Sunday, 29 May 2011 9:55 PM
On the fourteenth episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Round 13 clash against Springvale White Eagles, and preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and Bentleigh Greens.
Should you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback for southRadio please email the club at multimedia@smfc.com.au
Click here to download episode 14 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As
Thursday, 26 May 2011 9:57 AM
South Melbourne FC travel to Kingston Heath Soccer Complex on Friday night to take on the Bentleigh Greens in another must-win fixture. South will want to win consecutive matches, hit positive goal difference and consolidate a spot in the top five, whilst the Greens will be looking for three points to keep up with the chasing pack that is pushing for a finals position.
South goes into Friday’s match in mixed form, with South struggling in the 1-0 victory against third-last Springvale White Eagles last Sunday following a lean month that saw the side win only one point in four Victorian Premier League matches and concede 13 goals in the process. In more positive news, transfer-window signings Tom Matthews, Daniel Dragicevic, Jean-Charles Dubois and Junior Camargo all made their debuts for the Club against Springvale and it was Dragicevic that set up Jesse Krncevic for the winning goal with a cross. Matthews was the only new signing not to come from the Melbourne Knights and the former Green comes up against his old club on Friday night.
Bentleigh are currently outside the top five but have been undefeated in their past seven Victorian Premier League matches and undefeated since former South Championship player and coach John Anastasiadis took over as coach following the departure of Andy O’Dell. The most recent result for Bentleigh was a 3-2 victory against the Victorian Training Centre on Tuesday night at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex, with the Greens coming back from 0-2 down to claim victory. Important players for South to watch out for will be goalkeeper Peter Gavalas, Wayne Wallace and Alex Rojas, with the last two players scoring goals against the VTC on Tuesday.
In the last meeting between the two sides earlier this year on the 6th March, an early header by Sebastian Petrovic (2′) and a wonderful individual goal by Kyle Joryeff (38′) was enough for South to earn a 2-1 win despite the second-half dismissal of Kliment Taseski. In the corresponding fixture last season at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex on 11 June, a rocket from Fernando De Moraes with five minutes to go was enough for South to win 1-0 in a scrappy affair on a wet and cold winter’s night.
Friday night’s match kicks off at 8:15pm at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex.
Monday, 23 May 2011 2:17 PM
By John Kyrou
South Melbourne FC regained its position in the top five of the Victorian Premier League standings following a scrappy 1-0 victory over relegation-threatened Springvale White Eagles at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon. A first half header by Jesse Krncevic was enough to settle the match that saw few chances created by both sides. The match broke a horror month for South in Victorian Premier League competition, with South winning for the first time in the League since the 1-0 win over Richmond on Sunday 10th April.
South made wholesale changes to the team that was defeated by Green Gully last week, recalling Zaim Zeneli in goal and starting all four May transfer-window signings in Thomas Matthews (right wing back), Daniel Dragicevic (midfield), Junior Camargo (defence) and Jean-Charles Dubois (forward). Missing for South was Fernando De Moraes (hamstring injury) whilst Kyle Joryeff and Rhodri Payne started the match on the bench. Springvale went into the match confident of getting a good result, with the White Eagles registering four points from its last two Victorian Premier League matches to move out of the relegation zone.
South began the game stronger, however it was the White Eagles who had the best chance to open the scoring but put the ball wide of Zaneli’s goal. Yet it was South that got the all-important goal, when Dragicevic crossed from the right for Krncevic to head the ball over goalkeeper Scott Augustin and into the back of the net. The home side had a couple of half chances to double their lead but seemed more content in playing conservative football to maintain their one goal advantage instead of pressing to increase their advantage.
Springvale opened the second half positively and went close with a couple of shots that narrowly went past Zeneli’s far post, however that was as close as they got to scoring, with Zeneli looking comfortable back in the South Melbourne goal. The home team showed glimpses of positive football in the second half but again were more content with holding rather than increasing their lead. After six minutes of injury time, the full-time whistle finally ended a scrappy game in which South had done enough to notch up its first Victorian Premier League win in over five weeks and jump back into the top five. A concern however was influential centre-half Ljubo Milicevic hobbling off in the final minutes with what looked to be an ankle injury.
In the Under-21s match, South Melbourne FC also triumphed 1-0 over Springvale.
Next Friday, South Melbourne FC travels to Kingston Heath Soccer Complex to play the Bentleigh Greens, with the match kicking off at 8:15pm.
FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 1-0 SPRINGVALE WHITE EAGLES (HT: 1-0)
Goal Scorer:
1-0: Jesse Krncevic (30′)
South Melbourne FC
2. Thomas MATTHEWS, 4. Steven O’DOR, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI (23. Sebastian PETROVIC 70′), 6. Steven TOPALOVIC, 9. Jean-Charles DUBOIS (3. Rhodri PAYNE 89′), 11. Jesse KRNCEVIC, 13. Ljubo MILICEVIC, 16. Trent WATERSON, 20. Daniel DRAGICEVIC (24. Kyle JORYEFF 81′), 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK), 80. Junior CAMARGO
Springvale White Eagles
2. Adam EWIN, 4. Boris BAJIC, 6. Gojko PONJEVIC, 7. Tome RACUNICA, 8. GORDAN MRDIC, 9. Milos LUJIC, 12. Dusan NIKOLIC, 16. Dominic D’ANGELO, 17. Zoran VUKAS, 19. Goran ZORIC, 23. Scott AUGUSTIN (GK)
Subs: 1. Bojo JEVDJEVIC, 11. Rados TOMIC, 14. Paul MAGHIAR, 21. Dejan ERAKOVIC, 24. Lewis KARANICOLAS
SMFC Man of the Match: Steven Topalovic
Venue: John Cain Memorial Park
Date: Sunday 22 May 2011
Thursday, 19 May 2011 1:15 AM
South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce the arrivals of Jean Dubois, Junior Camargo, Tom Matthews and Daniel Dragicevic to the Club. Dubois, Junior and Dragicevic have all arrived from the Melbourne Knights, whilst Matthews has arrived from the Bentleigh Greens.
Dubois is a forward that made 11 appearances for the Knights this season, scoring 2 goals. He will provide South with another option up front and may possibly link up with Jesse Krncevic.
Junior is a defender and has also been with the Knights, making 5 appearances this season for them. Dragicevic made 12 appearances for the Knights this season, scoring 2 goals so far in 2011. He is an attacking right midfielder and will provide more options for the midfield.
Matthews made 13 appearances for Bentleigh this season and is arguably the best signing out of the four players. The right back has also played for Hull City and Boston United in the United Kingdom.
South Melbourne FC is delighted to welcome all four players to the Club and would like to wish them all the best.
Thursday, 19 May 2011 1:09 AM
South Melbourne FC announces that it has released Gianni De Nittis after seven seasons with the Club.
De Nittis was one of the inaugural players in the South squad for its first season in the Victorian Premier League in 2005. He played eight games that season before really making his mark in John Anastasiadis’ side in 2006. Gianni will always be remembered for scoring the winning goal via a header from a Fernando De Moraes cross in the 2006 Victorian Premier League Grand Final against Altona Magic in 2006. He will also be remembered for scoring both goals against Altona in the Major Semi Final at Knights Stadium a fortnight earlier to ensure South’s progression into the Grand Final.
Gianni was always a feature in the South senior team from then on and always contributed with goals every season. In 2010 he scored four goals in a Victorian Premier League match against Hume City, joining an exclusive list of only nine South Melbourne FC players to achieve that effort. Later on that year, he scored two goals in the second leg of the RHB Singapore Cup Quarter Final against Bangkok Glass that almost sent South through to the Semi Finals of that competition.
South Melbourne FC wishes Gianni De Nittis all the best for his future and thanks him for his contribution to the Club.
Gianni De Nittis – South Melbourne FC Statistics
2005: 08 appearances (01 starts, 07 subs), 0 goals
2006: 21 appearances (08 starts, 13 subs), 8 goals
2007: 19 appearances (15 starts, 04 subs), 2 goals
2008: 23 appearances (21 starts, 02 subs), 8 goals
2009: 20 appearances (13 starts, 07 subs), 6 goals
2010: 23 appearances (22 starts, 01 subs), 9 goals
2011: 07 appearances (05 starts, 02 subs), 2 goals
Total:
Victorian Premier League: 117 appearances (81 starts, 36 subs), 31 goals
Singapore Cup: 3 appearances (3 starts, 0 subs), 2 goals
Mirabella Cup: 1 appearances (1 starts, 0 subs), 2 goals
Overall: 121 appearances (85 starts, 36 subs), 35 goals
Achievements:
Thursday, 19 May 2011 1:07 AM
By John Kyrou
South Melbourne FC hosts the Springvale White Eagles on Sunday afternoon in what is simply a must-win match for the Club following an extremely disappointing month of football. South has slipped out of the top five as a result and no less than three points will be expected in order to change the Club’s fortunes around.
