Author: SMFC Media

Tuesday, 22 May 2007 7:52 PM

By George Kouroumalis

South Melbourne has continued its up and down start to the season after being defeated by a spirited Whittlesea Zebras side 3-2 at freezing Epping Stadium on Monday.

John Anastasiadis kept a similar squad to the one that comprehensively beat Springvale 6-0 the week before, with only Arthur Tsonis making way for Sam DeVito. Joining DeVito in defence were central defenders Dino Djulbic and Steven O’Dor and the inspirational Ramazan, who had started the season in great form.

The midfield was made up of the same faces as the previous week, with Trent Waterson patrolling the left hand flank and Yusef Yusef being asked to replicate his superb form of the Springvale game. Tansel Baser was asked to perform the central midfield duties against old foe Eric Vasiliadis, while Fernando provided the link between the midfielders and Ricky Diaco and Nathan Caldwell, who were up front for South.

South uncharacteristically started the game on the back foot, with Whittlesea attacking from the outset and trying to unsettle the South defence with some early speculative long range efforts. In midfield, the Zebras were dictating terms and subsequently were playing all over South. They were rewarded when defensive confusion by South allowed A-League bound Billy Celeski to get past the final defender and slip the ball past young keeper Mladen Tosic and into the back of the net.

After conceding the goal, South came out of their shell and through ex-Zebra front man Ricky Diaco were nearly on equal terms, after he hit a goal bound drive into the arms of Ken Gerhristodoulou in the Whittlesea goal.

South equalised moments later, with what can be described as a contender for goal of the season by Ramazan. He produced a strong defensive tackle, reclaimed possession of the ball and began to dash up the right hand touch line. After stepping past one defender and spinning past another, he hit a speculative and intentional 35 yard rocket towards the goal, with the ball swinging and dipping into the top right hand corner and over the fully-stretched Gerhristodoulou, sending the South fans into blue delirium.

With the game looking to be all square at the half time interval, a final foray forward by the Zebras saw the ball come into the area and deflect through a sea of legs, including Steve Martin who seemed to have the final touch before the ball rolled into the open net to give the Zebras a 2-1 advantage at the break.

The Zebras came out in the 2nd half in a totally different fashion to the first, seeming content to sit back and absorb the South attacks and try and hold onto their slender one goal advantage. The defensive mindset almost saw the Zebras concede an equalizer in the first 20 minutes of the half, with Nathan Caldwell, Yusef Yusef and Ricky Diaco all having their efforts saved by Gerhristodoulou in goals.

The chance of the game came soon after, when substitute Bill Natsioulas delivered an inch perfect ball from the right hand flank to the feet of Fernando, who unbelievably mis-kicked the ball from close range straight into the arms of the surprised Gerhristodoulou.

Almost immediately, a counter attack by the Zebras, in what was their first real attack of the second half, saw the ball released to Billy Celeski, who danced past the South defence and with acres of space hit a low shot past Tosic, giving his side a two goal buffer with five minutes remaining.

To South’s credit, they continued to push forward and pulled back a goal immediately after the re-start, when Wellington-bound defender Steven O’Dor climbed over the Whittlesea defence and nodded home his side’s second of the night from a free kick.

South sensed that they could steal a point from the match and the final 5 minutes saw the away side attack at all costs, bombarding the goals of Gerhristodoulou at every opportunity. However, the Zebras keeper stood up at every occasion, determined to prove to be the difference in the game.

With time ticking away and the referee eying his watch, South launched one final attack at goal. An inviting ball into the box was headed on target by Dino Djulbic, who had made his way forward. Gerhristodoulou made the save of the match, tipping the ball over the bar from a fully outstretched and aerial position. The save ensured that his side would finish the encounter with all 3 points.

South Melbourne must now front up against the high-flying Preston Lions, in what promises to be a cracking derby match next Sunday at 4.30pm at Bob Jane Stadium. The match is open only to South Melbourne members.

Sunday, 20 May 2007 7:21 PM

By George Kouroumalis

Round 10 of the Foxtel Cup will culminate on Monday night, with a mouthwatering contest between the Whittlesea Zebras and South Melbourne at Epping Stadium.

In recent weeks, both sides have started to find their feet. The Zebras seem to have put behind them an indifferent and perhaps unlucky start to the season by taking 2 wins and a draw from their last three outings, including an impressive and hard working 2-2 draw against the odds last week at Heidelberg.

