Author: SMFC Media

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC travels to Kingston Heath Soccer Complex tonight to face the Bentleigh Greens in another huge National Premier League Victoria match. With six rounds remaining in the season, South currently leads the Oakleigh Cannons by seven points on the NPL ladder. Assuming that the Cannons win all of their remaining six matches, South needs twelve more points to secure the League Championship and can get six of them this week with a win against the Greens tonight and then against Werribee City on Sunday.

Chris Taylor’s South side goes into tonight’s match having enjoyed a 0-3 victory against Pascoe Vale at Hosken Reserve last Friday night. Leigh Minopoulos returned to the starting eleven and scored a goal in each half, whilst centre-forward Milos Lujic scored South’s other goal from the penalty spot to take his personal tally to 16 League goals for the season. Bentleigh head into tonight’s match having not won in two matches, losing 2-1 against Oakleigh at Jack Edwards Reserve on Sunday 27 July before drawing 2-2 with bottom side Goulburn Valley Suns at Kingston Heath last Saturday 2 August.

Iqi Jawadi will miss his first game of the season tonight when he serves an automatic one match ban for his red card against Pascoe Vale (following two yellow cards during the match). There is still doubt on whether Jamie Reed will feature tonight, as the forward did not play against Pascoe Vale following an injury sustained against Northcote on Saturday 26 July. Nick Epifano sat on the substitutes’ bench for the entire Pascoe Vale match but should slot back into the midfield tonight in place of the suspended Jawadi, whilst the front two of Lujic and Minopoulos should remain unchanged from last Friday.

The two sides met earlier this season at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 11 May and on that occasion South Melbourne triumphed with a 2-1 win over the Greens thanks to second half goals from Lujic and substitute Minopoulos. In the corresponding match between the two sides at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex on Friday 19 April 2013, South Melbourne defeated Bentleigh 1-2 thanks to a first half headed goal from Brad Norton and a late second half header from Renco Van Eeken.

Tonight’s game kicks off at 8:30PM at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex. 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 #BGvSM.

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce that it has secured a 40-year lease on its Exclusive Areas at Lakeside Stadium.

South Melbourne FC President Leo Athanasakis believes that “this is one of the biggest days in the history of our Club as we have now secured our future at Lakeside Stadium for the next 40 years.” Mr Athanasakis wishes to thank his Chairman Mr Nick Galatas, as well as the rest of his Board Members in Andrew Mesourouni, Nick Maikousis, Tom Kalas, Tony Margaritis, George Triantos and Peter Parthimos, who have all worked tirelessly throughout difficult times to achieve a fantastic result for the Club.

Mr Athanasakis also wishes to thank in particular Bill Papastergiadis, President of the Greek Community of Victoria and the Club’s lawyer throughout the process of securing the lease. “Bill was invited to lead the negotiations with Government on behalf of South Melbourne FC and advise on the legal position of the Club. His appointment has been instrumental in securing the 40-year term, especially as the Club had seemingly hit a major stumbling block in negotiating with the State Sports Centre Trust (SSCT). What Bill and his team have been able to achieve is nothing short of extraordinary and the Club is blessed to have had him represent us. The deal could not have been done without him.”

Mr Papastergiadis himself is thrilled with the announcement. “We have been working tirelessly in pursuing a transformation of the Club. Leo, Andrew, Nick, Tom and the entire Board of Management are committed to taking the Club to the next level. Negotiating a resolution with the Government on the stadium lease was one of the last remaining pieces in the puzzle. The legal issues involved were very complicated, however the Napthine Government demonstrated a sincere approach to dealing and resolving these issues with us.”

Mr Papastergiadis added, “We understood the importance in securing a lease deal for the Club’s future and accordingly worked through all of the issues carefully and methodically. Minister Ryan Smith’s announcement today marks the constructive approach taken by both sides. The Coalition Government demonstrated a willingness to engage, which the Club applauds. Minister Smith has been constructive and proactive at all times in his approach.”

