Author: John Kyrou

Friday, 15 February 2008 2:47 PM

By George Kouroumalis and John Kyrou

After the disappointment of missing the finals in 2007, the South Melbourne Football Club are adamant that season 2008 will be a competitive season, which will hopefully see the club back in finals action and pushing for another VPL championship, to satisfy its large supporter base.

South has retained coach John Anastasiadis for the upcoming season, with the former PAOK and South star signing a 1 year contract extension. This coming season will be Anastasiadis’ fourth consecutive season in charge at Bob Jane Stadium. With all things going well, the round 16 fixture at Western Suburbs will be Anastasiadis’ 100th game in charge for the mighty blue and whites, a feat that only Manny Poulakakis, John Margaritis and Ange Postecoglou have managed to achieve in the past.

In what was a problem area for the club in 2007, the goalkeeping position will be filled in 2008 by the experienced Dean Anastasiads, after Mitchell Langerak’s loan deal from the Melbourne Victory expired. A former NSL championship winner and dual VPL keeper of the year in 2005 and 2006, Anastasiadis has recovered from knee surgery and has once again put his hand up to be the number one keeper at lakeside. ‘Deano’ as he is affectionately known, will be entering his 9th season with South Melbourne, having begun at the club back in the 1992/93 NSL season.

Anastasiadis will have youngsters Mladen Tosic and Nick Jelic as his back-up, with the inexperienced young goalkeepers impressing during the numerous friendlies played across the summer break.

Defensively, South has made a concerted effort during the off-season to bolster a defensive unit that struggled in 2007. Rejoining the club are former players Steven O’Dor and Sam Poutakidis, who will undoubtedly provide experience to a defence that leaked 33 goals last season. Also joining will be Shane Nunes from Western Australia, who is regarded as the best central defender in the Western Australian Premier League. Combining with Ramazan Tavcancioglou and Adam Van Dommelle, these three signings will be a part of what is considered to be a super defensive unit.

In midfield the club will once again rely on Fernando De Moraes and Gianni De Nittis, whilst also having the likes of Bill Natsioulas and Yusuf Yusuf being able to slot into the wing positions comfortably. With the loss of Tansel Baser to Coburg and Trent Waterson to Oakleigh, the midfield quartet will be expected to – and must – step up to ensure South sees finals action. New signings Hamlet Armenian and Goran Zoric will also be expected to use their speed, endurance and work ethic down the left and right hand flanks. South has done extremely well to acquire these two attacking players, as they both played integral parts in the Victorian State Squad of 2007 and for their old clubs Whittlesea Zebras and Springvale White Eagles respectively.

Up front, South will rely on the services of Nathan Caldwell and Ricky Diaco. Both players have a proven goalscoring record in the Foxtel Cup and both have the ablity to torment defences on their day. If the midfielders can combine well with the forwards then South fans can look forward to some exciting attacking football.

John Anastasiadis was quite optimistic about the upcoming season, with the South great claiming that “we have all the players in place now and we really need to be switched on from round 1 and get points on the board early. I feel as though we have a great blend of experience and youth and can match it with any team in the competition, so fingers crossed we can play to our potential and give the league a shake this year.”

South opens the season away to arch rivals Heidelberg in Round 1, with their first home game being against Coburg at Bob Jane Stadium in round 2.

Arrivals
Sam Poutakidis – Oakleigh Cannons
Shane Nunes – Cockburn City (WA)
Nick Jelic – NSW
Steve O’Dor – Wellington Phoenix
Goran Zoric – Springvale White Eagles
Hamlet Armenian – Whittlesea Zebras

Departures
Arthur Tsonis
Sam DeVito
Trent Waterson
Tansel Baser
Frank Drakopoulos
Mitchell Langerak

Tuesday, 29 January 2008 6:21 PM

By Paul Mavroudis and John Kyrou

If you have ventured out for a midweek session at the Hellenic Cup out at Kingston City’s The Grange Reserve recently, you may have noticed some familiar faces kicking the football around in the Veterans competition for an outfit called Panserraikos. Those familiar faces are none other than former South Melbourne legends Ulysses Kokkinos and Jim Pyrgolios, who are still kicking around on Victorian soccer fields some 30-odd years after their proper playing days.

Currently, some South fans are attempting to put together a website dedicated to collecting and presenting information dealing with as many players, coaches, games, and ephemeral information as possible . As part of the process of clearing up the names, positions, and even existences of some players (primarily from the 1960s), a visit was made to Spyro’s Souvlaki in Oakleigh before South’s Hellenic Cup match against South Springvale, which was convincingly won 2-0.

