Author: Skip Fulton

By Skip Fulton

This weekend will see the South Melbourne Under 20s side return to Albert Park to trial for the 2015 NPL Victoria season. It also marks the third and final week of trials for the Under 12 to Under 18 NPL Victoria age groups.

The size of each trial squad continues to diminish as the youth coaching team review and assess each players individual technique, ability, attitude and football aptitude. With the 2014 NPL Victoria season behind them, the coaches aren’t looking to make significant changes but rather tinker at the edges, bringing in only a few players at each age group.

At the end of last weekends trials, smfc.com.au spoke with Under 16s coach Davide Bertamini on the progress the youth coaches are making with the various squads. “We have just finished the second week of trials. From this week, we had the South Melbourne boys joining the other players. It has been good. The level has been good and we are looking forward to getting some players in each squad” he said.

Bertamini also explained the path forward saying “the schedule is the same so every team will train three times a week and at the end of next week possibly we’ll finalise the team. After the trials we start training straight away”.

The structure of the youth coaching team is yet to be finalised for 2015. It is a matter of balancing priorities and opportunities between keeping a team together with the same coach for next year versus providing them with exposure to a different coach on game day.

The strength of the South Melbourne structure however is that during the week at each of the three training sessions, the coaches all work as a team and have full visibility of players across all age groups. Furthermore the coaches actively work to identify players who are ready to be challenged at the next level and they may be developed further through additional academy style training sessions or playing at a higher age group.

By Skip Fulton

The second week of the Heritage Youth Cup kicked off last weekend and five of South Melbourne’s Miniroos teams were in action. The teams recorded a mix of wins, draws and losses across the two days of football.

The Heritage Youth Cup is in its second year and is an end of season invitational tournament for Miniroos teams across Melbourne. It provides an opportunity for Miniroos teams to play against teams they would not normally meet and for most to get a taste of competitive football for the first time. Throughout the Miniroos season, the scores aren’t recorded so there are no winners or losers and obviously there is no ladders either. The boys and girls playing will count their goals and naturally the parents know who won and lost, but officially there are no results. Hence this tournament could be the first exposure some of these kids have to finals and winning a competition.

Over the last two weeks smfc.com.au have spoken to a number of different clubs playing at De Chene Reserve and all of them have their focus on individual player development and making sure the kids are having fun. Some of these clubs actively promote their Miniroos teams and their participation in the tournament whilst others do not. The most important factor however is the tournament bringing together one hundred and forty seven teams to play football.

On the sidelines for both games on Saturday, once again, was South Melbourne President Leo Athansakis. “I love coming to watch the young kids play. They are learning and they enjoy playing so much. Sometimes I like it more than watching the older age groups” he said.

We discussed with the Club President how this tournament fits into the overall structure of a club like South Melbourne. It was an interesting chat that highlighted the need to find the right balance between playing too much football and also keeping it fun. South Melbourne is possibly the only club that has its Miniroos teams training three times a week.

There was one point Mr Athansakis made very clear and that was South Melbourne would return to the Heritage Youth Cup year after year and look to grow its participation with more Miniroos teams. “This is without doubt the best run tournament South Melbourne participates in across all levels. The organisation is amazing, the volunteers are great, the structure is simple yet effective and have you downloaded the app yet? You’ve got to get it. This tournament is a credit to the Moreland Zebras and the whole team who run it” he said.

Action is everywhere at De Chene Reserve each week in the Heritage Youth Cup. There are four matches in progress at all times and with only a fifteen minutes break on each ground, the football is continuous all day.

The following is a summary of how South Melbourne’s four Miniroos teams went this weekend.

Under 8s
Coming off a first round win, the Under 8s came up against Northcote City who in the first week recorded a 3-3 draw with Point Cook. South was under pressure early however took their chances to move forward and were able to secure a goal. Northcote however were too strong and were able to put two goals in the net to secure the win. South going down 1-2.

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

Under 9s
The South Melbourne ‘A’ team went down last week to Beaumaris and this week faced Northcote City. They boys had a solid performance after being under pressure early. South took the lead with a good follow-up strike when the ball rebounded after a good save by the Northcote goalkeeper. Not to be outdone, Northcote rallied and found the equaliser in the second half. The result was a 1-1 draw.

The South Melbourne ‘B’ team walked on to the pitch to meet the Eltham Red Backs who went down 1-0 to Bundoora last week. The two teams were closely matched and it was only a single goal to the Red Backs that could separate them at the final whistle. South going down 0-1.

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

Under 10s
This week the team faced Spring Hills who went down 1-2 to Moreland Zebras last week. Spring Hills were a talented team and put South on the back foot early on. Our boys struggled to find space however individual brilliance bought about our first goal with a stunning strike from about fifteen yards out. The boys would continue to capitalise on their opportunities and held good structure as they went forward, making the best of both wings. Their three nil lead at half-time would be extended by another two by the end of the match. South winning 5-0.

After the match smfc.com.au spoke to some of the players about the game. “We played very well and scored lots of goals. I think we’ll do really well next week against Moreland” said Cail Thomson. Asked about Springs Hills and the strength of his own team, Thomson said “They were pretty strong, they had good defence, but we had better defence. [Our strength is] we work together, we have lots of strikers and good defence. We have a good coach, best coach ever.”

Paul Salami also reflected on the win saying “We went pretty good, scored lots of goals and we won. Michael played well today cause he scored two goals”. We asked Salami what enabled the team to win and he highlighted “we have good defence, good attacking and a good goal keeper”.

