Author: John Kyrou

By John Kyrou on behalf of the SMFC Media Team: George Kouroumalis, David Henning, Paul Zarogiannis, Cindy Nitsos, Michael Dimoudis, Tim Dovas, Paul Mavroudis and Steven Orchard

We were very sad when we heard that Fernando De Moraes had decided to retire from playing outdoor football and retire from playing for our great Club. We thought it was only too appropriate to write this tribute to him to show him how much of a friend and supporter he has been to us in his time at the Club.

Fernando joined the Club nine games into our first season in the Victorian Premier League back in 2005. He played his first game for us against Green Gully on 10 April 2005 (League match), a game that we lost 1-0. His last appearance for the Club – ironically – was also against Green Gully (Dockerty Cup match) that we also lost 1-0 on 21 August 2013. In between, we saw him make 174 League appearances for 53 goals and represent the Club in official games (League, Dockerty Cup, Singapore Cup) on 182 occasions for 62 goals. He won numerous awards, all of which can be seen in the official Club release announcing his retirement. When he was on song, he was the best player in the VPL by a mile. However there was more to him than just being a great player on the field, it was what he was off the field that in our eyes made him a Champion of this Club.

When Fernando arrived at Lakeside Stadium, his command of English wasn’t the best, having only recently arrived from his native Brazil. With the help of great Club men at the time in Dean Anastasiadis, Con Blatsis and Tansel Baser, eventually he learnt to speak fluent English and he was able to properly interact with the fans post-match in the social club. It was in this setting that many supporters got to know him and see how he truly loved playing for South Melbourne. He had seen the Club play in the World Club Championships in Rio de Janeiro in 2000 and decided to join some members of his family (who were already in Melbourne) in making the move here. The coach John Anastasiadis eventually signed him and the rest as they say is history.

Our early impressions of Fernando in 2005 were that of a player that could score fantastic goals from free kicks and just loved playing football. When he was on song, the entire team lifted and a relatively youthful South side went as far as a Preliminary Final finish that season. The following year he exploded and scored 12 goals in an outstanding year that saw South win the VPL Championship thanks to his assist for De Nittis to score. Not surprisingly, he won the Jimmy Rooney Medal for being the best afield in that game.

SMFCTV was created in 2009 and has captured Fernando scoring some brilliant goals. In addition, he has been a great help to the Media Team in making himself available for interviews or photo shoots. Whenever we’ve needed him, he’s been more than happy to come and help out. He wasn’t lying in the 2012 membership advertisement when he said “this is my home, this is my family.” When we went into the rooms after matches we could see how much he loved it when we won and how much he was hurting when we lost. This is not to say that other players didn’t feel the same way also; however with a guy like Fern who had been around the Club for nearly a decade, he took the results like a supporter would because the Club means so much to him as it does to the supporters. Last year when we fought back from a 0-2 deficit against Preston in the Dockerty Cup, who stepped up to be counted? Fernando of course, with two goals in the final few minutes to seal a 4-2 win. If there was one player to rely on to do something to get the team out of trouble, it was him.

What makes a player a great Club man? We think it’s when they are prepared to step up and speak when the results aren’t the best. When we win games, many players are happy to be interviewed, however very few volunteer to do so when we lose. In the time we have done SMFCTV, there are only four players that have voluntarily stepped up to speak after losses and it is no surprise that all of them have captained the Club – Rama Tavsancioglu, Steve O’Dor, Brad Norton and of course Fernando. It is why all of them have our utmost respect and shows why they were all made captain in the first place.

Off the field, Fernando is an absolute gentleman. Whenever he sees us he stops to shake our hands and have a chat. He makes time to speak to everyone and it is little wonder why he is such a hit with the juniors and the younger supporters. Many other players should follow his lead because his off-field contributions to this Club have been enormous. His love of football and his football abilities – both in outdoor and futsal – is huge and it is again no surprise that he is an important player in the Australian Futsalroos team. He also loves coaching and we hope that one day he can be a coach in the South system.

Fernando De Moraes is without doubt the best player we’ve had in the VPL. On the field he was a star, off the field he is a gentleman. He is a true friend of South Melbourne FC and is a great friend of the Media Team and all of the supporters.

Fernando/Fern/Nando/Liliko, we are all sad that we won’t see you run amok in the VPL any more but we look forward to seeing you supporting our great Club on the terraces. Thanks for the unbelievable memories!

Tuesday, 21 July 2009 11:39 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC’s home clash against Hume City on Sunday will mark the side’s 200th match at Bob Jane Stadium across all competitions, including National and Victorian Soccer League, finals and Cup matches since the venue opened in 1995.

The first ever match at Bob Jane Stadium was on the 26th of November 1995, when nearly 12,000 fans saw West Adelaide Hellas come from 2-1 down to win 2-3 thanks to a late goal from Nathan Day. West Adelaide (and current Green Gully) forward Pablo Cardozo had the honour of scoring the first ever goal at the stadium, with Danny Allsopp becoming the first South Melbourne FC player to score at Lakeside.

