Author: John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC is delighted to welcome former goalkeeper Peter Gavalas back to the Club as the 2013 VPL Goalkeeper of the Year has signed ahead of the 2015 National Premier League Victoria season.

Gavalas initially arrived at Lakeside Stadium at the beginning of the 2012 Victorian Premier League season. He kept a clean sheet in his debut match against the Moreland Zebras in a 4-0 victory at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 25 March 2012. In total, he has represented the Club in 47 matches across all competitions (including 44 League matches) and kept ten clean sheets.

Gavalas’ individual efforts in 2013 were recognised when he was announced as the VPL Goalkeeper of the Year, joining Dean Anastasiadis (2005, 2006) and Peter Zois (2010) as the only South Melbourne goalkeepers to have won that award.

Following the conclusion of the 2013 VPL season, he decided to retire to concentrate on his new career as a physiotherapist. At the time of his retirement, he said that “there’s a strong culture and unit forming within the inner sanctum at South and no doubt the boys will achieve a high level of success in 2014.” He was ultimately proven right as South won the inaugural NPL Victoria Championship last year.

After taking a break in 2014, Gavalas has decided to balance his professional career with his football career. He returns to South Melbourne FC in 2015 as the Club seeks its first back-to-back Championships since 1998 and 1999. Speaking to smfc.com.au, Gavalas said “to be honest, having played the game for a large portion of my life, I really did just miss playing football and playing for the Club. The second half of the 2013 season under Chris Taylor was enjoyable… he did bring out the best out of me as a keeper and person during that short time. I hope that being under his wing again in 2015 will enable me to play well for myself and for the Club.”

Also speaking with smfc.com.au, South Melbourne FC Football Director Nicholas Maikousis was happy to see the former goalkeeper return to Lakeside Stadium. ” I am very pleased that Peter is returning to help us try and retain our NPL Victoria crown. After working with him and CT extensively during the second part of 2013, we saw Peter become the best goalkeeper in the competition. Let’s hope we can see him re-capture that form in 2015.”

South Melbourne FC welcomes Peter Gavalas back to the Club and wishes him the best for the 2015 season.

South Melbourne FC is excited to announce the signing of defender Kristian Konstantinidis ahead of the 2015 National Premier League Victoria season.

Konstantinidis arrives at Lakeside Stadium from Northcote City, having played played at John Cain Reserve since 2010. In 2011, he was part of the Northcote side that defeated the Melbourne Knights 2-0 at in the Dockerty Cup final. In 2013, he played alongside current South captain Michael Eagar and centre-forward Milos Lujic as Northcote won the Victorian Premier League Minor Premiership before defeating the Bentleigh Greens 3-2 in the VPL Grand Final.

Konstantinidis has the ability to play in a number of defensive roles, including centre-half, right-back and holding midfield. Importantly, he is a player that has many years of playing experience at the top level of Victorian football and who had a leadership position at his previous club Northcote.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Konstantinidis was very excited about signing for South Melbourne FC. “As a Greek boy who looked up to the club growing up, it’s a bit surreal. However in reality it feels right to be signing for what is the biggest club outside of the A-League. I am looking forward to embracing every challenge that I am fronted with, and hope that I can contribute to delivering success to this great club and its fans every time I put on the jersey. I look forward to linking up with my team mates and working hard to have a solid season representing South Melbourne.”

Also speaking with smfc.com.au, South Melbourne FC Football Director Nicholas Maikousis added that “Kristian is a player that will fit in very well with the existing squad both on and off the park. He is an excellent defender and I have no doubt that he will have a great season with us.”

South Melbourne FC welcomes Kristian Konstantinidis to the Club and wishes him all the best for the 2015 season.

Photo by 80kms.smugmug.com

South Melbourne FC’s 2015 squad travelled to Adelaide last Friday for two pre-season friendlies against West Adelaide Hellas and the Adelaide Blue Eagles.

