Author: Skip Fulton

Last weekend, the South Melbourne youth teams welcomed Avondale FC to Albert Park for a football-filled Saturday. The synthetic pitch proved slippery and fast in the miserable wet weather conditions but it did mean that all matches could be played. Six matches would kick-off the pre-season for our youth teams.

South Melbourne Technical Director Sean Gale spoke to smfc.com.au about the day, saying “This is a great opportunity today with Avondale for some pre-season practice games. We have organised a number of Gala days like this in the coming weeks to prepare the teams for the March start to the season.”

Under 12s
The Under 12s were up first and recorded a 4-0 win with goals scored by Alex Hird, Curtis Wong, Alexander Terzakis and Yianni Panakos. After the game, smfc.com.au spoke with Dimitri Kapolitsas to gain his thoughts on the match. “I thought we played really well. We could have kept the ball a little bit more but we defended well and we attacked well” he said. Asked about the positives and what the team wanted to achieve this year, Kapolitsas said “We all know each other so we can play better. Our goal is to win the League. Our coach is fantastic, best coach in the world”.

Under 13s
The Under 13s met a strong Avondale line-up and were able to grind out a 1-0 win thanks to a first half goal by Daniel Triantopoulos.

Under 14s
The Under 14s match was a goal fest, with open free play and many opportunities for both teams. The final result was a 6-3 win to South with goals to Luke Barforosch, Chris Gregory, Noah Chinnama, Alan Fogel (x2) plus an own goal.

Double goal scorer Alan Fogel spoke to smfc.com.au after the match, saying “I thought we played well, we dominated and kept the ball. It was a bit scrappy conditions with the rain starting again every few minutes. We had a lot of breaks through their defence and finished a lot of opportunities.” We asked Fogel about his side’s strength of play and how they broke down their opposition. “Avondale were good but their defence they didn’t play it out fast so they let myself and our other wingers pounce on them. They didn’t release the ball fast enough and we had opportunities to take it off them in their defence” he said.

Under 15s
The Under 15s put on a good display of quality passing and finishing as they recorded a 5-1 win. Tristan Meaker scored one and Charly Layton, who only recently pulled on the South Melbourne shirt, chipped in with four goals.

With Charly putting four in the net, smfc.com.au spoke with him after the match. “I really enjoyed the game. I thought as a team we played well. In training we’ve been working on defensive structure and how to attack. Personally I thought I played alright but couldn’t have done it (scored four goals) without the other ten though, a good team victory” he said. Charly also shared some thoughts on the Avondale FC opposition, saying “they were a very well structured side, particularly good in the midfield, they played to their strengths. We saw the way they were playing out from the back, we capitalised on that and it’s how we scored our goals.”

Under 16s
The Under 16s had a tough fight on their hands with a solid Avondale defensive line-up. The team went down 0-1.

South Melbourne FC is proud to announce the signing of Olyroo Jake Barker-Daish for the 2015 National Premier Leagues season.

Jake grew up in Melbourne and played his junior football at Monash and Box Hill before being awarded a scholarship with the Victorian Institute of Sport. Under the scholarship he played for Altona Magic in the 2008 Victorian Premier League . He would make just one appearance for Altona before transferring to the Australian Institute of Sport, or the FFA Centre of Excellence as it has now been re-branded.

At the age of fifteen, Jake spent two years at the Institute, where he made multiple appearances for the Australian Under 17 and Under 20s team. Most significantly, this included a visit to Colombia in 2011 to represent Australia at the FIFA Under 20 World Cup. Jake moved north following the World Cup and he joined Gold Coast United in the A-League, making seven appearances. Despite the demise of that club, his time in the A-League wasn’t at an end as he then joined Adelaide United. Across two seasons, Jake made nineteen appearances for Adelaide, scored two goals and came off the bench in Adelaide’s 2013 Elimination Final loss to Brisbane Roar.

In early 2014, Jake returned to representative football and played for the Australian Under 23s at the Asian Cup in Oman. He was released by Adelaide United at the end of the 2013-2014 A-League season and proceeded to the Western Sydney Wanderers for a trial, however a contract did not eventuate.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC football director Nicholas Maikousis was elated with the signing “Jake is a very talented young footballer who we are pleased to have join our football club. He will provide the club will another midfielder with senior A-League experience, we look forward to having him in the centre of the park for the upcoming season.”