Mr Papastergiadis also acknowledges other Ministers involved in the process. “Many people worked behind the scenes to make this announcement happen, particularly Minister Matthew Guy, who was instrumental. Minister Guy was quick to support the Club and the Greek Community. His involvement was critical to this process and the end result. We thank Minister Guy and equally government advisers Matthew Berry and Peter Lemonis.”

Finally, Mr Athanasakis wishes to thank the South Melbourne FC members for their patience and support during the past few years whilst negotiations continued over the lease and redevelopment of Lakeside Stadium.

Upon execution of the lease, South Melbourne FC will immediately commence building its long-awaited Social Club and Futsal Centre.

Leo Athanasakis

President

Photo above includes from Left to Right the following:

Nick Maikousis (Director of Football & Sponsorship), Shannon Eeles (Liberal Candidate for Albert Park), Bill Papastergiadis (President of GOCV and Club Lawyer), Leo Athanasakis (President South Melbourne FC) Minister Ryan Smith (Minister for Environment and Climate Change) Nick Galatas (Chairman South Melbourne FC)

Tom Kalas (Board Director) Andrew Mesourouni (Director of Youth & Football).

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC maintained its seven point lead at the top of the National Premier League Victoria ladder when it defeated Pascoe Vale 0-3 at Hosken Reserve last Friday night. Two goals from Leigh Minopoulos and a penalty by Milos Lujic won the three points for South, putting them ten points ahead of Oakleigh temporarily before the Cannons trimmed the margin back to seven points by defeating Northcote City 1-3 on Sunday afternoon.

Shaun Timmins made way for the returning Tim Mala at right back as Brad Norton kept his spot at left back. Jamie Reed and Nick Epifano were missing from the starting eleven, with Reed not even named on the bench after suffering an injury against Northcote last Saturday 26 July. Mathew Theodore and Minopoulos replaced them in the starting eleven against Pascoe Vale.

Pascoe Vale started the match stronger than their South opponents and Vitale Ferrante’s side should have opened the scoring in the first half. Michael Ferrante had a chance that went over Jason Saldaris’ crossbar. Saldaris was then called upon to save his team by making an important block to deny former South forward Joseph Youssef, who managed to get behind the South defence before firing his shot straight at the goalkeeper. With the rain bucketing down at Hosken Reserve, South needed a break and it got what it was after when Iqi Jawadi played a defence-splitting through-ball for Minopoulos to run onto and calmly slip the ball past the advancing Pascoe Vale goalkeeper Stefaan Sardelic.

The match exploded to life ten minutes into the second half when a routine goalkeeping catch for Pascoe Vale resulted in a red card and a penalty to South. Sardelic jumped up to catch a routine cross before unnecessarily kicking out at the incoming Tyson Holmes’ chest on his way down. It was an unnecessary act and very uncharacteristic of the former South goalkeeper, who was instantly dismissed from the field by the referee. Reserve goalkeeper Yaren Sozer was substituted on in place of outfield player Nathen Megic and his first act was to pick the ball out of the back of the net as Lujic blasted the ball straight down the middle of the goal from the resultant spot kick.

The three points were wrapped up just after the hour mark when Lujic got on the end of Mala’s ball down the right before providing a low cross for Minopoulos to score at the near post for his second goal and South’s third for the evening. The only negative of the night for the away side was the dismissal of Jawadi after 68 minutes, when the midfielder picked up his second yellow card of the night and was sent off by the referee for an early shower. Chris Taylor’s South side saw out the remaining time in the game as Jason Saldaris notched up his 11th clean sheet from 20 League matches this season, with the South custodian having also notched up 13 clean sheets from his 23 matches across all competitions this season.

