Author: SMFC Media

Monday, 2 September 2013 12:17 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC suffered a massive blow in its quest for finals football in 2013 when it was defeated 2-1 by the Melbourne Knights at Somers Street on Sunday afternoon. Despite Tyson Holmes cancelling out James McGarry’s goal in the first half, South could not take its chances in front of goal in the second half and were punished by Andrew Barisic’s nice finish after 67 minutes that ultimately proved to be the winning goal.

Following the 2-2 draw at Lakeside Stadium earlier this season on 16 June, both sides were intent on getting three points in order secure a top three position on the Victorian Premier League ladder and with it the double-chance in the finals. The Knights were still eyeing off top spot on the table as they sat behind League leaders Northcote City by only three points, whilst South knew a win at Somers Street would elevate it to fourth place and level on points with third-placed Bentleigh Greens, giving it a realistic chance of finishing in the top three.

After a slow start to the match, the Knights took the lead just short of the half-hour when McGarry’s floated free kick from near the halfway line flew over South goalkeeper Peter Gavalas and into the back of the net. It seemed like Gavalas’ view had been obscured by the sun but nevertheless it was a horror goal for the away side to concede. To their credit, South bounced back after conceding the goal and duly leveled proceedings just after the half hour when Holmes controlled the ball before curling a perfect left-footed shot past Chris May and into the bottom corner of the Knights goal. South again had the ball in the back of the net thanks to a volley from Trent Rixon, however the linesman’s flag had already been raised for offside and the goal did not count.

Both sides had good chances to take the lead in the second half. Luke Hopper cut into the penalty area before blasting over May’s goal and then minutes later Shayan Alinejad was put through on goal by McGarry’s through-ball but had his chipped shot saved by the advancing Gavalas. The Knights eventually got their second goal – and what proved to be the winning goal – when Barisic was on hand to curl a right-footed effort past Gavalas from the edge of the box to put them 2-1 up. Rixon missed a great chance to level for South when he put his header over May’s crossbar and then deep into injury time May scrambled to tip substitute Alan Kearney’s chipped shot from distance over his bar and away from danger.

Post- match, South coach Chris Taylor was again thoroughly disappointed at the fact that his side could not keep a clean sheet and continue to gift goals to their opponents. The result means that South has now slipped out of the top five on goal difference. With only two matches remaining in the League season, South will need to win both games (against Northcote City on 14 September and Port Melbourne on 22 September) to qualify for the top five. Anything less than two victories will see South rely on other favourable results to get it into the 2013 VPL finals.

FINAL SCORE: MELBOURNE KNIGHTS 2-1 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 1-1)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: James McGarry (26′)
1-1: Tyson Holmes (32′)
2-1: Andrew Barisic (67′)

Key Stats (provided by Steven Orchard:
Shots: Melbourne Knights (8) – South Melbourne (23)
Saves: Melbourne Knights (8) – South Melbourne (3)
Turnovers: Melbourne Knights (58) – South Melbourne (60)
Balls into Area: Melbourne Knights (25) – South Melbourne (42)
Shots Blocked: Melbourne Knights (0) – South Melbourne (4)

Melbourne Knights:
Chris MAY (GK), Adam ZILIC, James McGARRY, Andrew BARISIC, William MCLACHLAN, Marijan CVITKOVIC (Christopher TALAJIC 46’ [Jacob COLOSIMO 72’]), Milan BATUR, Ben SUREY, Josh BERRIOS, Shayan ALINEJAD (Ryan FILIPOVIC 90+3’), Sam TORRENS

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 2. Tim MALA (18. Jonathan MUNOZ 90’), 4. Bryan BRAN, 5. Nick EPIFANO (12. Rhys MEREDITH 82’), 7. Luke HOPPER, 9. Trent RIXON, 10. Tyson HOLMES (16. Alan KEARNEY 72’), 11. Brad NORTON (C), 13. Iqi JAWADI, 17. Nick SOOLSMA, 19. Shaun KELLY

SMFC Man of the Match: Bryan Bran
Venue: Knights Stadium
Date: Sunday 1 September 2013

Friday, 30 August 2013 10:12 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC travel to Somers Street on Sunday afternoon to play old rivals Melbourne Knights in what is shaping up to being one of the most anticipated derbies between the two sides in recent history. Heading into Round 20, the Knights are in second place on the Victorian Premier League ladder and South is in fifth. A victory for the Knights could put them in equal first place on the ladder with Northcote City, whilst three points for South Melbourne could see it end the round in third spot.