South go into Sunday’s match on a horror run of form that has seen the side gain only one point from four Victorian Premier League matches, only scoring two penalties and conceding 13 goals in the process. The most recent result was a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat against Green Gully at Green Gully Reserve last Saturday afternoon, with South conceding three disappointing goals despite playing patches of good football and fighting back twice after going behind on the scoreboard. The positive news from last week was the return of captain Steven O’Dor, Jesse Krncevic, Ljubo Milicevic, Trent Waterson and Sebastian Petrovic. Despite the loss against Gully, the side looked a great deal better with the return of these players and will no doubt be hoping that they will help the team get over the line against Springvale on Sunday.
The White Eagles are in deeper trouble, with only two points from its last five games and an overall goal difference of -22 thanks largely to a 0-5 home defeat against Green Gully and a 9-0 away defeat against Heidelberg. This leaves Springvale in third-last on the Victorian Premier League table and fighting tooth and nail to ensure that it does not go straight back down a division after being promoted at the end of last season. The White Eagles gained a positive result last weekend with a 1-1 draw against Bentleigh and will be hoping to go one better and win three points against South on Sunday. One of their most dangerous players is former South forward Goran Zoric, who has scored five goals in the League this season and who tore South apart in the match between the two sides at the Serbian Sports Centre earlier this season. On that day, two goals from Zoric gave Springvale a 2-0 halftime lead before South ran riot in the second half with six goals to win by a tennis scoreline of 4-6.
The last time South hosted Springvale was on Sunday 13 May 2007 at Lakeside Stadium. A double from Nathan Caldwell (9′, 59′) and singles from Fernando De Moraes (24′), Yusuf Yusuf (25′), Ricky Diaco (73′) plus a fantastic volley by Gianni De Nittis (85′) gave South a comfortable 6-0 win in a season that saw the White Eagles relegated to State League One with a miserly five points from 26 League matches. Springvale have already surpassed that with 9 points from 13 League matches and they will be hoping to have 12 points from 14 matches at the conclusion of Sunday’s match. South will simply be hoping to be back in the top five at the conclusion of the round.
Sunday’s match kicks off at 3:00pm at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon.
Wednesday, 18 May 2011 12:14 AM
On the thirteenth episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Round 12 clash against Green Gully, and preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and Springvale White Eagles.
Should you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback for southRadio please email the club at multimedia@smfc.com.au
Click here to download episode 13 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As
Monday, 16 May 2011 10:23 AM
By John Kyrou
South Melbourne FC continued its 25 year winless hoodoo at Green Gully Reserve when it gave away three sloppy goals to lose 3-2 against Green Gully on Saturday afternoon. The loss was South’s second in a row and drops the team out of the top five.
South travelled to Gully boosted by the return of captain Steven O’Dor, centre-half partner Ljubo Milicevic, Jesse Krncevic and Trent Waterson, with Sebastian Petrovic returning from injury to take his place on the substitutes’ bench. Despite this, South still found itself a goal down very early in the match when former South player Hamid Basma scored a scrappy goal following a defensive mix-up. To the away side’s credit, it replied almost straight away when Kyle Joryeff got to Krncevic’s centred ball before goalkeeper Nikola Roganovic and was subsequently tripped by the custodian, resulting in a penalty that Fernando De Moraes had no problem in converting.
The second half started in the exact same fashion as the first, with Gully scoring early before a South equalising goal minutes later. The home side made the score 2-1 through Mile Medjedovic, who pounced on more scrappy South defending, however their lead was only to last around five minutes before Joryeff was again fouled in the penalty area and De Moraes again sent Roganovic the wrong way with the subsequent spot kick.
The game’s defining moment came when a Daniel Vasilevski corner fell to Krncevic who hit a ferocious shot that smashed Roganovic’s crossbar before falling to Milicevic, whose quick shot forced an excellent save from Roganovic. That was the opportunity for South to finally break its Green Gully Reserve hoodoo and take a 2-3 lead, however, it was not to be and there a sense that those two missed opportunities would come back to haunt the away team.
Those concerns were again proven in the 77th minute, when South gave away the ball on the left wing, allowing Gully to regain possession. South goalkeeper Abdelhadi Deroune misjudged the subsequent cross and was left flapping as Matthew Sanders got his head to the ball and guided it into the back of the net, despite Rhodri Payne’s best efforts to clear the ball off the line. In the end, South had shot itself in the foot despite arguably playing its best game of football at Green Gully Reserve since returning to the Victorian Premier League in 2005.