South Melbourne on the other hand have had an uncharacteristic start to their season by conceding quite a few goals in the early games and being beaten at home on two occasions, by the high flying Green Gully and Altona Magic three weeks ago. Following the 1-3 defeat to Altona, South have rallied to defeat the AIS and then comprehensively beat the Springvale White Eagles 6-0 to improve their home form and goal difference.

The Zebras, who lie only 3 points outside the top 6, are looking to improve their home form also, only winning once at Epping Stadium so far this season. In their next three matches they play 3 sides in the upper regions of the table, starting with South Melbourne at home this round.

To get the points against a tough and talented South lineup, Zebras coach Michael Michalakopoulos will be looking towards a few individuals to spark up his side. The main threat is the young and energetic striker Hamlet Armenian, who has had an impressive start to the season, scoring on four occasions and playing a part in most forward thrusts that the Zebras generate. In support, A-League bound Billy Celeski and the underrated workhorse Steve Martin must also be on their game and be working together with Armenian in order to give the South defence massive headaches.

The battle in the middle of the park will also be an important factor in the contest, with Josip Kozic and Eric Vassiliadis having to try and stifle the influence of Tansel Baser, who in his two games after returning from suspension has dominated proceedings, playing an integral part in the recent form of the South Melbourne side. Vassiliadis will also be looked upon to give his side some drive from the midfield and generally provide another problem for the South defence to deal with.

Defensively the Zebras will once again be marshalled by John Angelovski, who will be looking to organize his defensive unit to give young keeper Ken Gerohristodoulou very little work to do, despite the youngster being in superb form so far in the Foxtel Cup. Should they succeed in their defensive conquest, the Zebras will go a long way to defeating the attacking South Melbourne side.

South Melbourne on the other hand will approach this game in 6th position, with an eye on trying to get the win that will push them higher on the table. Despite a horrible home record so far in 2007, the blues have performed very well away from Bob Jane Stadium, remaining undefeated away from home this season.

As per usual, South will be looking to attack the Zebras defence from the outset, with the former Zebra Ricky Diaco leading the charge up front against his old side. Diaco, who was a high profile signing for the reigning champions, has so far been one of the performers of the season, scoring six goals and causing every defence problems whenever he has the ball at his feet.

In support, Nathan Caldwell should once again get the nod as Diaco’s strike partner, with the tall and quick front man scoring five goals so far this season. In addition, inspirational Brazilian Fernando will be behind the forwards feeding the ball to their feet.

In the middle of the park, Tansel Baser has given the side some real stability in both an attacking and defensive sense and for the Zebras to win, they must stop Baser having any influence on the game. The Zebras must also come up against a superb back 4, including three A-League quality players in Steve O’Dor (bound for Wellington Phoenix), Dino Djulbic (bound for Perth Glory) and Ramazan (ex-Melbourne Victory), along with veteran defender Arthur Tsonis patrolling the left hand side of defence.

Despite the quality of defensive players, South has been uncharacteristically guilty of conceding plenty of goals this season. This provides the Zebras with some hope that they can get something from their forward thrusts.

Taking all that into account and with both sides chasing an important three points, this game promises to be an enthralling contest that hopefully sees both sides play some attractive and exciting attacking football in front of what is expected to be a large crowd at Epping Stadium.

Thursday, 17 May 2007 3:22 PM

The F.A. Cup final is the most decorated club final in the world; and billions will tune in to watch the best team on the planet; or indeed the best two teams on the planet as the contrasting football styles of Manchester united lock horns with Chelsea.

To celebrate this great night of football, head to the Champions Sports Bar at Bob Jane Stadium to catch all the action. Doors open at 10pm. Enjoy the game with friends and family in a fun and enjoyable atmosphere.

Details:
Champions Sports Bar, Bob Jane Stadium
25 Albert Road, Albert Park
Doors Open 10pm

Monday, 14 May 2007 11:30 AM

By George Kouroumalis

South Melbourne has won its first home game of 2007, with the reigning champions producing an astonishing display of attacking football against the hapless Springvale outfit on Sunday at Bob Jane Stadium.

South opened strongly, attacking immediately from the outset, when a lovely run down the left hand flank by Trent Waterson saw the ex-Sunshine winger play the ball into the path of Nathan Caldwell, who hit his well-struck drive wide.

Springvale created their opening chance of the evening, when highly rated midfielder Igor Arsovski made a storming run past Arthur Tsonis on the right hand side and with venom hit an inventive strike at goal, only for the ball to go flying over the bar.

In the 11th minute, South struck the first major blow of the evening, when Ricky Diaco fed a dangerous ball into the path of Caldwell, which saw the highly fancied striker make up for his early miss and slam the ball into the back of the net.