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

Under 11s
The Under 11s secured a 1-0 win last week over Lalor United and this week continued the theme of round two in playing against Northcote City. This was a high scoring game for both sides with play going from end-to-end. Despite all the goals neither team were able to find that winning kick and the result was a 3-3 draw.

Next matches – Saturday 11th October
At 9am the Under 11s team take on Pascoe Vale
At 10am the Under 9A team take on Point Cook
At 11am the Under 8s team take on Point Cook

Next matches – Sunday 12th October
At 9am the Under 9B team take on Bundoora United
At 11am the Under 10s team take on Moreland Zebras

By Skip Fulton

In Australia, the last Saturday in September is universally marked on calendars as AFL Grand Final day. However, for a group of committed, young and aspiring players of the World Game, Albert Park was where their focus was. They came in numbers, with passion and desire, to participate in the first week of trials for the 2015 South Melbourne FC NPL Youth teams.

Across multiple pitches, there was practice for the sub-Juniors and try-outs for the Under 12 through to Under 18 age groups. This week, the focus was entirely on new players looking to join South Melbourne. Week two would see existing players join the squad to secure their own place in the line-up, followed by a final third week to finalise the squads.

Over a hundred players were invited and walked on to the pitch on Saturday. There were five separate groups participating in exercises ranging from passing drills, small sided games and full matches. The calibre of players on display was impressive with some capable of matching it with the best South Melbourne has to offer.

They were supported by a significant number of the South Melbourne coaching and support staff including:
– Matthew Borowicz – Youth Program Coordinator, Under 14s and Under 12s coach
– Davide Bertamini: Under 16s coach
– Sasa Kolman: Under 20s, Under 15s and Miniroos coach
– Manny Georgiou: Goal Keeping and Miniroos coach
– Kris Peladrinos: Under 20s team manager
– Jamie Reed: Member of South Melbourne FC 2014 NPL Victoria Championship team and Miniroos coach
– James Wain: Miniroos coach
– Samuel Young: Under 13s and Miniroos coach

SMFC.com.au spoke with Samuel Young during the day to under the progress being made with the sub-Juniors or Miniroos program. Young said “we don’t trial for sub-juniors. We have the spring training on now and then we accept the players. Up until December we train three times a week and they come down to Albert Park. Then we have a month off and in the first week back we allocate the boys into teams for the Miniroos competitions,” he said.

“Next season we are looking for three teams in each of the Under 9, 10 and 11 age groups and one team for the Under 7s, however, they don’t play competitive games. The demand and interest in playing for South Melbourne is such that we can have three teams in each age group. Everyone has recognised the success of the program this year. We are Champions and we are promoting this program as a pathway to the Seniors. That’s what the goal is and that’s what my job is. This program is the first step for those aiming for the first team in eight years or so.” Young explained.

Whilst Samuel Young was focusing on the sub-Juniors program, Youth Program Coordinator Matthew Borowicz was armed with a clipboard and spent his day walking between the two pitches and conversing with his colleagues. At the end of the day, smfc.com.au shared a few minutes of his time to reflect on what he had seen. Matthew went on to say “overall the trials are progressing very well. We are happy with the turnout and the quality is mixed. There are some good players we already have our eyes on. The competition will be much harder next week as our existing boys are coming into it.”

We asked Borowicz specifically if there were players he could see coming into the South Melbourne line-up. “Definitely, definitely. To be honest we had a very good season overall across the age groups and we are only looking for a few players in each age groups to fill the gaps and challenge our existing players. We are not looking for a revolution to change the whole squads because we are happy with most of the players.”

Lastly, Borowicz shared the next steps in the trial process including how much the existing players are part of the trial to make the squad. “Of course, they have to earn it. They will be more surprised that they think. In our trials we always look for games and game play as that is what they are going to do on the weekend and that’s what counts.”

The trials for the Under 12 to Under 18 age groups continues with three training sessions during the week before returning to Albert Park next Saturday. The invite-only trials for the Under 20s commence on 8th October.

By Skip Fulton

The Heritage Youth Cup kicked off this weekend at De Chene Reserve. South Melbourne FC had a very successful 2013 cup campaign and made a great start again in 2014. The Miniroos teams won four of their five matches on Day One of competition and scored the largest winning margin of any match played.

The competition is in its second year and is hosted by NPL1 team Moreland Zebras at its home ground in Coburg. The tournament caters for both boys and girls aged seven to eighteen years. Entry is by invitation only and includes teams from the NPL, NPL1 and State Leagues. Moreland Zebras have worked very hard to develop the event into the premier end of season tournament in Melbourne.

Last year there were ninety two teams, and this year it has increased to one hundred and forty seven. South Melbourne entered five teams into the 2014 tournament, all from the Miniroos structure.

Under 8
South Melbourne took on the Eltham B team in Group 3 and recorded a 4-1 win and sit on top of the group table.

Under 9
South Melbourne has two teams in the Under 9 competition. The South Melbourne ‘A’ team lost to Beaumaris 0-3 and sit in third position on the Group 4 table. Beaumaris was always going to be a tough opponent and are one of the most highly regarded teams in the Heritage Cup. Last year they featured in four of the nine age group Grand Finals, winning three of them. The South Melbourne ‘B’ team was in great form and took down the hosts Moreland Zebras with a win 8-0. They sit on top of Group 1.