Although a humble souvlaki restaurant, upon entering one could not help but notice a South Melbourne FC vase, as well as seeing the walls filled with framed articles and pictures of an era long gone, with the jewel in the crown being a copy of the South Melbourne FC Team of the Century painting.

After a delicious meal, Jim invited us out to the back porch, where we sat under the thundery skies and went through old players and photographs, in an attempt to preserve as much of our great club’s history as possible. Appropriately, there was a football lying right near him! Jim’s memory was magnificent. Forty years on, after numerous championships as a player with South, and coaching stints as disparate as a minor premiership in NSL season 1992/93 and coaching Floreat Athena to a league and cup double, he remembered the first names and club origins of so many players, as well as their positions on the field and the clubs from which they came before joining South.

As he was handed picture after picture to help to identify players, officials and grounds of yore, the most frequent comment was “kati omada” (what a team!), and who would be game enough to argue! Going back inside (he was meant to be working after all!), he pulled out one scrapbook and one photo album from behind the counter. Inside were well preserved photos similar to the ones that had been brought to him, as well as dozens of articles, including one which reported on him winning the 1971 Bill Fleming Medal. The standout item was a rare early photo from the 1960s, with the team clad in the club’s original strip, with the photo in full colour.

Throughout our time with Jim, one thing stood out. Here was an individual who had played for a top club in the top flight in Greece, at Panathinaikos no less; was a legendary striker in the glory days of 1960s and 70s Victorian soccer; who had been assistant coach under no less than world footballing legend Ferenc Puskas, and yet his humility and generosity was pervasive. It was thoroughly humbling to be in his presence, and we were incredibly appreciative of the time Jim took out to help us out with our research. In another country, and perhaps another era, Pyrgolios would be feted as the legend that he is.

Spyro’s Souvlaki is located near the corner of North and Warrigal roads in Oakleigh. It is well worth dropping in to catch up with a former South Melbourne great. If you are lucky, you may also be able to see that vintage full colour 1960s team photo.

Jim Pyrgolios’ Record with South

As a Player:
Position: Winger
Seasons: 10 (1963-1972)

Honours:
* 4 VSL championships (1964, 1965, 1966 & 1972)
* 2 AMPOL Cups (1969 & 1970)
* 1971 Bill Fleming Medal winner (the media’s player of the year)
* Equal leading goal scorer for South in 1968, along with Frank Micic (8 each)

As a Coach:
Seasons: 3 (1973, 1992/93 & 1993/94)
Games Coached: 58 in the National Soccer League

Honours:
* NSL Minor Premiership 1992/93
* NSL Coach of the Year 1992/93

Saturday, 9 June 2007 11:46 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne recorded its second victory in a row, with a frustrating 2-1 win against Western Suburbs at Bob Jane Stadium on Friday night.

South coach John Anastasiadis started the match with a similar starting line-up that defeated Kingston 0-3 the previous week. The only exception was new defensive signing Adam Van Dommele, who replaced midfielder Bill Natsioulas after the two goal hero from the Kingston game succumbed to injury during the week.

Western Suburbs begun with Stjepan Gal in goals, Eddie Cetkin, James Stefanou, Tom Markovski, Terry Antoniadis, Igor Khrapko, Nikola Raoma, Vasilios Sianidis, Zoran Cvetkovski, Dimitri Hatzimouratis and Leandro Rizzo. Stefanou returned to Bob Jane Stadium for the first time since being loaned to Suburbs at the beginning of the season.

The game began slowly, with both sides struggling to get into their normal rhythms. Nine minutes into the match, South was dealt with a major blow, when Van Dommele injured himself venturing forward. The former Adelaide United player was forced to hobble off with what looked to be a leg injury and was replaced by the ever-reliable Tansel Baser.

The first goal-scoring chance did not arrive until the 16th minute, when a Fernando back-heel found De Nittis, who laid the ball off perfectly into the path of Baser, who had steamed forward. Baser’s final shot unfortunately sailed well wide of the goal. Two minutes later, South almost conceded an opener. A defensive blunder almost gifted Western Suburbs the lead, however South survived the scare.

In the 30th minute, the opening goal arrived. A quick cross by Diaco into the Western Suburbs area saw a Suburbs defender handle the ball and give away a penalty. Fernando took the spot kick and made no mistake, placing a low shot into the bottom right corner of the goal, well and truly beating Gal. The goal was the first goal that Western Suburbs had conceded in over a month of Foxtel Cup football.

Suburbs lifted their intensity after going behind and pressed forward in search of an equalising goal. A free kick won on the edge of the area presented them with an ideal opportunity to level the match; however Khrapko’s shot went well over the crossbar without troubling Langerak.

