Author: SMFC Media

Monday, 14 May 2012 9:15 AM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC returned to winning ways with a solid 0-1 victory against Hume City at Epping Stadium on Friday night. Captain Steven O’Dor’s 87th minute goal was enough to earn South a vital three points in a match that the away side dominated in possession yet left it late in translating that to a win on the scoreboard.

South went into the match on the back of an embarrassing 0-2 loss against Southern Stars at Lakeside Stadium the previous week. With the derby against the Melbourne Knights and a very tough away match against League leaders Dandenong Thunder to follow, it was of utmost importance to secure the three points against a Hume side that had started just as inconsistently as South had. Although Hume came into the match in winning form having defeated Heidelberg United 1-2 at Olympic Park in the previous round, like South they had managed only a modest seven points from their first five League encounters in 2012.

The first half of the match was quite dour, with few opportunities for both sides. On 25 minutes, Dimi Hatzimouratis curled a shot into the top right corner but Hume goalkeeper Chris Oldfield made an excellent save to keep the ball out. A short time later, a scramble in the six yard box resulted in an O’Dor shot going wide of the goal. The home side did actually put the ball in the back of the net shortly before halftime but the linesman on the near side correctly ruled that there had been a clear handball by former South man Steven Pace in the lead-up.

In the second half, South stepped up the intensity and enjoyed a huge amount of possession on the ball, however the away side seemed unable to break down a stubborn Hume defence led by Pace. Oldfield was hardly tested in the Hume goal, however he breathed a sigh of relief when O’Dor headed a fantastic Glen Trifiro cross over the crossbar on 66 minutes. South then had what looked like two clear penalties disallowed by referee Hakan Anaz, one of which had the potential to lead to a red card being issued against Hume for a last-man offence. Despite the strong appeals, Anaz waved for play to continue and South were denied.

Nevertheless, the away side continued to launch forward attacks as the clock ticked down and they were finally rewarded with only three minutes of normal time remaining. A Bradley Norton cross on the right was partially cleared by Hume’s defence to Glen Trifiro at the back post. Trifiro’s quick turn and shot was helped into the net by the quick-thinking O’Dor, sending the away fans behind the goals into wild celebrations in the cold wintry weather. Unfortunately for the captain, he had to be substituted only minutes later after what looked to be a thigh injury. South held on through the five minutes of injury time to record a vital win heading into next Sunday’s derby against the Knights.

After the game, South coach Peter Tsolakis commented that “I thought we dominated the game and I’m just so glad that we were able to score right at the end. Hume is always a tough game and the guys had to dig deep and I’m ecstatic that we got the three points.” Speaking to SMFC TV about his injury, the goal scoring hero O’Dor was “unsure at this stage how severe it is, hopefully I’ll be fine for next week but we’ll have to wait and see.”

In the Under-21s match, South came from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 against a ten-man Hume, who also lost their goalkeeper due to injury and had to play one of their outfield players in goal for the rest of the game.

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

Goal Scorer 
0-1: Steven O’Dor (87′)

Hume City:
1. Chris OLDFIELD (GK), 3. Ben HARRISON, 4. Isyan ERDOGAN, 5. Steven PACE, 6. Serdar PIR, 7. Atilla OFLI (10. David CHICK 70′), 11. Nick HEGARTY, 12. Jarryd BARNES (37. Bobby VIDANOVSKI 70′), 17. Phillip RICCOBENE, 20. Archie TOMIC, 22. Howard FONDYKE

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 3. Rhodri PAYNE, 4. Steven O’DOR (25. Kyle JORYEFF 90+4’), 6. Dimi TSIARAS (15. Fernando DE MORAES 79’), 8. Dimi HATZIMOURATIS (17. Matko BUDIMIR 90+1’), 9. Trent RIXON, 10. Glen TRIFIRO, 11. Bradley NORTON, 13. Luke BYLES, 18. Marinos GASPARIS, 23. Jason TRIFIRO

SMFC Man of the Match: Luke Byles
Venue: Epping Stadium
Date: Friday 11 May 2012

Thursday, 10 May 2012 5:15 PM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC travels to Epping Stadium on Friday night to face Hume City, where it will be looking to record its first win in the Victorian Premier League since its second round fixture against the Oakleigh Cannons.