Under 10
Last year’s Under 9 title holders were back and there were high expectations.

The conditions were very windy and in the first half, the team used this to their advantage. South Melbourne dominated possession, with the South goal keeper not required, and up front the boys slotted through seven goals to take a commanding lead over Whittlesea United. At the half time break, coach Sasa Kolman wanted the boys to focus on structure and passing, with less emphasis on scoring. The boys took this advice on to the pitch and followed the coach’s instructions.

Whilst the team secured a further four goals, one in particular stood out and demonstrated the coaches direction perfectly. From the left wing the boys were faced with every opposition player in the area defending. The team took the ball back up the wing to the backline and switched play to draw out the Whittlesea boys. Just two passes later the ball was on the right flank, and a superb cross cut in front of the goal keeper for a classy tap in near the back post. The team ran out victorious with an 11-0 win and scoring the highest number of goals on the first day of competition.

Joining smfc.com.au on the sidelines was a very supportive group of parents and South fans, including club President Leo Athanasakis. The President reflected on a great result for the team saying “I think the boys were disciplined today, there wasn’t much opposition but the boys did their job, listened to the coaches instructions and we got a little bit out of it” he said. We also asked about the history and success this team have experienced. “These boys are the reigning champions from last year so they have a lot on the line. They want to retain their premiership. There’s a lot riding on this.”

After the match, Captain Michael Sdregas shared his thoughts on the performance, telling smfc.com.au “I thought it was a really good game. I thought we were pressuring and played really well and scored lots of goals. The whole team was good” he said.

Photos: http://on.fb.me/1sIp93m

Under 11
In 2013 South Melbourne U11s were the runners up to Beaumaris in this age group.
The team started their 2014 campaign with a win defeating Lalor United 1-9.

Next Matches – Saturday 4th October
At 9am the Under 10s take on Spring Hills, who lost 1-2 to the Moreland Zebras
At 11am the Under 9 B team take on the Eltham Redbacks Red team, who lost 0-1 to Bundoora United

Next Matches – Sunday 5th October
At 9am the Under 8s take on Northcote City who lost 0-3 to Point Cook
At 11am the Under 9A team take on Northcote City B, who lost 0-5 to Point Cook

By Skip Fulton

This weekend the action was at Princes Park and Albert Park as the South Melbourne FC youth teams returned home to play fixtures against FC Bulleen Lions and Richmond SC.

South Melbourne Miniroos
South Melbourne Under 13s coach Samuel Young is also responsible for one our Miniroos teams at Under 9 level. South Melbourne FC has a variety of teams at the sub-youth level, some of which only practice whilst others play each week against other clubs. Samuel invited the smfc.com.au media team down to Princes Park to see them play.

Early this Sunday I joined the throng of parents surrounding a small pitch. Having visited the South canteen obtaining the obligatory souvlaki (much better quality than Lakeside hence deserving a special mention) and being served by Club President Leo Athanasakis, I settled in to watch the action. I was expecting to see a rugby scrum of boys moving around the ground with every player within about 3m of the ball. To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement.

Each week I cover our Under 20s team so I am used to seeing the likes of Ryan Barbare, Stefan Zinni and Dion Paola moving around the pitch with ease dribbling through the midfield and getting around the opposition left, right and centre. In front of me, the entire South Under 9s team were putting those same skills on display. There was no rugby scrum of players, at least on the South side. The boys were playing with structure, getting into space, creating angles and the passes being made were based on good decision-making and executed very well. In one instance the boys went the length of the pitch with three passes and a goal in just five seconds.

It was great to see such an encouraging atmosphere with the crowd applauding the efforts of both teams, and there was a lot of applause. Usually our South coaches are very focused during the match and you get that look if you go near them. However coach Samuel Young was laughing and encouraging the boys from the sideline so I dared interrupting him with for me was an obvious question, “Just who are these kids”? Samuel simply smiled and said “These boys are our future, impressive aren’t they”. He would go on to detail how they train several times a week just like the seniors. The focus of the coaching team is on skill development for each boy and introducing structure and team play as they advance through the age groups.

The half time whistle went and at this level there is no scoring, thus no winners and losers. Of course trying telling that to the parents, but realistically try telling the boys that. When one of the players yells out “that’s seven nil isn’t it mum…” you know the boys are pumped and they are playing well. Young encourages the boys to show some humility and but the brakes on, no more goals, focus on your passing. I smile to myself as I walk back to the Under 12s match thinking just how much Young is dreaming if he thinks the boys are going to follow that instruction.

After the match is over, as the boys and families start to disperse with another group replaces them for the next match, I overhear an encounter that has me smiling once again. “We beat Milos today Dad” to which the response was “What are you talking about?”. “We scored twenty one goals, we beat Milos! He’s only got eighteen.”

These boys are the future of South Melbourne football and they are clearly aiming high. Watch out Milos Lujic !!

Under 12s defeated FC Bulleen 2:1
In the first match of the day at Princes Park, the Under 12s fought out a tough battle with FC Bulleen but won 2:1. We asked double goal scorer Adam Brigo his thoughts on the game. “It was pretty good. We lost by a few goals last time, we did well to win the second time we played them” he said. Asked about the positives from the match, Brigo said “We made some good runs and took chances. It was a good game and scored two goals.”