Taylor admitted post-match about being nervous ahead of the trip to Hosken Reserve (as Pascoe Vale defeated Oakleigh there 2-0 earlier this season) and as a result he was very satisfied with winning the three points on Friday night. He played down suggestions that the League Championship could be won over the coming fortnight (with a few more wins and Oakleigh dropping points), adding that “Oakleigh has been very strong all season and will push us right to the end. We can only do what’s in our control and that is to take it one match at a time and try to keep the (winning) momentum going.”

South Melbourne FC has two extremely important matches coming up this week, with the first being against the Bentleigh Greens at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex on Wednesday night (6 August, kick-off at 8:30PM) before a home match against Werribee City at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening (10 August, kick-off at 5PM). Four more wins from its remaining six matches will mathematically secure the League Championship (assuming Oakleigh continues to win) so the upcoming week presents the opportunity to secure half of the wins required.

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

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Leigh Minopoulos (33′)
0-2: Milos Lujic (59’p)
0-3: Leigh Minopoulos (64′)

Pascoe Vale:
1. Stefaan SARDELIC (GK) (sent off 56′), 2. Adrian TALARICO, 3. Nathen MEGIC (27. Yaren SOZER (GK) (58’), 5. James STEFANOU (17. Evan KARAVITIS 88’), 8. Joseph YOUSSEF, 9. Jake NAKIC, 11. Jonathan VOULGARIS, 14. Alvaro CARRILO, 16. Marco SANTILLI (13. Mathew LAZARIDES 82’), 21. Michael FERRANTE, 22 Carl RECCHIA.

South Melbourne FC:
1. Jason SALDARIS (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 8. Mathew THEODORE (18. Dion KIRK 75′), 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. Tyson HOLMES, 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Iqi JAWADI (sent off 68′), 14. James MUSA, 27. Leigh MINOPOULOS, 77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS.

SMFC Man of the Match: Leigh Minopoulos
Venue: Hosken Reserve
Date: Friday 1 August 2014

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC has the opportunity to extend its lead at the top of the National Premier League Victoria ladder to ten points with a win against Pascoe Vale at Hosken Reserve tonight. Chris Taylor’s side are currently seven points clear of second-placed Oakleigh Cannons with seven League matches remaining in the season. The best case scenario at the conclusion of this round (South defeat Pascoe Vale and Oakleigh lose against Northcote City) is South being ten points clear with six rounds left; the worst case scenario is having its lead cut down to just four points.

South Melbourne goes into tonight’s match having had its five match winning run in the League broken with the 1-1 draw against Northcote City at John Cain Reserve last Saturday. It was a cruel blow as Milos Lujic had put South ahead 0-1 in the 73rd minute, only for the referee to controversially award a penalty to Northcote that Jonathan Munoz converted after 80 minutes. Vitale Ferrante’s Pascoe Vale come into tonight’s game in inconsistent form, with three draws, one win and a loss from their last five League matches. Their most recent result was a mid-week 0-2 home loss against Werribee City on Tuesday night. Despite that loss, Pascoe Vale are currently in seventh spot with 26 points from 19 League matches, nine points clear of the relegation zone and in relative mid-table comfort.

South should have a full squad to choose from, with right-back Tim Mala returning after serving his automatic one match ban against Northcote following his accumulation of five yellow cards this season. With Mala expected to go straight back into his usual right back position, it remains to be seen whether Shaun Timmins or Brad Norton start the match at left-back. Norton occupied the position last weekend as Timmins switched to right-back to cover Mala’s absence. Striker Jamie Reed was substituted last week after suffering a leg injury, however he is expected to be fit for tonight’s match.

Pascoe Vale’s squad feature names familiar to South fans, with former South players Stefaan Sardelic, Carl Recchia and Joseph Youssef usually in their starting eleven. Goalkeeper Sardelic was on the bench in mid-week as Yaren Sozer filled in between the sticks and it remains to be seen if the former South custodian will return tonight. Pascoe Vale have many dangerous players such as Tomi Milardovic, Jonathan Voulgaris, Jake Nakic and Michael Ferrante and with the match being played at their home ground, they will no doubt provide seriously tough competition for South tonight in a match that many see as a danger match for Taylor’s side.