South goes into the match on the back of a highly disappointing 0-2 home loss against promoted Southern Stars last Friday night. Goals from Mark Leech and former South man Yanni Galanos were enough for the Stars to record a memorable victory and severely embarrass South in only its second Premier League match back at Lakeside Stadium in 2012. Further bad news for South is the fact that Joe Keenan will be missing for at least another week due to a hamstring strain, whilst right-back Tom Matthews will still be out of action at least for another month as he recovers from a leg injury. In more positive news, Rhodri Payne looks set for a recall in the starting eleven, whilst Marinos Gasparis and Kyle Joryeff had positive impacts off the substitutes’ bench last week and may be included in the starting line-up on Friday night.

Hume City go into the match in winning form after coming from 1-0 down to defeat Heidelberg United 2-1at Olympic Park last Sunday. That result lifted Hume to eighth spot on the VPL ladder, only two places behind South, with both sides locked on 7 points from five League matches in 2012. The Hume players that South will need to watch out for are Zoran Petrevski, Serdar Pir, Pece Siveski, Isiyan Erdogan and former South man Steven Pace, all of which are capable of causing damage. South will also be wary of the fact that in the corresponding fixture last season at Broadmeadows Valley Park, doubles to Richie Cardozo, Steven Weir and a goal from Fabio Dilizia gave Hume a resounding 5-0 victory over a 9-man South Melbourne side following the dismissals of Jessie Krncevic and Ljubo Milicevic in the first half.

Friday night’s match kicks off at 8:30pm at Epping Stadium.

SMFC TV – Last time we met

Thursday, 10 May 2012 5:08 PM

The fifth round draw for the zonal playoffs in the FFV State Knockout Cup was held yesterday with South Melbourne FC being drawn against the Port Melbourne Sharks. The match is set to be played on the Queens Birthday long weekend, with games being played between June 8-10.

The FFV State Knockout Cup is a competition that includes clubs from all levels of Victorian Football. Initially, 130 clubs entered the FFV State Knockout Cup competition. In this round, the 10 clubs from the Victorian Premier League will compete against the remaining 14 non Premier League sides for the zonal playoffs.

South were eliminated from last year’s competition by Port Melbourne , with the Sharks defeating South 2-1 in extra time.

Match details to be released shortly.

Wednesday, 9 May 2012 4:04 PM

South Melbourne FC is excited to announce that Greek Superleague double winners Olympiacos will train at Lakeside Stadium ahead of their exhibition match on Saturday May 19th.

Olympiacos are the most successful side in Greek football history, claiming their 39th Championship in 2012, as well as an unprecedented 25th Greek Cup.

South Melbourne FC President Leo Athanasakis was elated to announce the news, saying “we are delighted that Olympiacos will be training at Lakeside Stadium in preparation for their exhibition match. Olympiacos played their last Australian exhibition match in 1978 against South Melbourne, and we are quite excited to be involved again.”

Please note that training will be closed doors, with only accredited media allowed.

Tickets for the game can be purchased via ticketmaster outlets or via clicking this link.

Sunday, 6 May 2012 9:36 PM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

Southern Stars handed South Melbourne FC a footballing lesson on Friday night as the newly-promoted side impressed in a 2-0 victory at Lakeside Stadium. A wonder strike by Mark Leech and a goal from former South player Yanni Galanos were enough to see off a thoroughly disappointing home side.

South went into the match knowing that three points were vital in gaining momentum in the League following some inconsistent results in recent weeks. A 3-1 loss away at Green Gully was followed by a 1-1 draw at Richmond before South got back into winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Malvern City in the State Knockout Cup last Sunday. The Southern Stars knew that three points against South would take them to seven points from five League matches, a solid start by a promoted side.

The first half was an end-to-end affair, with Southern Stars taking the game to the home side early. Both sides created a number of chances, with South coming the closest when Fernando De Moraes hit a fierce shot from the right that goalkeeper Frazer Siddall got a glove to before the ball smashed the crossbar and stayed out. A minute later, Glen Trifiro was set free down the left and was in a great position to shoot, however he unselfishly elected to cut the ball back into the six-yard box and the danger was cleared by the South defence. Dimi Tsiaras also missed a golden opportunity by hitting a shot at the back post way over the crossbar.

