Author: SMFC Media

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U12s – 5:0 win 
Goals: Adam Brigo 2, Dusan Pavlovic, Ari Guthri, Curtis Wong

U13s – Bye

U14s – 2:0 win
Goals: Keegan Garrow, Andrew Mesourouni

U15s – 2:2 draw
Goals: George Kalas, Julian Zinni

U18s – 4:7 lost
Goals: Edwin Strangherlin 2, Khaleb Horrocks and own goal.

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC continued its incredible start to the 2014 National Premier League season with a hard-fought 2-1 victory against the Bentleigh Greens at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. Second-half strikes from Milos Lujic and substitute Leigh Minopoulos were just enough to defeat the Greens, who scored a consolation goal thanks to a Jack Webster header.

John Anastasiadis’ Bentleigh was always going to be the toughest test for Chris Taylor’s side so far this season and the away side showed why that was the case in the first half, creating plenty of chances but not capitalising on the scoreboard. The away side should have been in the lead at halftime but for South goalkeeper Jason Saldaris making two important saves to keep his side level at 0-0 going into the rooms at the break. South’s best chance of the half fell to Nick Epifano but his shot fizzed wide of Bentleigh goalkeeper Stuart Webster’s goal.

South eventually wrestled control of the match in the second half and opened the scoring on 67 minutes when Epifano’s shot could only be parried by Stuart Webster into the path of Milos Lujic and Lujic made no mistake, blasting the ball into the back of the net. The centre-forward should have made it 2-0 only a minute later when Stuart Webster had raced off his goal line and left his goal exposed, however his defender Jack Webster put his right leg in the way of Lujic’s shot and the ball deflected wide of the goals. Bentleigh missed a great opportunity to level when Luc Jeggo sprung the offside trap and cut the ball back beautifully for Luke Pilkington but he blasted his shot over Saldaris’ goal.

Minopoulos had been making an impact as a substitute all season and on this occasion he scored four minutes after coming off the bench, getting on the end of Jamie Reed’s cross to the back post and then getting past his marker before scoring past Stuart Webster to give South a commanding 2-0 lead. The home side looked to be cruising towards another victory but Bentleigh provided a late scare when Jack Webster’s well-placed header from a corner kick in the second minute of injury time gave the away side a lifeline. Despite the six minutes of injury time played, South held on and have now won their opening eight League matches – plus the two Dockerty Cup wins – giving Chris Taylor’s men an incredible ten straight victories across all competitions to start the season.

Taylor was very proud of his side post-match, adding that “it was a big test today…in the second half we stepped it up and were worthy winners.” South end the round on top of the NPL ladder with a four point lead over second-placed Oakleigh Cannons.

It was a different story in the NPL 20s as Bentleigh defeated South 5-2. Eric Hauser and Matthew Kundevski scored South’s goals.

South Melbourne FC’s next match is against Pascoe Vale at Lakeside Stadium next Sunday 18 May, with the match kicking off at 5PM.

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

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Milos Lujic (67′)
2-0: Leigh Minopoulos (89′)
2-1: Jack Webster (90+2′)

Key Stats (Provided by Steven Orchard):
Shots:  SMFC (16) – BGFC (13)
Saves: SMFC (5) – BGFC (4)
Turn Overs: SMFC (75) – BGFC (79)
Balls into Final Third: SMFC (40) – BGFC (43)
Clearances: SMFC (20) – BGFC (14)

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC hosts its second home game of the National Premier League season when it welcomes the Bentleigh Greens to Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. With South sitting first on the NPL ladder and the Greens in third place, there is certainly a lot of interest and anticipation ahead of Sunday’s match.

Chris Taylor’s South Melbourne side head into the match having won their opening nine matches across all competitions in 2014, with the most recent being the 1-4 win against Berwick City in the Dockerty Cup Fifth Round on Wednesday night at Jack Thomas Reserve. South is the only side still yet to drop points in the NPL in 2014 and will be hoping to continue the winning run on Sunday. John Anastasiadis’ Bentleigh head into the game having surprisingly lost their last League match (3-2 against Green Gully on Saturday 3 May) after leading 1-2. It was their first loss of the season but they bounced back into winning form in midweek with a solid 3-1 victory against the Moreland Zebras in their Dockerty Cup tie at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex.