Match Photos: http://on.fb.me/1vC7VIH

Under 13s drew with FC Bulleen 2:2
The Under 13s came under intense pressure from an aggressive FC Bulleen line-up in the second half as the visitors searched for the winning goal. The defenders stepped up including goal keeper William Lord who saved a crucial penalty kick to ensure the home side victory. Similar to the previous game, both goals were scored by the same player and smfc.com.au caught up with William Wilson after the match. “We did well. We just made a little bit of a mistake that may have cost us but kept our head up for the whole game. We should have finished our chances. I think we played well today” he said. Wilson also was able to reflect on his colleagues who stood out and contributed during the match saying “I have to say either Brad or Trifon. Trifon was putting his body on the line 24/7 and Brad was keeping his head up, destroying the defenders and strikers and doing well.’

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

Under 15s defeated Richmond SC 1:0
The Under 15 team recorded a 1:0 win over Richmond SC who are their closest rivals. The team with twenty two points now sit a game clear of Richmond on top of the NPL1 ladder and also have a game in hand.

Results
U12s won 2:1 against FC Bulleen, goal scorer: Adam Brigo x2
U13s draw 2:2 with FC Bulleen, goal scorer: William Wilson x2
U14s lost 1:3 to FC Bulleen, goal scorer: Gera Bilytiansky
U15s won 1:0 against Richmond, goal scorer r: James Polemicos
U16s lost 1:2 to FC Bulleen, goal scorer: Tom Baker
U18s lost 0:2 to Richmond

Next Fixture
Whilst the Seniors and Under 20s have a week off with the catch-up round being played out, the Youth teams are on the road again next week. Matches this week are against Northcote City, Springvale White Eagles and Kingston City.

By Skip Fulton

The Youth teams were on the road again this week representing South Melbourne FC against Box Hill United and Dandenong Thunder in Round 17 of the Zagame’s NPL Youth leagues.

George and George secure braces in U15 dominating performance over Box Hill

The Burwood East Athletics Reserve was the venue for fixtures this week against Box Hill United. The team walked on to a somewhat muddy pitch as the fourth match of the day. The field would certainly hold up to standard and facilitate some excellent football, obviously for the South Melbourne team.

The boys in white made a positive start attacking from the first whistle. Julian Zinni immediately took up the role of play-maker as he made run-after-run down the right wing easily getting in behind the defence. It wouldn’t take long before his colleagues up front would get into the action.

In the twelfth minutes Captain George Kalas would be the first to find the net when a solid strike from the edge of the area made its way past the keeper. Four minutes later Kalas would repeat his efforts and double the lead for South Melbourne.

The midfielders would continue to fuel the aggressive assault on the Box Hill goal. It would spark a frantic five minutes of football where South would score three goals.

Nicky Edwards launched a corner kick into the area and it found an unmarked Nikita Vovos who easily headed it into the top right corner over the top of the defender on the back post. Just a minute later, Zinni made a solo run into the area and his left foot strike would go across the keeper and into the side netting. Increasing the lead to five was George Hronopoulos at the back post who tapped in a fumbled saved off a solid shot from Andre Polendakis.

The team would see out the first half with a five nil lead. The opposition in Box Hill United haven’t recorded a win this season and the confidence of South Melbourne in the second half would see them relax and go through the motions. The structure was maintained however individual efforts took over from the strong team passing that was characteristic in the first half.

Not to be denied from further goals, Hronopoulos found himself in a good position on the right wing with two options inside the area who were perfectly placed and unmarked. Not wanting to give up the opportunity, he took the ball himself into the area on the right and slotted it past the keeper to secure his brace.

The final goal from the match would come from the slightest of touches by Costa Mesourouni who came back on from the bench for a run at the end. His goal would round out an excellent performance by the team and finalise South Melbourne FCs win 0-7 over Box Hill United.

After the match, Nicky Edwards was nominated by the boys to represent the team and talk with smfc.com.au. Asked to share his thoughts on the game, Edwards provided a blunt assessment on the game saying “We killed ‘em, smashed ‘em. Good up front, good midfield and extremely good defence. We all worked as a team, put the ball in the back of the net and got three points.” Asked about who in the team really stood out for the team, Edwards didn’t hesitate in his answer saying “Luka, the goal keeper by far.”

South Melbourne Under 15 team coach Samuel Young also reflected on the game talking with smfc.com.au. “It was a good performance. I said to the boys at half time when we were five nil up, the word perfect doesn’t get mentioned a lot in football. It was faultless really, the first half. We created a lot of chances and we put them away. In the second half we got a little bit carried away, maybe did things we wouldn’t normally do as we were five nil up and that’s what happens. We could have been double figured but the boys deserved to win seven nil” he said.

The results and goal scorers were:
U12s played Box Hill United and lost 0:3
U13s played Box Hill United and lost 2:4, scorers: Alan Fogel and Elis Karagiorgakis
U14s played Dandenong Thunder and drew 1:1, scorer: Bradley Chick
U15s played Box Hill United and won 7:0, scorers: George Kalas x2, George Hronopoulos x2, Julian Zinni x1, Nikita Vovos x1 and Costa Mesourouni x1
U16s played Box Hill United and won 5:1, scorers: Lachlan Beever x2, Tom Baker x1, Kirk Kiriakopoulos x1 and Timothy Tselepis x1
U18s played Box Hill United and won 4:2, scorers: Edwin Stangherlin x2 Nashir Hussain x1 and Jonas Markovski x1

U13 Match Photos: http://on.fb.me/1oLAqHA
U15 Match Photos: http://on.fb.me/1sxAOAX

By Skip Fulton

The last four matches have seen the U20s hit goal scoring form putting twelve goals into the net. The match at Hosken Reserve this weekend counted for three of them thanks to Andy Kecojevic and a pair to Stefan Zinni.