The Knights and South have fought many great battles in both the State League and the National League but incredibly both sides have not featured in the same finals series since they joined the VPL in 2005. The Knights played in the finals in 2007 and 2008 (losing the 2008 Grand Final); South played in the 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2011 finals series (winning the 2006 Grand Final) and both sides missed the finals in 2010 and 2012. Funnily enough, South coach Chris Taylor was in charge at the Knights when they played finals football in 2007 and 2008.

The Knights head into Sunday’s derby in winning form, having defeated Dandenong Thunder 0-1 at George Andrews Reserve last Friday night. The Knights have won three Leagues games in a row, including a remarkable come-from-behind 3-2 win against Bentleigh in their last home match on 18 August. South will go into the game also having won their last three League games in a row, with the most recent result being the 3-2 win against Pascoe Vale at Lakeside Stadium last Sunday evening. Chris Taylor’s side has picked up 13 out of a possible 15 points in its last five League games, with its last defeat in the League being back on 21 July (1-4 against Bentleigh Greens).

In the corresponding fixture played between the two sides at Knights Stadium on Sunday 12 August 2012, Joe Keenan (2’) opened the scoring for South before Jake Nakic tapped home (33’) and then hit a wonder strike from outside the area (55’) to give the Knights the lead. Shaun Kelly (76’) saved South’s blushes by volleying home from a corner in an entertaining game that finished 2-2.

In the earlier derby played this year on Sunday 16 June, first half goals from Ben Surey (8’) and Shayan Alinejad (30’) gave the Knights a 1-2 lead at halftime (Brad Norton scoring South’s goal on 24 minutes) before South leveled following an own goal (62’) by Knights defender and former South player Ljubo Milicevic in a game that also finished 2-2. Milicevic will not feature for the Knights this time around, having signed for A-League side Perth Glory a few weeks ago.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 3pm at Knights Stadium.

History of the derby

Tuesday, 27 August 2013 10:00 PM

South Melbourne FC is excited to announce its partnership with Bob Jane T-Marts for both the 2013 and 2014 Victorian Premier League seasons.

Bob Jane T-Marts will be a Principal Partner of the Club and Major Sponsor of SMFC TV on both Channel 31 and its online portal through YouTube. The partnership will also include ground signage, scoreboard and multimedia advertising, and a number of other corporate benefits.

Over the years, the Bob Jane T-Marts brand has been closely associated with the Club, with Lakeside Stadium being known as Bob Jane Stadium between the years 1995-2011. Furthermore, Bob Jane T-Marts logo proudly featured on the back of the South playing shirt during the mid 1990s as well.

Bob Jane T-Marts has a total commitment to effectively serve the motorists of Australia with a level of service beyond their expectations, using the highest quality products and at the most competitive price. As an independent Australian business, Bob Jane T-Marts has a national network of franchised and company owned tyre retail stores, making them Australia’s largest independent tyre retailer. Together with their extensive range of tyres, they stock a broad range of wheels and reliable batteries for passenger vehicles, 4WDs, vans and light trucks. Their expert wheel alignment and wheel balancing services use the latest in computerised technology. Embracing over 45 years of experience, Bob Jane T-Marts remains the most trusted name for tyres, wheels and batteries in Australia.

SMFC General Manager Peter Kokotis told smfc.com.au “we are delighted to welcome back an iconic Australian brand to the Club. The Bob Jane T-Marts brand was synonymous with South Melbourne FC through its naming rights of its stadium when it was refurbished in the mid 1990s. We look forward to working closely with the team at Bob Jane T-Marts and ask the South Melbourne faithful to support the sponsors that are supporting our great club”.

For all media enquiries, please contact Peter Kokotis on 9645 9797.

