Author: SMFC Media

South Melbourne FC wishes to advise of the itinerary of events to be held on Sunday’s Championship Fiesta celebrations against the Oakleigh Cannons.

The festivities for the day will be kicked off with an exhibition match between a Select Socceroos XI against the Victoria Police’s ‘Copperoos’, which kicks off at 2.45pm. Both sides will be playing for the Tony Clarke Shield. The Tony Clarke Shield is held in memory of Senior Constable Tony Clarke, who was murdered while on duty in April 2005. Tony was a member of the Victoria Police Soccer Club and a fanatical Liverpool Football Club supporter. The presentation of the Player of the Match and Shield to the winning captain will be made by Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Andrew Crisp and both Tina and Connor Hogarth-Clarke.

At the completion of the Select Socceroos XI against the Copperoos, South Melbourne FC will be honouring its 1964 and 1974 Victorian State League and 1984 National Soccer League Championship sides who this season are celebrating their 50th, 40th, and 30th anniversaries respectively. Each player will be presented, and the large electronic scoreboard will be showing a video montage of images and highlights showcasing the teams’ tremendous achievements.

Prior to the commencement of the Round 25 NPL Victoria fixture against the Oakleigh Cannons, SMFC President Leo Athanasakis and SMFC Chairman Nick Galatas will accompany to the field the President of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria, Bill Papastergiadis, Minister for Environment and Climate Change, and Youth Affairs, the Honourable Ryan Smith, Senior Adviser to the Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship, Peter Lemonis, and Liberal candidate for Albert Park, Shannon Eeles, where the official party will address the South Melbourne faithful celebrating the recent announcement of the signing of the 40 year lease of Lakeside Stadium.

Once the formalities have concluded, both sides will take to the field flanked by the South Melbourne FC youth players forming a guard of honour, paying their respects to the NPL Victoria Champion.

At the conclusion of the match, the NPL Victoria trophy will be presented to both SMFC Captain Michael Eagar and Head Coach Chris Taylor, where fans will have the opportunity to celebrate the club’s first Victorian title since 2006.

Fans and Corporate Partners are encouraged at the conclusion of the trophy presentation to make their way to Principal Partner Beachcomber Cafe, located at the St Kilda Baths, where the celebrations will continue with players and coaching staff in attendance.

South Melbourne FC encourages all to be in attendance at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday to celebrate this momentous occasion, and wish the team all the best as it sets off on the national playoffs seeking to be crowned National Premier Leagues Champion.

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC hosts the Oakleigh Cannons at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday afternoon in a match celebrating winning the inaugural National Premier League Victoria Championship. South Melbourne was confirmed as the League Champions on Wednesday night when the Melbourne Knights defeated Oakleigh 1-0, leaving the Cannons seven points behind Chris Taylor’s side with only two matches remaining for both sides.

As League Champions, South Melbourne has qualified for the National Premier League play-offs where all the State Champions compete for the title of National Premier Leagues Champions. South’s first test will be against Tasmanian Champions South Hobart in Hobart over the weekend of 20-21 September, though details are yet to be confirmed by Football Federation Australia.

South goes into Sunday’s match with a full-strength squad to choose from, though it will be interesting to see if Taylor rotates his squad during the final two League matches of the season to allow fringe and younger players the chance to play first-team football and rest more senior players ahead of the NPL play-offs. This may present an opportunity for squad players such as Andrew Mullett, Kobbie Boahene, Dion Kirk and Andy Kecojevic to play and opportunities may also be given to some of the players from South’s NPL 20s side such as Stefan Zinni and Josh Markovski.