Bentleigh enjoys an excellent recent record against South at Lakeside Stadium, having won there on their last two visits. On both occasions, South has ended the game with nine men in a load of controversy. On Sunday 9 September 2012, Peter Tsolakis’ South side needed to defeat the Greens in order to keep their finals hopes alive. Andy Vlahos scored what looked like being the crucial goal after 78 minutes, however tragically a nine-man South (following a Dimi Tsiaras red card and an injury to Glen Trifiro after South had used all three substitutes) conceded a 92^nd minute equaliser and missed the finals series by one point. On Sunday 21 July 2013, Nick Epifano scored in the second minute before goalkeeper Peter Gavalas was sent off and Iqi Jawadi received two controversial yellow cards as Bentleigh won 1-4. The nine South players remaining on the field were applauded off by the home support and were offered sympathy by Anastasiadis, who himself thought the score line was very flattering to his side.

It is expected that Jason Saldaris will return in goal on Sunday and that Nick Epifano, Brad Norton, Tyson Holmes, Jamie Reed and Mathew Theodore will return to the starting eleven, however all the fringe players impressed against Berwick City on Wednesday night and Taylor may spring a surprise or two in the starting eleven on Sunday.

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 #SMvBG.

Last time we met

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

The Fifth Round of the Dockerty Cup was played overnight as South Melbourne FC defeated Berwick City 1-4 at Jack Thomas Reserve to progress through to the next round. Goals from Milos Lujic, Slaven Vranesevic, Leigh Minopoulos and Kobbie Boahene saw South comfortably progress to the Sixth Round and make it nine wins from nine matches across all competitions in 2014.

As promised, South Coach Chris Taylor made six changes to the starting line-up, as goalkeeper Chris Maynard made his first appearance in 2014 whilst Andrew Mullett, Dimi Tsiaras, Boahene, Vranesevic and Minopoulos all started as well. It was important that Taylor rotated his squad for the Cup match to allow the fringe players the chance to show their worth and at the same time give other players the chance to rest ahead of the important National Premier League match against Bentleigh Greens on Sunday. Jason Saldaris, Nick Epifano, Jamie Reed, Tyson Holmes and Brad Norton were all on the substitutes’ bench whilst Mathew Theodore was left out of the squad altogether.

South opened the scoring after only two minutes when Minopoulos’ shot could only be parried by Berwick’s goalkeeper and Lujic got to the ball first before tapping home. South were 0-2 ahead just after the quarter-hour mark when Vranesevic got past his marker before firing a low left-footed drive into the bottom right corner of the goal from outside the box. The away side were in cruise control after 24 minutes when Lujic held off his marker before flicking the ball into the path of the incoming Minopoulos to pick his spot before curling the ball into the top corner of the goal. With the game effectively wrapped up, South switched off shortly before halftime and allowed Ashley Savanah to powerfully head a consolation goal for Berwick City following an excellent cross from the left side. Boahene completed the scoring after 70 minutes when he took on and beat his marker on the right side of the box before firing a shot across the goalkeeper and into the bottom left corner of the net.

Football Federation Victoria have advised that the draw for the Sixth Round of the Dockerty Cup will be made on Monday 12 May, with the ties to be played midweek on either Tuesday 27 May or Wednesday 28 May. Following the Sixth Round will be the Quarter Final stage and then the Semi Finals, with the four Semi Finalists qualifying for the FFA Cup that will be played later this year.

South returns to League action this weekend as it hosts the Bentleigh Greens at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. Kick-off is at 5PM.

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

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Milos Lujic (2’)
0-2: Slaven Vranesevic (17’)
0-3: Leigh Minopoulos (24’)
1-3: Ashley Savanah (42’)
1-4: Kobbie Boahene (70’)

South Melbourne FC:
21. Chris MAYNARD (GK), 2. Tim MALA (7. Nick EPIFANO 73’), 3. Andrew MULLETT, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 6. Dimi TSIARAS, 9. Milos LUJIC (17. Jamie REED 64’), 12. Iqi JAWADI (10. Tyson HOLMES 71’), 14. James MUSA (11. Brad NORTON 73’), 15. Kobbie BOAHENE, 20. Slaven VRANESEVIC, 27. Leigh MINOPOULOS.

SMFC Man of the Match: Slaven Vranesevic
Venue: Jack Thomas Reserve
Date: Wednesday 7 May 2014

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC travels to Jack Thomas Reserve to play Berwick City in the Fifth Round of the Dockerty Cup on Wednesday night. The winners will progress through to the Sixth Round of the competition that will be played either on Tuesday 27 May or Wednesday 28 May.