Watch the SMFC TV Announcement here

Tuesday, 27 August 2013 10:17 AM

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce that Nissan has made a successful return to Australian motorsport at the Winton360 race on Saturday. James Moffat, son of legendary driver Allan, and Michael Caruso cruised past the chequered flag in first and second place respectively. It marks the first win in the V8 Supercar series for Nissan in 21 years, since its last victory at the 1992 Bathurst race where Jim Richards and Mark Skaife won in a Nissan Skyline.  

Nissan joined the Club as its Principal Community Program Partner for the 2013 Victorian Premier League season. As part of the partnership, Nissan provides South Melbourne FC with a number of vehicles to use as part of its operations and to continue its community engagement program.
 
Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Corporate Sales Director Nicholas Maikousis said “we are quite excited to hear that Nissan has made a triumphant return to Australian motorsport, with its one-two finisish over the weekend at the Winton 360 race. Nissan has been a great partner for the club in assisting it with its community engagement programs. We look forward to more success for Nissan in the V8 Supercar series.”

For more on Nissan’s success, please click on the link:
http://www.v8supercars.com.au/news/historic-nissan-1-2-moffat-victorious

Monday, 26 August 2013 2:46 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC consolidated its spot in the top five with a come-from-behind 3-2 victory against Pascoe Vale at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. Goals from Nick Soolsma, Luke Hopper and Trent Rixon were enough to defeat a spirited Pascoe Vale side who had actually led 1-2 thanks to a well-taken goal from Luca Santilli and a penalty from Michael Ferrante.

South came into the match knowing that a victory would consolidate fifth spot and put it within two points of third-placed Port Melbourne. Pascoe Vale knew that a victory at Lakeside Stadium would put it nine points clear of the relegation zone with three rounds to go, although second-last Richmond has a game in hand. Having drawn 0-0 at Hosken Reserve earlier on in the season on 1 June, there was certainly a lot to play for this time around.

The home side opened the scoring after only six minutes, when Nick Epifano’s cross from the left was headed past Stefaan Sardelic by Soolsma. It was the perfect start for South and many expected them to go on and win the game comfortably, however it was the visitors who scored only minutes later when Santilli expertly headed past Peter Gavalas to make the score 1-1. Tyson Holmes knew he was in for a frustrating evening when he almost put South back into the lead with a fierce shot that hit the post before he handballed in the area and presented Pascoe Vale with the opportunity to take the lead. Michael Ferrante stepped up and coolly put his spot kick past Gavalas to give Pascoe Vale the advantage. Just as the away side was starting to look dangerous, South equalised when Soolsma played a low ball into the box for Hopper to gain control before turning his marker and firing past Sardelic to make the score 2-2. The former South goalkeeper prevented the home side from re-taking the lead just before the halftime break when he tipped Rixon’s fierce shot over his crossbar.

The game was decided early in the second half when some Soolsma magic on the right side resulted in him losing his marker before sending in an inch-perfect cross for Rixon to head past Sardelic. Rixon has now scored four goals in his last three League matches and Hopper has now scored a staggering six goals from five League matches for South. More importantly, on the day it gave South a 3-2 lead that it was to keep for the remainder of the match. Pascoe Vale went close to levelling again however the home side had done enough to win the game, as things were made even worse for Pascoe Vale when Tomi Milardovic committed a clumsy foul on Hopper before back-chatting to the referee and getting himself sent off after 88 minutes.

South’s victory keeps Chris Taylor’s side in fifth spot on 31 points and with a goal difference of +7. South are three points ahead of Green Gully (28 points, +4 goal difference plus they have a game in hand) and Hume City (28 points, -12 goal difference). South is level on points with fourth-placed Bentleigh Greens but the Greens hold fourth spot because of their superior goal difference (+12). Crucially, South are only two points behind third-placed Port Melbourne (33 points, +7 goal difference) and Bentleigh play Port Melbourne in the next round of matches. South will travel to Somers Street next Sunday for what promises to be a mouth-watering derby against the second-placed Melbourne Knights, knowing that if it defeats the Knights and Bentleigh and Port draw their match, South will end Round 20 in third spot on the ladder.