The match began to open up, as Suburbs took the game to South. This allowed South more space in order to counter-attack. South almost took advantage of this in the 40th minute, with an excellent counter-attacking move involving Baser, Fernando and Diaco. Fernando’s final ball saw Diaco with an opportunity to double his side’s advantage. However, his left foot shot was straight at Gal, who claimed the ball comfortably. A minute later, all three players were again involved in a similar move, with the final shot being deflected for a corner.

Suburbs had been defending quite comfortably without being afraid to venture forward themselves. They were rewarded three minutes from halftime, when Rizzo found space for himself on the right flank, directly in front of the vocal and colourful Clarendon Corner. Rizzo cut inside before unleashing a blistering low shot from just outside the area, which flew across Langerak’s goal and into the far corner of the net for 1-1. To make matters worse for South, De Nittis hobbled off the ground at halftime with a suspected groin injury. He was replaced by Nathan Caldwell.

The second half began like the first, with both sides taking a while to settle in again. In the 49th minute, South missed a half-chance to re-take the lead, when Diaco met a Tavsancioglu cross firmly, but directed his header over the bar. Two minutes later, South almost went behind when a dangerously low Suburbs cross into the South area somehow managed to evade everyone and go out for a goal kick.

Suburbs were starting to show the Bob Jane Stadium faithful why they were such a well-drilled side that had been able to grind out results in previous weeks. However they almost fell behind when a defensive error presented Yusuf with an opportunity. Yusuf took on and beat two players, before unleashing a shot which sailed narrowly wide of Gal’s near post. A minute later, a similar error in the South defence saw Suburbs almost take the lead instead. However in the resulting goal-mouth scramble, South did enough to clear the danger and keep the scoreline level.

Suburbs were beginning to take control of the game and almost took the lead in the 72nd minute, when an out-swinging corner from the grandstand side was met by Markovski. His volley from near the penalty spot sailed just wide of Langerak’s goal, with the home crowd breathing a sigh of relief. South was suddenly under serious pressure from Suburbs, who had worked their way back into the game quite nicely. However after the Markovski volley opportunity, South finished the game stronger. In the 74th minute, Diaco found himself in space on the left side. Diaco managed to get a shot at goal; however his shot was weak and once again straight at Gal.

Three minutes after Diaco’s weak attempt, Suburbs’ defence, who had been solid all game, caved in to concede a bizarre winning goal for South. A cross from the right flank saw mass confusion in the Suburbs defence. Gal came off his line to collect the ball; however lack of communication saw one of his defenders make a poor attempted clearance instead. The ball deflected over Gal’s head and back towards the Suburbs goal. Gal did well to palm the ball onto the crossbar; however he was left stranded on the ground as the ball fell invitingly for Diaco, who with an open net had no problem in heading South back into the lead.

South had one final chance to wrap the game up in injury time, when a ball forward fell invitingly for Caldwell. Instead of laying the ball ahead of him to potentially set himself up for a 1 on 1 opportunity with Gal, Caldwell opted to head for the corner flag. However South had done enough and time had run out for Suburbs, with the fulltime whistle sounding moments later to condemn Suburbs to their first loss in 5 weeks.

South Melbourne will have the opportunity to further consolidate their position in the top 6 next Sunday, with a trip to the Sunshine Georgies at Chaplin Reserve. Kick-off is at 3pm. At the same time, Western Suburbs will be looking to make amends when they face high-flying Essendon Royals at Ralph Reserve.

By John Kyrou 

South Melbourne FC has returned to winning form today after defeating a very disappointing Kingston City outfit 0-3 at the Kingston Heath Sports Complex.

Kingston’s Starting XI: Di El Hali Dimassi (GK), Michael Marrone, Alec Wilson, Jim Latinopoulos, Andrew Jerez, Nick Tolios, Andrew Ross, Paul Brown, Nick Stamatiou, George Papadopouloss Christopher Greechan.

SMFC Starting XI: Mitchell Langerak (GK), Arthur Tsonis, Sam De Vito, Steven O’Dor, Rama Tavsancioglu, Trent Waterson, Bill Natsioulas, Fernando De Moraes, Yusuf Yusuf, Ricky Diaco, Gianni De Nittis.

Langerak, signed on a loan deal from the Melbourne Victory,was on debut for South.

South started off brightly and was rewarded as early as the fifth minute, when a Trent Waterson cross from the right was deflected into the back of the net. Although it looked like a Kingston player had scored an own goal, referee Phil Taverna awarded the goal to Bill Natsioulas.