The first friendly against West Adelaide was played in very warm conditions on Friday evening at West Adelaide’s home ground at the Adelaide Shores Football Centre. This match was a curtain-raiser for Football Federation South Australia’s beyondblue Charity Cup between the Croydon Kings and Adelaide City.

West Adelaide opened the scoring after an hour through Ricardo Da Silva before Leigh Minopoulos equalised for South with a neat finish ten minutes from time. Alex Rideout secured a 2-1 win for West Adelaide in the final play of the game with a tidy finish from outside the area.

On Sunday afternoon, South Melbourne played against the Adelaide Blue Eagles at the Marden Sports Complex. Both teams struggled in the early afternoon sun, with South coach Chris Taylor rotating his players several times throughout the match. Adelaide Blue Eagles ended up winning the match 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Anthony Dimas. The team flew back to Melbourne following the conclusion of the match.

Although South Melbourne lost both matches, the trip to Adelaide was an enjoyable experience. It gave the players the opportunity to bond together ahead of the Charity Shield match against the Melbourne Knights this coming Friday night before the season begins proper against Oakleigh on Thursday 19 February.

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce that midfielder Mathew Theodore will remain with the Club in 2015 after extending his contract recently.

Theodore arrived at Lakeside Stadium ahead of the 2014 National Premier League Victoria season. He is credited for scoring the NPL Victoria’s first ever goal on Thursday 13 March 2014, when his left-footed shot from outside the box gave South Melbourne the lead after only thirteen minutes as they defeated Heidelberg United 0-3 at the Olympic Village.

Theodore has represented the Club on 29 occasions across all competitions and has scored six goals. He scored crucial winning goals at Lakeside Stadium last season against Pascoe Vale (Sunday 18 May) and Green Gully (Sunday 6 July), as well as spectacular goals against Heidelberg United (Sunday 22 June) and Goulburn Valley Suns (Sunday 14 September).

Aside from his goals, Theodore’s ability to provide assists for his team mates resulted in several crucial goals for South Melbourne in 2014. His most notable assist was the 72nd minute through-ball for Milos Lujic to score the winning goal against Northcote City at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 24 August, effectively securing the League Championship for South in what was a huge three points.

Theodore is currently recovering from surgery but is hopeful of being available for selection about a month into the 2015 season.

Speaking with smfc.com.au, SMFC Football Director Nicholas Maikousis said that “the re-signing of Mathew Theodore shows that the Club is committed to keeping its Championship winning players at Lakeside Stadium. We are very pleased that Mathew has decided to remain with us in 2015 and no doubt he will soon be back providing and scoring important goals like he did in 2014.”

South Melbourne FC wishes Mathew Theodore the very best for the upcoming season.

South Melbourne FC advises that Football Federation Victoria has released the fixtures for the 2015 Ps4 National Premier League Victoria season.

South Melbourne FC opens its 2015 campaign with a home match against the Oakleigh Cannons on Thursday 19 February. Chris Taylor’s side is then on the road for five League matches before hosting the Melbourne Knights in the Melbourne derby on Saturday 11 April.

Sandwiched in between the League fixtures are the Dockerty Cup rounds, which also double up as 2015 Westfield FFA Cup qualifying matches. Like in 2014, the four Semi Finalists of the Dockerty Cup will qualify for the 2015 Westfield FFA Cup.

South Melbourne will host several matches at Lakeside Stadium during the middle of the season, however the dates of these matches are yet to be confirmed. FFV has scheduled these home matches to be played on Friday nights, however the Club is currently in discussions with FFV to have these matches moved to 5PM on Sundays.

The Club has engaged all relevant stakeholders, including supporters, members, players and coaching staff to determine their preferred day and kick-off time for home matches in 2015. The overwhelming response has been for Friday nights and the now traditional Sunday evening kick-off times. In a compromise with all stakeholders, South Melbourne FC has accordingly requested a mixture of Friday and Sunday home matches with the FFV.

Please check smfc.com.au and South Melbourne FC’s official social media pages for confirmation of the dates and kick-off times of the matches currently listed as TBC.