The news was not as good in the Under-21s as Pascoe Vale defeated South 0-2.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 3-2 PASCOE VALE (HT: 2-2)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Nick Soolsma (6′)
1-1: Luca Santilli (8′)
1-2: Michael Ferrante (18′ pk)
2-2: Luke Hopper (30′)
3-2: Trent Rixon (53′)

Key Stats (provided by Steven Orchard): Shots: South Melbourne (18) – Pascoe Vale (8)
On Target: South Melbourne (10) – Pascoe Vale (5)
Off Target: South Melbourne (8) – Pascoe Vale (3)
Turn Overs: South Melbourne (39) – Pascoe Vale (67)
Balls Into Area: South Melbourne (56) – Pascoe Vale (23)
Clearances: South Melbourne (15) – Pascoe Vale (32)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Bryan BRAN, 5. Nick EPIFANO, 7. Luke HOPPER, 9. Trent RIXON, 10. Tyson HOLMES (16. Alan KEARNEY 90+1′), 11. Brad NORTON (C), 13, Iqi JAWADI, 17. Nick SOOLSMA, 19. Shaun KELLY

Pascoe Vale:
1. Stefaan SARDELIC (GK), 2. Adrian TALARICO, 3. Frank SERRATORE, 4. Tomislav MILARDOVIC, 5. Ross HARVEY, 6. Robert DI VITO (20. Hernan ESPINDOLA 83′), 7. Luca SANTILLI, 8. Joseph YOUSEFF, 9. Luis COVARRUBIAS (18. Matthew LAZARIDES 64′), 15. Mark PISTININZI (16. Marco SANTILLI 90′), 21. Michael FERRANTE

SMFC Man of the Match: Nick Soolsma
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 25 August 2013

Friday, 23 August 2013 10:27 AM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC faces another tough Victorian Premier League match on Sunday when it hosts Pascoe Vale at Lakeside Stadium. Following its 1-0 loss to Green Gully in the State Knockout Cup semi final on Wednesday night, the sole focus now for the rest of the season is the League and qualifying for the top five finals series. With Chris Taylor’s side sitting in fifth spot on goal difference, a win on Sunday is absolutely crucial in keeping itself in the top five and maintaining winning momentum in the League.

Despite the midweek Cup exit, South has been in excellent form over the past month and has not lost a League match since the 1-4 home defeat to the Bentleigh Greens on 21 July. Since then the Club has belted in 12 goals in two home matches, with 6-2 and 6-1 wins over Dandenong Thunder and Hume City respectively. Whilst another six goals would be fantastic on Sunday, Taylor will be more than happy with a 1-0 score line and the three points. Bryan Bran, Iqi Jawadi, Tim Mala, Nick Epifano and Luke Hopper are all expected to return to the starting eleven on Sunday after being Cup-tied midweek. It will be a battle to see who gets selected as goalkeeper, as Peter Gavalas was the Man of the Match in the League game against Oakleigh last weekend but Chris Maynard also enjoyed an extremely solid Cup game against Gully. Dimi Tsiaras resumed training during the week following a nasty hamstring injury sustained against Gully in the League on 7 July but it remains to be seen whether he will be in contention for a spot in the squad.

Pascoe Vale is an opponent not to be taken lightly, with the promoted side seven points ahead of relegation danger with only four League matches remaining (although second-bottom side Richmond have a game in hand). With familiar faces such as former South players Stefaan Sardelic, Jake Vandermey and Joseph Youssef, there is no doubt that Pascoe Vale is a team capable of winning at Lakeside Stadium and dinting South’s finals aspirations. In the earlier match played between the two sides this season on 1 June at Hosken Reserve, a stubborn Pascoe Vale side held a very wasteful South to a 0-0 draw despite being a man short for over 80 minutes of the game following Luca Santilli’s early red card. Mathematically, South can finish the round as high as third with a victory but can also finish as low as seventh with a loss.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 5PM at Lakeside Stadium.

Last time we met

Thursday, 22 August 2013 2:18 PM

By John Kyrou (Chris Taylor quotes obtained by Football Federation Victoria reporter Matthew McNamara)

Green Gully progressed to the 2013 State Knockout Cup Final after defeating South Melbourne FC 1-0 in the first Semi Final at SS Anderson Reserve on Wednesday night. Jason Hayne’s winning goal on 57 minutes proved to be the difference between the two sides as Gully now advances to play the winner of Dandenong Thunder and Sunshine George Cross in the Cup Final on Saturday 7 September.