Despite South’s possession, Southern Stars had been busy creating opportunities as well and they punished South right on halftime. Stars broke down a South forward move and counter-attacked by playing the ball over Leech to run onto and then chip Peter Gavalas beautifully from 30 metres and send the away supporters wild. The goal was just reward for a side who had worked very hard for each other in the first half.

South started the second half well and almost levelled when Trifiro hit the post from a shot on the right. However once more it was the Stars who delivered a sucker-punch blow to South, when a bad mix-up in defence resulted in Tsiaras’ poor clearance to fall straight to Galanos and he smashed the ball into the unguarded goal. This was the killer blow to the home side, who really struggled to create any meaningful chances afterwards. Kyle Joryeff was substituted onto the field and his intensity and freshness immediately gave South another forward option. With 10 minutes to go Joryeff went down in the penalty area after a challenge however the referee did not award a penalty and Southern Stars saw the game out comfortably to record a memorable 2-0 win and severely embarrass South at home.

South has a horror run of fixtures coming up, with games against Hume City, Melbourne Knights and leaders Dandenong Thunder in the next few weeks. With key players Tom Matthews (leg injury) and Joe Keenan (hamstring injury) potentially missing, South coach Peter Tsolakis will need to fix up his defensive problems as soon as possible, as well as finding out a way to break through opposition defences.

In the Under 21’s match played, Southern Stars came from a goal down to defeat South 3-2.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 0-2 SOUTHERN STARS (HT: 0-1)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Mark Leech (45′)
0-2: Yanni Galanos (59′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 4. Steven O’DOR, 6. Dimi TSIARAS, 8. Dimi HATZIMOURATIS (25. Kyle JORYEFF 69′), 9. Trent RIXON (20. Gianni DE NITTIS 80′), 10. Glen TRIFIRO, 11. Brad NORTON, 13. Luke BYLES, 15. Fernando DE MORAES, 17. Matko BUDIMIR (16. Marinos GASPARIS 73′), 23. Jason TRIFIRO

Southern Stars:
1. Frazer SIDDALL (GK), 2. Ryan DARRAGH, 3. Patrick SULLIVAN, 5. Luke FITZPATRIC, 6. Alan MULCAHY, 8. Keiren FITZGERALD, 11. Yanni GALANOS, 12. David STIRTON, 13. Halil GUR, 16. Alan KEARNEY, 22. Mark LEECH
Subs: 20. Nick ABOUGELIS, 15. Karl BROWN, 9. Ridvan SAGLAM, 14. Satt GULER, 19. Liam MCCORMACK

SMFC Man of the Match: Kyle Joryeff
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Friday 4 May 2012

Thursday, 3 May 2012 11:57 PM

By John Kyrou

After over a month away from Lakeside Stadium, South Melbourne FC returns to its home ground to face the newly promoted Southern Stars on Friday night.

South goes into the game in inconsistent form, having lost and then drawn League matches at Green Gully and Richmond before returning to winning form with a 2-1 win over Malvern City in the fourth round of the State Knockout Cup last weekend. With tough League fixtures coming up against Hume City, Melbourne Knights and Dandenong Thunder, South will be very keen on winning three points on Friday night in order to keep in touch with Dandenong at the top of the table.

The Southern Stars have also had an inconsistent start to 2012, winning four points from their first four League games. Like South, it progressed in the Cup last weekend thanks to a 3-0 victory over Churchill United. Southern Stars feature former South players Yanni Galanos and Sasha Vranesevic, both who would be keen on getting one over their former club on Friday night. Victory over South would move Southern Stars to seven points, the same total as South currently. Despite being a newly-promoted side, South coach Peter Tsolakis will be wary of the potential for this game to be a danger match and will be hoping to continue South’s 100% home record this season.

The match kicks off at 8:30pm on Friday night at Lakeside Stadium. South supporters are reminded that 2012 merchandise is now available and can be purchased either online (smfc.com.au/merchandise) or at the merchandise store at Lakeside Stadium on matchday.