South’s first trophy at the stadium was won in the 1995/96 season, as Frank Arok’s young side overcame the Melbourne Knights (4-3 over two legs), Marconi Fairfield (3-2), Canberra Cosmos (3-2) and Newcastle Breakers (3-1) to win the NSL Cup for the second time in the club’s history. Vaughan Coveny netted a double and Steve Panopoulos converted a penalty in the final that was played in front of 5,000 fans.

In coming seasons, South made the stadium an absolute fortress for opposition sides to visit. Not surprisingly, the back-to-back NSL championship seasons of 97/98 and 98/99 were on the back of an extremely strong home record. South only lost once at home in those two seasons, with that loss being in the final round of the 97/98 season against Carlton, when the Minor Premiership was already wrapped up and with many of the regular starting eleven rested for the match.

The derbies against Carlton at Bob Jane Stadium were always great matches that attracted crowds regularly in excess of 10,000. One of the finest matches ever at the stadium was in 98/99, when South came from behind to lead Carlton 4-3 at halftime. Andy Vlahos equalised for Carlton with three minutes remaining and the final score line of 4-4 remains the highest scoring drawn match at the venue to this day. South’s come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Perth Glory that season (midweek match in front of over 11,000 fans) also ranks as one of the best ever home matches.

Whilst South struggled in the league in 99/00, the side still maintained a reasonable record at home. The stadium was regularly filled with Brazilian dancers that season as South celebrated its participation at the inaugural World Club Championships in Brazil. The final home match of the season was used as a send-off for Ange Postecoglou (127 matches in charge), who left to take up coaching the Young Socceroos. South defeated Newcastle Breakers 4-0 to end the season on a high.

Season 00/01 was an exceptional one for South despite the side falling at the final hurdle by losing the Grand Final. The side went through the regular season undefeated at home and celebrated the Minor Premiership after a huge 6-2 win against Northern Spirit in the final round. However in a cruel twist, South lost its only home game of the season against Wollongong 1-2 in the second leg of the Major Semi Final. The result meant a 4-2 aggregate win for the Wolves and the right to host the Grand Final.

The following season saw South go from whipping boys at the halfway point of the season to outside championship favourite by season’s end. In the final round, South needed to beat Marconi at Bob Jane Stadium to qualify for the finals series. Con Boutsianis netted two brilliant goals and Coveny added a third as South triumphed 3-1 to storm into the finals series. South continued its good home record by beating the Brisbane Strikers 2-0 in the first leg of the Elimination Final.

An inconsistent 02/03 home record corresponded with South’s struggle overall that season. The final NSL season of 03/04 saw a bright start before a late fade in form saw a couple of bad losses at home. Retiring legend Mehmet Durakovic played his final home match for the club in the second leg of the Elimination Final against Marconi. Michael Curcija netted a double to send the team through to the Minor Semi Final, as Durakovic was chaired off the ground by thousands of invading fans.

South resumed life back in the VPL with a 0-0 draw against Heidelberg in front of over 11,000 spectators at Lakeside in 2005. South’s biggest ever win at the stadium was recorded the following season with a 7-0 victory against the Melbourne Knights. South finished the season in third but won through to the Grand Final, held at Bob Jane Stadium. Gianni De Nittis’ headed goal was enough to give South a 1-0 win over Altona Magic and the club’s eighth state league title.

2007 and 2008 were a disaster on the whole, with the side missing the finals in both seasons. However there were some excellent home results, notably the 5-2 win over the Oakleigh Cannons and the come-from-behind 3-3 draw against Preston. In the current campaign, South has been undefeated at home since losing the opening two matches of the season. Most pleasing is that the side has been able to maintain good form at home as well as away, something that South has always struggled to achieve, even in the NSL.

South Melbourne FC is hoping to celebrate its 200th match at Bob Jane Stadium with a victory against Hume on Sunday afternoon. A win could potentially give the club a five point lead in second spot, which will be an enormous advantage with some difficult matches still to come in the regular season.

 

Saturday, 11 July 2009 10:26 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC has a firm hold on second spot on the league table after a come-from-behind 1-3 victory over the Richmond Eagles at Kevin Bartlett Reserve on Friday night. The away side played well and deserved victory despite a massive scare near the conclusion of the match.

South went into the match knowing that a victory was paramount in its quest for a top three finish in 2009. A win would keep South in second spot for at least another week, just ahead of a chasing pack in Altona, Hume City, Green Gully and Sunshine George Cross. For Richmond, a win was vital in keeping alive their already slim finals hopes, with the Eagles sitting 9 points behind fifth position.

South began the match strongly, with Joseph Youssef missing a glorious chance early on to open the scoring. A cross from Fernando De Moraes was not cleared by the Eagles defence and fell to Youssef, who skied his volleyed attempt with only goalkeeper Peter Zois to beat.