Although Sunday’s match is meaningless due to South’s uncatchable lead over the Cannons, the home side will want to give a good account of themselves. South won its opening fourteen matches across all competitions this season before losing 3-0 against Oakleigh at Jack Edwards Reserve on Friday 6 June. South has also been unbeaten at home in the League all season (with eleven wins and a draw from its 12 matches) and will want to continue that with another positive result against Oakleigh on Sunday. In the corresponding fixture played between the two sides at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 26 May 2013, a double from Dimi Hatzimouratis secured a 2-1 win for the home side.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 5PM at Lakeside Stadium. South fans are strongly encouraged to attend not only to congratulate their 2014 Championship winning side but to also honour South Melbourne FC’s 1964 Victorian State League and 1984 National Soccer League Championship winning sides. Those unable to make the game can follow it with live updates on the South Melbourne FC Facebook page and on the Club’s official Twitter @smfc with the hashtags #NPLVIC and #SMvOC.

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC defeated Northcote City 2-1 at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening to put itself on the verge of becoming the 2014 National Premier League Victoria Champions. Centre-forward Milos Lujic scored a goal in each half as South edged even closer to securing its ninth Victorian State League title in its 55 year history.

South were the stronger side in the first half and took the lead after 16 minutes. Iqi Jawadi played his way around a couple of Northcote players in midfield and passed the ball down the left side for Tyson Holmes to run onto and cross perfectly to the back post for Lujic to head the ball past Northcote goalkeeper Chris Petropoulos. As the half wore on, the away side slowly worked their way back into the match and most likely would have equalised had South goalkeeper Chris Maynard not tipped Anthony Rizk’s shot over his crossbar.

Northcote levelled the scores after 56 minutes when former South player Marinos Gasparis hit a perfect free kick from outside the box that beat Maynard and nestled into the bottom right corner of the goal. With so much at stake for the home side, South pressed forward and almost re-took the lead straight away but Holmes’ low drive across Petropoulos’ goal went just wide of the far post and shortly after there were big shouts for Lujic to be awarded a penalty when he went down in the area but the referee dismissed the claims.

South Coach Chris Taylor made a double-substitution on 70 minutes as Mathew Theodore and Shaun Timmins replaced Holmes and Brad Norton and the move paid off instantly. Two minutes after entering the action and with his first touch, Theodore’s magnificent through-ball put Lujic through one-on-one with Petropoulos and the big striker sent the crowd into raptures by firing the ball into the bottom left corner for his 20th League goal of the season from 24 matches. Lujic is now level with Jimmy Armstrong (1972) and Charlie Egan (1982) in equal third place for the most individual goals scored in a League season by a South player.

In a tense finish, South saw out the remainder of the game to put itself in a fantastic position to win the League. The victory sees South Melbourne maintain its seven point lead over the Oakleigh Cannons, however the Cannons have a game in hand and will play that match against the Melbourne Knights at Knights Stadium on Wednesday 3 September.

Post-match, Taylor was delighted to get the three points and noted that “we’ve just got a bit more to do to get where we want to be (League Champions).” Captain Michael Eagar added that “we need to win one more game to ensure it (the title) and it would be good to do it against Oakleigh in a fortnight…we feel we owe them one after they beat us earlier this season.”

The news was not as good in the NPL 20s as South Melbourne were defeated 0-1 by Northcote City.

South Melbourne FC enjoys a weekend off before hosting the Oakleigh Cannons at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 7 September at 5PM.

Possible scenarios over the next few weeks:

If the Melbourne Knights defeat the Oakleigh Cannons on 3 September:
* SMFC will lead Oakleigh by seven points with two matches remaining for both sides and will be League Champions.

If the Melbourne Knights and Oakleigh draw on 3 September:
* SMFC will lead Oakleigh by six points with two matches remaining for both sides.
* SMFC will win the title if it avoids defeat to Oakleigh on 7 September.

If Oakleigh defeat the Melbourne Knights on 3 September:
* SMFC will lead Oakleigh by four points with two matches remaining for both sides.
* SMFC will win the title if it avoids defeat to Oakleigh on 7 September.

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

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Milos Lujic (16′)
1-1: Marinos Gasparis (56′)
2-1: Milos Lujic (72′)

South Melbourne FC:
21. Chris MAYNARD (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 7. Nick EPIFANO, 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. Tyson HOLMES (8. Mathew THEODORE 70′), 11. Brad NORTON (25. Shaun TIMMINS 70′), 12. Iqi JAWADI, 14. James MUSA, 17. Jamie REED, 77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS.

