Author: SMFC Media

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC travels to Chapin Reserve on Saturday afternoon to play Sunshine George Cross in the Fourth Round of the Dockerty Cup. It will be the first time that the two sides have met each other in a competitive match in nearly three and a half years and the first time that the two sides have featured in the Cup this season (NPL and NPL 1 sides enter in this round).

South created a tiny bit of history last Thursday night (13 March) when it won the first ever NPL Victoria match, defeating Heidelberg United 3-0 at the Olympic Village. Debutant Matthew Theodore scored the first goal in the new competition as fellow debutants Milos Lujic and Jamie Reed also scored for the away side. Sunshine George Cross also began their League season strongly, defeating Brunswick City 2-0 at Chaplin Reserve last Sunday afternoon (16 March) in the opening round of NPL 1.

There is a big carrot dangling for all Victorian clubs in the Dockerty Cup this year – the four teams remaining at the Semi Final stage will qualify for the FFA Cup to be played later this season. George Cross may be a division below South in League status but they will have the home advantage on Saturday afternoon and will be looking to take full advantage. South Coach Chris Taylor has warned his side not to become complacent following the professional victory over Heidelberg and instead aim to go one better in the Cup than last year (South lost its Semi Final 0-1 against the eventual winners Green Gully on Wednesday 21 August 2013).

Sunshine George Cross and South Melbourne have not met in a competitive match since the final round of the 2010 Victorian Premier League season. On that day, Vaughan Coveny’s South side defeated George Cross 4-0 at Knights Stadium (Sunday 15 August 2010), with the goal scorers being Fernando De Moraes (13’, 61’), Carl Recchia (69’) and captain Rama Tavsancioglu (83’). Whilst everyone would love a similar result this Saturday, a 1-0 victory would also suffice. One player representing South on that day was Eddie Cetkin, who will be lining up in the George Cross defence this weekend.

Saturday’s Fourth Round match kicks off at 2PM at Chaplin Reserve.

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce the return of SMFC TV for the inaugural 2014 National Premier League Victoria season. SMFC TV will move to a new time slot of Tuesday 7pm on Channel 31 each week.

The first episode of SMFC TV is scheduled for Tuesday 18th March at 7pm. This first episode will cover the Round One fixture against traditional rival Heidelberg United.

The show will continue to provide match highlights, player and coaching staff interviews, showcase our junior development program and stars of tomorrow. Furthermore, SMFC TV will focus directly on bringing the latest news from the club, as well as providing all South Melbourne FC and general football fans with a modern and fresh view of the club.

SMFC President Leo Athanasakis speaking to smfc.com.au said “we are extremely delighted with the news that SMFC TV will be switching to a new time slot of each Tuesday at 7pm. This will benefit viewers as highlights can be seen within 48 hours of South’s matches from the weekend. SMFC TV provides an excellent opportunity to showcase the club to a wider audience, as it covers all facets of the Club.”

South Melbourne FC encourages all football fans to tune into the show, and enjoy the best of the National Premier League Victoria season.

Should you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback for SMFC TV please email the club at multimedia@smfc.com.au.

SMFC TV

Each Tuesday night
Channel 31
7pm

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC became the first team to win in Victoria’s new National Premier League by defeating Heidelberg United 0-3 at the Olympic Village on Thursday night. First half goals from Mathew Theodore and Milos Lujic and a late second half header from Jamie Reed sealed the three points for the away side.

Chris Taylor’s side seemed to be in control from the kick-off, which was delayed by 15 minutes to allow for the official crowd of 3175 to come in through the gates. After some early promising forward bursts, South took the lead in the 13th minute when Heidelberg failed to clear the ball properly and Theodore’s thunderous shot flew into the back of the net, despite Heidelberg goalkeeper Griffin McMaster getting his fingertips to the ball as it went past him. It was just reward for a South side that had started the game very well.

South had disposed of the ‘tiki-taka’ football that it had tried to play in recent seasons and instead Taylor’s side resorted to direct, counter-attacking football to Lujic and Reed. Michael Eagar was excellent at centre-half, as were Tim Mala at right-back and Nick Epifano on the left side of midfield. South’s pressure on the Bergers defence paid off in the 21st minute when the home side again failed to deal with danger and Lujic coolly chipped the ball over the advancing McMaster and into the unguarded goal for a comfortable 0-2 lead. The away side should have had a third goal right on the halftime break, when Epifano made a fantastic run down the left side and fired in a perfect cross to the back post for the unmarked Lujic but the big centre-forward headed the ball over McMaster’s crossbar.