It was the Eagles that went ahead after being controversially awarded a penalty for an alleged foul by South centre-back Steve O’Dor, who was attempting to shield the ball out of play for a goal kick. From the resultant spot-kick, Tom Milardovic sent Tommi Tomich the wrong way and put the home side ahead.

South looked slightly shaky having gone a goal down, but were soon back to playing their normal attacking game. Youssef teamed up with his fellow midfielder Sebastian Petrovic to carve out the equalising goal for the away side. Youssef managed to find himself space down the left side, with his cut-back ball falling to Petrovic. The hard-working midfielder managed to lob Zois and in the process score his second goal for the season.

Shane Nunes has arguably been the biggest improver for South this season and it was the centre-back that put the Blues ahead before halftime. A free kick taken by Vaughan Coveny was floated into the penalty area, where Nunes snuck in unmarked and hit a perfect left-foot volley past Zois and into the bottom corner. The goal was Nunes’ second for the season and one that gave South a well-deserved lead.

The second half continued in the same fashion as the first, with South creating chances to finish the match off. Richmond had Zois to thank several times for making some excellent saves, including one from a Fernando free kick and one from a Rama Tavsancioglu power shot. Coveny was guilty of not finishing a ball that was squared back to him by substitute Sam Torrens from the left and Fernando wasted a glorious chance by hitting a shot wide of the near post, with Zois beaten.

With the match into injury time, a ball played into the area by Richmond was not cleared by South. The ball fell to Erhan Karahan, whose header towards goal was destined for the top corner before Tomich pulled off an outstanding save to keep his side ahead. The big custodian had to back-track but he managed to do so before tipping the ball out for a corner kick.

South made sure of the three points in the 94th minute, when a pass from Petrovic found Fernando who finally beat Zois to score, despite the Richmond custodian getting his hand on the ball. The goal was Fernando’s sixth for the season and 34th in his South career, making him the ninth highest goal scorer in the club’s history.

South Melbourne FC now has a two point lead in second place. In contrast, Richmond lie in ninth spot on the table with their finals hopes all but over for 2009. South have five hard matches to end the regular home & away season, with big home games against Gully, Hume and George Cross as well as tough away matches against Oakleigh and Altona. The first of these difficult assignments will be against Gully at Bob Jane Stadium next Sunday afternoon. The match kicks off at 4pm.

FINAL SCORE
Richmond Eagles 1 (Milardovic 12’)
South Melbourne 3 (Petrovic 33’, Nunes 38’, De Moraes 94’)

South Melbourne FC line-up:
Tommi Tomich, Shane Nunes, Rhodri Payne, Steve O’Dor, Vaughan Coveny, Joseph Youssef, Francesco Stella (Sam Torrens 67’), Rama Tavsancioglu (C), Fernando De Moraes, Goran Zoric (Yusuf Yusuf 77’), Sebastian Petrovic

smfcTV
Watch the Round 17 highlights between Richmond and South Melbourne FC on smfcTV. We also have 2 player interviews, Shane Nunes and Sam Torrens.

Wednesday, 8 July 2009 2:50 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC travels to Kevin Bartlett Reserve on Friday night to face Richmond knowing that a win or draw will keep the team in second spot on the league table. However the task at hand will not be made easy against a Richmond side out to make amends after being the first side to lose against Preston this season.

South heads into the match on the back of a comfortable 4-0 home victory against the Whittlesea Zebras in the previous round, giving the club a three game unbeaten run. In fact South has only been defeated once in 14 matches, an excellent achievement considering the struggles in recent seasons to achieve consistently good form. Also of a pleasing note is the fact that South is the highest scoring team in the league, with 35 goals from 16 matches.

Goran Zoric’s double against the Zebras took his individual tally for 2009 to double figures, with an excellent return of 10 goals from 16 games. Two more goals for Zoric will see him equal teammate Fernando De Moraes’ 12 goals in 2006. This is the highest individual tally for a South player since the club resumed life back in the Victorian Premier League. Sadly for Zoric, he still needs another 13 goals if he is to break Jim Armstrong’s club record of 22 goals in a State League season that was set in the championship-winning season of 1974.

Richmond started the 2009 season in excellent form, with four wins and a draw in their opening five matches seeing the Eagles soar to the top of the league. However it was South that inflicted the Eagles’ first defeat in the sixth round at Bob Jane Stadium and since then Richmond has struggled, with only one win in its last 11 matches. The worst of the lot was the 2-1 loss at Preston in the previous round, with the Eagles becoming the first side to lose to the Lions in 2009.

Though Richmond is third-last on the ladder, finals are still a mathematical possibility (being 9 points behind 5th position with six rounds remaining). With teams always taking points off each other, the Eagles could very well get themselves back into finals reckoning with a win on Friday night. Richmond will also be encouraged by the fact that they won the corresponding fixture 2-0 last season, thanks to a double from Pablo Cardozo (76’, 90’) that all but confirmed a spot in the finals for the Eagles and confirmed an early end to the season for South.