Miron Bleiberg signed Jake on his first professional contract at Gold Coast United in the A-League. Ironically, it will be Bleiberg coaching against Jake’s new club when South Melbourne FC host the Oakleigh Cannons in the opening match of the 2015 NPL Victoria season on Thursday 19 February. Kick-off is at 8:15PM.

Jake’s Video Highlights

Blue skies, thirty-two degrees, a setting sun and the lush pastures of the Mornington Peninsula were the conditions on Wednesday evening as South Melbourne FC played its fourth friendly of the 2015 NPL Victoria pre-season. Milos Lujic scored twice in the first half but NPL 1’s Kingston City showed determination, pulling a goal back in the second half as the final whistle confirmed a 2-1 South Melbourne win.

The size of South’s squad is dwindling as Head Coach Chris Taylor gets closer to finalising his list. It was almost a full-strength line-up that made its way onto the Centenary Park pitch to take on Kingston City. Anchored through the midfield with the likes of Iqi Jawadi, Nick Epifano and Nejc Kolman, South demonstrated solid possession and attacking flair through the early stages of the match. Opportunities presented themselves in the opening fifteen minutes, however the back of Kingston City’s net was left uninterrupted.

In the eighteenth minute, Lujic climbed high near the back post to head the ball back across Kingston goalkeeper George Malliaras and over the line for the opening goal. The tall centre forward, who scored 22 NPL Victoria goals last season to equal the South Melbourne League record also held by Jimmy Armstrong (1974) and Doug Brown (1984), wasn’t finished with the scorecard either.

A few minutes later, Andy Brennan made a blistering run down the left side into the area. He had options inside but instead he took on two defenders and dragged them all the way to the by-line before cutting the ball back to the penalty spot. Lujic was there waiting and he twisted around before putting his left boot through the ball and into the open net to make the score 2-0 in South’s favour.

Prior the half hour mark, the first of the substitutions were made. Taylor continues to actively use the pre-season friendlies to see how the trial players and the new players fit in with the established line-up, as well as assess different structures and combinations. On this occasion, it was Dane Milovanovic gracing the playing surface for the first time in a South Melbourne jersey.

Milovanovic’s preparation for the season sees him still working to get fully fit and it is encouraging to see him now ready for game time considering he had an operation only six weeks ago. Mentally he is match ready and this was evident when it took him just ten seconds after entering play to take charge of the midfield and start issuing instructions. His commanding presence and experience in the midfield will deliver strength to the team and give further options for Taylor throughout 2015.

After the halftime break, fresh faces came on for South to meet an energised Kingston City. Kingston pressed high, putting pressure on South’s back four and their efforts were rewarded when an error presented them with an opportunity. Thanks to a quick response and chip over the onrushing goalkeeper, Kingston found the back of the net to halve South Melbourne’s lead. Whilst Kingston would continue to pressure and hold more controlling possession in the second half, there would be no further addition to the score line as South ran out 2-1 winners.

After the match, smfc.com.au spoke with the double-goal scoring Lujic about the friendly. “It was a good first half, it was pretty hot out there. I think both teams worked hard, it was good to get minutes under the belt and it was just a nice pre-season game,” he said. A consistent theme among the players is their confidence in pre-season readiness, especially compared to last year. Lujic shared his thoughts, saying “there’s been a lot of games which has been good, the boys are loving that. Less running at training and more games. We’re happy. The core of the group from last year stayed and I think we’re gelling a bit better as a team than at this point in time last year. The new boys are quality players and have slotted right in. We’re looking pretty good for the season.”

South Melbourne FC is on the road for one more pre-season friendly before finally returning to Lakeside Stadium. This coming Saturday 24 January the team travels to White Eagles Stadium to meet Springvale White Eagles. The Under 20s kick-off is at 4PM and the Seniors begin at 6PM.

Match Photos: http://on.fb.me/1zyiXhg

New signings Luke Adams and David Stirton wore the South Melbourne jersey for the first time when they took to the pitch for the pre-season friendly against Langwarrin SC last Saturday. As the trialling of new players in the preparation for the 2015 NPL Victoria season continues, the scoreboard ticked over six times as South enjoyed a comfortable victory.