South coach Chris Taylor was forced to make several changes to his team for the Semi Final, with Bryan Bran, Tim Mala, Iqi Jawadi, Nick Epifano and Luke Hopper all Cup-tied after representing Dandenong Thunder in the earlier stages of the competition. Taylor decided to give goalkeeper Peter Gavalas a rest and recalled Chris Maynard in between the sticks. Jonathan Munoz – who made his South debut as a late substitute against Oakleigh in the Victorian Premier League match last weekend – started for South at right-back in place of Mala whilst youngster James Karvelis replaced Bryan Bran at centre-back, as Brad Norton and Shaun Kelly retained their places in defence. Andrew Cartanos and Rhys Meredith were both given starts whilst Fernando De Moraes and Baggio Yousif (with 11 goals in his last six Under-21s matches) were on the substitutes’ bench.

South had the better of the first half but could not convert their possession into goals on the scoreboard. The closest that South got to scoring was a header from Shaun Kelly that went over Keiran Gonzalez’s crossbar after the goalkeeper had fumbled the ball. Despite the domination, Gully should have gone into the break with the lead after some quick feet by Osagie Ederaro on the left side resulted in a dangerous low cross played in for what seemed to be an easy tap-in for former South man Hamid Basma. Luckily for South, Maynard was on hand to pull off an outstanding double-save by blocking Basma’s point-blank shot and then quickly recovering to get in the way of Hayne’s follow-up shot.

The second half was almost identical to the first half, with South pushing forward in numbers but unable to seriously put Gonzalez under pressure. The breakthrough goal came just shy of the hour mark, when Shaun Timmins pounced on the loose ball that South’s defence failed to properly clear before releasing Hayne inside the box to smash home past Maynard. Taylor introduced De Moraes and then Yousif for more attacking options but Gully were able to comfortably grind out the result. Disappointingly for South, Gonzalez was hardly tested.

In the end it was an effective Gully that progressed to the Cup Final, leaving Taylor angry that his side did not put more pressure on the opposition in the second half when a goal behind. “We went back to what we were doing when I first came to the Club – ‘ticky taka’ football – and we take a corner with a minute to go and we stuff around and lose the ball after we pushed everyone up into the box” he said in disappointment. In response to his team selection for the match, he mentioned how with five players Cup-tied “a lot of other boys got the opportunity to show what they were made of… some of them did OK and some of them let themselves down.”

With no Cup glory to look forward to in 2013, South must quickly turn its attention to League matters, starting with the visit of Pascoe Vale to Lakeside Stadium on Sunday afternoon. There are four matches remaining in the VPL season and with South sitting in fifth place on the ladder, there is no room for error if the side wants to play finals football in 2013.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 0-1 GREEN GULLY (HT: 0-0)

Goal Scorer:
0-1: Jason Hayne (57’)

South Melbourne FC:
21. Chris MAYNARD (GK), 9. Trent RIXON, 10. Tyson HOLMES, 11. Brad NORTON (C), 12. Rhys MEREDITH, 16. Alan KEARNEY , 17. Nick SOOLSMA, 18. Jonathan MUNOZ (26. Baggio YOUSIF 84’), 19. Shaun KELLY, 20. Andrew CARTANOS (8. Fernando DE MORAES 65’), 22. James KARVELIS

Green Gully:
Kieran GONZALEZ (GK), Daniel JONES, Shaun TIMMINS (Sean HARDING 67′), Mitchell BISSINGER, Rodrigo VARGAS, Jason HAYNE (Christopher DIB 87′), Brent FISHER, Matthew SANDERS, Hamid BASMA (Liam BRAIN 65′), Osagie EDERARO, Brian VANEGA

SMFC Man of the Match: Alan Kearney
Venue: SS Anderson Reserve
Date: Wednesday 21 August 2013

Wednesday, 21 August 2013 10:26 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC and Green Gully clash in the Semi Final of the State Knockout Cup at SS Anderson Reserve on Wednesday night, with a meeting against either Dandenong Thunder or Sunshine George Cross in the final on Saturday 7 September at stake.