The second half was a low-key affair, with South happy to sit back and hold onto its two goal lead. Heidelberg improved in the second half but was unable to really trouble South goalkeeper Jason Saldaris, with the South custodian’s only real test being to save a few shots from Paul Miller and Daniel Vasilevski that came at him. With three minutes of normal time remaining, South wrapped up the match when Heidelberg allowed Epifano through on the left side and his cross found an unmarked Reed to head past McMaster and round out the scoring. All three goals came from South debutants and most pleasing for South was the fact that their two forwards Lujic and Reed both scored and linked up well together.

Captain Michael Eagar mentioned how “we talked during the week about how this game was a big derby and how we needed to get off to a good start. I thought we played well.” Taylor was pleased with the result but warned the side not to become too complacent. “They made us work hard being a derby…it was a good result but there were areas that we can improve on and we will look to do so ahead of the next match.”

There are no League matches next weekend (22-23 March) due to the Fourth Round of the Dockerty Cup being played (the round that the NPL and NPL1 sides enter the Cup). The draw was conducted during the week by Football Federation Victoria, with South drawn to play against NPL1 side Sunshine George Cross. The FFV has not confirmed the date, time and venue of the game yet so South fans are encouraged to keep checking social media and the official website for confirmation either this weekend or early next week.

FINAL SCORE: HEIDELBERG UNITED 0-3 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-2)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Mathew Theodore (13’)
0-2: Milos Lujic (21’)
0-3: Jamie Reed (87’)

Heidelberg United:
1. Griffin McMASTER (GK), 2. Peter KRATKY, 3. Les DOUMBALIS, 4. Jordan WILKES, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI, 6. Paul MILLER, 10. Jack PETRIE (9. Kosta KANAKARIS 83’), 13. Luke BYLES, 14. Dan HEFFERNAN, 17. Steven PACE (7. Stefan BARICEVIC 70’), 23. Andrew CARTANOS (11. Mark McGOUGH 58’)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Jason SALDARIS (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 6. Dimi TSIARAS, 7. Nick EPIFANO, 8. Mathew THEODORE (5. Leigh MINOPOULOUS 75’), 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. Tyson HOLMES, 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Iqi JAWADI, 17. Jamie REED (20. Slaven VRANESEVIC 90’)

SMFC Man of the Match: Michael Eagar
Venue: Olympic Village
Date: Thursday 13 March 2014

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC’s 2014 National Premier League season begins tonight with a trip to Olympic Village to face old rivals Heidelberg United. It will be the first time that the two clubs have met each other in a proper competitive match since the final round of the 2012 Victorian Premier League season.

South Melbourne had a strong finish in 2013, ending the regular VPL season in fourth place before defeating Green Gully and Melbourne Knights (both 1-0) to reach the Preliminary Final. Unfortunately that was as close as Chris Taylor’s side came to the Championship, as Northcote defeated South before defeating the Bentleigh Greens in the Grand Final the following weekend. South finished the season in a respectable third place but Taylor wants (and expects) much better in 2014. Many players have departed from Lakeside Stadium in the off-season but have been adequately replaced, with new key signings including Jamie Reed (forward), Matthew Theodore (midfield), Andrew Mullet (defence) and Michael Eagar (defence). Eagar has impressed so much that Taylor has appointed him as Club Captain for the season, with Tyson Holmes and Brad Norton as his Vice Captains. With no finals series in 2014 and the League Champion determined by first past the post, South must get off to a winning start.

Heidelberg spent 2013 in State League One after being relegated from the VPL in 2012. They had an excellent season and won the Championship by finishing on 46 points after 22 rounds, four points ahead of Werribee City (42) and seven ahead of third-placed Sunshine George Cross (39). Key players for the Bergers in 2014 include former South Captain Luke Byles, former South midfielder Danny Vasilevski and goalkeeper Griffin McMaster. Coach George Katsakis will have his players ready for Thursday’s match as his Heidelberg sides have usually matched up well against South over the years.

Ironically, Heidelberg’s last match in Victoria’s top division was against South, at Olympic Village on Sunday 16 September 2012. There was little for both sides to play for on that day because South could not qualify for the VPL finals series and Heidelberg was already relegated. Goals from Matko Budimir (20’), Shaun Kelly (38’, 40’), Baggio Yousif (68’) and Tom Matthews (72’) sealed a very comfortable 5-2 away victory for South to end its season on a high.