Away matches for the pre-season are the trend at the moment as Lakeside Stadium remains reserved for Asian Cup requirements. South took a particularly large contingent down to Lawton Reserve on the Mornington Peninsula, with Langwarrin also receiving decent support thanks to a good showing from the locals. For the first time this year, the Under 20s and Seniors were both on show in a double-header as South’s Under 20s began the day well by winning their match 2-0.

In the previous Seniors matches against Dandenong City and Frankston Pines, Head Coach Chris Taylor played the younger and trailing players in the first half before bringing on the established line-up in the second half. On this occasion it was the established line-up on the pitch when the referee first blew the whistle, including the recently arrived Luke Adams from New Zealand.

The match started well, with Captain Michael Eager and Adams playing out from the back and pushing through to Iqi Jawadi, who was a controlling feature in the midfield. Langwarrin pushed forward using both flanks in the early stages, bringing Tim Mala and Brad Norton into play. The first bit of action came when Mala made a crunching tackle, sliding himself across the grass and into the concentre dugout as he sent his opponent flying. Mala received some blunt feedback from the referee before the match continued on.

On the half-hour mark, a poor Langwarrin back pass found Nick Epifano moving quickly towards the onrushing goalkeeper. His right foot strike went low past the keeper and into the back of the net to open the scoring, with the score remaining 0-1 at the halftime break.

Epifano would be back in the action almost immediately in the second half. A free kick from the edge of the area near the arc saw him curl the ball off his right boot into the edge of the net to double South’s lead. Similar to last week, this would spark an onslaught on the Langwarrin goal, with the scoreboard ticking over a further three times during the following ten minutes.

Epifano was involved again for the third goal. He took the ball down the left wing to the by-line before a classy cutback found Nejc Kolman (brother of South Melbourne Under 20s Coach Sasa), who whipped it into the net. A few minutes later, Milos Lujic pressed high inside the area, with his pressure on the Langwarrin goalkeeper forcing a wayward clearance. Bonel Obradovic pounced and lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper to put South ahead by four goals.

Play had re-started for less than thirty seconds when Lujic showed pace and strength to muscle his way through the defence to the top of the box and send a lethal shot crashing into the back of the net. Lujic’s goal made it four in thirteen minutes and made the score 0-5 in South’s favour.

Chris Taylor then began rotating through his youth and trialists, resulting in a slowing of the match. The pace had taken its toll on the Langwarrin players because they had only been through a week of training sessions and the friendly against South was their first hit out of the pre-season.

The match was coming to a close but not before Nejc Kolman found space and pushed the ball wide to Under 20s midfielder Eric Hauser, who chose placement over power and slotted the ball past the Langwarrin goalkeeper to record South’s sixth and final goal of the match.

Chris Taylor was happy with the outing, commenting that the focus wasn’t on the result but on achieving the objectives of the exercise. Preparation for the season is beginning to move into high gear as Luke Adams, David Stirton and James Musa all took to the pitch for the first time in 2015. The only remaining new signing yet to appear is Dane Milovanovic. Dane spoke to smfc.com.au on the morning of the match, advising his return to full fitness was progressing well and we would be likely to see him get game time in the following week if all went well.

After the match, smfc.com.au spoke with Nejc Kolman to get his thoughts on the match. “I think we were the better team. There is a big difference between the two teams and we showed quality out there” he said. Asked about the difference in what he was experiencing playing in Melbourne compared to his recent time in Slovenia’s professional league, Kolman added, “the biggest difference is in the physical aspect. You train two times a day in Slovenian professional football, here it’s only a few times a week. The quality in this team is not bad, maybe it’s a bit faster in Slovenia.” We asked Nejc how he was fitting in with the team and he explained, “I feel good. I am training here for two weeks and I feel OK. I need some more days of training to become fit and it will only get better.”

South Melbourne FC will take on NPL 1 side Kingston City in their next pre-season friendly. That will be played at Peninsula Strikers Football Club (McClelland Drive, Frankston) this coming Wednesday 21 January, with kick-off at 7PM.

South Melbourne found the net five times in its second friendly against Frankston Pines on Wednesday night at Monterey Reserve. Milos Lujic and Andy Brennan scored doubles whilst Iqi Jawadi scored from a superb strike on the edge of the area to record the 5-0 result.