Northcote City:
22. Chris PETROPOULOS (GK), 2. Adrian CHIAPPETTA, 4. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 5. Phil PETRESKI, 6. Aaron WARD, 10. Marinos GASPARIS (9. Trent RIXON 78’), 11. Liam WOODING, 15. Wade DEKKER (8. James KALIFATIDIS 77’), 16. Greg LOMBARDO, 17. Anthony RIZK, 23. Jonathan BOUNAS (7. Jonathan MUNOZ 70’).

SMFC Man of the Match: Iqi Jawadi
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 24 August 2014

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC hosts Northcote City at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening in a match that could possibly decide the National Premier League Victoria Championship. If the Bentleigh Greens defeat the Oakleigh Cannons at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex tonight and South then defeats Northcote on Sunday, South will have a ten point lead over Oakleigh with only three League matches remaining for the Cannons and will therefore be crowned as League Champions.

South goes into Sunday evening’s match against Northcote having won their last two matches, with the most recent being the hard-fought 0-1 victory against the Dandenong Thunder at George Andrews Reserve last Saturday 16 August. Jamie Reed’s goal on the hour mark gave Chris Taylor’s side a crucial victory and set up the possibility of winning the Championship against current League Champions Northcote on Sunday. Goran Lozanovski’s Northcote come into the match having also won their last two matches, with the most recent being the 1-0 victory against Heidelberg United at John Cain Reserve last Sunday 17 August.

South Melbourne are 26 points ahead of Northcote City on the NPL ladder but Sunday’s game is a massive danger game due to Northcote’s superior record in their previous meetings. In the ten League matches between the sides, Northcote has won five and drawn four, with South winning only once. More alarming is the fact that Northcote have scored 25 goals in the process compared to 11 for South. In the League meeting between the two sides at John Cain Reserve earlier this season on Saturday 26 July, Milos Lujic opened the scoring against his former side on 74 minutes before Jonathan Munoz scored a penalty against his former side after 80 minutes for a 1-1 draw. In the corresponding League meeting between the sides at Lakeside Stadium last year on Saturday 14 September 2013, Evan Kounavelis opened the scoring for Northcote on 75 minutes before Trent Rixon headed the equalising goal after 83 minutes to secure a 1-1 draw.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 5PM at Lakeside Stadium. Those unable to make the game can follow it with live updates on the South Melbourne FC Facebook page and on the Club’s official Twitter @smfc with the hashtags #NPLVIC and #SMvNC.

South Melbourne FC is excited to offer its fans and members the exclusive opportunity to purchase tickets online for the opening ceremony and match of the 2015 Asian Cup between the Socceroos and Kuwait. This offer includes sitting in a “South Melbourne only” section for that match on 9 January 2015 at AAMI Park in Melbourne.

The Asian Cup presents an exciting opportunity to celebrate the sport of football in Australia and to further strengthen the relationships between the participating Asian countries. The football community looks forward to further enhancing Australia’s reputation for staging great sporting events and to the long term community, diplomatic and economic benefits that the Asian Cup will generate in Australia.

Beyond the actual football tournament itself, the friendly people, beautiful natural attractions, exceptional food and wine and spectacular beaches make Australia the perfect host for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 1300 304 001 and quoting “South Melbourne FC”. Any tickets purchased (tickets available are in Category 1 only as Categories 2 and 3 are already sold out) will ensure that the tickets will be for our reserved area in the stadium.

Tickets can also be purchased online at www.afcasiancup.com/tickets

When purchasing online, click on the grey code box and type in “southmelbournefc” to ensure that the tickets are purchased for our reserved area in the stadium.

Tickets are reserved for a period of three weeks and are available right now.