The team carried on where they left off last week having disposed of Northcote City with a score of 1-4. The pitch at Hosken Reserve was heavy in places but held up well considering the volume of rain experienced over the preceding week, especially the torrential conditions the Seniors encountered on Friday night. Home team Pascoe Vale sit one place above South on the ladder with the extra two wins accounting for the six point margin. A look back to May 18th would find the two teams previous encounter at Lakeside Park where Pascoe Vale took the points with a 1-3 win.

Looking to reverse this previous result and notch up a second win in a row, it was Dion Paola who showed strength and pace in the midfield through the early stages on the match. He served as play-marker feeding the ball up front to the likes of Joshua Markovski and Andy Kecojevic. Having returned to scoring form last week, Kecojevic was in superb form causing havoc for the Pascoe Vale defence. His speed and ability to weave through traffic created openings and in the twenty sixth minute he found space down the left hand side. Making his way past the defence his left foot strike from the edge of the six yard box went by the keeper and across the face of goal into the side netting.

A few minutes later as Pascoe Vale were mounting pressure to respond, South went down to ten men albeit temporarily. Tall defender Jordan Moncrieff dropped his head to make a clearing header near the sideline when a Pascoe Vale player raised a boot trying to tap the ball into space.

Moncrieff’s face got up close and personal with the studs on an Addidas boot and the result was a bloody right temple and a break on the sideline. Recognition and praise must be given to the Pascoe Vale Team Manager Peter Bauer who within seconds had a bandage out of the first aid kit and on Moncrieff’s head before most knew what was going on.

The remainder of the first half was relatively balanced. Pascoe Vale Captain Vlad Khamees held up the midfield for the home team and they made several attacking runs were made down both flanks. Good crosses came into the area and found unmarked attackers who were able to head the ball easily but going just wide for the home team. Sam Kagioglou and Tim Kakoliris at left and right back kept the wings under control whilst Jason Giccominato in goal was rarely challenged in a significant way. An on-target strike by Pascoe Vale’s Anthony Taranto on the edge of the area three minutes before the half was the best of the opportunities for the home team however Giccominato was up to the task making the save.

The half-time break was spent pondering what a wood-fired oven pizza would have tasted like however this pleasure remained with those who attended the Seniors 0-3 win on Friday night.

Returning to the field Eric Hauser started to get into the match in a significant way making runs down the left flank feeding Markovski and Kecojevic in the centre. A change in goal keeper for Pascoe Vale at the rest period wasn’t going to prevent the attacking onslaught the home team were faced with.

South Melbourne Coach Sasa Kolman made one change at half time bringing on Juan Igic and his second came a few minutes later with Alex Sporea. It was however the third change when Stefan Zinni entered the fray and provided some fresh legs and pace up front that things started to get exciting again.

On the field for just six minutes, he found himself on the end of a rocket low-level cross which made its way through the defence and past the keeper. Zinni with the tap in doubled the lead for South.

A double change with twelve minutes to play would rest Ryan Barabre and Joshua Markovski and allow Stefan Valentini and Angel Taravillo into the game. It would be a rare occasion for Kolman to use all five substitutes in a match however with three games in seven days the move made perfect sense.

Play started to open up and the injection of Valentini and Taravillo had an immediate impact especially as the play ventured consistently into South’s final third. Kecojevic continued to attract defender in the middle of the pitch as he was closely marked and this created opportunities out wide.

Zinni made a solo move down the left taking on two defenders and having the pace to beat them both. Head down at full pace he may not have been aware he didn’t have any help in the area so a cross would have been wasted. Spurred on by some expert and vocal coaching from the sideline telling him to ‘go yourself’, Zinni did exactly that. Into the area, down to the byline, cutting towards the goal with just the keeper to beat. A ridiculous angle to shoot from wasn’t enough to stop him as he found the smallest of margins between the keeper and the near post to slot it through into the far side netting. Certainly one of, if not the best, solo goals I’ve seen in the U20s this year.

The final few minutes counted down for a richly deserved 0-3 win for the South Melbourne U20s.

After the match South coach Kolman was impressed with the performance. “Another big win, it was beautiful. I said to the boys if you want to make a statement you need to make a statement today with a second win in a row. That is how you are going to attract people to watch you and how you can get the chance to play next season maybe somewhere else, and I’m thinking about our Seniors. They did it, they fought well. Three nil is a big result. I’m really happy, it’s a fantastic team.”

Kolman explained tactically there were a number of positives to take away from the win. “We are always working on the same things. It’s about transition play, attacking and defensive. We are a very disciplined and motivated team. You can see that when we play. This is something I am really happy with and they boys are following my instructions.”

Double goal scorer Stefan Zinni also provided smfc.com.au with some time after the match to reflect on the win saying “It was a good game. At the start we played well as a team, one-two touches, passing and movement creating plenty of chances. We looked dangerous on the break and I thought we kept it tight at the back.”

Looking at the encouraging aspects of the team’s performance, Zinni highlighted a number of key areas. “Our play up front was really good today. We moved well, fluid in movement and crosses in were really good. Some key positives for the future.”

The team are on the road for the third match in a row. Wednesday night is against Bentleigh Greens on the synthetic pitch at Kingston Heath and then returning home on Sunday to meet Werribee City.