We look forward to seeing everyone at Lakeside Stadium for the opening match against Oakleigh!

Click here to view fixtures

South Melbourne FC is saddened at the news that Georgios Samaras has passed away at the age of 91.

Mr Samaras was a prominent member of the Victorian Greek Community in the 1950s and 1960s. Following the merger of Yarra Park, South Melbourne United and Hellenic, he contributed in establishing the newly-formed South Melbourne Hellas in becoming a powerhouse of Victorian football in the 1960s.

Mr Samaras’ son Ioannis (John) Samaras played for OFI Crete, Panathinaikos and the Greek national side throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Ioannis fulfilled a childhood dream when he returned to Melbourne to play one match for South Melbourne FC as a guest player on 6 June 1988. On that day, he scored a goal as South Melbourne defeated Sydney Olympic 2-1 at Middle Park.

Ioannis’ son Georgios (named after his grandfather) is a current Greek international player and plays his club football for West Bromwich Albion in the English Premier League. On 24 June this year, he scored a penalty in the 93rd minute to beat the Ivory Coast 2-1 and send Greece through to the Round of 16 for the first time in the country’s history.

South Melbourne FC sends its condolences to the Samaras family in this very difficult time.

South Melbourne FC is in mourning after learning that its first ever coach in 1960, Mr Christos Georgoussis, passed away on the night of Tuesday 2 December 2014.

Mr Chris Georgoussis was a star for Greek club Iraklis in the 1950s and was recognised not only as a legend of that club but also as a member of the Iraklis Team of the Century. His excellent playing career for Iraklis prompted an invitation to play for the Greek national side, however injury sadly prohibited his progress at international level.

Mr Georgoussis then made his way to Melbourne, where South Melbourne United, Yarra Park and Hellenic had merged to form South Melbourne Hellas in 1959. Mr Georgoussis was appointed as player-coach for South Melbourne Hellas’ first ever season of competition in the 1960 Victorian Metropolitan Division One North competition. This was the division below the old Victorian State League (which became the Victorian Premier League and is now known as NPL Victoria).

South Melbourne Hellas statistically enjoyed its best League season on record in that first year of 1960, winning 17 and drawing one of their 18 League matches. This easily won them promotion into the 1961 Victorian State League as League Champions and gave Mr Georgoussis an undefeated record as coach. Only Mick Watson in 1982 (albeit he only coached four games for two wins and two draws) can join Mr Georgoussis in being officially undefeated as a South Melbourne coach throughout the Club’s history. In 1961, Mr Georgoussis stepped down as South Melbourne coach but continued to play under Len Young and then Manny Poulakakis, who replaced Young during the State League season.

Although he was only at South Melbourne for two seasons, Mr Georgoussis had a profound impact on the Club and was behind the move to bring other great players over from Greece. He recommended to the committee of the time (which included the great Theo Marmaras) that players such as goalkeeper George Karpouzas (1960-1963), Jordan Ieremiadis (1960-1964), George Papadopoulos (1960-1966) and John Margaritis (also known as “Yianellos”, 1961-1967) come to Melbourne to play for South Melbourne. Those players – along with many others – combined to make South Melbourne a Victorian powerhouse in the 1960s, winning Victorian State League Championships in 1962, 1964, 1965 and 1966.

Mr Georgoussis is survived by his wife Katina, his family Steve Georgoussis, Greg and Jeannie Daglis and his grandchildren Nicholas, Christopher and Angelique.

Current South Melbourne FC President, Leo Athanasakis, expressed his deepest condolences to the Georgoussis family. “Everyone at the Club is very saddened to learn of Mr Christos Georgoussis’ passing. We have lost a man that was an enormous influence during the earliest days of South Melbourne in 1960. Mr Georgoussis was the man who guided our Club from Division One into the old State League on the first attempt and he helped bring players to the Club that guided us to four Victorian State League Championships throughout the 1960s. We are deeply indebted to Mr Georgoussis for all that he did for our great Club.”