The two sides met earlier this season at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 18 May, where a first half goal from Mathew Theodore proved to be the difference as South won 1-0. In the corresponding match played between the two sides on Saturday 1 June 2013 at Hosken Reserve, Pascoe Vale held on for a 0-0 draw against South despite playing the match with ten men for the majority of the game following Luca Santilli’s sending off after only ten minutes.

Tonight’s game kicks off at 7:30PM at Hosken 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 #PVvSM.

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC’s lead at the top of the National Premier League Victoria ladder was cut to seven points following its 1-1 draw against Northcote City at John Cain Reserve on Saturday afternoon. Milos Lujic looked to have won the match for the away side with his goal after 73 minutes but Northcote levelled seven minutes later from former South player Jonathan Munoz’s penalty kick.

Chris Taylor’s South Melbourne side went into the game on a five game winning run in the League and came up against Goran Lozanovski’s Northcote side that had been unbeaten in their last five League matches. Right-back Tim Mala was missing from the South line-up after he accumulated his fifth yellow card of the season against the Melbourne Knights last Sunday and therefore served his mandatory one-match suspension against Northcote. Brad Norton was recalled into the starting eleven and replaced Shaun Timmins at left back as Timmins switched sides and filled in for Mala at right back.

With the John Cain Reserve pitch in such poor condition, both teams would have most likely accepted a draw if it was offered to them pre-match. Indeed, both sides offered so little in the first half that it appeared they were both happy to take a point each and move on to next week.

The second half was a more lively affair as South slowly worked their way on top of Northcote and carved out good opportunities to open the scoring. Tyson Holmes – in his 50th appearance for South across all competitions – had an excellent chance to open the scoring but Northcote goalkeeper Chris Petropoulos saved Holmes’ effort at his near post. Nick Epifano was then played through on goal but the ball bobbled on the uneven surface as he was about to shoot and the subsequent shot went harmlessly wide and out for a goal kick.

The deadlock was finally broken with just seventeen minutes of normal time remaining. Iqi Jawadi won possession of the ball and found Holmes with a pass, who then put Lujic through on goal for the centre-forward to fire a low shot across Petropoulos and into the bottom left corner of the goal. It was Lujic’s 15th League goal of the season (from 19 games) and 16th goal across all competitions (from 23 games) in 2014.

It seemed that South had done enough to get the three points but Northcote levelled only seven minutes later. South goalkeeper Jason Saldaris charged out to clear the danger after a long ball was played forward but he mis-kicked the ball. With no goalkeeper in the way of the goal, Liam Wooding went to shoot but was denied a shot thanks to an excellent ball-winning tackle by Brad Norton. Unfortunately for the away side, the referee blew his whistle for a penalty kick after judging Norton to have fouled Wooding inside the area, despite mass protesting from the South players. Norton was given a yellow card for his troubles as Munoz calmly stepped up and buried his spot kick past Saldaris, who guessed the correct way to his left but couldn’t make the save.

Both sides pressed for the win in the last ten minutes. In the final minute of regular time, Wade Dekker’s cross was deflected off James Musa and hit Saldaris’ near post before going out for a corner. In the first minute of injury time, Holmes found space inside the six yard box and drove a low shot across the goal and out of play. With almost the final play of the game, Lujic was put through one-on-one with Petropoulos but the keeper won out with an excellent block to deny Lujic a second goal and South the three points.

Post-match, Taylor was disappointed that his side didn’t make the most of their opportunities when they presented themselves, adding that “we spoke at the break about not making any errors…unfortunately we gifted them a goal and it (winning the game) just wasn’t to be today.”

There was good news in the NPL 20s as South Melbourne smashed Northcote City 1-4 thanks to goals from Josh Markovski, Tim Kakoliris, Andy Kecojevic and an own goal by Northcote.