In next week’s round, South Melbourne FC hosts the Springvale White Eagles at John Cain Memorial Park in what is now an absolute must-win match. Kick-off is at 3:00pm next Sunday afternoon.
FINAL SCORE: GREEN GULLY 3-2 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 1-1)
Goal Scorers:
1-0: Hamid Basma (5′)
1-1: Fernando De Moraes (11’pk)
2-1: Mile Medjedovic (53′)
2-2: Fernando De Moraes (58’pk)
3-2: Matthew Sanders (77′)
Green Gully
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC, 2. Daniel JONES, 4. Cameron DRAKE, 7. Jeffrey FLEMING, 8. Jason HAYNE, 9. Brent FISHER, 10. Graham HOCKLESS, 15. Hamid BASMA, 16. Mile MEDJEDOVIC, 17. Andy VARGAS, 19. Johnathon MUNOZ
Subs: 23. Michael O’FARRELL, 6. Michael ANDERSON, 11. Pasquale VIZZARI, 12. Mathew SANDERS, 14. Simon STOREY
South Melbourne FC
1. Abdelhadi DEROUNE, 3. Rhodri PAYNE, 4. Steven O’DOR, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI, 6. Steven TOPALOVIC, 11. Jesse KRNCEVIC, 13. Ljubo MILICEVIC, 15. Fernando DE MORAES (23. Sebastian PETROVIC 90+1′), 16. Trent WATERSON, 18. Marinos GASPARIS (33. Bobby RUSSELL 76′), 25. Kyle JORYEFF (14. Kamal IBRAHIM 82′)
SMFC Man of the Match: Steven Topalovic
Venue: Green Gully Reserve
Date: Saturday 14 May 2011
Thursday, 12 May 2011 3:46 AM
South Melbourne FC travels to Green Gully Reserve on Saturday afternoon attempting to break a 25 year hoodoo at the ground when it takes on Green Gully.
South heads into the game on the back of two 5-0 defeats in its past three Victorian Premier League matches. The most recent of those heavy defeats was at the hands of Northcote City last Sunday afternoon at John Cain Memorial Park. South was always going to struggle with eight senior players sidelined through injury and suspension. However, despite this, the 5-0 defeat was rightly seen as unacceptable by supporters and coaching staff alike.
In positive news for South, forward Jesse Krncevic and centre-half Ljubo Milicevic should re-join the side for the Gully match as both players have served their suspensions. Kliment Taseski and captain Steven O’Dor are both possibilities to play, however, it is more likely that they will both be given an extra week to recover from their injuries. The return of these key players is crucial as South looks to break a run of three consecutive Victorian Premier League matches without scoring whilst at the same time tightening up a defence that has conceded 10 goals in three matches.
Reigning champions Green Gully have had a very slow first round of matches in 2011. However, in recent weeks the Cavaliers have improved their form and head into Saturday’s clash confident of continuing their recent turn of fortunes. A 0-5 win at Springvale and a 6-0 demolition job on the Victorian Training Centre has seen Green Gully go from just outside the relegation zone to eighth spot on the Victorian Premier League ladder, and only being two wins outside the top five. In the opening round of the season, Gully withstood an hour of pressure from South and conceded only one goal in the process before scoring an opportunistic goal from Brent Fisher to leave John Cain Memorial Park with a point.
It is well known that one of South’s bogey grounds is Green Gully Reserve, a venue that South has not tasted victory in since 8 September 1986, when goals from Bobby Russell and Manny Anezakis gave the away side a 0-2 victory. South has not defeated Green Gully at their venue since returning to the Victorian Premier League in 2005. In fact South has only managed two points from a possible 18. In further bad news, South has only scored twice at Green Gully Reserve since that win in 1986. Those goals were from a Fernando De Moraes penalty and a Gianni De Nittis injury-time volley, which enabled South to share the spoils in a 2-2 draw on 18 April 2009. In the corresponding fixture last season, late goals from Steven Burton and Jason Hayne gave Gully a 2-0 victory against South. It will take a monumental effort from the away side to break this horrible drought against the Cavaliers.
Saturday’s match kicks off at 3:00pm at Green Gully Reserve.
Thursday, 12 May 2011 3:44 AM
On the twelvth episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Round 11 clash against Northcote City, and preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and Green Gully.
Should you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback for southRadio please email the club at multimedia@smfc.com.au
Click here to download episode 12 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As