The entire South Melbourne FC family extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr Christos Georgoussis.

Picture 1: South Melbourne Hellas players at the old South Melbourne cricket ground, 1960.

Back Row: George Papadopoulos, Jordan Ieremiadis, Leo Anezakis (Team Manager), Alekos Nanos, Christos Georgoussis.
Front Row: Stefanos Fortomanos.

Picture 2: South Melbourne Hellas players at the old Olympic Park, 1960

Back Row: Antonis Hatzieleftheriou, Alekos Nanos, ???, Chris Picoulas, Antonis Karagiannis, ???, Alexandros Malaxos, Bill Kourkoulakos, John Hatzigeorgiou, Harry Vamvakas (GK), Christos Georgoussis (Coach).
Front Row: George Karpouzas (GK), Stefanos Fortomanos, George Papadopoulos.

South Melbourne FC is saddened to announce that Dimi Tsiaras has retired from playing football.

Tsiaras – along with Brad Norton- was the longest-serving current South player, having arrived at Lakeside Stadium at the beginning of the 2012 Victorian Premier League season. In his three seasons, Dimi represented the Club on 40 occasions (34 League games and 6 Dockerty Cup games). He played as a utility player and covered a variety of positions including defensive midfield, centre-back and right back. Dimi also had leadership roles, acting as both vice-captain and as captain at various times during his three years at Lakeside Stadium. His lone goal that he scored during his time at South was in the 2-1 win against the Oakleigh Cannons on Sunday 8 July 2012 at Lakeside Stadium.

Most pleasing for South Melbourne FC was that one of their own had represented the Club as a player with distinction. Dimi grew up supporting South and would often go to games with his father Nick, who is still a passionate South fan to this day and who was obviously delighted when his son signed for the Club in 2012. At 30 years of age, Dimi was the oldest player in the 2014 South Melbourne squad but despite being limited to just nine appearances during the season (six League, three Cup), he was very much a part of the squad that won the NPL Victoria Championship. As a result, he retires as a Championship winner with his boyhood Club, just like George Tzirtis did in 2006.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Tsiaras said “I would like to thank the Club for the three seasons that I have been here. Everyone involved at the Club have been fantastic and I am glad that I have finished my playing days with South winning a premiership. I could not see my body back up for another year, especially preseason after playing thirteen seasons in Victorian football”.

South Melbourne FC thanks Dimi Tsiaras for his wonderful contribution to the Club and wishes him all the very best in retirement from football.

South Melbourne FC is delighted to advise that midfielder Stephen Hatzikostas has extended his contract until the end of the 2015 National Premier League Victoria season.

Hatzikostas arrived at Lakeside Stadium from the Bentleigh Greens during the 2014 mid-season transfer window. He played thirteen games for the Club and played an integral midfield role that helped South Melbourne FC win the NPL Victoria Championship. Unfortunately, he suffered a bad knee injury during South’s PS4 Elimination Final against South Hobart in Hobart and will miss a large part of 2015.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Hatzikostas said “I am pleased to have re-signed for South and am looking forward to the challenges that next season will hold. The aim is to once again win the Victorian Championship and follow that up by becoming National Champions. On a more personal level, I’m focused on working hard through the rehabilitation process to return to playing as soon as possible.”

South Melbourne FC wishes Stephen Hatzikostas a speedy recovery with his injury and looks forward to seeing him back on the park in the second half of the 2015 season.

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South Melbourne FC advises that Shaun Timmins has departed the Club to join Hume City ahead of the 2015 National Premier League Victoria season.

Timmins arrived at Lakeside Stadium during the 2014 NPL Victoria mid-season transfer window. The left-back represented South Melbourne FC on 12 occasions and scored one goal. That goal was the opening goal of the memorable 4-3 derby win against the Melbourne Knights at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 20 July.

South Melbourne FC thanks Shaun Timmins for his contribution to the Club and wishes him well in his future endeavours