South goes into the match in excellent form, having won its opening seven matches of the National Premier League season and having defeated Sunshine George Cross in the Fourth Round of the Dockerty Cup at Chaplin Reserve back on Saturday 22 March. Berwick City head into Wednesday’s match having had an inconsistent start to its State League 2 South-East campaign (two wins, one draw, two losses), however they won their last two League matches (against Seaford United on Saturday 26 April and against Mooroolbark on Saturday 3 May) to head into Wednesday’s match against South on a winning run. Berwick has reached the Fifth Round of the Dockerty Cup thanks to a 5-0 win against Old Trinity Grammarians in the Second Round (Saturday 8 March), a 2-1 win against Surf Coast FC in the Third Round (Sunday 16 March) and a 3-2 win against Western Suburbs in the Fourth Round (Saturday 22 March).

South Coach Chris Taylor noted that he would make up to six changes to his side that defeated Ballarat Red Devils 2-1 at Morshead Park Stadium last Saturday afternoon. This may give the likes of Andrew Mullett, Dimi Tsiaras, Kobbie Boahene, Slaven Vranesevic, Andy Kecojevic, Leigh Minopoulos and Chris Maynard the opportunity to start against Berwick and show Taylor their worth. Minopoulos will surely get the chance to start, having started against George Cross in the Cup earlier this season and having been used very effectively off the substitutes’ bench in the opening seven League matches.

Wednesday night’s match kicks off at 7:30PM and Jack Thomas Reserve.

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC broke a Club record that had stood since 1960 by defeating Ballarat Red Devils 1-2 at Morshead Park on Saturday afternoon. First half goals from Milos Lujic and Jamie Reed proved to be enough as South won the three points and registered seven wins from seven National Premier League matches in 2014, setting a new record for most consecutive wins to start a League season.

Morshead Park Stadium hosted its first ever match as the match kicked off in sunshine before the weather took a turn for the worse after about half an hour and saw the rest of the match being played out in very wet and cold conditions. Luckily for Chris Taylor’s men, they had effectively sealed the three points in the opening 21 minutes and were able to grind out the result when the weather changed and the conditions became trickier. South opened the scoring after 11 minutes when Iqi Jawadi played Lujic through before the centre-forward calmly slotted the ball past Aaron Romein’s near post. Reed then hit the crossbar with a dipping shot before the away side went 0-2 ahead on 21 minutes when Michael Eagar controlled the ball from a corner and crossed back into the six yard box for Reed to meet the ball amongst a sea of bodies and score past Romein after two attempts. The goalkeeper then made an excellent save from a goal-bound Reed shot minutes later by forcing the ball wide of the goal. Lujic was denied a second when he stuck the ball in the back of the empty net but was flagged for offside.

James Robinson’s Ballarat side had been very quiet in the first half yet went close when Charlie King hit a fierce drive that sailed just over Jason Saldaris’ goal. The home side scored what proved to be a consolation goal right on the halftime break, when James Musa gave away a foul just outside the area that the South players were incensed about because they believed the centre-back had clearly won the ball. From the resultant free kick, Dane Milovanovic stepped up and hit a wonderful free kick that hit the top left corner of the net despite Saldaris getting a glove to the ball. The goal gave Ballarat real hope that they could gain something from the match in the second half, however as the rain poured down at Morshead Park, South held firm in the second half to win relatively comfortably and maintain its 100 per cent winning record across all competitions in 2014.

Post-match, Taylor was pleased that his players had won and broken the Club record but remained level-headed about the result. “We were outstanding in the opening 25 minutes and created lots of chances and could have had two or three more goals. I’m pleased but I’m not entirely happy with the performance….but sometimes you have to take the wins you’re not entirely happy with.” Tyson Holmes and Reed were both substituted off late in the match with minor injuries but Taylor wasn’t too concerned, adding that both players should be available for selection in both the Dockerty Cup match against Berwick City on Wednesday night and then the League match against Bentleigh Greens on Sunday afternoon. In terms of squad selection for the Berwick match, Taylor said that “I will probably make about six changes to let the younger players have a go…it’s important to have everyone fit and firing and these guys will get their chance this week.”

It was a disappointing result in the NPL Under 20s match as Ballarat fought back from a 0-1 deficit in the second half to defeat South 3-1, with South’s goal being an own goal.

South Melbourne FC’s next match is the Dockerty Cup Fifth Round tie against Berwick City at Jack Thomas Reserve on Wednesday night (7 May), with kick-off at 7:30PM. League action resumes again next Sunday evening (11 May) with a tough match against the Bentleigh Greens at Lakeside Stadium, with kick-off at 5PM.