South Melbourne FC’s next match is against Pascoe Vale this coming Friday 1 August, with kick-off at 7:30PM. Please note that South’s match against the Bentleigh Greens originally scheduled for Tuesday 29 July has now been moved to Wednesday 6 August at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex at 8:30PM due to Bentleigh’s participation in the FFA Cup this week.

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

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Milos Lujic (73′)
1-1: Jonathan Munoz (80’p)

Northcote City:
22. Chris PETROPOULOS (GK), 2. Adrian CHIAPPETTA (C), 4. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 5. Phil PETRESKI, 6. Aaron WARD (3. Nasr SAID 87′), 7. Jonathan MUNOZ, 10. Marinos GASPARIS (23. Jonathan BOUNAS 59′), 11. Liam WOODING, 14. Michael CATALANO (17. Anthony RIZK 70′), 15. Wade DEKKER, 16. Greg LOMBARDO.

South Melbourne FC:
1. Jason SALDARIS (GK), 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 7. Nick EPIFANO (27. Leigh MINOPOULOS 84′), 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. Tyson HOLMES, 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Iqi JAWADI, 14. James MUSA, 17. Jamie REED (8. Mathew THEODORE 76′), 25. Shaun TIMMINS, 77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS.

SMFC Man of the Match: Iqi Jawadi
Venue: John Cain Reserve
Date: Saturday 26 July 2014

Having played a central role in the development of the NPL in Victoria, SMFC is proud of its implementation of the program to date, in its first year, while continuously looking to improve it in accordance with the club’s ethos in all areas.

We congratulate our Under 12, 13, 14, 16 and 18 teams for their qualification to the next round of their respective leagues. Our Under 15s unluckily just missed out but will, no doubt, be there next year. With the pending announcement by FFV of the final round fixtures, we wish our teams well in the final phase of the inaugural NPL season.

While everyone is aware of the success our senior team has experienced this year until now, we proudly recognise that together with the success of our junior teams, SMFC’s performance puts it among the most successful clubs in Victoria when measured under the ‘Whole of Club’ method applied by FFA and FFV. Youth development and the transition of players from junior and youth programs to senior football is a key aim of the NPL and SMFC. While we are still at the dawn of the NPL and as a club, we have still much to do, we have started well with the average age of our senior squad at 22 years of age.

After the difficult off-season experienced by many clubs with their much-publicised fight to implement a strong and viable NPL, SMFC has re-focused and settled down to the difficult but primary task of implementation of the program. Together with other NPL Clubs, SMFC is involved in the review and improvement of the NPL as a whole. With its own program, SMFC is continuously seeking to develop and improve every element of its programs and operations including their effective communication. To that end, the club values the constructive input of many of its members which will assist us to achieve our objectives.

In addition to its ongoing monitoring and development of its programs, the club will conduct a comprehensive review of all its departments, including its junior and youth programs, at the end of the season. This will satisfy not only its NPL obligations but also its own aims of identifying what it has done well and how it can improve so that we not only meet our objectives but exceed them and consolidate the club’s tradition of being a leader in football throughout the country.

The transition of our Junior Program from that of a Community Club to an elite NPL Club program is exacting and has consumed significant effort and resources from the club and our members. So we thank all our coaches, players, parents, members, administrators and staff for their dedication, support and feedback to help us build an enviable and successful elite Youth Program.

SMFC Board

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC travels to John Cain Reserve to face Northcote City on Saturday afternoon. A win for Chris Taylor’s side will extend their lead over the Oakleigh Cannons at the top of the National Premier League Victoria to twelve points, at least until the Cannons host the Bentleigh Greens on Sunday evening.

South goes into Saturday’s meeting with Northcote City full of confidence, having won its past five League matches and having defeated the Melbourne Knights 4-3 in the original Melbourne derby last Sunday evening at Lakeside Stadium. A double from Milos Lujic and further goals from Shaun Timmins and Jamie Reed sealed the win for South, taking it to 49 points on the NPL ladder. Taylor looks to have a full squad to choose from for Saturday’s match, with Leigh Minopoulos back and available for selection. Goran Lozanovski’s Northcote City also go into Saturday’s game with confidence, having been undefeated in their last five League matches (three wins and two draws) and with their most recent result being a 1-3 victory against Werribee City at Galvin Park last Sunday afternoon.