Tuesday, 1 May 2012 10:46 AM

Picture: New South Melbourne FC signing Jason Saldaris, with the owner of Beachcomber Steve Paraskevas.

Last Friday night saw South Melbourne FC hold its annual fundraising event, 2012 Player Auction Night at Beachcomber at the St Kilda Baths, which provided guests with picturesque views over Port Philip Bay in an intimate and cosy affair with over 150 guests in attendance.

There were a number of dignitaries and past players in attendance including Hall of Fame members Jimmy Armstrong, Ulysses Kokkinos, Michael Mandalis, and Con Boutsianis, while past Presidents George Donikian and Peter Mitrakas present as well.

The MC for the evening was Board Member, George Triantos, who welcomed the guests to the event, and opened his address by highlighting a number of achievements the Club had recorded through the newly refurbished Lakeside Stadium, significant increase in its membership and corporate base, and the successful inroads the multimedia team had made through SMFC TV and online social media.

Club President Leo Athanasakis also welcomed the guests and thanked the Principal Partners for their continued support, and invited everyone to get behind and support the Club in the new era.

South Melbourne honoured two long serving servants of the Club, Dr James Nicola and Dr Harry Sklavounos, who have been members of the medical staff at South Melbourne since its return to the Victorian Premier League in 2005. They were recognised for their have tireless work over the years in assisting and treating the playing squad to overcome injuries and ensuring they receive the best care to expedite their return to the field.

One of the highlights of the event was the Football Panel Discussion, with SMFC Captain Steven O’Dor, Head Coach Peter Tsolakis, and Hall of Fame member Con Boutsianis. Both O’Dor and Tsolakis discussed and reviewed the team’s performance through the early part of the season, and shared insights into how the playing squad had prepared for the 2012 season. The second part of the panel discussion turned to both Tsolakis’ and Boutsianis’ experiences at the Club during the Middle Park days, and both shared light-hearted and amusing stories from their playing days which had the guests in fits of laughter.

The main purpose of the event was a fundraising theme, with two football experiences and player auctions were held. The auctioneer, George Metax from Barry Plant Preston took over and sought to secure the highest bid for each player. The event raised a considerable sum of money for the Club.

South Melbourne would particularly like to thank Steve and Jim Paraskevas, and Neil Stacey from Beachcomber for their tremendous and warm hospitality in assisting the Club to hold a successful event. Furthermore, the Club would like to thank its corporate partners who contributed to the fundraising activities on the night, and all guests who were in attendance.

The following corporate partners were successful in the auction are as follows:

Peter Gavalas – The Money Coaches
Tom Matthews – Primary School Wear
Rhodri Payne – Tom Kalas
Steven O’Dor – Star 21
Dimitri Tsiaris – GPZ Legal
Joe Keenan – Star 21
Dimitri Hatzimouratis – Blue Thunder Security
Trent Rixon – K & A Accountants
Glen Trifiro – Global Gypsum
Brad Norton – AIS Insurance Brokers
Luke Byles – Zante Transport
Fernando De Moraes – Bill Papastergiadis
Marinos Gasparis – The Money Coaches
Gianni De Nittis – Blue Thunder Security
Jason Saldaris – Beachcomber Cafe
Jason Trifiro – Snowy Creek Produce & Scope Protective Security
Kyle Joryeff – Dandanis & Assoicates
Christian Skok, Matko Budimir & Nick Jacobs – MW Planning
Peter Tsolakis and Joe Montemurro – Star 21 and Mirabella
Jimmy Armstrong, Michael Mandalis and Ulysses Kokkinos – Beachcomber Cafe

Tuesday, 1 May 2012 9:52 AM

South Melbourne FC honoured two long serving servants of the Club at the recent Player Auction Night at Beachcomber.

Dr James Nicola and Dr Harry Sklavounos have been members of the medical staff at South Melbourne since its return to the Victorian Premier League in 2005. They have worked tirelessly over the years in assisting and treating the playing squad overcome injuries and ensuring they receive the best care to expedite their return to the field.