FINAL SCORE: BALLARAT RED DEVILS 1-2 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 1-2)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Milos Lujic (11′)
0-2: Jamie Reed (21′)
1-2: Dane Milovanovic (45+3′)

Ballarat Red Devils:
1. Aaron ROMEIN (GK), 3. Daniel TINKLER, 4. Dane MILOVANOVIC, 13. Michael TRIGGER (35. Adrian CURTAIN 85′), 15. Dom SWINTON (12. Miles BAKER 67′), 18. Daniel O’DONNELL, 19. Daniel FIRTH (30. Ibrahim GHULAMI 75′), 21. Charlie KING, 22. Pat KARRAS, 25. Steven THOMSON, 31. Simon MURPHY.

South Melbourne FC:
1. Jason SALDARIS (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 7. Nick EPIFANO (15. Kobbie BOAHENE 60′), 8. Mathew THEODORE, 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. Tyson HOLMES (6. Dimi TSIARAS 84′), 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Iqi JAWADI, 14. James MUSA, 17. Jamie REED (27. Leigh MINOPOULOS 75′).

SMFC Man of the Match: Brad Norton
Venue: Morshead Park Stadium
Date: Saturday 3 May 2014

Here is a full rundown of the youth results from the weekend:

U12: SMFC 1 – Northcote City 4
(Goal: Adam Brigo)

U13: SMFC 4 – Northcote City 0
(Goals: Alan Fogel x 2, William Williamson & Chester Murdoch)

U14: SMFC 2 – Northcote City 2
(Goals: Tristan Meaker x 2)

U15: SMFC 0 – Northcote City 1

U16: SMFC 2 – Northcote City 0
(Goals: Own Goal & Adrian Kovacevic)

U18: SMFC 3 – Northcote City 3
(Goals: Edwin Stangherlin x2 &amp Anthony Mijac)

By John Kyrou

The Ballarat Red Devils host NPL football at its new multi-million dollar facility at Morshead Park for the first time when it welcomes South Melbourne FC to town on Saturday afternoon. The home side will want to impress in front of the local support whilst South will be aiming to set a new Club record of seven straight wins achieved at the beginning of a League season.

Ballarat head into Saturday’s match having fought out a 2-2 draw against Pascoe Vale at Hosken Reserve last Saturday evening. The result would have been hard to take for James Robinson’s side considering they were 0-2 ahead before conceding two goals in the last fifteen minutes as the match finished all square. In further bad news, Liam Harding was sent off in the 78th minute and will therefore miss Saturday’s match against South. Ballarat have lost three League matches in a row and will be desperate to change things around on Saturday afternoon.

In contrast, South goes into the game with a perfect 100% winning record across all competitions in 2014. Milos Lujic’s 85th minute goal against the Melbourne Knights was the difference in the derby at Somers Street last Sunday as Chris Taylor’s side travel to Ballarat on Saturday full of confidence. Several players had excellent matches against the Knights, including Jamie Reed, James Musa, Michael Eagar and Iqi Jawadi. Substitute Leigh Minopoulos again excelled coming off the bench by playing a key role in setting up Lujic for the winning goal and now surely gives Taylor a major dilemma in deciding whether to put him in the starting eleven this Saturday.

Ballarat and South have already met in the League this season, with a goal in each half by Jamie Reed being enough for South to win comfortably 2-0 at Lakeside Stadium on Thursday 17 April. On that night, Dane Milovanovic came off the bench and nearly scored a wonderful consolation goal for the Red Devils and will be a player that South need to watch out for on Saturday. Ballarat withstood an onslaught from South in the opening 20 minutes of the match at Lakeside Stadium whilst looking to punish South with quick counter-attacking play and again this is something that Taylor’s men need to watch out for this Saturday.

Should South Melbourne defeat Ballarat, it will break the Club record set in South’s first ever season of competition (1960) for most consecutive wins at the beginning of a League season (seven wins). In 1960, South Melbourne Hellas was in Metropolitan League 1 North (the division below the old Victorian State League/Victorian Premier League) and won promotion by winning seventeen of the 18 League matches and drawing once. That draw was in Round 7 when Chris Georgousis’ men could only manage a 3-3 draw with Corio on Saturday 7 May 1960. The 2014 South Melbourne FC side will hopefully go one better with a win on Saturday.