This is the first meeting between Northcote City and South Melbourne in 2014, with the two sides having not met since last season’s Victorian Premier League Preliminary Final (on Sunday 13 October 2013) that Northcote won 5-0 at SS Anderson Reserve. In the corresponding meeting between the two sides at John Cain Reserve on Sunday 23 June 2013, goals from Lujic, Kristian Konstantinidis and Michael Catalano saw Northcote defeat a poor South Melbourne side 3-0.

South Melbourne may be 24 points ahead of Northcote City on the NPL ladder but Saturday poses a massive danger game due to Northcote’s superior record in their previous meetings. In the nine League matches between the sides, Northcote has won five, with three draws and only one win for South. More alarming is the fact that Northcote have scored 24 goals in the process compared to 10 for South, with Northcote having won 5-0 on two occasions and 3-0 once. South Melbourne defeated Northcote City 3-2 (after extra time) in their Dockerty Cup meeting at Lakeside Stadium in 2013, however history has shown Northcote’s superiority in the meetings between the two sides, which is something that Taylor will be looking to change both on Saturday afternoon and then on Sunday 24 August at Lakeside Stadium when South host Northcote.

Last time we met

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC defeated the Melbourne Knights 4-3 in a thrilling National Premier League Victoria meeting between the two old rivals at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. The win extended South’s lead at the top of the NPL ladder to nine points (following Oakleigh’s loss to Hume City on Friday night) with eight League games left to play in 2014.

Chris Taylor’s men went into the game keen on gaining revenge over the Knights, after Andrew Marth’s side triumphed 0-2 at Lakeside Stadium on Wednesday 25 June to knock South out of the Dockerty Cup. The Knights were confident going into the game, having won their last six matches across all competitions and having been the only team to not only keep South scoreless but also defeat them at Lakeside Stadium this season. The Knights also hadn’t lost at Lakeside Stadium since South moved back into the venue in 2012, so Sunday’s game was always going to be a tough encounter for the home side.

South opened the scoring after 13 minutes when left-back Shaun Timmins scored his first goal for the Club after cutting past his marker in the penalty area and firing the ball past Chris May at his near post. South had several chances to extend its lead but failed to do so and was punished when Daniel Visevic delivered an excellent cross for Stipo Andrijasevic to put the ball past Jason Saldaris and into the back of the net on the half hour mark. The scores were only level for a couple of minutes before a long ball caught the Knights defence napping and Jamie Reed took full advantage by sneaking through and slotting the ball past the onrushing May and into the back of the net. The home side pressed for more goals and got what they wanted right on halftime, when Tyson Holmes’ scrambled shot fell perfectly for Lujic to blast into the net to give South a commanding 3-1 lead at the break.

The second half was an end-to-end affair, with both sides creating several opportunities to score goals but failing to take them. With six minutes of normal time remaining, Shayan Alinejad won the ball off Timmins before cutting inside and scoring past Saldaris with an effort that took a deflection on the way through. The Knights could sense a comeback and kept pressing for a third goal but it was South who scored next thanks to a quick counter-attack that ended with the unmarked Lujic at the back post putting away Nick Epifano’s low cross. It was Lujic’s 14th League goal in 18 matches in 2014, with the centre-forward having scored 15 goals in 22 matches across all competitions this season. With 90 minutes gone and the score now 4-2, it looked like the three points were sealed for the home side but there was a late twist as the Knights scored again in the second minute of injury time. Alinejad took full advantage of substitute Brad Norton slipping over by stealing possession of the ball and cutting into the penalty area before scoring past Saldaris on the second attempt after the South custodian had saved his initial shot. However, there was no time for the Knights to score a dramatic fourth goal as the full-time whistle was blown shortly after, giving South another three crucial points in its quest to win the NPL Victoria Championship.