South Melbourne President Leo Athanasakis said at the event that “both James and Harry have been a tremendous asset to South over these years, and are an integral part of getting the playing squad ready for each match. We are truly lucky to have them as part of the medical staff and, more importantly, part of the South family.

South Melbourne FC congratulates both James and Harry on their award, and hope they remain part of the medical staff for many years to come.

Monday, 30 April 2012 9:01 AM

South Melbourne is delighted to be release the 2012 Adidas SMFC Merchandise range.

Fans will have the opportunity to purchase an extensive collection of Adidas merchandise, ranging from player and training attire to casual clothing that can be worn away from the pitch. The merchandise range for this season has been expanded to include items such as goalkeeper playing shirts, umbrellas and backpacks.

One of the key additions to the merchandise range is the Adidas Original Hoodie that is sold in both blue and white designs.

To view this season’s merchandise range, please visit smfc.com.au/merchandise, or alternatively from the merchandise store at Lakeside Stadium on match day.

Stock is limited, so get in quick to secure your favourite item !

Sunday, 29 April 2012 11:35 PM

By John Kyrou

Click here to view match photos by George Kouroumalis

South Melbourne FC progressed to the Fifth Round of the State Knockout Cup after working overtime to defeat State League Two side Malvern City 2-1 at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon. Goals from Dimi Hatzimouratis and Kyle Joryeff were enough to see off Malvern, who gave South an almighty scare when it levelled through Juan Nilo and played some very good football against their Premier League opponents.

South coach Peter Tsolakis started the likes of Rhodri Payne, Dimi Hatzimouratis, Marinos Gasparis and Gianni De Nittis in the starting eleven for the first time this season (all had come off the bench in earlier VPL rounds) and gave debut matches to Filip Jonsson, Matko Budimir and Jason Saldaris. The likes of Peter Gavalas, Dimi Tsiaras, Glen Trifiro and Luke Byles joined Nick Jacobs on the bench, giving them a rest from last week’s bruising League encounter with Richmond.

The first half was a scrappy affair and it was Malvern who had the better of the half-chances, with Saldaris doing well to keep a clean sheet until the half time break. South had a couple of chances to open the lead, most notably when Joe Keenan beat the offside trap but not Malvern goalkeeper Christopher Maynard, who made a good save to keep his side level.

South opened the scoring in the 53rd minute when Hatzimouratis let fly with a rocket from outside the area that hit the crossbar before going in, giving Maynard no chance in the Malvern goal. South had a handful of chances to double their advantage but desperate defending by Malvern kept the State League Two side in the Cup tie. City had come close on several occasions and caused South’s defence some nervous flutters. It almost came as no surprise when they levelled the scoring in the 75th minute when Juan Nilo found himself unmarked at the back post to tap home past Saldaris. All of a sudden they were a real chance of causing a major upset.

Malvern’s goal gave South the wake-up call it needed and they worked the winning goal in style only four minutes later, when Keenan was released down the right and cut the ball back for Joryeff to tap home into the unguarded goal. Despite some more unorthodox defending, South managed to see the game out and progress to the next round of the Cup, which looks likely to be a date against State League One side Port Melbourne on the Queens Birthday weekend.

South returns to Premier League action on Friday night (4 May) with a home match against newly promoted Southern Stars. The match kicks off at Lakeside Stadium at 8:30PM.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 2-1 MALVERN CITY (HT: 0-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Dimi Hatzimouratis (53′)
1-1: Juan Nilo (75′)
2-1: Kyle Joryeff (79′)

South Melbourne FC:
3. Rhodri PAYNE, 4. Steven O’DOR (13. Luke BYLES 65′), 7. Joe KEENAN (24. Nick JACOBS 80′), 8. Dimi HATZIMOURATIS, 14. Filip JONSSON, 15. Fernando DE MORAES (10. Glen TRIFIRO 65′), 17. Matko BUDIMIR (6. Dimi TSIARAS 72′), 18. Marinos GASPARIS, 20. Gianni DE NITTIS, 21. Jason SALDARIS (GK), 25. Kyle JORYEFF

SMFC Man of the Match: Marinos Gasparis
Venue: John Cain Memorial Park
Date: Sunday 29 April 2012