Tuesday, 28 June 2011 10:48 AM
On the nineteenth episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Round 17 clash against the Melbourne Knights, and preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and the St Albans.
Should you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback for southRadio please email the club at multimedia@smfc.com.au
Click here to download episode 19 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As
Monday, 27 June 2011 12:09 AM
One of Australian football’s great derbies was played on Sunday as the Melbourne Knights comfortably won the honours with a 1-0 victory over a disappointing South Melbourne FC at Somers Street. The victory almost assures the Knights safety from relegation danger whilst the loss has allowed other clubs to catch up to South’s third placed position on the Victorian Premier League ladder.
South travelled to Knights Stadium knowing it would not be an easy match. However, there was plenty of optimism considering South’s excellent record at the ground, especially in VPL competition where South had only lost there once in six years. There was also alot of added spice to this match considering the mid-season defections of Jean-Charles Dubois, Junior Camargo and Daniel Dragicevic from the Knights to South. Only Dragicevic was available for the game and he started the game on the substitutes bench.
Both sides began the match full of hunger and determination to get on the score sheet first. The Knights looked dangerous whenever they went forward and South had to rely on the excellent defensive work of Carl Recchia, Steven O’Dor and goalkeeper Zaim Zeneli to avert any danger, as well as luck when an unmarked header flashed just wide of the goal. At the other end, Steven Weir and Kyle Joryeff combined with some nice interpassing to expose the Knights down on the wings but unfortunately for the away side many of the subsequent crosses lacked penetration and were easy for Knights goalkeeper Aaron Romein and his defence to handle. South’s best chance came from Joryeff, who worked himself into space and hit a shot that hit Romein’s near post and stayed out.
The Knights scored the winning goal just after the half-hour mark, when a cross from the right could only be cleared as far as Craig Sweeney at the edge of the box. Sweeney hit a fantastic shot that gave Zeneli no chance and handed the home side the advantage. The goal shocked South, who had been under pressure from the Knights but had managed to comfortably deal with the danger up until that point. Sweeney’s goal gave the Knights a huge boost in confidence and they looked to double their advantage before the break. Just before half time, Steven Topalovic tried to play the ball out of his defence but was dispossessed and offered the Knights a shot at goal from just outside the area, however to Zeneli’s huge relief the subsequent shot went just wide of his goal.
South were expected to come out blazing in the second half but most disappointingly the away side offered little more than a whimper for the rest of the match. The home side had the advantage and were happy to play direct counter-attacking football to try and bury the game as a contest. South’s only golden chance in what was otherwise a dour second half showing was a Daniel Vasilevski run into the area that resulted in him cutting the ball back instead of taking a shot, with the ball subsequently cleared. At the other end, the Knights were denied a second goal many times through interceptions from Recchia and O’Dor as well as several offside infringements. The full-time whistle was met with loud cheers from the home supporters, who deservedly won the three points.
South hosts St Albans on Sunday afternoon at John Cain Memorial Park in yet another must-win game for the club.
FINAL SCORE: MELBOURNE KNIGHTS 1-0 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 1-0)
Goal Scorer
1-0: Craig Sweeney (31′)
Melbourne Knights:
3. Ryan FILIPOVIC, 5. Leo SHIN, 6. Tomislav USKOK, 8. Josip MAGDIC, 10. Josip KOZIC, 11. Anthony COLOSIMO, 17. Joseph FRANJIC, 19. Adam ZILIC, 20. Jacob COLOSIMO, 21. Aaron ROMEIN (GK), 22. Craig SWEENEY
Subs: 7. Ridvam SAGLAM, 12. Shayan ALINEJAD, 16. James STEFANOU, 18. Brandon ZEZOVSKI, 1. Martin JOHN
South Melbourne FC:
2. Tom MATTHEWS, 4. Steven O’DOR, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI, 6. Steven TOPALOVIC, 8. Carl RECCHIA, 10. Kliment TASESKI, 16. Trent WATERSON (15. Fernando DE MORAES 65′), 17. Steven WEIR, 18. Marinos GASPARIS, 21. ZAIM ZENELI (GK), 25. Kyle JORYEFF (20. Daniel DRAGICEVIC 77′)
SMFC Man of the Match: Carl Recchia
Venue: Knights Stadium
Date: Sunday 26 July 2011
Thursday, 23 June 2011 11:42 PM
The Melbourne Knights host South Melbourne FC at Somers Street on Sunday afternoon in what is shaping up to be a huge meeting between two of Australian football’s most successful clubs. Both the Knights and South have enjoyed a strong rivalry since the late 1980s and another chapter is about to be written on the weekend as both sides strive for the three points for contrasting reasons.