South goes into the match on the back of consecutive Victorian Premier League wins (6-1 against Hume City and 2-1 against Oakleigh) whilst Green Gully comes into the match in losing form, having lost 2-1 against Port Melbourne last Friday night at SS Anderson Reserve despite taking the lead.

Chris Taylor’s team selection will be interesting, considering that several of his first-choice starting eleven players are Cup-tied. Tim Mala, Bryan Bran, Iqi Jawadi, Nick Epifano and Luke Hopper all played for Dandenong Thunder in the early stages of this competition and therefore cannot play on Wednesday night. However this gives players such as Rhys Meredith, Fernando De Moraes, Andrew Cartanos, James Karvelis, Jonathan Munoz and even Baggio Yousif (with 11 goals in his past six Under-21s matches) an opportunity to showcase their talents. Dimi Tsiaras has made a good recovery from the nasty hamstring injury he sustained against Green Gully in the League match on 7 July and may also play a part in the Semi Final.

The match kicks off on Wednesday night at SS Anderson Reserve at 7:30pm. If the match is drawn then extra time will be played and if the scores are still level then a penalty shoot-out will determine who progresses through to the 2013 State Knockout Cup Final.

South Melbourne FC’s Cup Run 2013
Fourth Round: 3-0 v Oakleigh Cannons (Saturday 4 May at Lakeside Stadium)
Fifth Round: 3-2 v Northcote City (Monday 10 June at Lakeside Stadium)
Quarter Final: 4-2 v Preston Lions (Tuesday 23 July at Lakeside Stadium)

Green Gully’s Cup Run 2013
Fourth Round: 5-1 v North Geelong Warriors (Saturday 4 May at Elcho Park )
Fifth Round: 2-1 v Keilor Park (Saturday 8 June at Keilor Park Recreational Reserve)
Quarter Final: 3-2 v FC Clifton Hill (Tuesday 23 July at Green Gully Reserve)

Last Round – State Knockout Cup Quarter Final vs Preston

Tuesday, 20 August 2013 9:37 AM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC stormed into the top five after defeating the Oakleigh Cannons 1-2 at Jack Edwards Reserve on Sunday afternoon. In testing conditions, centre-forward Trent Rixon’s first half goal and Luke Hopper’s second half penalty was enough for South to get the three points despite Dusan Bosnjak giving the home side a lifeline in the final fifteen minutes. South had their goalkeeper Peter Gavalas to thank for making several outstanding match-winning saves throughout the whole game in what was South’s first away win since the 1-2 win against the Bentleigh Greens on 19 April.

South came into the game having disposed of Hume City 6-1 at Lakeside Stadium last Sunday and Chris Taylor’s side knew that a win against Oakleigh and favourable results in other games would see the Club end the round in the top five. Oakleigh needed a win against South to realistically keep alive its 2013 finals aspirations. Despite having a game in hand, a loss against South would put the Cannons seven points behind fifth spot with only four League matches remaining.

The home side was unable to take advantage of kicking with the wind in the first half and it was South that opened the scoring in the sixteenth minute. Ross Jarvis’ horrible back pass was pounced on by Rixon and he fired a shot over the advancing Lewis Italiano and into the back of the net to make the score 0-1. It could very well have been 0-2 a short while later in almost exactly the same circumstances, when Hayden Doyle’s awful back-pass was intercepted by Nick Epifano, however the winger’s placement was off-target and the ball went out for a goal kick. Oakleigh had two excellent chances to score in the first half, firstly when Goran Zoric was put through one-on-one but had his shot blocked by Gavalas and secondly when Dusan Bosnjak’s shot beat Gavalas but not the far post as South went into the sheds at halftime with the lead.

Gavalas was at his brilliant best early in the second half when he made another one-on-one save, this time gloving Doyle’s shot over the crossbar. Only minutes later, Oakleigh charged forward again and Gavalas made a double-save before Tim Mala cleared the ball off the line. The danger was still not over yet and again Gavalas was called upon, this time to save from Zoric. The home side were still wondering how they had not equalised when South went down to the other end of the field and won a penalty. Luke Hopper cut into the box from the left side and was adjudged by the referee to have been fouled in the area by Steven Gray. Hopper stepped up and coolly slotted the penalty away for a remarkable fifth goal in four games for the Club. Rixon had worked hard all game and was nearly rewarded with a second goal after being put through one-on-one with Italiano but the Oakleigh goalkeeper managed to get a touch and deflect the ball out for a corner.