Five minutes later, South almost double its advantage after Yusef Yusef was brought down inches outside the area. From the resulting free kick, Arthur Tsonis stepped up and hit a fantastic shot at goal with the ball swinging and grazing the outside of the post, going narrowly wide.

The danger that Tsonis was providing at the dead ball situations continued in the 21st minute, when a free kick from the area was whipped into the area causing mass confusion amongst the Springvale defence. With the defence bamboozled, the ball fell into the path of Ricky Diaco, who hit a weak shot into the arms of the acrobatic Nikola Adganovic, who saved Springvale between the sticks.

Springvale and Adganovic were unable to hold out South Melbourne for much longer, after a dazzling run by Brazilian maestro Fernando, lead to the midfielder hitting his initial shot into the waiting defence, before hitting the resultant rebound into the back of the net, doubling his side’s advantage.

From the resultant kickoff an interception by Ramazan saw the former Melbourne Victory defender storm his way down the right hand flank and play a ball into the area, finding Yusef, who hit a superb first time strike past the outstretched keeper and into the back of the net, giving South a 3 goal advantage after only 25 minutes of play.

Springvale, despite the early onslaught, continued to push forward in numbers in an attempt to get back into the game and might have pulled a goal back in the 31st and 33rd minutes, when the dangerous Arsovski on both occasions hit two creative strikes from outside the area. Both flew over the cross bar and into safety for South.

The acting South skipper for the evening, Tansel Baser, almost extended his sides advantage to 4 goals just before the break, hitting a blistering drive onto the target, however once again keeper Adganovic was in the way.

The final chance of the first half came to Springvale after a well weighted cross by Vladan Zoric found the unmarked Nick Papadopoulos, who was lurking at the back post with an open net in front of him. To the disbelief of all present, he mis-hit his header and missed the target completely, ensuring that South went into the break with a comfortable 3 goal cushion.

South commenced the second half in the same manner that it did the first, taking only five minutes to find a fourth goal of the evening. On this occasion, Yusef once again found himself in space on the right hand side and struck a superb cross into the back post for the waiting Waterson. Waterson hit his header across goal into the path of Caldwell, who bagged his second goal from only one metre out.

In the 65th minute a superb ball by Waterson completely opened up the Springvale defence leaving Diaco in acres of space with only the goalkeeper to beat. Diaco, who hadn’t yet scored, buried his chance and gave South a 5 goal advantage with 25 minutes still to play.

Springvale responded with a sublime move of their own, when a lovely build up of passes culminated with Rados Tomic finding speedy striker Goran Zoric.
Zoric who seemed to be in a non shooting position, got past a few defenders and hit a superb volley that curled and dipped inches wide of the target.

In the 82nd minute, South once again ripped a hole in the brittle Springvale defence, with substitute and Grand final hero Gianni De Nittis hitting an absolute wonder strike with his left foot from well outside the area, beating Adganovic at the near post and sending the strong home crowd into raptures with a contender for goal of the season.

Springvale almost grabbed a consolation goal near the end with the last shot of the game, when a free kick was awarded just outside the area, against South defender Tsonis.

Goran Mrdic stepped up and hit his strike onto the target, but unfortunately for Springvale his shot was tipped over the bar by Mladen Tosic and away from a goalkick.

South Melbourne defender Steve O’Dor had a stellar game in defence and was only complimentary about performance of the team.

“It was a sensational team display by the boys and we hope that we can continue such performances in the weeks and months ahead.” remarked O’Dor.

South Melbourne make the trip out to Epping Stadium to take on the Whittlesea Zebras on Monday night. Kick off is at 8.15pm.

Wednesday, 9 May 2007 11:41 AM

South Melbourne FC would like to announce that it has agreed to work with an independent lawyer appointed by the FFV, in investigating the circumstances and reasoning that led to the game being forfeited.

The club is willing to co-operate for the purposes of the investigation and wishes to bring a just and timely resolution to this issue in order to concentrate on defending its VPL title.

Tuesday, 8 May 2007 1:50 PM

By Michael Tsoukalis

South Melbourne is presented with a genuine opportunity to get its season back on track as well as perhaps reclaim a top-six position this coming Sunday when John Anastasiadis’s men take on the Zoran Trajceski-coached Springvale White Eagles.

The White Eagles have had a reality check since their promotion to the Foxtel Cup, managing only one win and two draws to sit planted on the foot of the ladder on five points.

Whilst generally competitive the White Eagles have struggled for goals with youngster Goran Zoric leading the line with a serviceable four goals, precisely half of the White Eagles goal tally this season.