South could be on top of the Victorian Premier League table at the conclusion of Sunday’s game should it beat the Knights and both Hume City and Oakleigh lose their respective matches against Green Gully and Heidelberg. Failing that, three points will at the very minimum consolidate South in third spot on the table as the regular home & away season begins to reach its concluding rounds. South had a very good record at Knights Stadium throughout the National Soccer League and this has continued since both teams entered the VIctorian Premier League in 2005, with South managing three wins and two draws from six visits to the ground. South was boosted by the return of Carl Recchia and Fernando De Moraes last week, with Recchia the ‘super sub’ after scoring the winning goal against Oakleigh only six minutes after replacing Marinos Gasparis on the field. In injury news, Kyle Joryeff may be in doubt after going off injured against Oakleigh following an elbow to his forehead. Junior Camargo looks likely to be missing for a month after falling awkwardly on his back when challenging a set piece last Sunday and Rhodri Payne is still injured after hobbling off against Heidelberg on Sunday 5th June. Jesse Krncevic remains suspended.
The Knights are always difficult to beat at home despite South boasting a strong record at Somers Street. This proud club reached the pinnacle of Australian football in the early to mid 1990s with two National League championships as well as producing many champion footballers that went on to represent Australia and Croatia on the international stage. Presently the Knights are struggling in ninth position on the Victorian Premier League table and sit only six points clear of the relegation zone. Three points against their old rivals on Sunday will give the Knights significant breathing space from the drop zone considering its +2 goal difference in comparison to the teams underneath them who all sit on a minimum of -12 in goal difference. The Knights did themselves no favours last week in losing 4-0 against the Bentleigh Greens, however despite the lopsided scoreline the Knights were the better side on the night and conceded the final two goals after going down to 10 men following the dismissal of Shaun Romein.
In the corresponding fixture last year at Somers Street on Sunday 18th April, a fantastic Joe Keenan goal after 29 mintues was enough to give South a precious 0-1 win. In the match between the two sides earlier this year on Sunday 27th March, an early second half Josip Kozic penalty gave the Knights a deserved lead at John Cain Memorial Park before three late goals (Daniel Vasilevski 79′, Jesse Krncevic 81′ and Kyle Joryeff 90+3′) gave South a get-out-of-jail 3-1 victory.
Sunday’s derby kicks off at 3:00pm at Knights Stadium.
Monday, 20 June 2011 9:35 PM
On the eighteenth episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Round 16 clash against Oakleigh Cannons, and preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and the Melbourne Knights.
Should you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback for southRadio please email the club at multimedia@smfc.com.au
Click here to download episode 18 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As
Monday, 20 June 2011 1:50 AM
South Melbourne FC has consolidated third spot on the Victorian Premier League table with a thoroughly deserved 1-0 victory over the Oakleigh Cannons. Substitute Carl Recchia’s early second half goal was enough to earn Eddie Krncevic’s side all three points.
The home side began strongly and had the Cannons on the back foot in the early stages. Kyle Joryeff linked up well with new signing Steven Weir, who made his Victorian Premier League debut for South following his RHB Singapore Cup appearance last weekend. Joryeff was unfortunately substituted at the half hour mark following a nasty cut on his forehead that was sustained earlier in the match. Weir had the best chance of the half when he slammed Steven Topalovic’s cut-back ball just wide of Peter Zois’ goal.
In the second half, Krncevic replaced Marinos Gasparis with Recchia and the move paid off straight away when from a free kick scramble, Recchia managed to hook a shot over his body, past Zois and into the net to give South a deserved lead. The home side had several half chances to double their lead but a combination of lucky defending, good keeping by Zois and several offside calls kept the scoreline at 1-0. Oakleigh managed to muster one very good chance for themselves but on that occasion Ricky Diaco pulled his shot wide of Zaim Zeneli’s goal.
Next Sunday, South travels to Somers Street to play the Melbourne Knights.
FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 1-0 OAKLEIGH CANNONS (HT: 0-0)
Goal Scorer:
1-0: Carl Recchia (55′)
South Melbourne FC:
2. Tom MATTHEWS, 4. Steven O’DOR, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI, 6. Steven TOPALOVIC, 10. Kliment TASESKI, 16. Trent WATERSON, 18. Marinos GASPARIS (8. Carl RECCHIA 49′), 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK), 25. Kyle JORYEFF (20. Daniel DRAGICEVIC 33′), 17. Steven WEIR, 80. Junior CAMARGO (22. Fernando DE MORAES 71′)
Oakleigh Cannons:
1. Peter ZOIS (GK), 2. James CUMMING, 6. Rama TAVSANCIOGLU, 8. James ROBINSON, 10. Ricky DIACO, 12. Luke WALKER (13. Bill DAMIANOS 69′), 14. Richard OFFIONG (15. Josh GROENEWALD 18′), 16. Frankie LAGANA (18.
Stephen HATZIKOSTAS 3′), 17. Shaun ONTONG, 20. Ari DRAKOS, 21. Hayden DOYLE
SMFC Man of the Match: Steven Weir
Venue: John Cain Memorial Park
Date: Sunday 19 June 2011
Friday, 17 June 2011 9:31 AM
South Melbourne FC has an enormous opportunity to reduce the gap between both teams in Round 16 of the Victorian Premier League when it hosts the Oakleigh Cannons at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon.
The match pits the Victorian Premier League’s third placed team against first and should other results go favourably, a South win could see the Club take second spot at the conclusion of the round.
South goes into Sunday’s match with mixed form coming off a difficult match in Singapore which saw it lose to Albirex Niigata Singapore FC in an undeserved scoreline of 3-0 in the first round elimination match in the RHB Singapore Cup. The match was played in difficult conditions, with the temperature and humidity playing a role. South started the stronger of both teams, and was unlucky not to score two goals in the opening twenty minutes. Prior to the RHB Singapore Cup match, South was unexpectedly knocked out by Port Melbourne Sharks in the Fifth Round of the Mirabella Cup. Sunday’s game is seen as an opportunity to get its season back on track as the Football Department can focus exclusively on the Victorian Premier League.
The Oakleigh Cannons enter the match after a hard fought win over the Bentleigh Greens on the Queens Birthday long weekend. Hayden Doyle scored against his former side in the 52nd minute which gave the Cannons the three points and reclaim top spot. However, the Cannons did go down to VTC Football by 3-2 the previous week. Over the previous five games, the Cannons have recorded three wins, one draw, and a loss to the Dandenong Thunder in Round 11.
In the last meeting between both sides, South Melbourne FC defeated the Cannons at Jack Edwards Reserve 2-1, with goals to both Marinos Gasparis and Steven O’Dor giving South the three points on the day.
Sunday’s match kicks off at 3pm at John Cain Memorial Park
Wednesday, 15 June 2011 10:24 PM
On the seventeenth episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Singapore Cup clash against Albirex Niigata Singapore FC, and preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and Oakleigh Cannons.
Should you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback for southRadio please email the club at multimedia@smfc.com.au
Click here to download episode 17 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As
Wednesday, 15 June 2011 2:33 PM
Bhaskaran Kunju
Albirex Niigata (Singapore) FC knocked out a determined South Melbourne FC side from the 2011 RHB Singapore Cup.
The 3-0 win at Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday night sent the White Swans through to the quarterfinals, while the Australians failed to better their performance from last season.
Eddie Krncevic, who oversaw the second half of South’s Singapore Cup quest last season, was less than disappointed with his team’s performance. “We played a good team, they were very mobile with a few players who are a bit special. They played good flowing football, and I can understand why they are near the top of the ladder.”
Accepting that the result was a little too harsh, Krncevic mentioned “3-0? Didn’t think it was a 3-0 game,” he stated in the post-match conference.To be honest the result didn’t reflect the game. But it was good experience for us. We played good football and I was very pleased with that. It’s a game we were always going to learn a lot from. It’s not easy going out to play in the searing heat”.
The 50-year-old’s consolation stemmed from the relatively strong start his team made, when a shaky Albirex defence came close to gifting the lead to the visitors within the opening fifteen minutes.
First, Jesse Krncevic, poked over from close range after being fed through on the blind side by Daniel Vasilevski, who also flashed a long-range volley just past the framework shortly after.
Thomas Matthews failed to register a shot on target as well when he glanced a header from a good position off a wide free kick.
But Albirex quickly found their footing and broke the deadlock against the run of play in the simplest of moves that totally flatfooted the South Melbourne defence.
Ryuta Hayashi’s chip from the byline into a penalty box teeming with South defenders sailed over everyone’s reach and found an unmarked Shotaro Ihata at the deep end, who calmly nodded home the opener.