Just when South looked like it would comfortably see out the rest of the game, it failed to clear an Oakleigh corner and the resultant goalmouth scramble saw Bosnjak poke home to halve the deficit and ensure the final fifteen minutes would be extremely uncomfortable for the away side. Despite a few difficult moments, including five minutes of injury time played by the referee, South had done enough to win the three points and jump Hume City and Green Gully into fifth spot on the VPL ladder. Post-game, Taylor was delighted with the victory but remained realistic. “There is no room for error…we’ve got to keep winning. It’s a case of grinding away because we’ve got teams around us who have got games in hand.” When asked about the failure to keep a clean sheet again, Taylor was – unlike the previous week – not as fussed. “I thought Gavalas was outstanding today…he kept us in the game at times and did what he had to do.”

In the Under-21s, Oakleigh took the lead before a double from Baggio Yousif put South 2-1 up; however a late goal by Oakleigh saw the game end 2-2.

South has a big week this week, starting with the State Knockout Cup Semi Final against Green Gully at Anderson Reserve (Port Melbourne) on Wednesday night at 7:30PM before another important League match against Pascoe Vale at Lakeside Stadium at 5PM on Sunday. Another victory on Sunday will consolidate South’s spot in the top five and give it three League wins in a row.

FINAL SCORE: OAKLEIGH CANNONS 1-2 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-1)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Trent Rixon (16′)
0-2: Luke Hopper (64’pk)
1-2: Dusan Bosnjak (74′)

Key Stats (provided by Steven Orchard):
Shots: Oakleigh (12) – South Melbourne (18)
Saves: Oakleigh (6) – South Melbourne (6)
Turn Overs: Oakleigh (74) – South Melbourne (61)
Balls into Area: Oakleigh (23) – South Melbourne (40)
Clearances: Oakleigh (12) – South Melbourne (21)

Oakleigh Cannons:
Lewis ITALIANO (GK), Casper ANDERSEN, Jamie CUMMING (C), Steven GRAY (Laurent CORALIE 68’), Andrew MULLETT, Hayden DOYLE (John McLEAN 65’ [Jesse KRNCEVIC 76’]), Ross JARVIS, Evan CHRISTODOULOU, Goran ZORIC, Alex SMITH, Dusan BOSNJAK

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Bryan BRAN, 5. Nick EPIFANO (12. Rhys MEREDITH 85′), 7. Luke HOPPER (16. Alan KEARNEY 67′), 9. Trent RIXON, 10. Tyson HOLMES, 11. Brad NORTON (C), 13. Iqi JAWADI, 17. Nick SOOLSMA (18. Jonathan MUNOZ 90+1′), 19. Shaun KELLY

SMFC Man of the Match: Peter Gavalas
Venue: Jack Edwards Reserve
Date: Sunday 18 August 2013

Monday, 19 August 2013 10:24 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC stormed into the top five after defeating the Oakleigh Cannons 1-2 at Jack Edwards Reserve on Sunday afternoon. In testing conditions, centre-forward Trent Rixon’s first half goal and Luke Hopper’s second half penalty was enough for South to get the three points despite Dusan Bosnjak giving the home side a lifeline in the final fifteen minutes. South had their goalkeeper Peter Gavalas to thank for making several outstanding match-winning saves throughout the whole game in what was South’s first away win since the 1-2 win against the Bentleigh Greens on 19 April.

South came into the game having disposed of Hume City 6-1 at Lakeside Stadium last Sunday and Chris Taylor’s side knew that a win against Oakleigh and favourable results in other games would see the Club end the round in the top five. Oakleigh needed a win against South to realistically keep alive its 2013 finals aspirations. Despite having a game in hand, a loss against South would put the Cannons seven points behind fifth spot with only four League matches remaining.