Tonight’s match kicks off at 7:15PM at Olympic Village.

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce that Plastamasta will be the new Major Sponsor of the Club for the 2014 National Premier League Victoria season. As part of the club wide partnership, the Plastamasta logo will prominently feature on the front of the playing shirts across all teams within the Club, including both Senior and Junior Teams.

Plastamasta is the national distribution network for its parent company Knauf, with over 47 outlets Australia wide. The parent company Knauf manufactures and distributes plasterboard, compounds, cornice and associated products and systems. Plastamasta seeks to establish lasting relationships with their customers by exceeding their expectations through exceptional service, quality innovative products and a commitment to over-deliver.

With two manufacturing facilities in Matraville (Sydney) and Altona (Melbourne), over 220 employees and a national franchise PlastaMasta network, Knauf is a major supplier of plasterboard and associated products to the light weight construction industry. A quality range of products and systems designed for performance provide solutions for fire, water, impact, acoustic and decorative applications for all construction projects – commercial and residential.

Knauf, a family owned company based in Germany, has a strong global presence in the construction materials industry. With more than 220 facilities, 70 quarrying operations and 23,000 employees in over 60 countries the company is one of the leading plasterboard manufacturers in the world producing more than 1 billion square metres of plasterboard per year. Furthermore, total consolidated revenue for the Knauf Group is over 8 billion euros per annum.

Andrew and Harry Mesourouni, Managing Directors of Global Gypsum trading as PlastaMasta in Victoria, told smfc.com.au “it is a quite a coup for the Club to forge a relationship with the Plastamasta brand and the Knauf Group. The parent group Knauf is one of the world’s largest producer of plasterboard and associated products. Both South Melbourne FC and Plastamasta/Knauf share similar core values, and we look forward to an enduring and successful partnership. With the establishment of the National Premier League Victoria competition and the introduction of the FFA Cup, it promises to be an exciting year at South Melbourne”.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC President Leo Athanasakis said “we are both delighted and excited to welcome a national brand such a Plastamasta to the Club. This represents one of the largest sponsorship deals the Club has secured since its return to state football. Plastamasta’s parent company Knauf is one of the world’s largest producers of plaster related products, and it is an example of the strong growth in corporate sponsorship the Club has achieved over the preseason.”

By John Kyrou

Click here to view the full squad

The 2014 pre-season has certainly been a busy one for South Melbourne FC. With National Premier League rules requiring each squad to have a mandatory 20 players on its roster, Coach Chris Taylor has spent the summer re-signing key players and welcoming former familiar faces to the Club, whilst also overseeing a number of departures as well.

Key losses have been Bryan Bran, Luke Hopper and Nick Soolsma (all gone overseas) whilst Alan Kearney, Carl Recchia and Trent Rixon decided to join other NPL clubs. Rhys Meredith returned home to Queensland and goalkeeper Peter Gavalas retired, as did Club champion Fernando De Moraes.

Centre-half Shaun Kelly suffered a lengthy leg injury over the summer and will miss most – if not all – of 2014. He is not included in the 20 man roster; however the Club wishes to confirm that Shaun remains with the Club and is in Chris Taylor’s plans for the future. Kelly’s absence at centre-half has been filled with the arrivals of Andrew Mullett and James Musa, with both players able to switch between playing centre-half and left-back. Former SMFC players returning to Lakeside Stadium include Jason Saldaris, Leigh Minopoulos, Andy Kecojevic (juniors) and Slaven Vranesevic (juniors). The two visa players (the maximum number allowed in each NPL squad) for South in 2014 are Musa and Englishman Jamie Reed, who joins the Club from Chester but formerly played at Dandenong Thunder on loan in 2010 and scored seven goals in five matches. Musa will join the club after his commitments with Team Wellington finish.

Taylor has managed to put together a playing squad that is a good mixture of youth and experience, with the youngest player being Andy Kecojevic (15) and the oldest being Dimi Tsiaras (29). Only three players – Tsiaras (29), Holmes (26) and Reed (26) – are 25 years of age or older. Despite the uncertainty throughout the summer regarding the introduction of the NPL in 2014, South has managed to get on the front foot and put together a playing squad that will hopefully be a contender in all competitions in 2014. With four trophies on offer (NPL Victoria Championship, National Premier League Championship, Dockerty Cup and FFA Cup), there is plenty to look forward to this upcoming season.