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC moved one step closer to becoming Champions of National Premier League Victoria after grinding out a 0-1 win against the Dandenong Thunder at George Andrews Reserve on Saturday night. Jamie Reed’s goal just shy of the hour mark gave Chris Taylor’s side the three points to temporarily extend their lead at the top of the ladder to ten points, before second-placed Oakleigh Cannons defeated Werribee City 0-1 on Sunday to reduce South’s lead back to seven points.

South began Saturday night’s match in a strong fashion by controlling possession and putting a lot of pressure on the Dandenong defence. Apart from a clearance off the line however, South did not trouble Zaim Zeneli in the Dandenong goal. At the other end, South goalkeeper Chris Maynard – retained by Taylor after keeping a clean sheet in the 4-0 win over Werribee City last week – got in the way of Feston Azizi’s shot after the Dandenong player managed to sneak past the South defence on the right side.

The match was won on 59 minutes when Brad Norton slipped the ball through for Reed to fire past Zeneli at his near post for the striker’s tenth League goal of the season and eleventh across all competitions in 2014. Dean Hennessey’s young Thunder side spent the final half hour of the game putting pressure on South but ultimately did not create a true goal scoring chance, with the closest they got was from a blocked Kieran Dover shot and an Azizi free kick that flew over an untroubled Maynard’s crossbar. The final whistle brought a sigh of relief from the South fans, with South doing it tough but ultimately prevailing 0-1 against the Dandenong Thunder at George Andrews Reserve in both the League and the Dockerty Cup this season.

Post-match, a happy Taylor noted how “it was important just to get the three points tonight… (in order to win the Championship) we just have to take it one match at a time and keep trying to chalk up the wins that we need to secure it.”

South Melbourne FC’s next match is against Northcote City at Lakeside Stadium next Sunday 24 August, with kick-off at 5PM. If the Bentleigh Greens defeat Oakleigh Cannons on Friday night and South defeat Northcote on Sunday, South will be the 2014 NPLV Champions.

FINAL SCORE: DANDENONG THUNDER 0-1 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-0)

Goal Scorer:
0-1: Jamie Reed (59′)

Dandenong Thunder:
21. Zaim ZENELI (GK), 2. Jarryd BARNES, 3. Ilir PALI (20. Dillon JAKUPI 78′), 4. Rama TAVSANCIOGLU, 5. Faisal ZADA, 7. Kieran DOVER, 8. Matthew MILLAR, 9. Feston AZIZI, 12. Brendan ELMAZOVSKI, 15. Rees DUNCAN (11. Kris KIOUSSIS 59′), 23. Josh CARUANA.

South Melbourne FC:
21. Chris MAYNARD (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 7. Nick EPIFANO (27. Leigh MINOPOULOS 79′), 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. Tyson HOLMES (25. Shaun TIMMINS 89′), 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Iqi JAWADI, 14. James MUSA, 17. Jamie REED (8. Mathew THEODORE 90+3′), 77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS.

SMFC Man of the Match: Stephen Hatzikostas
Venue: George Andrews Reserve
Date: Saturday 16 August 2014

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC travels to George Andrews Reserve for the second time this season when it meets the Dandenong Thunder in another must-win game for Chris Taylor’s side this Saturday night.

With four rounds remaining in the National Premier League Victoria season, South lead the Oakleigh Cannons at the top of the NPL ladder by seven points but the Cannons have a game in hand. Three wins from its final four matches will secure the League Championship for South irrespective of what Oakleigh does, therefore Saturday night is a fantastic opportunity to secure one of those wins and put pressure on the Cannons going into their match at Werribee on Sunday afternoon.

South bounced back to winning ways last weekend with a thoroughly convincing 4-0 victory against Werribee City at Lakeside Stadium. A double from Milos Lujic, a penalty from Jamie Reed and a second half finish from Nick Epifano won the three points and erased the memory of the disappointing 2-1 away defeat against the Bentleigh Greens four days earlier. Dean Hennessey’s Dandenong goes into Saturday’s match in winning form as well, having defeated the Ballarat Red Devils 0-1 on Saturday 9 August. The Thunder are currently in tenth spot on the NPL ladder with 25 points and are eight points clear of second-last Ballarat but the Red Devils have two games in hand and could reduce that lead should they win their catch-up matches.