The Springvale-based outfit do contain some familiar faces with ex-South Melbourne players Tass Psonis and Radmir Sekulovski a key part of their midfield setup.

Experienced national league and ex-Marconi midfielder Vlado Zoric helps to add a further layer of class to the White Eagles midfield.

In the South camp the return of influential and inspirational club leader Tansel Baser immediately saw South return to the winner’s circle last Sunday with a hard fought 1-2 win against the A.I.S.

Whilst lacking full match fitness, Baser helped steady the midfield and allow South to dictate play, especially during the first half.

Boasting the most talent defense in the league, South Melbourne is still leaking goals which is no doubt a concern for Coach John Anastasiadis. In general play the defensive unit dominates, but with the clinical edge lacking at times in attack, South has been caught out on more than one occasion this season on the quick counter.

However, encouraging for South is that plenty of chances are being created with John Anastasiadis’s men producing at times the most attractive attacking play in the league.

Ramazan Tavsancioglu who has been trialing with Adelaide United will most probably start this week after beginning last week’s match on the bench.

Tavsancioglu aside it is unlikely South will make any changes to the team that faced the A.I.S.

Monday, 7 May 2007 11:21 AM

By George Kouroumalis

South Melbourne have won their first game in almost two months, defeating a spirited AIS side at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday. South opened the scoring via Arthur Tsonis while Matt Mullins responded for the AIS. Nathan Caldwell netted the winner before half time.

Playing as an away side on its home turf, South Melbourne welcomed back inspirational leader Tansel Baser into the lineup, who played his first game of the season.

Baser, who was aching to be part of the action after a lengthy suspension, almost made an immediate impact in the second minute of play, when he released Caldwell into the area, only for the ex Melbourne Knights striker to hit the shot wide.

South continued to push forward at every opportunity and had another fantastic chance in the 7th minute to open the scoring. Fernando was given the ball in space by Trent Waterson just outside the area, with the Brazilian striking a wicked drive wide of the target once again.

With the vocal crowd behind them, South continued to push forward in numbers, with Wellington Phoenix-bound central defender Steven O’Dor playing a great cross into the path of Ricky Diaco. Diaco, who found himself with nobody around him, struck a header just wide of the keeper.

With South dominating the game completely by this point, it was only a matter of time before they put one into the back of the net and managed to do so in the 25th minute. After an inventive strike from outside the area by Fernando, the ball was parried by the keeper into the path of Arthur Tsonis, who tucked the ball into the open net.

In an unexpected twist and immediately from the resumption, a sweeping move by the young AIS outfit culminated in a superb run by youngster Matt Mullins, who burst through the defence like a hot knife through butter, ramming the ball past the outstretched Mladen Tosic in the South goal.

South got their one goal advantage back moments before the break when a storming and creative run by winger Yusef Yusef which saw the ex-Heidelberg player hit his shot hard at Jerrad Tyson’s feet in the AIS goal. To the disbelief of the waiting Caldwell, the keeper parried the ball into his path and with only one metre between him and the open net, he slotted the ball home.

Unlike the first half, the second half started off in a quite subdued manner, with no real opportunities falling to either side for the first 25 minutes, until a run and strike by Fernando from outside the area flew inches past the outside of the post and away for a goal kick.

In the 75th minute, South should have sealed the game, after a great bit of interplay between Fernando and Diaco saw the Brazilian hit another shot at goal, with the ball grazing the outside of the post.

In the 84th minute, the AIS almost equalised and snatched a point from the game, when some indecisive defensive work saw an opportunistic volley hit the bar and fly out for the goal kick.

South Melbourne midfielder Yusef was relieved after the game to have taken all three points. “It wasn’t our best game, but we are happy to take the points. Credit to the AIS, they kept their defensive pressure up all match and could have snatched a point at the end, remarked Yusef post-match.”

South Melbourne now host Springvale next Sunday at Bob Jane Stadium. Kick off is at 4.30pm.

Friday, 4 May 2007 2:53 AM

By Michael Tsoukalis

This Sunday at Bob Jane Stadium South take on the A.I.S in what looms as a must win game for John Anastasiadis’s men.

South haven’t won a match for over a month and have slipped dangerously near the relegation zone.

The A.I.S under the direction of Stephen O’Connor have made an admirable start to life in the Foxtel Cup sitting on 10 points and in 11th position.

O’Connor’s team boasts some of the most talented and up-and-coming youngsters in Australian football who have greatly benefited from playing competitive matches on a week-to-week basis.