Taylor was very pleased with the win post-match, adding that “the Knights are a very direct side, at every set piece they caused us problems so we had to deal with that, which I thought we did quite well.” Captain Michael Eagar agreed and elaborated by saying that “we created many chances and we really should have scored a few more but we scored enough…as a back four it’s very frustrating to have conceded three goals but we’ll work on that, the most important thing was getting the three points.” Lujic was delighted with the win, adding that “it’s always good to score against the Knights, they’re a tough team, very physical…so it was good to get the win.” On his return to former club Northcote City next Saturday, Lujic dismissed the hype by saying “I’ll just take it as another game…from all reports the pitch isn’t the best out there so it’s going to be a battle like it was today…we just have to be focussed on getting the three points again.”

The news wasn’t as good in the NPL 20s, as South Melbourne was defeated 0-1 by the Melbourne Knights.

South is back on the road for the first time since Friday 6 June when it travels to John Cain Reserve to play Northcote City next Saturday 26 July, with kick-off at 3PM.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 4-3 MELBOURNE KNIGHTS (HT: 3-1)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Shaun Timmins (13′)
1-1: Stipo Andrijasevic (30′)
2-1: Jamie Reed (32′)
3-1: Milos Lujic (45+1′)
3-2: Shayan Alinejad (84′)
4-2: Milos Lujic (90′)
4-3: Shayan Alinejad (90+2′)

Key Stats (Provided by Steven Orchard):
Shots: SMFC (18) – MKFC (17)
Free Kicks: SMFC (14) – MKFC (26)
Balls into Final Third: SMFC (43) – MKFC (35)
Clearances: SMFC (13) – MKFC (15)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Jason SALDARIS (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 7. Nick EPIFANO, 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. Tyson HOLMES, 12. Iqi JAWADI, 14. James MUSA, 17. Jamie REED, 25. Shaun TIMMINS (11. Brad NORTON 86′), 77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS.

Melbourne Knights:
1. Chris MAY (GK), 3. Sam TORRENS (2. Chris STEFANI 68′), 5. Milan BATUR (13. Antun KOVACIC 60′), 6. Tomi USKOK, 7. Daniel VISEVIC, 9. Stipo ANDRIJASEVIC, 10. Marijan CVITKOVIC, 11. Jordan O’DOHERTY, 12. Ivan GRGIC, 14. Michael DOYLE, 19. Shayan ALINEJAD.

SMFC Man of the Match: Stephen Hatzikostas
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 20 July 2014

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC hosts the Melbourne Knights in another crucial National Premier League derby on Sunday afternoon at Lakeside Stadium. For South, the derby presents an opportunity to at the very least maintain a six point advantage over Oakleigh at the top of the NPL ladder. For the Knights, the derby presents the opportunity to break into the top five on the NPL ladder and at the same time inflict another defeat on South in 2014.

Chris Taylor’s South side go into the match having won four League matches in a row, with the most recent being the professional 2-0 victory against Hume City at Lakeside Stadium last Sunday evening. After a slow first half, South put the foot down in the second half and won thanks to an own goal from Izzy Erdogan and a wonder goal by Nick Epifano to move to 46 points on the NPL ladder. The Knights head into the derby having won its last five matches across all competitions, with its most recent being the thrilling 3-2 win in extra time in their Dockerty Cup Semi Final against Bentleigh Greens on Tuesday night. The Knights have now moved well away from relegation danger and presently sit comfortably in mid-table.