The big question is whether Taylor will start Jason Saldaris or Chris Maynard in goal on Saturday night, with Maynard playing his first League match of the season against Werribee City last Sunday and keeping a clean sheet. Considering that Taylor rarely changes a winning side, it is more likely that Maynard will start again. A big boost for South is the fact that their former player Alan Kearney will be missing from the Dandenong line-up after the midfielder was sent off against Ballarat last weekend. Also missing will be Alan Mulcahy, who is serving an automatic one-match ban after accumulating five yellow cards this season. Kris Kioussis is one Dandenong player to watch out for on Saturday night as he absolutely destroyed South on the left side of midfield when the two sides played their Dockerty Cup match at George Andrews Reserve in May.

The two sides met each other earlier this season twice in the same week. In their Sixth Round Dockerty Cup meeting on Wednesday 28 May at George Andrews Reserve, Dandenong completely dominated South but could not score in normal time and South stole the game in extra time thanks to youngster Kobbie Boahene’s goal. In the League meeting a few days later at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 1 June, South smashed the Thunder 5-0 thanks to goals from Lujic (41’), Mathew Theodore (44’), Tyson Holmes (70’), James Musa (88’) and a Reed penalty (89’).

Saturday night’s match kicks off at 7PM at George Andrews Reserve. Those unable to make the game can follow it with live updates on the South Melbourne FC Facebook page and on the Club’s official Twitter @smfc with the hashtags #NPLVIC and #DTvSM.

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC returned to winning ways thanks to a comfortable 4-0 win over Werribee City at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. The win was set up in the first half thanks to a penalty from Jamie Reed and a double from Milos Lujic and was completed early in the second half thanks to a cool finish from Nick Epifano.

Chris Taylor sprung a surprise by dropping first-choice goalkeeper Jason Saldaris to the bench and replacing him with Chris Maynard in the starting eleven. Maynard’s only other appearance this season was in the Dockerty Cup tie against Berwick City on Wednesday 7 May. As expected, Iqi Jawadi returned to the starting eleven after serving a one-match suspension against Bentleigh and Reed also returned to the starting line-up. Leigh Minopoulos and Mathew Theodore began on the substitutes’ bench.

The home side began the match strongly and almost opened the scoring from Reed’s free kick that went just wide of Tommy Dunn’s goal. The Werribee goalkeeper then had his defender Ryan Filipovic to thank when he cleared Tyson Holmes’ chipped effort off the line and out for a corner. On the half hour, Epifano was put through on goal and was brought down by Dunn as he took the ball around the goalkeeper. Reed stepped up and buried the spot kick past Dunn for his ninth League goal of the season and his tenth goal across all competitions this year. Lujic then doubled South’s advantage in the 40th minute when he was put through and he coolly struck the ball across Dunn and into the bottom corner of the net. South’s third arrived just shy of half time when Epifano pounced on Milan Savic’s defensive error and cut the ball back for an unmarked Lujic to score at the back post for his second goal of the night, his 18th League goal this season and his 19th goal across all competitions this year.

The scoring was completed after 56 minutes when Epifano got behind the Werribee defence and hit a nice finish that curled across Dunn, off the back post and into the back of the net. Epifano should have scored a second goal later in the half after going through one-on-one with Dunn but the ball hit the post and stayed out, denying South a fifth goal on the night. Post-match, Taylor said that “we stuck to our guns early on in the first half tonight…we spoke about not being like we were against Bentleigh, where we started well but then sort of fell in a bit of a hole.” Despite being pleased to win the three points, Taylor was disappointed that the score line wasn’t greater. “We probably should have had another four or five tonight… had we done that it would have been good for goal difference (Oakleigh currently have a +5 lead on goal difference). For me, that was the disappointing aspect of tonight.”