Last week however, O’Connor’s men received a wake-up call, losing 3-0 to Heidelberg and no doubt fully realizing the standard of Victoria’s premier football competition. The A.I.S’s thumping couldn’t have come at a worse time for the A.I.S with Champions South Melbourne absolutely desperate for the three points.

South lost 1-3 to Altona in last week’s grand final replay and has been suffering from a lack of finishing prowess as well as a creaky defence which has failed to live up to its star billing. As a result the Champions see themselves languishing in 13th position, only one point clear of relegation.

South will receive a major boost this week with the return of inspirational defensive midfielder Tansel Baser who has finished serving his 8-match suspension. Baser’s experience and motivating personality has been sorely missed this season with South often struggling to control the centre of the park.

Even though not match fit, Baser will most probably be rushed straight back into the starting lineup with Sammy DeVito returning to his defensive duties after doing an admirable job filling in for ex-Trabzonspor player.

South forward Gianni De Nittis didn’t play last week after injuring himself during last Saturday’s training session. The young striker remains doubtful this weekend.

Thursday, 3 May 2007 3:00 PM

The South Melbourne FC family continues its “Meet and Greet” nights this Friday evening inviting all supporters, sponsors, general football lovers and anyone looking for a pleasant end to the week to Bob Jane Stadium for a drink, meal and general socializing.

Food and beverages will be on hand for anyone interested in attending.

The South Melbourne FC family is interested in further developing and strengthening its relationship with current and past supporters of the club as well as always looking to find new supporters. Also of note some players will be making an attendance.

The three previous nights have been successful with the club looking to make this night a weekly event.

Monday, 30 April 2007 1:05 AM

By George Kouroumalis

Altona Magic has defeated a gallant but ultimately unlucky South Melbourne 3-1 in front of a healthy crowd at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday.

South started brightly surging forward almost immediately, when Brazilian maestro Fernando was released into space just outside the area. The midfielder launched a cracking drive on target, with veteran goalkeeper Bojo Jevdevic coming to Altona’s rescue with a great save to his left.

In the tenth minute, Altona pushed forward against the run of play, where experienced midfielder Daniel Vasilevski played a well weighted through ball into the path of Koce Delev. Delev, with only the keeper to beat, placed a brilliant shot onto the target and past the outstretched Mladen Tosic in the South goal, giving his side a 1-0 advantage.

South, who looked somewhat shell-shocked, responded in the twentieth minute when they were given a free kick just outside the area. The quick thinking Fernando played an early ball into the unmarked Ricky Diaco. The former A-League star hit a first time drive past the keeper, putting his side back on level terms.

South should have taken the lead in the 28th minute, when a lovely sweeping move culminated in Nathan Caldwell finding himself in acres of space inside the area, with nobody marking him. To the disbelief of all fans at the ground, the former Melbourne Knights striker hit the shot directly at the feet of the stationary keeper.

Just before the break, Jevdevic once again pulled off a series of sublime saves within the five minutes, where both Caldwell and Diaco had their shots foiled by the experienced campaigner, who was at that point having an absolute blinder in the Altona goal.

The second half started where the first half finished, with Jevdevic continuing to be a rock, saving a point blank strike from Fernando in the moments just after half time.

In the 60th minute, Altona had a rare foray forward, when captain Vasilevski was played into acres of space along the right hand side of the park. Looking up, Vasilevski played a sensational ball into the box, causing mass confusion amongst the South Melbourne defence, culminating in Ramazan Tavsancioglu forcing the ball into the open net.

With South 2-1 down, Diaco looked to take matters into his own hands and had two inventive strikes hit wide of the target in both the 71st and 76th minutes after turning the defence inside out on both occasions.

The reigning champions had arguably its best chance of the game in the 77th minute, when a storming run by substitute Yusuf Yusuf was finished by a superb ball being played into the path of Bill Natisoulas. To the complete dismay of the home supporters, Natsioulas hit his shot into the arms of the man of the match Jevdevic, who pulled off another sterling save.

Altona then quickly countered and, after some confusion between the defence and inexperienced keeper Tosic, the ball fell to the open Vasilevski who hit his strike into the open net, sending the three points to Paisley Park.

Altona’s relieved coach Vlado Tortevski was pleased with the result. “ The side was sensational in their efforts today” said Tortevski post-match. “I hope that this will turn the side’s fortunes around for the rest of the season.”

Perth Glory bound South defender Dino Djulbic was left to rue the results. “We were unlucky but next week we will lift with the addition of Tansel Baser, who returns from suspension. We have missed his experience so far in the middle of the park.”