A point on Friday night will be enough for South to remain in second place, however with extremely tough assignments against Green Gully and Hume coming up, a win against Richmond is crucial. If other results go the right way and South wins, the Blues could end the weekend four points clear of third. This would provide the Blues with a handy gap ahead of around six other clubs also pushing for a finals spot.

Richmond first played against South Melbourne FC in 1961, with the first league meeting between the two sides ending in a 6-1 win for South at Middle Park. Antonis Hatzieleftheriou and Terry Budgen scored doubles, with John Hatzigeorgiou and Peter Tzaponis also scoring. South also had success in the return fixture, winning 3-4 thanks to a double from George Papadopoulos and singles to Stratos Kalogeros and Savvas Salapasidis.

Richmond were relegated in 1961, but returned to the State League in 1963. South Melbourne FC defeated Richmond 4-2 at Middle Park in round six before being held to a 2-2 draw at Olympic Park in the second round of matches. It was a different story in the Dockerty Cup, with South destroying Richmond 6-0 in the First Round. The next time the sides met in a league match was 43 years later, when a late Scott MacNicol goal was enough to hand South Melbourne FC a 2-1 win over Richmond at Bob Jane Stadium in 2006.

In all, the sides have met each other in ten league matches since 1961, with South triumphing seven times, Richmond twice and with just a single draw between the two teams.

Friday night’s match kicks off at 8:30pm at Kevin Bartlett Reserve (Melways reference 45 A12).

Monday, 29 June 2009 1:17 PM

By John Kyrou | Photo by Craig Varty

South Melbourne FC has climbed back up to second position on the league table following a comprehensive 4-0 win against the Whittlesea Zebras on Sunday afternoon at Bob Jane Stadium.

The home side wore a special heritage strip (white with a red V on the front) as a tribute to the first few years of South Melbourne Hellas’ existence when this shirt was worn before the change in colours to blue and white.

South entered the match on the back of a disappointing away draw against the Melbourne Knights and having dropped from second to fifth position due to other results on the weekend. Whittlesea entered in a contrasting position, with the Zebras deep in relegation danger and needing a confidence-boosting win.

South began the match well and opened the scoring after only five minutes. Left back Rhodri Payne’s long ball set Vaughan Coveny through one-on-one with the Zebras keeper and the forward kept his cool and calmly lobbed the ball over the advancing keeper and into the back of the net.

The home side remained in complete control of the match but were unable to score the killer second goal until 10 minutes before halftime. The ball bounced kindly for Fernando de Moraes around the edge of the area and the midfielder hit a lovely shot that flew into the top left corner of the goal.

The match should have been over as a contest shortly after the halftime break when Francesco Stella intercepted a ball played across goals and was through one-on-one with the keeper. However Stella chose to round the keeper and shoot instead of placing a shot into the corner of the goal and as a result was quickly dispossessed.

Goran Zoric ended any feint hopes of a Zebras fight back when he added South’s third for the afternoon. Captain Rama Tavsancioglu made an excellent run down the right side and his cut-back found an unmarked Zoric who had no problems in putting the ball in the back of the net.

Zoric doubled his tally five minutes later and made the score 4-0 when he snuck down the right side and was supplied an excellent through-ball by Fernando. Zoric hit a first time shot that flew across the ball and into the corner of the goal.

The league has a catch-up round next week so both sides have a break. South opens round 17 with an away trip to Kevin Bartlett Reserve to take on the Richmond Eagles. The match kicks off at 8:30pm on the 10th of July. Whittlesea has another away match, this time against Heidelberg at Olympic Village.

Thursday, 25 June 2009 12:46 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC hosts the Whittlesea Zebras on Sunday afternoon in a match that the club is promoting as the Foundation Round. The match is important for the home side as South simply must win to continue to hold onto second place on the league table. However this will not be made easy against a Zebras side that will be pushing for the three points to help drag itself out of relegation danger.

South sits in second position in the league but has a huge chasing pack behind it, with only four points separating second from eighth. Although South has lost only once in 13 matches, too many draws have allowed Altona, Sunshine George Cross, Green Gully, Hume City and Heidelberg to catch up to them.

With some of these sides likely to take points off each other on the weekend (Hume plays league leaders Dandenong and Altona plays Heidelberg), a win on Sunday could potentially give South some breathing space in second spot, which will be handy considering some of the tricky fixtures coming up.

South enters the match following a disappointing 1-1 away draw against the Melbourne Knights last Sunday and after missing many excellent opportunities to win the match. However what was promising was the almost flawless first half performance, in which Joseph Youssef, Sebastian Petrovic, Steven O’Dor and Sam Torrens performed exceptionally well. Youssef’s 19th minute goal was his fourth goal for South in what has so far been an excellent debut season at Lakeside for the former Fawkner Blues captain. The workman-like performances in midfield by Youssef and Petrovic this season has been what the side has been missing for the past few years and the side will be looking for more of these efforts on Sunday afternoon.