It was further good news in the NPL 20s as South Melbourne smashed Werribee City 5-0, with the goal scorers being Stefan Valentini (x2), Andy Kecojevic, Stefan Zinni and Angel Taravillo. The NPL 20s have enjoyed a fantastic week, beating Pascoe Vale 3-0 last Sunday, beating Bentleigh 4-0 mid-week and then defeating Werribee 5-0 on Sunday.

South’s next match is against Dandenong Thunder at George Andrews Reserve next Saturday 16 August, with kick-off at 7PM.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 4-0 WERRIBEE CITY (HT: 3-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Jamie Reed (32’p)
2-0: Milos Lujic (40′)
3-0: Milos Lujic (43′)
4-0: Nick Epifano (56′)

South Melbourne FC:
21. Chris MAYNARD (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 7. Nick EPIFANO, 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. Tyson HOLMES (27. Leigh MINOPOULOS 65′), 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Iqi JAWADI, 14. James MUSA (25. Shaun TIMMINS 83’), 17. Jamie REED (8. Mathew THEODORE 83′), 77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS.

Werribee City:
1. Tommy DUNN (GK), 4. Ryan FILIPOVIC, 5. Evan BATSIS (11. Dom MARAFIOTI 77′), 6. Anthony RAGUSA, 7. Simon ZAPPIA, 8. Simon TOLLI, 9. Devon BONNE, 10. Damir MARUSIC (17. Matthew CUNDARI 72′), 13. Milan SAVIC (26. Liam BRIAN 56′), 14. Bobby VIDANOVSKI, 43. Steve CUDRIG.

SMFC Man of the Match: Iqi Jawadi
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 10 August 2014

South Melbourne FC hosts Werribee City at Lakeside Stadium this Sunday evening in a match that Chris Taylor’s side simply must win in order to maintain at least a seven point lead over the Oakleigh Cannons at the top of the National Premier League Victoria ladder by the conclusion of the weekend’s matches.

South goes into the match having suffered only its second League loss in 2014, with a mid-week defeat at the hands of the Bentleigh Greens. The 2-1 loss was a real blow as South missed a series of chances in the opening fifteen minutes of the game before conceding two goals and being unable to recover from the deficit. South still enjoys a seven point lead over the Oakleigh Cannons, however the Cannons have a game in hand and could potentially reduce that lead to just four points. Werribee City had been in serious relegation danger, however two massive wins in their last two League matches (2-0 away against Pascoe Vale on 29 July and 2-1 at home against Dandenong Thunder on 3 August) has elevated Nino Ragusa’s side to eleventh spot on the NPL ladder. With five rounds remaining, a couple more wins for the Bees should secure their safety in the division for this season and they will be looking for the three points on Sunday evening.

The suspended Iqi Jawadi was clearly missed during South’s mid-week loss and is expected to return straight into the starting eleven against Werribee. The previously injured Jamie Reed came off the bench against Bentleigh on Wednesday night and will be pushing for inclusion into the starting eleven. Youngster Dion Kirk came off the bench and set up Tyson Holmes for South’s consolation goal on Wednesday night and may feature against Werribee City.

Sunday will be the first time that South Melbourne and Werribee City have played against each other at Lakeside Stadium and only their second ever meeting. In the previous (and first ever) League match played between the two sides earlier this season on Sunday 25 May, Milos Lujic’s goal right on halftime proved to be the difference as South defeated Werribee 0-1 at Galvin Park.

Sunday’s game kicks off at 5:00PM at Lakeside Stadium. Those unable to make the game can follow it with live updates on the South Melbourne FC Facebook page and on the Club’s official Twitter @smfc with the hashtags #NPLVIC and #SMvWC.

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC was defeated for only the second time in the 2014 National Premier League Victoria season after suffering a 2-1 loss against the Bentleigh Greens at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex last night. Goals in each half from David Stirton and James Cumming were enough for the Greens to defeat South, who pulled a consolation goal back deep in second half injury time thanks to Tyson Holmes.