South dictated terms during the early stages of the game, however could not take advantage of their large periods of possession. Four minutes after going ahead, a Diaco-inspired move saw him play the ball to Yusuf on the left side. A low cross by Yusuf found Diaco by himself near the penalty spot and 1 on 1 with Dimassi. Instead of making the score 0-2, Diaco hit a weak shot towards Dimassi, enabling the big Kingston keeper to parry the ball away for a corner.

For the rest of the half, Kingston settled and began to enjoy some periods of healthy possession. However like South, their dominance in possession did not see them rewarded on the scoreboard. However Kingston did cause a few nervy moments for the South defence, still acclimatising to the addition of Langerak in goals and the loss of Dino Djulbic to Perth Glory.

In the 28th minute, a cleverly worked move saw Papadopoulos through with just Langerak to beat, however Langerak produced a strong save, leading to a scramble in the box. Eventually the South defence cleared the danger.

Three minutes later Kingston thought they had equalised with a header, however referee Taverna ruled that Langerak had been obstructed when attempting to clear the danger and therefore disallowed the goal. Kingston continued to pressure the South defence and blew an excellent opportunity to equalise on the 40th minute when a free header was directed straight to Langerak for a routine save.

Although Kingston was pressing, South was also attacking whenever possible. South could have extended their lead several times, however poor decision making saw the halftime score read 0-1 only.

The second half opened quite slowly, with South happy to hold onto their slender advantage and with Kingston not doing enough to force a change in the scoreline. However, South’s defence almost gifted Kingston an equaliser on several occasions.

A minute after Natsioulas had skied a shot at goal that would have doubled his side’s lead, a ball into the South area saw Langerak misjudge a cross, fail to properly punch the ball and fall to the ground, leaving an open goal. Luckily for South, enough defensive pressure was applied to delay the eventual shot from Kingston, which landed just wide of the goals.

Despite the small defensive lapses, South looked comfortable and began to press forward, looking to double their advantage. In the 65th minute, some good work down the left saw Waterson hit a low shot to Dimassi’s near post, producing a good save from the Kingston custodian. Seven minutes later, a break saw Diaco in some space on the left flank.

His low cross across goals found Natsioulas at the far post but a fine defensive tackle resulted in a corner being awarded instead of a goal.

From the resulting corner, South finally doubled their lead. Diaco won the ball back after losing it from the short corner played. He then took on and beat three Kingston defenders before hitting a low shot that Dimassi did well to parry, however unfortunately for him the ball fell right into the path of the incoming Tsonis. From less than a metre out and with an open goal, the big South defender made no mistake in making the score 0-2.

South suddenly began to dominate again, with Diaco running riot up front. In the 76th minute he won the ball and took on the entire Kingston defence successfully, however Dimassi did well to block his final shot.

South won a corner that was played short to Bill Natsioulas, whose cross looked like a regulation save for Dimassi, however the big keeper dropped the ball and despite his best efforts to clear the danger, the linesman flagged that the ball had crossed the goal line. Referee Taverna awarded the goal to Natsioulas for his initial cross into the area.

Despite the fact that the game was already decided in their favour, South wanted more. With the introduction of the lively Jose Vasquez onto the field, South may have added a couple more, however the linesman had other ideas, continuously flagging for offside. Kingston had been very poor throughout the half, however, they almost got onto the score sheet two minutes into injury time.

A cross to the far post was met with a firm header, in which Langerak pulled off a fantastic reflex save to deny Kingston from scoring and to give himself a clean sheet on debut.

Jose Vasquez was thrilled to get back on the park after an injury-forced absence and was characteristically modest about his fantastic performance off the bench. “It was a great game and I was happy to be out there quicker than I expected.”

South will be looking to cement their place in the top six with their next game against Western Suburbs next Friday night at 8:15pm at Bob Jane Stadium.

Tuesday, 15 May 2007 10:36 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne’s clash with Springvale was a special occasion for Chris Tsarpalas, one of the South juniors.

Chris stood in the players’ tunnel pre-game, before leading the senior team out onto Bob Jane Stadium along with captain Tansel Baser.

Chris was nervously excited in the tunnel before the game, but looked confident and proud walking out onto Bob Jane and lining up with the SMFC senior team.

Chris is 11 years old and has played all his junior football for South and this year is playing in the South under 11s team, where he dreams that one day he will be playing for the Senior team, alongside his favourite player in Fernando de Moraes.

All SMFC supporters will remember the Springvale game as a big win for the club, however for young Chris he will also never forget that it was the game where he led the senior team and his personal heroes out onto the field.

He can now brag to his team mates and friends about his special experience.