The goal unfortunately signalled the end of the match as a competition, as Albirex withdrew into their half to retain possession and tease the Australians, who were already showing signs of tired legs.
But Tatsuro Inui did manage to sneak in a powerful shot before the signal for the break, an unexpected and swerving effort from the left flank which an alert Zaim Zeneli in goal reacted to brilliantly to deflect clear.
The introduction of fresh legs started to show dividends as South broke into the Albirex half more regularly, but the White Swans promptly upped the tempo and twice came close to doubling the lead.
Zeneli expertly denied Shimpei Sakurada, and then Bruno Suzuki Castenheira pulled his effort just wide from inside the six-yard box after some nifty footwork.
But with the further influx of fresh legs from South, they began to register shots on target and came the closest yet to getting on the scoresheet.
Weir did well to bring under control a lob over the defence, but his turn and shot was weak and easily gathered by Yoshito Matsushita in goal, though the forward was unlucky for having his shirt tugged at by his marker, something that went unnoticed by referee Leow Thiam Hoe.
Fellow substitute Kyle Joryeff then tested Matsushita from outside the penalty box, which had the custodian scrambling to turn the ball around the upright for a corner.
Then Jesse Krncevic hit the crossbar from the resulting corner kick, symbolically signalling the end of the competition for his side, as Albirex went on to add to their lead just minutes later with two goals in quick succession.
Atsushi Shimono raced past the defence line to slot home from close range, and then White Swans captain Sakurada completed the scoring for his side by firing into an unguarded net from the far post after Yosuke Saito had done his part down the flank to pull a low cross back across the face of goal.
With so many of his players in excellent form for the night, Albirex Head Coach Sugiyama was visibly pleased with the performance, though he refused to single out individual performers.
“Every player impressed me tonight,” was the 39-year-old’s measured response when asked on his man of the match. South Melbourne are a tough and strong side, physically and tactically, as I had expected.”
Despite his team’s stern showing for the night, making them look like early favourites for the RHB Singapore Cup crown, Sugiyama refused to be drawn too deep into his side’s overall chances for the tournament.
“I don’t know about the future, but we had a good game today,” he remarked.
“My players did their best against big and tall players. The important thing is to continue (with this), so we must keep improving and play better than today.”
FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 0-3 ALBIREX NIIGATA SINGAPORE FC (HT: 0-1)
South Melbourne:
Zaim Zeneli, Thomas Matthews, Daniel Vasilevski (78′ Marinos Gasparis), Steven Topalovic, Carl Recchia (C), Kliment Tasevski, Jesse Krncevic, Trent Waterson, Daniel Dragicevic (73′ Kyle Joryeff), Sebastian Petrovic (58′ Steven Weir), Meyer (Junior) Carlos. Subs: Steven Weir, Marinos Gasparis, Kyle Joryeff, Robert Russell
Albirex Niigata Singapore FC:
Yoshito Matsushita, Ryuta Hayashi, Shuhei Hotta, Kazuki Kobatashi, Atsushi Shimono, Bruno Castanheira (74′ Yosuke Saito), Shimpei Sakurada (C), Tatsuro Inui (91′ Musashi Okuyama), Shotaro Ihata, Norihiro Kawakami, Takuya Hidaka Subs: Keisuke Matsui, Yosuke Saito, Ryo Hasegawa, Musashi Okuyama, Shunsuke Sagesaka, Hidekazu Yamashita, Kazuya Inagaki
Venue: Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore
Date: Sunday 12 June 2011
Crowd: approximately 2,000
SMFC Player of the Match: Zaim Zeneli
Sunday, 12 June 2011 8:35 PM
We are now LIVE on radio 3XY 1422 AM and online! We will be broadcasting the game in English at 9.25pm AEST.
Online Link
To follow this match via online radio broadcast, please go to http://greekmediagroup.com/ and click on your preferred “Listen Online Now” link
We will also be updating our Facebook http://www.facebook.com/smfc59 and Twitter http://www.twitter.com/smfc pages with online updates.
Sunday, 12 June 2011 3:20 PM
South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce that tonight’s first round Singapore Cup match will be broadcast on our media partner Radio 3XY. The broadcast will commence at 9.25pm AEST.
The broadcast commentary will be in English with periodical updates provided in Greek.
Radio 3XY can be heard on 1422 AM. Please visit the Club’s website later tonight for the links to the live audio broadcast.
In further news, South Melbourne FC has secured Cafe Sienna, Bada Bar, and OBC Interiors as broadcast sponsors for tonight’s match.