLES (C), 3. Les DOUMBALIS / 14. Harry NOON (6. Lewis HALL 53′), 10. Jack PETRIE, 7. Rueben WAY / 19. Shaun ELLIS, 21. Andreas GOVAS (12. Kenny ATHIU 40′) / 9. Kaine SHEPPARD.
Unused Subs: 15. Milos ILIC, 24. Emmanuel TSAKIRIS.

Melbourne City Toyota Man of the Match: Nick Epifano
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 21 February 2016

South Melbourne FC opens its 2016 PS4 NPL Victoria season on Sunday afternoon with a home derby against old rivals Heidelberg United at Lakeside Stadium. The two sides have enjoyed many great battles over more than 50 years and Sunday promises to be no different.

Both South Melbourne and Heidelberg had relatively successful 2015 seasons. Chris Taylor’s South Melbourne side won the FFV Community Shield, the Dockerty Cup (defeating Heidelberg along the way) and the Premier’s Plate. The most disappointing aspect of South’s season however was its inability to consistently win key matches, with the most disappointing losses coming against Palm Beach (Westfield FFA Cup), Bentleigh Greens (NPL Victoria Grand Final) and Olympia FC (National Playoffs).

George Katsakis’ Heidelberg side finished the 2015 NPL Victoria home & away season in third place on the ladder. They enjoyed excellent cup runs, with a semi final placing in the Dockerty Cup and a quarter final appearance in the Westfield FFA Cup. Although Heidelberg progressed deep into every competition they competed in during 2015, the most disappointing aspect of their season was their inability to claim any silverware. Possibly the most difficult result for the third-placed Bergers in 2015 may have been their NPL Victoria elimination final loss at home against sixth-placed Pascoe Vale.

For Sunday’s match, South welcomes Milos Lujic back into the team, with the centre-forward missing the recent tour to Sydney due to his honeymoon. Nick Epifano is free to play despite his red card in South’s 3-0 loss to Bentleigh in the FFV Community Shield last Friday night, whilst new signings Matthew Foschini (defensive midfield) and Marcus Schroen (attacking midfield) are expected to start Sunday’s match.

Heidelberg will be looking to its attacking players in Kaine Sheppard, Kenny Athiu and Andreas Govas to cause damage to South on Sunday. Sheppard linked up brilliantly with Dan Heffernan to cause all sorts of problems for opposition defences in 2015 and Katsakis will be hoping that his forward can replicate that form from last season again. At the other end, former Northcote City goalkeeper Chris Theodoridis will be the Bergers’ number one goalkeeper following the recent departure of Griffin McMaster.

Sunday’s match at Lakeside Stadium kicks off at 6pm. 2016 SMFC Memberships will be available for purchase and pick-up outside the traditional entrance at Gate 2.

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

Matches Played: 81
Wins (SMFC): 40
Wins (HUFC): 22
Draws: 19

First match: South Melbourne 2-1 Heidelberg (30 March 1964, Middle Park)
Last match: South Melbourne 1-2 Heidelberg (3 July 2015, Lakeside Stadium)

Biggest Winning Margin (SMFC): 5-0 (17 November 1991, Middle Park)
Biggest Winning Margin (HUFC): 5-2 (3 July 1977, Olympic Park)

Most Goals in a Match (SMFC): 7 (7-3 win) – (2 April 1967, Middle Park)
Most Goals in a Match (HUFC): 5 (5-2 win) – (3 July 1977, Olympic Park)

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)

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce MW Lomax as one of the club’s Platinum Partners for the 2016 National Premier League season.

2016 marks the fourth consecutive year that MW Lomax has been a SMFC Platinum Partner. Their logo will feature on the sleeve of all SMFC playing shirts from the Senior Men and Women through to the Youth teams.

MW Lomax is a financial services firm based in Melbourne and Sydney. It specialises in Financial Planning, Risk Management, Asset Protection, Estate Planning, Self Managed Superannuation, Accounting and Finance, and provides a holistic approach to Planning. MW Lomax’s specialists have a combined industry experience of over 100 years, varying from Merchant Banking, Practice Management, Business Development and Accounting.

Speaking with smfc.com.au, SMFC Operations Manager George Kouroumalis welcomed the renewal of the partnership for yet another season. “We are excited to have MW Lomax on board as a Platinum Partner for what promises to be another exciting season for our club. I personally wish to thank MW Lomax (and SMFC Director) Nicholas Maikousis for his contribution to our club not only through the MW Lomax partnership but also for all of his hard work to grow both our Corporate base and football department.”

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce that NUGAS Victoria will be a Community Partner in 2016.

NUGAS Victoria (National Union of Greek-Australian Students) is a non-for-profit organisation established to promote Greek community, culture and education in Victoria. As its name suggests, NUGAS Victoria has been very active in Victorian tertiary institutions and has worked hard to ensure that both modern and ancient Greek continues to be taught to students. Through its many members and volunteers, NUGAS Victoria also provides support to other community groups such as aged care.

As part of its partnership with SMFC, each member of NUGAS Victoria will receive the opportunity to register for a three match pass so that they can support the Senior Men’s and Women’s teams at Lakeside Stadium this season. SMFC will join NUGAS Victoria in having a presence at the 2016 Antipodes Festival (27-28 February) and will work with its new Community Partner on various other projects.

SMFC Operations Manager George Kouroumalis welcomed the new partnership. “NUGAS Victoria has been around for many years and i remember being a member myself when i was at university. They have since done a fantastic job working within the community and especially with engaging young people at tertiary institutions. We look forward to working with NUGAS Victoria this year.”

Nugas Victoria President Tass Sgardelis was also excited about the partnership. “We are delighted to be working with South Melbourne F.C. this year. We are always looking for ways in which we can provide better value for our members, and we’re excited to build this partnership with such a historically and culturally significant club in our community.”