Whittlesea have not had much to cheer about in 2009, with the side sitting in deep relegation trouble. The 2-1 loss away to Oakleigh last Friday night means that the Zebras sit a massive 13 points clear of safety with only seven games left. Relegation could be confirmed as early as the next round if Whittlesea does not beat South and other results don’t go their way. Therefore the away side, coached by legendary former South player and coach Ange Postecoglou, will no doubt be fired up to take the three points from Michael Michalakopoulos’ men on Sunday.

South has a long history of playing against Whittlesea, who have gone by the names of Brunswick Juventus and Bulleen Zebras in the past and in fact still trade by the name Juventus. The sides have been battling since the 1961 Victorian State League (now the Victorian Premier League) season. In the first meeting between the clubs, two goals from Barbazza and singles from Acunzo and Pagotto were enough for Juventus to comprehensively defeat South Melbourne Hellas 4-1 at Olympic Park in front of 8,500 spectators. Savvas Salapasidis was the lone scorer for South.

South edged on top in the rivalry stakes the following season when it pipped Juventus for the 1962 VSL championship by winning the league by two points. When the two sides clashed in round 14, Boulis Kambouropoulos’ winning goal for South was witnessed by over 20,000 spectators at Olympic Park. Crowds were regularly between the 10,000 to 15,000 mark when the two sides clashed throughout the 1960s.

In 1966, South began the league season with two losses. Former Greek international Con Nestorides made his debut for the club against Juventus in round three and the legendary forward’s winning goal was celebrated by over 20,000 spectators at Middle Park. The result kick-started South’s march towards being crowned VSL champions that season. The two sides did not meet in the later stages of a Cup competition until Jim Armstrong’s 119th minute goal was enough for South to see off Juventus 2-1 in the semi final of the Dockerty Cup in 1975 after a 1-1 draw in normal time.

In their first meeting in the National Soccer League, goals by Gary Ward and Kevin Swinscoe were enough for Juve to overcome South 2-1 at Olympic Park in front of 12,000. Paul Lewis scored a consolation goal for South four minutes from time. The following season, South won the Minor Premiership by four points over Juve but was stunned when Paul Wade scored in extra time to defeat the Middle Park outfit in the Major Semi Final. South crashed out against Preston the week after while Brunswick went on to win the championship by defeating Sydney City Hakoah 2-0 over two legs.

Juve dropped out of the NSL in 1988 but returned in the 1993/94 season before dropping out again in 1994/95. South won all four league contests in those two seasons, including a devastating 0-6 victory in round 12 of 1994/95. In the second last round of the season, South needed to beat Brunswick at Olympic Park to keep its finals hopes alive. Steve Panopoulos’ goal in the 14th minute helped land South a spot in the top six.

Overall, the two sides have played each other in 55 league matches. South has won on 23 occasions, with 17 draws and 15 wins for Juventus. Since returning to the VPL, South has played Bulleen/Whittlesea eight times for 5 wins, 2 draws and a loss.

For the Foundation Round on Sunday afternoon, South Melbourne FC will be wearing the red V playing shirt. These were the colours worn by the side that played Juventus in front of huge crowds in the early 1960s. South fans are strongly encouraged to attend to lend their support to the team. Kick-off is at 4pm at Bob Jane Stadium.

South Melbourne vs Whittlesea Zebras – An Overview

First VPL match:

Round 4, 1961
Brunswick Juventus 4-1 South Melbourne
(SMFC Goal: Savvas Salapasidis)
Venue: Olympic Park. Attendance: 8,500.

First NSL match:

Round 6, 1984
Brunswick Juventus 2-1 South Melbourne
(SMFC Goal: Paul Lewis)
Venue: Olympic Park no. 2. Attendance: 12,000.

Last NSL match:

Round 25, 1994/95
South Melbourne 1-0 Brunswick Juventus
(SMFC Goal: Steve Panopoulos)
Venue: Olympic Park. Attendance: 5,000.

Last VPL match:

Round 5, 2009
Whittlesea Zebras 1-3 South Melbourne
(SMFC Goals: Goran Zoric, Gianni De Nittis, Fernando De Moraes)
Venue: Bob Jane Stadium. Attendance: 500.

Total Games (League): 55
South Melbourne Wins: 23
Whittlesea Zebras Wins: 15
Draws: 17

Highest Aggregate Score:

Round 12, 1994/95 NSL
Brunswick Juventus 0-6 South Melbourne
(SMFC Goals: Con Boutsianis x2, Jason Polak, Ivan Kelic, Paul Trimboli, OG)
Venue: Olympic Park. Attendance: 4,000.

SMFC Biggest Win:

Round 12, 1994/95 NSL
Brunswick Juventus 0-6 South Melbourne
(SMFC Goals: Con Boutsianis x2, Jason Polak, Ivan Kelic, Paul Trimboli, OG)
Venue: Olympic Park. Attendance: 4,000.