FINAL SCORE: PASCOE VALE 0-3 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-1)

Match Photos: http://on.fb.me/1pzwC02

Goal Scorers:
0-1 Andy Kecojeviv (26’), 0-2 Stefan Zinni (73’), 0-3 Stefan Zinni (86’)

South Melbourne FC:
Jason Giccominato (GK), Tim Kakoliris (Alex Sporea 48’), Jordan Moncrieff, Ioannis Avramidis, Sam Kagioglou, Dion Paola, Joshua Meaker (Juan Igic 45’), Eric Hauser (Stefan Zinni 67’), Ryan Babare (Angel Taravillo 78’), Andy Kecojevic, Joshua Markovski (Stefan Valentini 78’).

Pascoe Vale:
Jayden Allan (GK) (Gab Matti 45’), Alessandro Verratti, Joel Grech, Eli Luttmer, David Younan, Anthony Taranto (Marko Stojkovski 68’), Ali Eyiglin, Daniel Hutchison, Vlad Khamees (Gab Dinatale 87’), Ben Domas, Stephen Gustus (Alkin Keles 74’).

SMFC Man of the Match: Andy Kecojevic
Venue: Hosken Reserve
Date: Sunday 3 August 2014

By Skip Fulton

After last weeks one goal loss against traditional rivals Melbourne Knights, the U20s impressed across the field to win away from home. Up front the finishing was polished whilst the defenders provided a solid barrier at the back supported by another stellar performance from Jason Giccominato in goal.

John Cain Memorial Reserve was the setting for the Round 19 match with Northcote City and the first time the two teams had met this season. Northcote City were coming off a win over Werribee City, sitting in third on the ladder just three points behind leaders Green Gully.

The South Melbourne U20s team has a distinctive temperament and the football on display in the first five minutes can usually tell you the vibe of how the match is going to pan out. This vibe can create feelings ranging from ‘I don’t want to watch this match today’ all the way through to ‘something special is about to happen’. It wasn’t far into the match on Saturday afternoon where despite a bouncing pitch, the one-touch passing from Barbare, Hauser and Kecojevic through the midfield made it clear this was to be an exciting performance by the visitors.

In the fourteenth minute Andy Kecojevic received the ball around the halfway line from Ioannis Avramidis and launched his way down the left flank. A well timed pass to Ryan Barbare in the centre of the park who with a first time right boot pass slid the ball through the last line of defence to an open Joshua Markovski. The striker took a few paces and firmly placed the ball past the Northcote keeper into the bottom right of the net to open the scoring.

Five minutes later with the adrenaline on high from constant attacks, Barbare lined up in his normal role of free kick taker. From the right wing the flight of the ball took it just over two attackers and the goal keeper to find Tim Kakoliris unmarked and all alone at the back post. Surprised to find the ball landing softly at his feet, the defender tapped it across the line to double to score.

The remainder of the first half was a balance match-up with Avramidis and Juan Igic the pillars of the back line holding a strong defence. Giccominato in goal was coming off a man-of-the-match performance last week at Albert Park and contined his scintillating form stopping everything that came near him.

Early in the second half Northcote City delivered a reality check for South as Tommy Demelis scored for the home team. It was one of those moments where time slows down and you just watch as the ball makes its way through the area bouncing past the defenders and finding a striker who has just enough space to turn and slot it home.

You know South Melbourne are on song when the response comes quickly and with flare of style. Kecojevic took on the responsibility and made a superb solo run through the defence into the area and sent a rocket past the keeper into the net.

The next ten minutes would put South under the most intense pressure they had seen all match. Northcote threw everything at the back line and whilst the shots kept coming, Giccominato was stopping them all protecting the two goal lead.

Passionate football was on show and something was bound to happen that would amaze you or make you cringe. Unfortunately it was the latter as Barbare was taken down from behind with a dangerous tackle that bought more than a few players together. A second yellow card saw the referee raise the red and Northcote was down to ten men.

The substitutions started to flow and one for South Melbourne reflected a new face to the field. Stefan Valentini had recently arrived from Western Australia and had been in the U18s line-up for the last two weeks. Valentini had scored three goals in his first match, another last week and today stepped up for debut in the U20s.

He made a positive influence on the match when he made a run down the left towards the by line and into the area. His shot on target beat the keeper however it was the deflection off a Northcote defender that helped it into the net. Whilst it went down as an own goal, Valentini certainly set it up and continued his goal scoring arrival at South Melbourne.

As time ticked down Northcote continued to press for more goals but couldn’t find a way through. After just half a minute of stoppage time the whistle sounded and South Melbourne had defeated third placed Northcote City 1-4 away from home.

Coach Sasa Kolman couldn’t hide his smile after the match saying “Fantastic game. I can’t say anything else, well done to the boys. They completely executed the plan and we were the better team. We deserved to win by even more.”

“Our plan was to play a quick transition forward, especially on our left side. Like I said they executed it into the detail. Even the defence today was amazing.”

After the match smfc.com.au also caught up with Ioannis Avramidis who today marked a special moment walking on to the field. He reflected on the match saying “It’s a big rivalry between Northcote and South Melbourne. The boys were pumped up before the match, we went out, fought hard and got the win.”

Motivation remains an active part of Kolman’s coaching style and Avramidis explained the philosophy discussed in the rooms before the match. “It’s about wanting to win. The coach was talking before the game about how professional players just want to win, they don’t care if they play one minute or ninety minutes. We need to get out there beat everyone. Every tackle, every shot, every pass we want to win it.”