The match started with Chris Maynard in goal being the only senior player on the field. Head Coach Chris Taylor took a squad of twenty-two down to Frankston including three players from last years Under 20 squad and eight under trial. Yanni Avradmidis was a commanding presence at centre-back whilst fellow Under 20 squad members Ryan Babare and Eric Hauser demonstrated their experience playing together linking well through the mid-field to provide opportunities up front. There were chances in front of goal at both ends of the pitch however neither side was able to capitalise.

In the second half, Taylor switched by entire line-up similar to last week. The squad comprised the senior list and was bolstered by the addition of Cody Martindale who scored in Saturdays friendly with Dandenong City. The pace of play lifted and the passing more reflective of a typical South match. One touch passes and the use of both wings quickly saw the forward combination of Milos Lujic and Andy Brennan on the receiving end of some classy play from Leigh Minopolous and Nick Epifano.

A dominant ten minutes of football started when 2014 NPL triple award winner Milos Lujic found himself when an open penalty area and easily put his strike past the keeper to opening the scoring. Shortly after Andy Brennan lobbed the keeper from the left wing only to have the ball cleared off the line with centimetres to spare. Next it was Iqi Jawadi who added his name to the goal scorers column of the match record when he hammered a right foot shot into the corner of the net to double the South lead. Just two minutes Lujic was in the action again on the end of a pass just a few yards out securing his brace and putting South up by three.

New signing Bonel Obradovic was consistent force through the midfield and high work ethnic was matched by Andy Brennan in the front third. Brennan was unlucky earlier on, but just over ten minutes from time he made a run off the right flank into the area and his powerful shot sailed into the back of the net. A further three minutes later Brennan found himself unmarked at the back post as the ball came over the top of the keeper and a few defenders for an easy header across the line. Brennan securing his second brace in as many games.

The remaining nine minutes played out with the back four of Tim Mala, Michael Eager, Brad Norton and Cody Martindale only lightly challenged. Full time sounded with the 5-0 score line result.

After the match, smfc.com.au spoke with goal scorer Iqi Jawadi about the match. “It was a good game. We played well, scored a lot of goals, which is a good sign for pre-season. All the players are doing well, everyone’s fit” he said. Looking forward to the rest of the year, Jawadi was clear on his ambition saying “I want to score a goal, my first for South Melbourne”.

Chris Taylor also shared some time after the match and spoke about the preparation for the season kicking off in four weeks. Asked about how the process is going, he said “it’s a little bit different the way we are doing it this year and not having our facilities has made it a bit difficult. It’s coming together all right. The fact is still we only have eleven or twelve players on the pitch. Fairly please with the way its progressing. It’s just a matter of finalising things and the issues with a couple of boys playing youth league football”.

South Melbourne has a number of friendly matches schedule the next of which is on Saturday 17th January against Langwarrin. The matches are at Lawton Reserve, Langwarrin with the Under 20s kicking off at 1pm and the Seniors at 3pm.

South Melbourne’s first match of 2015 was a friendly against NPL1 club Dandenong City FC at Somerville on the Mornington Peninsula. Recently arrived from South Hobart FC, forward Andy Brennan picked up a double on the way to a 3-1 win for the NPL Champions.

The Dandenong City friendly match was the first opportunity for new signees Andy Brennan and Bonel Obradovic to get some match time and for Head Coach Chris Taylor to see some trial and youth squad players in action. South still has a number of positions to sign in the NPL squad and the friendly matches scheduled in the coming weeks will assist to finalise the line-up.

A total of twenty one players made the trek to Somerville for the match and this ensured plenty of rotations and game time for all. The first half of the match was well balanced through the mid-field with neither team able to gain solid control. Few opportunities presented themselves however when the City goal keeper came off his line to clear and a subsequent pass went wayward, Cody Martindale (on trial) quickly pounced and lobbed the keeper from about thirty yards out on the wing to open the scoring.

The senior squad members came on at half-time and the line-up represented what many South fans would have seen from last year. The pace and fluidity of passing picked up and soon the City back four were under increasing pressure. It took Andy Brennan just twelve minutes on the pitch to open his account for his new club, extending the South lead.