Thursday, 11 June 2009 2:55 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC hosts the Preston Lions on Sunday in what is a must-win match for the home side. South will have to do battle with the Lions without veteran forward Vaughan Coveny, who was sent off against Heidelberg United and subsequently suspended.

South has slipped from second to fourth spot in the league following the unlucky 1-0 away loss to Heidelberg in the previous round. The defeat also broke the ten week unbeaten run enjoyed by Michael Michalakopoulos’ men. The home side will be heartened by the fact that the win over Preston in round three began the unbeaten streak and will be hoping for a similar outcome on Sunday.

Preston has endured what can only be described as a horror season, with only one point from its 13 matches in 2009 and a series of heavy defeats. While relegation has not yet been confirmed, the Lions will surely have to get all three points on Sunday to give itself any chance of staying in the VPL. However Preston can go into the match with some confidence, having defeated South at Bob Jane Stadium twice since the two sides renewed acquaintances in the league in 2005.

Despite Preston’s form in 2009, South will not be taking this match lightly. Recent history between the sides has shown that the underdog has usually taken the honours. In the eight league matches that Preston and South have played since 2005, the away side has won on five occasions (with two draws and a South home win being the other results).

Since meeting for the first time in the old Victorian State League in 1967, South and Preston have played each other on 39 occasions. This includes both in the State Leagues and the old National Soccer League. South has enjoyed 21 wins, Preston 8 and there have been 10 draws.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 3pm at Bob Jane Stadium.

South Melbourne vs Preston Lions – An Overview

First VPL match:

Round 7, 1967
Preston Lions 2-4 South Melbourne
(SMFC Goals: John Bedford, Con Nestorides pen, Leo Damianakos, Ernie Ackerley)
Venue: Olympic Park. Attendance: 11,000

First NSL match:

Round 11, 1981
Preston Lions 1-1 South Melbourne
(SMFC Goal: Branko Buljevic)
Venue: Connor Reserve. Attendance: 6,000

Last NSL match:

Round 17, 1992/93
Preston Lions 0-1 South Melbourne
(SMFC Goal: Francis Awaritefe)Venue: Connor Reserve. Attendance: 3,982

Last VPL match:

Round 3, 2009
Preston Lions 1-7 South Melbourne
(SMFC Goals: Goran Zoric x4, Steve O’Dor, Joseph Youssef, Danni Radojicic)
Venue: Connor Reserve. Attendance: 1,000.

Totals:

Total Games (League): 39
South Melbourne Wins: 21
Preston Lions Wins: 8
Draws: 10

Highest Aggregate Score:

Round 3, 2009 VPL
Preston Lions 1-7 South Melbourne
(SMFC Goals: Goran Zoric x4, Steve O’Dor, Joseph Youssef, Danni Radojicic)
Venue: Connor Reserve. Attendance: 1,000.

Southern Division Preliminary Final, 1985 NSL
Preston Lions 4-4 South Melbourne
After extra time. Preston through on penalties 5-4.
(SMFC Goals: Charlie Egan x3, Doug Brown)
Venue: Olympic Park. Attendance: 9,000.

Wednesday, 3 June 2009 4:40 PM

By John Kyrou

Veteran South Melbourne FC defender Con Blatsis has announced his retirement from football after yet another cruel injury set-back. Despite having his career at lakeside being ravaged by injuries, Blatsis still managed to enjoy many honours wearing the blue and white of South Melbourne.

Blatsis was brought to the club by Frank Arok at the beginning of 1995 and made his debut in the 0-2 win over Port Melbourne in round three of the Docherty Cup. He retained his place in the side as South beat the Melbourne Knights 3-1 in the final, Blatsis’ first trophy as a South player.

The young defender made his National Soccer League debut for the club in the 3-0 loss against the Brisbane Strikers at Suncorp Stadium in round 10 of 1995/96. Unfortunately for Blatsis, a nightmare debut was made worse when referee Simon Micallef sent him off ten minutes before the end of the match. South failed to make the finals in the league but the team won the NSL Cup, with Blatsis playing in the Cup final.

From there, Blatsis cemented his spot in the senior side and figured prominently in season 1996/97 and in the championship-winning season of 1997/98. In 1998/99, he suffered a lengthy injury and missed the majority of the season. However, Blatsis recovered and convinced coach Ange Postecoglou to award him a starting berth in the side that went on to beat Sydney United 3-2 and secure back-to-back NSL championships.

Blatsis remained at the club for the 1999/00 season and was part of the squad that took its place at the inaugural FIFA World Club Championships in Rio de Janeiro. Blatsis and the rest of the South defence did an admirable job defending against the likes of Vasco da Gama’s Romario, Juninho and Edmundo and Manchester United’s Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Andy Cole.