On a personal level, Avradmidis said “I played at Northcote for three years. As an ex-club it has a bit of an emotional background. I wanted to go out there and prove a point that I left for the right reasons. This is my first year at South. It has a good atmosphere and a good bunch of boys in the team.”

The team next travels to Hosken Reserve to take on fifth placed Pascoe Vale on Sunday at 3:15pm

FINAL SCORE: NORTHCOTE CITY 1-4 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-2)

Match Photos: http://on.fb.me/1pnQ3px

Goal Scorers:
0-1 Joshua Markovski (15’), 0-2 Timothy Kakoliris (19’), 1-2 Tommy Demelis (47’), 1-3 Andy Kecojeviv (49’), 1-4 Nicholas Bavcar (74’ OG)

South Melbourne FC:
Jason Giccominato (GK), Ryan Babare (Alex Sporea ‘78), Andy Kecojevic, Eric Hauser (Angel Taravillo ‘76), Ioannis Avramidis, Joshua Markovski (Stefan Valentini ‘72), Dion Paola, Peter Constantinou, Sam Kagioglou (Jordan Moncrieff ‘45), Juan Igic (Joshua Meaker 52’), Tim Kakoliris.

Northcote City:
Cameron Dyer (GK), Melad Goro, James Dafoski, Allam Bosha, Danny Federico, Kristian Trajceski, Emin Sele, Ebubekir Capar, Burak Durnaoglu, Reis Aygun, Baran Karagoz.

SMFC Man of the Match: Ioannis Avramidis
Venue: John Cain Memorial Reserve
Date: Sunday 27 July 2014

By Skip Fulton

Last week the South Melbourne FC Youth teams travelled to Dandenong City for matches in Round 13 of the Zagame’s NPL Youth leagues.

The youth teams were all successful rounding out an excellent result week for the club, undefeated at all levels in the NPL.

The results and goal scorers were:
U12s won 4:1, scorers: Adam Brigo x 4
U13s won 1:0, scorer: William Wilson
U14s won 4:0, scorers: Yannis Nisiotis x1, Tristan Meaker x1, Bradley Chick x1, Gera Bilyantsky x1
U15s won 4:1, scorers: Julian Zinni x3, Andre Polendakis x1
U16s won 5:2, scorers: Adrian Kovacevic x3, Nicholas Deris x1, Kirk Kyriakopoulos x1
U18s won 6:2, scorers: Stefan Valentini x3, Kalebh Horrocks x1, Edwin Stranghelin x1, x1 own goal

Next week the youth teams return home to Princes Park and Albert Park for the penultimate round of the season taking on Dandenong Thunder.

The smfc.com.au team have taken the opportunity recently to delve into the coaching strategies of our youth program to better understand the focus on player development. We spoke to a number of coaches to gain an appreciation of the foundation of the clubs success in delivering top quality players.

Matthew Borowicz (U12 coach)
At Princes Park in Caulfield on a wet and windy Sunday morning two weeks ago, smfc.com.au spoke to Matthew Borowicz about his U12 team and the approach to managing the youngest team in the NPL system.

Despite a loss to ladder leaders Box Hill, Borowicz reflected on the teams efforts by saying “I feel the boys did very well considering half the squad is U11s and some of our better players are pushed up to U13s.”

“The biggest positive from today is overall looking at the program, all of the boys are progressing at a very good rate. Football-wise we recognise we are doing a good job and the boys are picking up the South Melbourne way of playing.”

“Looking at all of the clubs we play across the board, not just U12s, we can definitely see we are a little bit different and do things our own way. Our program looks at each individual. Obviously every Sunday we want to win the game and the competition, but our long term goals are always on the individual and producing players that can challenge the seniors and give a headache to Chris Taylor.”

Samuel Young (U13s coach)
Samuel Young is the coach of the U13s and also calls Princes Park in Caulfield home for the boys. Similar to the rest of the coaching team, he has a close relationship with the teams in the age group above and below his own and sees this as a positive for player and team development. “The positive for us is there are four U12s that play in our team. That’s what we are trying to do at the club, we are trying to challenge the boys from the younger ranges to play in a tougher environment.”

“We can always improve, from the goal keepers all the way through to the strikers. I believe football is all about making the right decisions and we are helping our players from an early age learn how to make those decisions.”

Sasa Kolman (U10, U15 and U20s coach)
Sasa Kolman has a variety of coaching duties in the youth program and always speaks passionately about the boys and the future they have not only at South Melbourne but also in the broader football community.

Following the U20s 5-0 win over Hume City at Albert Park on the weekend, Kolman shared his experience with the smfc.com.au team. “South juniors I am really happy with, the kids love to play. We have some potential. At older age groups we have started to do some academy style strategies like elite squads, so we are taking care of our best players, which is really good. “

“If we look at the U20s, the oldest player is 18. We have 15, 16, 17 year olds playing in the U20s and we are winning games. What we are trying to do with all the age groups is to get them into the U20s and definitely then from the U20s into the Seniors.”

One of the differences between South Melbourne and other clubs on display in some youth matches is in the use of the substitutes on the bench. Other clubs make often make heavy use of the bench to rotate players on the field, in one such match there were sixteen changes made.