The two goal advantage was short lived as a scrambling defence inside the area resulted in a foul and the referee wasted no time in pointing to the spot. The resulting kick from twelve yards wasn’t convincing as it rebounded off the bottom of the cross-bar and down on to the back of a diving Chris Maynard before rolling across the line putting Dandenong on the scoreboard.

The balance of the second half continued with the South midfield feeding the forwards with passes that challenged and penetrated the City defence. Iqi Jawadi linked well with Milos Lujic up front and despite numerous chances and multiple corners, it was finally Brennan who found space and scored with a classy strike from the edge of the area.

The 3-1 win was the result but for both Dandenong City and South Melbourne the match was about pre-season preparation, seeing the squads play under match conditions and trying different positions and combinations for the line-ups.

After the match, smfc.com.au spoke with Andy Brennan about his arrival in Melbourne and his first match for South Melbourne. “I only played the second half but it was really great play with some high class players, a really good game. South Hobart has some quality players but there are a lot of high quality players here at South who can always find you where ever you are, so it’s really good to play with them all” he said.

Brennan was also asked about his arrival in Melbourne and what he hopes to achieve at South Melbourne in 2015. “I’ve been here six days now and am settling in quite well. Had three training sessions and the match today so a good start to Melbourne. This year all I want to do is play as much as I can, not aiming too high. I want to play each week and contribute to the team” he said.

South Melbourne’s next friendly is on Wednesday 14th January against Frankston Pines at Monterey Reserve. Kick off at 7:00pm.

The AFS 2014 Youth Tournament wrapped up for another year on Sunday with South Melbourne’s six teams at reaching the Semi Final stage, with some age groups reaching their respective Grand Final.

It was a challenging tournament with three games on the Saturday and at least two or three games on the Sunday, some back-to-back. The weather conditions were perfect and the facilities in Shepparton were well set up to cater for eight consecutive matches at a time.

South Melbourne would like to recognise the efforts of all players taking part in this gala event, as well as parents and the coaching teams who supported them. The Australian Football Skool ran a very professional tournament and thanks must go to our friends at Shepparton United SC for their hospitality over the weekend.

Under 11 team
The Under 11 team were drawn in Under 12 Group A where they finished third. They defeated Goulburn Valley Suns 1-0, drew 1-1 with Adelaide Comets and were defeated 1-2 by Heidelberg.

In the Plate finals, the team defeated LPNK 5-0 and then Clifton Hill 5-0 to progress to the Plate Grand Final where they met Beaumaris. The team went down to a strong Beaumaris team 1-2.

Photos: http://on.fb.me/1uZpvCe

Under 12 team
The Under 12 team were drawn in Group C where they finished on top and undefeated. They recorded wins over Springvale White Eagles (6-0), Beaumaris Wolves (9-0) and Clifton Hill (7-0).

In the Cup Quarter Final, the Under 12 team defeated Essendon Royals 2-0 to play Heidelberg United. In the Semi Final it was a 1-0 win over Heidelberg to move into the Grand Final. They met the Springvale White Eagles and with the scores at 0-0 it headed to penalties. South Melbourne faced a penalty shootout and were defeated by the White Eagles 0(2)-0(4).

Photos: http://on.fb.me/1psqnyq

Under 13 team
The Under 13 team were drawn in Under 14 Group A where they finished third. They defeated Gippsland SL 6-0 however went down to Murray United 2-3 and Dandenong Thunder 1-3.

In the Plate finals, the Under 13s defeated the Ricki Herbert Football Academy from New Zealand 4-0 and then Goulburn Valley Suns 2-0 to progress to the Plate Grand Final where they met the Springvale White Eagles. South were successful in the Grand Final taking the win over the White Eagles.

Photos: http://on.fb.me/1rzON4J

Photos: http://on.fb.me/1FxpzdA

Under 14 team
The Under 14 team were drawn in Group C where they finished first and were undefeated. They recorded wins over the Goulburn Valley Suns (8-0), Shepparton United U16 Girls (15-0) and Dandenong City (6-0).

The Under 14s were defeated 0-1 by Dandenong Thunder in the Semi-Final. Dandenong Thunder went on to win the Grand Final 2-0 over Heidelberg United.