Captaining the squad this season will be Michael Eagar, while his deputies will be Tyson Holmes and Brad Norton who have both been named Vice Captain.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Football Director Nicholas Maikousis said “Chris Taylor has put together a formidable squad that is a blend of youth and experience. With the introduction of the National Premier League and FFA Cup, there is much excitement at Lakeside as we have much to play for this season.”

Departures
Alan Kearney (Dandenong Thunder), Bryan Bran (Netherlands), Carl Recchia (Pascoe Vale), Fernando De Moraes (retired), Luke Hopper (UK), Rhys Meredith (Queensland), Nick Soolsma (Canada), Peter Gavalas (retired), Trent Rixon (Northcote City)

Arrivals
Andrew Mullett (Oakleigh Cannons), Andy Kecojevic (Springvale White Eagles), James Musa (Team Wellington, NZ), Jamie Reed (Chester, UK), Jason Saldaris (Perth SC), Kobbie Boahene (AIS), Leigh Minopoulos (Werribee City), Michael Eagar (Northcote City, Milos Lujic (Northcote City), Slaven Vranesevic (Springvale White Eagles), Graham Hockless (Port Melbourne Sharks), Joshua Meaker (SMFC Youth).

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce the renewal of its partnership with AIS Insurance, with its logo proudly featuring on the front of the playing shorts for the 2014 National Premier League season.

The company was founded in October 1990 by Brendon Davis as a one-person business specialising in insuring all forms of business and commercial risks. AIS initially operated from leased premises in Burwood, and in June 1991, AIS moved to South Melbourne where it has been based ever since. The organisation has steadily grown to become the leading autonomous Victorian based Insurance Broker. Clients work closely with AIS Insurance Brokers, knowing they receive superior advice and that they will recommend the insurance program and insurer that provide the best protection for their business rather than an insurer or option which offers an incentive to AIS.

AIS negotiate specific corporate and commercial insurance placement for clients in a variety of industry classifications and also niche products developed for special client groups. AIS have several specialist teams including: Property and Construction Team, Professional Indemnity and Directors Liability, Workers Compensation and Workcover, and Claims Management.

AIS have over 30 staff with in house specialists in most general insurance disciplines. The organisation is one of the few Victorian Brokers admitted as coverholders at Lloyds of London since 1994.

Brendon Davis, founder of AIS Insurance, has been a generous financial contributor to South Melbourne FC through event and signage sponsorship, purchasing players at player auctions, and general assistance over the years. Brendon commenced sponsoring South Melbourne FC in 1997/98, and was also awarded the Sam Papasavas Award for his contribution to the Club in 2006.

Speaking with smfc.com.au, SMFC General Manager Peter Kokotis said, “we are delighted to renew our existing partnership with Brendon and AIS Insurance Brokers for another season. They have been long-term supporters of the Club and we are very thankful for their continued generous support. It is one of the longest standing partnerships in the Club’s history. Please contact Brendon for all your insurance requirements”.

southRadio is back for season 2014 and once again providing a light
hearted look at all things South Melbourne FC in our weekly podcast.

In the first episode of the year we have John, David and Griffin back
in the studio to talk about our lengthy pre-season, as well as to
discuss the National Premier League and how it effects our club.

We also preview the upcoming Round 1 Thursday night blockbuster
against our old foe Heidelberg United, as well as look in depth at our
2014 squad.

Check out the episode below

Should you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback for southRadio
please email the club at multimedia@smfc.com.au

South Melbourne FC is pleased to confirm that Michael Eagar has been
appointed as Club Captain for the inaugural 2014 National Premier
League season.

Michael’s leadership qualities have shown since he first stepped into
Lakeside Stadium in the summer. In the numerous friendly matches the
Club has played during pre-season, Eagar has thoroughly impressed
Coach Chris Taylor and his coaching staff with his organisation,
encouragement and constant communication with his teammates.

The 24 year old dual Australian/New Zealand citizen has captained New
Zealand at both Under 20 and Under 23 level and was always going to be
in contention to lead the Club in the NPL. His first League match as
South Captain will be in Thursday night’s opening round derby against
Heidelberg United at Olympic Village.

Joining Eagar in the leadership positions are Tyson Holmes and Brad
Norton, with both players appointed as Vice Captains. Holmes and
Norton featured heavily for South in the 2013 Victorian Premier League
season and showed immense dedication to the cause. Following Luke
Byles’ departure midway through 2013, Norton captained the side for
the rest of the season.

South Melbourne FC congratulates all three players on their
appointments and looks forward to seeing them lead the side throughout
the upcoming year.