Kolman shared his thoughts on the practice indicating “we use our three to five substitutes and that is South Melbourne strategy. I come from Europe and that doesn’t happen there. You have three subs that’s it. If we want to prepare our boys for the Seniors, they need to start doing it now and learning to play that way. I am not a big fan of making subs all the time, in the younger youth that’s fine but from U15s you need to start playing serious football. Putting players in and out breaks the momentum and breaks the play so that’s the South Melbourne strategy.”

Chris Taylor (Head Coach)
Chris Taylor has an eye on all the teams in the youth ranks and leverages off the coaching team as a key component in developing players for the future.

After the Seniors recent win at Lakeside over Port Melbourne, smfc.com.au asked Taylor about the depth of playing talent at the club and the opportunities utilise key players from youth ranks to support the rotation of players in the Seniors. “We’d like to leverage off those players and one of the big things is players like Andy Kecojevic who’s been playing in the U20s. He’s 15 years old and we do want to give him some game time. Dion Kirk came on to play on Wednesday night and looks to be a very tidy player.”

The match at Lakeside was a scrappy affair in wet heavy conditions. Taylor reflected on ensuring younger players are exposed to the higher standards at the right time and not just for the sake of it. “The conditions tonight weren’t going to suit them to come on so it’s about picking and choosing the right moments to introduce them and sometimes the right games as well.”

By Skip Fulton

South Melbourne FC U20s put on a clinical display of quality attacking football and earned a 5-0 victory over Hume City at Albert Park on Sunday afternoon. Eric Hauser put two into the back of the net in a best on ground performance and he was assisted by goals to Joshua Markovski, Alex Sporea and Joshua Meaker.

Sasa Kolman’s side went into the match without a win from their last four outings. Following last weeks 1-2 loss to Green Gully, Kolman made two changes to the starting line-up. Sam Kagioglou and Jordon Moncrieff join the team on the pitch in place of Timothy Kakoliris and Massimo Pesce who were on the bench.

South Melbourne were on the attack from the opening whistle with Andy Kecojevic looking strong in the early stages. In the twelfth minute Hauser made the first of what would be many significant plays of the match. His run down the right flank and into the area bought the keeper rushing off his line. A well timed cross into the centre of the box found Joshua Markovski who slotted it into the vacant net to open the scoring.

The majority of the first half was played out with balanced possession through the midfield. Hume City had a number of chances up front with four corners during which they were unable to convert. South goal keeper Jason Giccominato made a number of quality saves in what turned out to be a clean sheet performance. Just two minutes before the break Hauser was again dominating down the right flank getting in behind the defence. In this instance he made his way into the area with just the keeper to beat and with a left foot strike found the net doubling the home teams lead.

Hauser was at it again early in the second half with a strike going just wide and Markovski was in a similar position a few minutes later with a shot going over the crossbar. Ryan Barbare was active down the left flank also causing problems for Hume City. In the sixty fourth minute a cross came into the area with Markovski trapping turning and shooting only to have the strike blocked by the Hume City keeper. Hauser was right on hand to pounce on the loose ball and it was his left boot again which put the ball into the back of the net.

As the three goals put South Melbourne in a commanding position, coach Kolman looked to the bench to provide some fresh legs and by the seventy seventh minute had made all five substitutions.

Early in the last ten minutes of play it was Alex Sporea off the bench who scored for the home team with a classy strike from the edge of the six yard box. A few minutes later Joshua Meaker was cruising near the top of the box when his strike found its target in the back of the net delivering the fifth goal and a somewhat short and subdued celebration.

The whistle would sound marking a 5-0 win for South Melbourne. Whilst the glory often goes to the goal scorers, this match also delivered the third clean sheet of the season for the U20s. Credit goes to Giccominato in goal and the defenders who stood up strongly to tough opposition in Hume City and held out to a number of strong attacks from the visitors.

Coach Kolman was understandably positive after the match talking to smfc.com.au reflecting on the performance saying “after the last three games, it was good to win, especially when you win with five goals. We are South Melbourne! We need to win every week. I am really proud of these boys, they all deserve to wear the South Melbourne shirt. ”

Double goal scorer Eric Hauser also spoke to smfc.com.au after the match saying “I thought we played well from the beginning, pressed hard and high, we got the result. Today we were more determined to win our game.”

Next week the team returns to Lakeside Stadium for a big match against Melbourne Knights. South Melbourne will be looking to continue the form on display in this win but also replicate the result from earlier in the season when they defeated Knights 4-1.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 5-0 HUME CITY (HT: 2-0)

Match Photos: http://on.fb.me/U8nbJy

Goal Scorers:
1-0 Joshua Markovski (12’), 2-0 Eric Hauser (43’), 3-0 Eric Hauser (64’), 4-0 Alex Sporea (82’), 5-0 Joshua Meaker (87’)

South Melbourne FC:
Jason Giccominato (GK), Ryan Babare (Massimo Pesce 74’), Andy Kecojevic, Peter Constantinou (Timothy Kakoliris 77’), Juan Igic (Joshua Meaker 50’), Eric Hauser (Stefan Zinni 75’), Sam Kagioglou, Dion Paola, Joshua Markovski (Alex Sporea 67’), Ioannis Avramidis, Jordan Moncrieff.

Hume City:
Cameron Dyer (GK), Melad Goro, James Dafoski, Allam Bosha, Danny Federico, Kristian Trajceski, Emin Sele, Ebubekir Capar, Burak Durnaoglu, Reis Aygun, Baran Karagoz.

SMFC Man of the Match: Eric Hauser
Venue: Albert Park
Date: Sunday 13 June 2014