Photos: http://on.fb.me/15Egmp2

Under 15 team
The Under 15 team were drawn in the Under 16 Group A where they finished sixth. The team were defeated by the Ricki Herbert Football Academy from New Zealand (0-3), Springvale White Eagles (0-1) and Dandenong Thunder (0-3).

In the Semi Final, the Under 15s defeated LPNK 4-0 and progressed to the Plate Grand Final meeting the Goulburn Valley Suns. South Melbourne would win the Grand Final 2-0 to secure the Under 15 Plate trophy.

Photos: http://on.fb.me/1zA8fTa

Under 16 team
The Under 16 team were drawn in Group B where they finished on top and undefeated. They defeated Malvern City (2-0), Goulburn Valley Suns (7-0) and LPNK (4-0).

In the Quarter-Finals the team defeated Beaumaris 4-0 however they were defeated by Malvern City 1-3 in the Semi-Finals. Malvern City would go on to win the Grand Final 1(5)-1(4) in the penalty shoot-out with Dandenong Thunder.

Photos: http://on.fb.me/1uNjnYA

South Melbourne FC will participate in the two day AFS 2014 Gala Tournament in Shepparton this weekend. A total of sixty two teams from thirty seven clubs and academies are participating in a showcase of junior football talent. This includes clubs from New South Wales, South Australia and New Zealand. South Melbourne is the largest supporter of the tournament sending six youth teams to participate.

Australia Football Skools is a football development program run in Victoria from March to October each year and includes an interzone competition. Their focus event is the Gala Tournament and 2014 is the eighth edition of this annual competition. Australia Football Skools is a strong supporter of regional football and again this year the tournament returns to Shepparton.

The tournament is expected to bring together over two thousand players, parents and friends to the regional centre and is a vote of confidence not just in Shepparton but the strength of the region.

South Melbourne will be fielding teams across six age groups from Under 11s through to Under 16s. Each team will play three matches on the Saturday and at least one finals match on the Sunday morning. The tournament will provide an opportunity to play against teams South Melbourne may otherwise never share the field with and additionally this will be the first opportunity for our 2015 squads to come together in a competitive environment during their spring training program.

South Melbourne Under 11s

The Under 11s will be participating in the Under 12 age group of the tournament and have been drawn in Group A. Their matches are as follows:

· Saturday 9:00am against Heidelberg United
· Saturday 1:00pm against Goulburn Valley Suns
· Saturday 5:00pm against Adelaide Comets

South Melbourne Under 12s

The Under 12s will be participating in the Under 12 age group of the tournament and have been drawn in Group C. Their matches are as follows:

· Saturday 9:00am against Springvale White Eagles
· Saturday 1:00pm against Beaumaris Wolves
· Saturday 3:00pm against Clifton Hill

South Melbourne Under 13s

The Under 13s will be participating in the Under 14 age group of the tournament and have been drawn in Group B. Their matches are as follows:

· Saturday 10:00am against Dandenong Thunder
· Saturday 2:00pm against Murray United
· Saturday 6:00pm against Gippsland SL

South Melbourne Under 14s

The Under 14s will be participating in the Under 14 age group of the tournament and have been drawn in Group C. Their matches are as follows:

· Saturday 10:00am against Goulburn Valley Suns
· Saturday 2:00pm against Shepparton United (Under 16 Girls)
· Saturday 6:00pm against Dandenong City

South Melbourne Under 15s

The Under 15s will be participating in the Under 16 age group of the tournament and have been drawn in Group A. Their matches are as follows:

· Saturday 11:00am against Ricki Herbert Football Academy (New Zealand)
· Saturday 3:00pm against Springvale White Eagles
· Saturday 6:00pm against Dandenong Thunder

South Melbourne Under 16s

The Under 16s will be participating in the Under 16 age group of the tournament and have been drawn in Group B. Their matches are as follows:

· Saturday 11:00am against Malvern City
· Saturday 3:00pm against Goulburn Valley Suns
· Saturday 6:00pm against LPNK Soccer Academy

Note: These fixtures were correct at the time of publishing however South Melbourne players, parents and friends who may be attending should remain in contact with the club coaching team for up to date information on matches.

By Skip Fulton

After four weeks of non-stop football across thirteen age groups, the Heritage Youth Cup ended this weekend following a successful 2015.