After the thrill of competing against the world’s best in that tournament, Blatsis decided to venture overseas after the 1999/00 NSL season concluded. Stints followed at Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday and Colchester United in England and Kocaelispor in Turkey. Blatsis has indicated that a highlight of his when playing overseas was playing at Derby with former Italian international Fabrizio Ravanelli.

At the beginning of 2005, 27-year-old Blatsis decided to return back to Melbourne to play for his beloved South Melbourne FC, now competing in the Victorian Premier League under Blatsis’ former team-mate John Anastasiadis. Anastasiadis signed him for his experience and leadership. Following a mass exodus of players after the demise of the NSL, Anastasiadis was forced to sign young promising players and a player of the Blatsis’ quality was invaluable for his young squad.

Blatsis featured in 15 games for South in 2005 but broke down with injury late in the season. He managed 11 matches in 2006 but broke down in the 3-0 win over Green Gully in the Elimination Final at Bob Jane Stadium. Despite the set-back, he was still there supporting his teammates as South secured its eighth state league title with a 1-0 victory over Altona in the Grand Final.

Blatsis has attempted to get his body right to play ever since. In the past few seasons he has assisted the club in sales, helping to promote South Melbourne FC to the football community. This season he managed to play in the Under 21s however recently he broke down with injury again and therefore was forced to retire from playing.

Con Blatsis may not have played as many matches for South Melbourne FC as he would have liked due to injury; however he can be proud of stamping his mark at the club by being involved in Victorian and Australian championships, as well as representing the club on the world stage. His decision to rejoin South when the club was on its knees (2005) and for working to promote the club in the sales department shows the immense devotion and loyalty he possesses for the Blues.South Melbourne FC players, coaches, staff, board members and supporters congratulate Con on his football career and wishes him all the best in his retirement.

Con Blatsis – SMFC Statistics:

• DOB 6th July 1977
• Debut v Port Melbourne (Docherty Cup r3 @ Anderson Reserve, 0-2 win)
• NSL debut v Brisbane Strikers (round 10 @ Suncorp Stadium, 3-0 loss)
• Member of the 1995 Docherty Cup championship team
• Member of the 1995/96 NSL Cup championship team
• Member of the 1997/98 NSL championship team
• Member of the 1998/99 NSL championship team
• Member of the 1999 Oceania championship team
• Squad member of the 2000 World Club Championship team
• Squad member of the 2006 VPL championship team

Season Breakdowns

League:
1995/96 – 19 games (17 starts, 2 subs), 1 goal
1996/97 – 23 games (23 starts, 0 subs), 2 goals
1997/98 – 23 games (23 starts, 0 subs), 1 goal
1998/99 – 7 games (6 starts, 1 sub)
1999/00 – 24 games (24 starts, 0 subs), 1 goal
2005 – 15 games (15 starts, 0 subs)
2006 – 11 games (11 starts, 0 subs)
2007 – 0 games (0 starts, 0 subs)
2008 – 0 games (0 starts, 0 subs)
2009 – 0 games (0 starts, 0 subs)
Total – 122 games (119 starts, 3 subs), 5 goals

Cups:
1995 Docherty Cup – 4 games (4 starts, 0 subs)
1996 Docherty Cup – 0 games (0 starts, 0 subs)
1995/96 NSL Cup – 4 games (4 starts, 0 subs)
1996/97 NSL Cup – 2 games (2 starts, 0 subs)
2000 FIFA World Club Cup – 3 games (3 starts, 0 subs)
Total – 13 games (13 starts, 0 subs)

Overall Total: 135 games (132 starts, 3 subs), 5 goals

Monday, 25 May 2009 10:07 AM

By John Kyrou

Click here to view the smfcTV highlights of the game

South Melbourne FC stretched its unbeaten run to ten matches after a spirited and fighting comeback saw the side claim a hard fought 2-2 draw against the high-flying Dandenong Thunder at George Andrews Reserve on Saturday evening.

With Heidelberg, Altona, Green Gully and Hume all closing in on South’s hold of second position on the league table, the side travelled to Dandenong intent on securing the three points needed to allow breathing space from the chasing pack. The win would also close Dandenong’s lead over South at the top to five points.

Dandenong went into the match full of confidence after disposing of third-placed Heidelberg United 3-0 at George Andrews Reserve the previous Saturday. The result meant that the Thunder had completed the first round of the 2009 VPL season undefeated, an enormous achievement for the newly-promoted club. Under the guidance of former South coach Stuart Munro, the Thunder were determined not to let second-placed South stop its momentum towards a possible Minor Premiership.

With both sides known for attacking football and high scoring, the scene was set for a classic end-to-end attacking match. However it was all Dandenong in the opening half, with the home side dominating from the kick-off. The South defence did just enough to hold out Dandenong’s constant attacking, but even the most one-eyed of South supporters would have known that the away side would struggle to hold out all game.