For those unable to make the trip, there will be live updates on South Melbourne FC’s Facebook page as well as on the Twitter feed @smfc (#NPLVIC #BRDvSM)

By John Kyrou (photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC defeated the Melbourne Knights 0-1 at Knights Stadium to continue its 100 per cent winning start to the 2014 National Premier League Victoria season. Milos Lujic’s goal five minutes from time proved to be the difference between the two sides as South won its sixth straight League match in a row.

Both sides had excellent opportunities to open the scoring in the opening few minutes of the derby. Lujic should have opened the scoring for the away side after beating the offside trap and being one-on-one with Knights goalkeeper Chris May, however the centre-forward decided to cut the ball back to Nick Epifano and that gave the scrambling Knights defence enough time to get back and block the shot. The Knights counter-attacked moments later as Rodrigo Covarrubias found himself through on goal but South goalkeeper Jason Saldaris blocked his shot. Later on in the half, May tipped a goal-bound Jamie Reed strike over his crossbar, whilst at the other end Saldaris made a vital save to deny Covarrubias scoring from Shayan Alinejad’s cross from the right side.

South were the more dominant side in the second half but were unable to put away their chances created. Shortly after the hour mark, Epifano put the ball into the back of the net but the goal was disallowed as the midfielder had been offside before scoring. Reed then missed a great opportunity to open the scoring after being put through by Tyson Holmes on the left side but the Englishman curled his shot wide of May’s far post. South were clearly on top of the Knights by this stage but it was the home side that missed the best chance of the match when Alinejad failed to properly connect to the ball after it was flicked over to him at the back post following Anthony Colosimo’s long throw in.

The deadlock was finally broken when substitute Leigh Minopoulos did brilliantly to beat two Knights players in midfield before setting up Lujic, who picked his spot before curling the ball past May and into the back of the net off the far post. It was Lujic’s sixth League goal of the season at an average of exactly one goal a game.

Post-match, South Coach Chris Taylor noted how “derby games are always difficult to predict…I thought we were very disciplined and we grounded it out.”

The derby wins means that South has now matched its greatest ever start to a League campaign, equalling the six straight wins achieved at the beginning of the Club’s first ever season of competition. South won its first six Victorian Metropolitan League 1 North matches in 1960 before drawing 3-3 against Corio in the seventh round on Saturday 7 May 1960. It was the only League match that South dropped points in that season as Chris Georgousis’ men blitzed Division 1 by winning seventeen of the 18 matches to gain promotion into the 1961 Victorian State League.

It was further great news in the NPL 20s, as South defeated the Knights 1-4. Ryan Babare scored twice as Andrija Roksandic and Joshua Markovski scored the other two goals.

South travels to Morshead Park next Saturday afternoon to face the Ballarat Red Devils. Victory for Taylor’s side will confirm South’s best ever start to a League season in the Club’s history, having already broken another individual Club record earlier this year with the most consecutive away wins in the League to begin a season.

Fans who would like to attend Saturday’s match in Ballarat are advised that there is a bus service leaving from Lakeside Stadium. For further details of departure times and associated cost, please contact the club on 9645 9797 or multimedia@smfc.com.au.

FINAL SCORE: MELBOURNE KNIGHTS 0-1 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-0)

Goal Scorer:
0-1: Milos Lujic (85′)

Key Stats (provided by Steven Orchard):
Shots: MKFC (5) – SMFC (18)
Saves: MKFC (9) – SMFC (2)
Turnovers: MKFC (84) – SMFC (80)
Clearances: MKFC (19) – SMFC (13)
Shots Blocked: MKFC (0) – SMFC (5)

Melbourne Knights:
1. Chris MAY (GK), 4. Ben SUREY, 5. Milan BATUR, 6. Tomislav USKOK, 8. James McGARRY, 11. Anthony COLOSIMO, 13. Antun KOVACIC, 14. Rodrigo COVARRUBIAS, 16. Nikola SRBINOVSKI, 17. Daniel VISEVIC (7. Chris TALAJIC 73’ [18. Anthony DUZEL 81’]), 19. Shayan ALINEJAD.

South Melbourne FC:
1. Jason SALDARIS (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 7. Nick EPIFANO (27. Leigh MINOPOULOS 69’), 8. Mathew THEODORE, 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. Tyson HOLMES, 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Iqi JAWADI, 14. James MUSA, 17. Jamie REED.

SMFC Man of the Match: James Musa
Venue: Knights Stadium
Date: Sunday 27 April 2014