South Melbourne FC had two teams playing in the Semi Finals and these were the Under 8s and the Under 10s. Unfortunately, both teams would be defeated despite putting in a strong performance. Our Under 8s played against Cairnlea and went down 4-0 whilst it was Northcote City winning 5-1 against the Under 10s.

Overall, all the boys and girls playing in the competition were the winners who were able to enjoy four weeks of competitive football against teams they may have never played against during the regular season. This is yet another development opportunity for the sub-youth to gain match experience and play against great clubs from different areas around Melbourne.

By Skip Fulton

This weekend marked the third and final week in the group stages of the Heritage Youth Cup at De Chene Reserve. All five teams from South Melbourne were in action and the results would see the Under 8s and Under 10s progress through to the Semi Finals.

Under 8s
The Under 8 team has had a developing season in the Miniroos structure. They have played up a level in the Under 9 and the challenge has seen them progress technically as individuals and structurally as a team very well. The benefits of this were on display at the Heritage Youth Cup when they returned to their normal age group.

This week they came up against their strongest opponent in Point Cook. The team played positive football and scored twice to secure the 2-1 win.

Round 1: Win – defeated Eltham 4-1
Round 2: Win – defeated Northcote City 2-1
Round 3: Win – defeated Point Cook 2-1
Result: Finished first in Group 3 and now meet Cairnlea in the Semi-Final.

Photos: http://on.fb.me/1CeVgqD

Under 9s
The South Melbourne Under 9A team had a very challenging group and faced some strong opposition. This week they also faced Point Cook who proved tough opposition. Despite the best efforts the team went down losing 1-2.

Round 1: Loss – defeated by Beaumaris 3-0
Round 2: Draw – drew with Northcote City 1-1
Round 3: Loss – defeated by Point Cook 1-2
Result: Finished third in Group 4

Photos: http://on.fb.me/1sD7dXb

The South Melbourne Under 9B team also came up against strong opposition and reflects on how successful football in this age group is around Melbourne. This age group presented one of the most balanced set of results for the whole tournament. South faced group leaders Bundoora who were undefeated and despite putting one goal in the net, the boys went down losing 1-3.

Round 1: Won– defeated Moreland Zebras 8-0
Round 2: Loss – defeated by Eltham Redbacks 0-1
Round 3: Loss – defeated by Bundoora 1-3
Result: Finished third in Group 1

Photos: http://on.fb.me/1v5p20L

Under 10s
This week, the team would come up against the host team Moreland Zebras in a match that was highly anticipated by both clubs. One of the larger turnouts watched this match and crowded around the field on a stunning Sunday morning. They were treated to an excellent performance by both teams, however, it was South Melbourne who continued their dominant run scoring multiple times to run out 3-1 winners.

Round 1: Won– defeated Whittlesea United 1-0
Round 2: Won – defeated Spring Hills 5-0
Round 3: Won – defeated Moreland Zebras 3-1
Result: Finished first in Group 1 and now meet Northcote City in the Semi-Final.

Photos: http://on.fb.me/1rrCtC2

Under 11s
The South Melbourne coach Jamie Reed had recently returned to England, however, he wasn’t far away from his team’s big match against Pascoe Vale. Being kept up to date on Facebook, South needed a win to make it through to the Semi-Finals.

A great start greeted the crowd when the first goal came in just the sixth minute. The remainder of the first half was well played by both teams demonstrating great individual skill with the ball. On the stroke of half-time Pascoe Vale scored from a corner to equalise. This theme would carry on throughout the match with South taking the lead and Pascoe Vale getting it back. In a minute of stoppage time, Pascoe Vale would again score from a corner finalising the match in a draw at 3-3 and in doing so progressing to the Semi-Finals at the expense of South Melbourne on goal difference.

Round 1: Won– defeated Lalor United 1-0
Round 2: Draw – drew with Northcote City 1-1
Round 3: Draw – drew with Pascoe Vale 3-3
Result: Finished second in Group 3

Photos: http://on.fb.me/1D8inp2

Next Matches on Saturday 18th October

9.00am – South Melbourne Under 8s meet Cairnlea for a chance to meet Box Hill United or Beaumaris in the Grand Final
9.00am – South Melbourne Under 10s meet Northcote City for a chance to meet Manningham United or Moreland Zebras Purple in the Grand Final.