The two sides have already met twice this year and on both occasions the away side won. On Sunday 27 April, Milos Lujic’s late goal won the derby for South 0-1 at Knights Stadium (League fixture). The Knights gained revenge at Lakeside Stadium when they defeated South 0-2 in their Dockerty Cup Quarter Final meeting on Wednesday 25 June thanks to goals from Tomi Uskok (42’) and Shayan Alinejad (58’). Those two players, along with goalkeeper Chris May and transfer window signing Stipo Andrijasevic, are the players that punished South in the Cup tie and are the danger players for Andrew Marth’s team. South Melbourne has not defeated the Melbourne Knights since returning to Lakeside Stadium in 2012 and the Knights have been the only team to hold South goalless at Lakeside Stadium in 2014.

Sunday’s derby 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 #SMvMK.

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC won its fourth straight National Premier League Victoria match with a hard-fought 2-0 victory against Hume City at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. Following a 0-0 stalemate at halftime, Hume defender Izzy Erdogan’s own goal after 54 minutes and Nick Epifano’s emphatic finish after 68 minutes proved to be the difference as South maintained its six point lead over the Oakleigh Cannons at the top of the NPL ladder.

Chris Taylor’s side went into the match with a slender three point lead at the top of the NPL ladder following Oakleigh’s 1-5 victory against Green Gully on the Saturday and needed the three points against Hume for breathing space at the top of the table. However the first half was a rather dull affair, with neither side really stamping their authority on the match. Hume suffered a big loss when captain Shane Rexhepi hobbled off with a knee injury after only 17 minutes, making the task an even harder one for their coach Lou Acevski. South’s best chances in the half came from a fierce Epifano shot from distance that just flew over Chris Oldfield’s crossbar and when an unmarked Jamie Reed failed to properly control the ball at the back post, allowing for Oldfield to save. Hume hit the post twice in the first half, firstly from Erdogan and secondly from John Sapazovski.

Both sides showed more intent in the second half and luckily for South they got the breakthrough goal shortly before the hour mark when Erdogan deflected Epifano’s low cross from the right past Oldfield and into the back of the net. Hume nearly levelled on the hour mark when Christopher Cristaldo’s effort hit the crossbar and stayed out, making it the third time in the match that the away side had hit the woodwork. Unfortunately for Hume, those missed chances came back to haunt them when in the move of the match, Iqi Jawadi played a nice one-two before cutting the ball back from the left side for an unmarked Epifano to steer the ball into the back of the net from inside the penalty area. The final result confirmed South goalkeeper Jason Saldaris’ tenth clean sheet in 17 League matches and his twelfth clean sheet in the 20 League and Cup matches he has played in 2014.

Post-match, Taylor noted how his side lacked fluency in the first half but won the game due to “a couple of pieces of individual brilliance.” Right-back Tim Mala was pleased with the result and added ahead of next weekend’s derby against the Melbourne Knights that “we all need to be ready for that one… it’s a very important game.”

There was further good news in the NPL 20s as South Melbourne smashed Hume City 5-0, with the goal scorers being Eric Hauser (2), Josh Markovski, Alex Sporea and Josh Meaker.

South Melbourne FC’s next match is a huge derby meeting with the Melbourne Knights at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 20 July, with kick-off at 5PM.

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

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Own Goal (54′)
2-0: Nick Epifano (68′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Jason SALDARIS (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 7. Nick EPIFANO (11. Brad NORTON 79′), 8. Mathew THEODORE (10. Tyson HOLMES 76′), 9. Milos LUJIC, 12. Iqi JAWADI, 14. James MUSA, 17. Jamie REED, 25. Shaun TIMMINS, 77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS.

Hume City:
1. Chris OLDFIELD (GK), 4. Izzy ERDOGAN, 13. Shane REXHEPI (43. Nikos JACKSON-TSEREXIDIS 17′), 8. Adel FESSEHA (9. Anthony PROIA 72′), 10. Richie CARDOZO, 14. Baki EFE, 17. Aaron TURNER, 18. John STOCJEVSKI (Adrian ROGLIS 72′), 23. Christopher CRISTALDO, 24. Jeremy WALKER, 44. John SAPAZOVSKI.

SMFC Man of the Match: Nick Epifano
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 13 July 2014