It took half an hour but Dandenong finally got the goal that it deserved. A set piece from a free kick saw Veton Korcarevski sneak in unmarked at the far post to comfortably head the ball past a helpless Tommi Tomich. The Thunder were completely in control and should have been at least two goals ahead at halftime had it not been for poor shooting and some desperate South defending. However it did not take long for the home side to double their lead after the break, when a deflection off Colin Quirk from an attempted South clearance saw the ball roll into the net, sending the home supporters wild. The Thunder had a deserved 2-0 lead and it seemed inevitable that the Dandenong unbeaten streak would continue.

Until that stage South had only shown glimpses of a side leading the league in goals scored, with Fernando De Moraes coming closest to scoring after putting a free kick just wide of the goal in the first half. Dandenong’s Stuart Webster had been having a relatively quiet night in goal; however he made a monumental error in picking up a back-pass from one of his defenders to gift South an indirect free kick. Despite having a wall of Thunder players on the goal line in front of him, De Moraes managed to squeeze a shot into the far corner of the goal to hand the away side a lifeline with 13 minutes left. All of a sudden the confidence had risen and a draw seemed possible.

Only minutes later South completed its remarkable comeback. A ball played through to Goran Zoric found the speedster through on goal with only Webster to beat. Webster saved the initial shot but the ball bounced off Zoric’s chest and rolled into the back of the net despite desperate attempted clearances from two Dandenong defenders. The goal sent the away fans behind that goal into a state of delirium, as the team had out of nowhere scored two goals to draw the contest level.

Suddenly South was in complete control of the match, with the Dandenong players and spectators clearly stunned at what had just occurred. Hard-working Gianni De Nittis nearly won the match for South when his turn and shot forced Webster to make an outstanding save at his near post to keep his side level. When the fulltime whistle sounded, the away side was still pressing forward, seeking a winning goal.

Dandenong enjoys its third home match in a row when it entertains the Oakleigh Cannons at George Andrews Reserve next Saturday evening. Kick-off is at 7pm. South Melbourne FC will have its third away fixture in succession when it faces old rival Heidelberg next Sunday at the Olympic Village. A win will extend South’s hold of second spot to five points over the third-placed Bergers. Kick-off is at 4pm.

Click here to view the smfcTV highlights of the game

Monday, 18 May 2009 3:19 PM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Paul Touliatos)

South Melbourne FC stretched its unbeaten run to nine matches following the 1-1 draw away to Sunshine George Cross on Sunday afternoon. The result also meant that the Blues hold outright second position on the league table.

The trip to Chaplin Reserve was never going to be an easy one, as South had only recorded one victory at the venue since returning to the Victorian Premier League in 2005. In addition, Sunshine went into the match having only lost once at home, with that loss being against the undefeated league leaders Dandenong.

The poor condition of the field was not beneficial to South’s usual style of play and as a result the team had to resort to playing the long ball constantly. This made the afternoon difficult for the forwards in Gianni de Nittis and Goran Zoric, who had to make aerial challenges against the huge George Cross centre-backs.

Sunshine opened the scoring midway through the first half, when a South attacking move was broken down. The ball streamed up the other end, where Johnny Sapazovski got onto the end of a cut-back and coolly netted past Tommi Tomich. The goal was a just reward for Sapazovski, who just a minute earlier hit a volley from outside the area that smashed the crossbar and stayed out.

The goal woke South up instantly. The away supporters lifted in chanting, urging the team to get back into the match and the players responded with a goal straight away. De Nittis was put through on goal and he made no mistake in levelling up the contest, despite the fierce protests from the Sunshine players and supporters that De Nittis was offside when the ball was played through to him.

Shortly after, it was the turn of the South players to complain, after Zoric looked to have been fouled in the area but the penalty claim was waved away by the referee. Zoric was then put through on goal but had his final shot cleared off the line after he had rounded Martin John in the Sunshine goal.

In the second half, South won a free kick just outside the area. De Nittis stepped up and hit a wonderful curling shot that produced an outstanding fingertip save from John. Despite enjoying large amounts of possession, South were restricted in creating genuine scoring chances thanks to resolute defending by Sunshine.

The Georgies nearly stole all three points themselves towards the end of the match. Tomich was forced into making a good save at his near post and then another shot that beat him was cleared off the line by Rhodri Payne. Sunshine did eventually find the back of the net a second time; however the goal was disallowed by the linesman for offside. The final whistle was met with disappointment for some of the away fans; however the result was overall pleasing considering the absences of Vaughan Coveny and Joseph Youssef, plus because of the condition of the pitch.

South’s next match is undoubtedly the match of round 12, as the Blues travel to George Andrews Reserve to take on the undefeated league leaders Dandenong Thunder. South will be looking for revenge after the newly-promoted Thunder shocked all with a 0-1 win at Bob Jane Stadium in the opening round of the season. The Georgies will be looking to continue their good home form as they entertain rivals Green Gully at Chaplin Reserve next Sunday in the Maltese derby.