The home side was unable to take advantage of kicking with the wind in the first half and it was South that opened the scoring in the sixteenth minute. Ross Jarvis’ horrible back pass was pounced on by Rixon and he fired a shot over the advancing Lewis Italiano and into the back of the net to make the score 0-1. It could very well have been 0-2 a short while later in almost exactly the same circumstances, when Hayden Doyle’s awful back-pass was intercepted by Nick Epifano, however the winger’s placement was off-target and the ball went out for a goal kick. Oakleigh had two excellent chances to score in the first half, firstly when Goran Zoric was put through one-on-one but had his shot blocked by Gavalas and secondly when Dusan Bosnjak’s shot beat Gavalas but not the far post as South went into the sheds at halftime with the lead.

Gavalas was at his brilliant best early in the second half when he made another one-on-one save, this time gloving Doyle’s shot over the crossbar. Only minutes later, Oakleigh charged forward again and Gavalas made a double-save before Tim Mala cleared the ball off the line. The danger was still not over yet and again Gavalas was called upon, this time to save from Zoric. The home side were still wondering how they had not equalised when South went down to the other end of the field and won a penalty. Luke Hopper cut into the box from the left side and was adjudged by the referee to have been fouled in the area by Steven Gray. Hopper stepped up and coolly slotted the penalty away for a remarkable fifth goal in four games for the Club. Rixon had worked hard all game and was nearly rewarded with a second goal after being put through one-on-one with Italiano but the Oakleigh goalkeeper managed to get a touch and deflect the ball out for a corner.  

Just when South looked like it would comfortably see out the rest of the game, it failed to clear an Oakleigh corner and the resultant goalmouth scramble saw Bosnjak poke home to halve the deficit and ensure the final fifteen minutes would be extremely uncomfortable for the away side. Despite a few difficult moments, including five minutes of injury time played by the referee, South had done enough to win the three points and jump Hume City and Green Gully into fifth spot on the VPL ladder. Post-game, Taylor was delighted with the victory but remained realistic. “There is no room for error…we’ve got to keep winning. It’s a case of grinding away because we’ve got teams around us who have got games in hand.” When asked about the failure to keep a clean sheet again, Taylor was – unlike the previous week – not as fussed. “I thought Gavalas was outstanding today…he kept us in the game at times and did what he had to do.”

In the Under-21s, Oakleigh took the lead before a double from Baggio Yousif put South 2-1 up; however a late goal by Oakleigh saw the game end 2-2.

South has a big week this week, starting with the State Knockout Cup Semi Final against Green Gully at Anderson Reserve (Port Melbourne) on Wednesday night at 7:30PM before another important League match against Pascoe Vale at Lakeside Stadium at 5PM on Sunday. Another victory on Sunday will consolidate South’s spot in the top five and give it three League wins in a row.

FINAL SCORE: OAKLEIGH CANNONS 1-2 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-1)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Trent Rixon (16′)
0-2: Luke Hopper (64’pk)
1-2: Dusan Bosnjak (74′)

Key Stats (provided by Steven Orchard):
Shots: Oakleigh (12) – South Melbourne (18)
Saves: Oakleigh (6) – South Melbourne (6)
Turn Overs: Oakleigh (74) – South Melbourne (61)
Balls into Area: Oakleigh (23) – South Melbourne (40)
Clearances: Oakleigh (12) – South Melbourne (21)

Oakleigh Cannons:
Lewis ITALIANO (GK), Casper ANDERSEN, Jamie CUMMING (C), Steven GRAY (Laurent CORALIE 68’), Andrew MULLETT, Hayden DOYLE (John McLEAN 65’ [Jesse KRNCEVIC 76’]), Ross JARVIS, Evan CHRISTODOULOU, Goran ZORIC, Alex SMITH, Dusan BOSNJAK

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Bryan BRAN, 5. Nick EPIFANO (12. Rhys MEREDITH 85′), 7. Luke HOPPER (16. Alan KEARNEY 67′), 9. Trent RIXON, 10. Tyson HOLMES, 11. Brad NORTON (C), 13. Iqi JAWADI, 17. Nick SOOLSMA (18. Jonathan MUNOZ 90+1′), 19. Shaun KELLY

SMFC Man of the Match: Peter Gavalas
Venue: Jack Edwards Reserve
Date: Sunday 18 August 2013