Chris Taylor made only one change from the starting eleven that defeated Pascoe Vale 0-3 last Friday as Nick Epifano replaced the suspended Iqi Jawadi in the line-up. Jamie Reed returned to the substitutes’ bench after missing the Pascoe Vale match due to injury. South began the game very strongly and were unlucky not to take the lead in the opening fifteen minutes. Holmes headed the ball onto the post before centre-half James Musa let fly with a stunning lob from distance that just went over Alistair Gray’s crossbar and out for a goal kick, with the goalkeeper scrambling back to try and block the ball. The Greens goalkeeper made a good save to deny Leigh Minopoulos scoring from a free kick, whilst at the other end, Bentleigh almost took the lead with a free kick that hit the crossbar. South goalkeeper Jason Saldaris had been struggling to deal with some high balls coming into his area and Bentleigh took full advantage of this in the 33rd minute, when Saldaris mis-judged a cross into his area to allow an unmarked Stirton to score at the back post.

John Anastasiadis’ Bentleigh side secured the three points early in the second half with a superb team goal. Following a short corner taken, a series of passes were completed around South’s penalty area before the ball was teed up for Cumming to smash past Saldaris with a fierce low drive from the edge of the area. Taylor reacted by replacing Mathew Theodore and Minopoulos with Shaun Timmins and Reed just after the hour mark but the home side had now wrestled control of the match and looked the more likely to score on the counter-attack. Saldaris redeemed himself with a save from a Wayne Wallace header, whilst Gray also made a good save at the other end to deny Milos Lujic from heading Reed’s cross into the back of the net. Taylor rolled the dice for his last substitute, replacing Epifano with Dion Kirk and the youngster made an impact by providing the ball through for Holmes to score past Gray in the third minute of injury time. Unfortunately for South, it was too late and the full time whistle sounded moments later to confirm what was a very disappointing loss.

Post-match, Taylor mentioned how “it’s still in our hands to win the League, we need to bounce back with a win on the weekend and try and stay ahead of Oakleigh.” He added that missing the suspended Jawadi “was a massive loss for tonight’s game” due to the midfielder’s incredible work-rate, something that was clearly missing against Bentleigh. With five matches remaining, South continue to hold a seven point lead against the Oakleigh Cannons, however the Cannons have a game in hand and could potentially reduce that lead to four points. The two sides are scheduled to meet each other in the second-last round of the season at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 7 September in what could ultimately decide the League Championship.

The news was far more positive in the NPL 20s, as South Melbourne defeated Bentleigh Greens 0-4 thanks to a double from Dion Paola and goals from Stefan Zinni and Josh Markovski.

South Melbourne FC’s next match is against Werribee City at Lakeside Stadium this Sunday 10 August, with kick-off at 5PM.

FINAL SCORE: BENTLEIGH GREENS 2-1 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 1-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: David Stirton (33′)
2-0: James Cumming (51′)
2-1: Tyson Holmes (90+3′)

Bentleigh Greens:
21. Alistair GRAY (GK), 2. Tom MATTHEWS, 3. James CUMMING, 5. Jack WEBSTER, 8. Wayne WALLACE, 10. David STIRTON, 12. Luke GALLO (22. Lewis FOSTER 79′), 14. Ryan DE VRIES, 15. Christian CARVALLO, 16. Nicholas TEICHMAN (23. Christopher DROUTSAS 85′), 19. Liam McCORMICK (4. Patrick AVICE 67′).

South Melbourne FC:
1. Jason SALDARIS (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 7. Nick EPIFANO (18. Dion KIRK 76′), 8. Mathew THEODORE (25. Shaun TIMMINS 65′), 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. Tyson HOLMES, 11. Brad NORTON, 14. James MUSA, 27. Leigh MINOPOULOS (17. Jamie REED 65′), 77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS.

SMFC Man of the Match: Tim Mala
Venue: Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
Date: Wednesday 6 August 2014