Friday, 6 August 2010 12:57 PM
On Saturday’s episode on SMFC TV, we review and show extended match highlights of the clash at John Cain Memorial Park between South Melbourne FC and Richmond. Furthermore, we hear from Head Coach Vaughan Coveny as well in the post-match interviews.
The show will also contain our new segment, where John and David will review this week’s action.
Channel 31
Every Saturday 10.00am -10.30am
Thursday, 5 August 2010 9:41 AM
By John Kyrou
It is do-or-die time yet again as South Melbourne FC travels to Jack Edwards Reserve to play the Oakleigh Cannons on Friday night. The Cannons can almost certainly book a place in the top five with a win, whilst the three points is a must for South as anything less will mean missing the finals.
South go into the match in better form, having drawn 2-2 with the Richmond last Sunday but having clearly outplayed the League leaders. South’s last two opponents have been the League’s top two sides and South have managed two positive results from the two games. Oakleigh come into the match having conceded two late goals against Sunshine George Cross to lose 2-1. The result was a surprise but it continued to prove that anyone can be defeated in the VPL and that ladder positions are irrelevant, especially in the later stages of the season when the sides near the bottom are scraping for points to avoid relegation.
In the corresponding fixture last season, current South coach Vaughan Coveny’s equalising goal earnt South a 1-1 draw at Jack Edwards Reserve. Earlier this season, the Cannons won 2-1 at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex after Fernando De Moraes had given South the lead 14 minutes in. South has not beaten the Cannons at Jack Edwards Reserve since its first season back in the VPL in 2005, when Kosta Salapasidis was brought down in the penalty area and Peter Koutsoupias scored from the loose ball after Coveny’s penalty kick was saved.
The match kicks off at 8:30pm on Friday night at Jack Edwards Reserve.
Monday, 2 August 2010 10:18 AM
By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy NItsos)
Richmond returned to the top of the VPL ladder and at the same time severely dented South Melbourne FC’s finals aspirations after coming from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon. A wonder strike from Michael Ferrante earned the Eagles a point in a match where they had been outclassed for the vast majority of the 90 minutes.
South started the match on fire and almost opened the scoring in the first few minutes when Joe Keenan beat goalkeeper Stjepan Gal in a foot race to the ball but hit the post instead of the back of the net. South were clearly dominating and got the goal they deserved on 15 minutes when Fernando De Moraes put away the loose ball after Gal had made a save off Marinos Gasparis. The goal put the South midfielder into outright tenth position on South’s all-time leading League goal scorers list.
Steven O’Dor was celebrating his 100th League match for South and the centre-half marked the occasion in the best way possible by heading in South’s second for the afternoon ten minutes before halftime. Keenan’s in-swinging corner was perfectly placed for O’Dor to beat a flapping Gal to the ball and head into the empty goal. The 2-0 lead was more than what South deserved after a dominant first half in which Richmond was lucky not to be at least three or four goals down.
South continued its dominance after the break and had two glorious chances to finish the game off; however it was unable to do so as the Eagles just managed to hold on. Richmond pulled a goal back midway through the second half in controversial circumstances, after Keenan looked to have been fouled in South’s attack. However despite the pleas for a free kick, play was continued and as a result Richmond won possession, took the ball down the field to the waiting Daniel Visevic who found time and space to put the ball past South’s unlucky goalkeeper Peter Zois.
Richmond could sense South’s vulnerability and punished the home side again when Ferrante gained possession outside the area and let fly with an unstoppable shot that smashed into the back of the net. Despite being outclassed for so long, the Eagles showed exactly why they were the League leaders as they had somehow clawed their way back into the match and ultimately won a point. Had it not been for some Zois saves late in the match, Richmond could have very well won the game but instead were more than happy to settle for a draw.
South must win its two remaining matches and hope that other results fall favourably in order to have any chance of playing finals football in 2010. The first of those huge matches is against Oakleigh Cannons at Jack Edwards Reserve on Friday night.
South Melbourne
Peter Zois, Steven O’Dor, Eddie Cetkin, Joe Keenan, Carl Recchia, Gianni De Nittis (Jason Ricciuti), Rama Tavsancioglu, Fernando De Moraes (Kyle Joryeff), Marinos Gasparis (Hamid Basma), James Stefanou, Daniel Vasilevski
(Scorers: De Moraes 15’, O’Dor 35’)
Richmond Eagles
Stjepan Gal, Andrew Viola, Dimitri Tsiaras, Milos Lujic, Daniel Visevic, Michael Ferrante, Antun Kovacic, Michael Catalano, Tomislav Milardovic, Steven Topalovic, Davey Van’t Schip
Subs: Stefan Piorkowski, Jesse Krncevic, Mate Eterovic, Mitch Bissinger, Peter Sawan
(Scorers: Visevic 68’, Ferrante 77’)
SMFC Man of the Match: Daniel Vasilevski
Venue: John Cain Memorial Park
Date: Sunday 1 August 2010
Crowd: 500
Friday, 30 July 2010 1:57 PM
On this week’s episode of southRadio, we review the Round 19 clash between South Melbourne FC and Hume City at John Cain Reserve, as well as preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and Richmond Eagles.
Also find out the latest news about the 2010 Singapore Cup games against Bangkok Glass.
Join the Chief and John, as they discuss and analyse the week’s news.
southRadio is proudly brought to you by Homes Now and Monash Hire.
Click here to download episode 22 of southRadio (MP3 11mb) – Right Click and Save As
Friday, 30 July 2010 12:16 PM
This Sunday marks an important day for South Melbourne FC, as it will participate in the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness month.
By participating in this event, every South player will wear a purple arm band on Sunday against Richmond in support of the battles that those with this disease face.
SMA is a rare, inherited disease that results in the loss of nerves in the spinal cord and weakness of the muscles connected with those nerves. The muscles most frequently affected are those of the neck and trunk that control posture, those of the leg and arm that control movement, and those of the area of the ribs that help breathing.
People with SMA generally appear normal at birth; the symptoms develop as early as three months in the most severely affected, around one to two years of age in the moderately affected, and more rarely in the late childhood or adult years in mildly affected individuals.
We encourage everyone to come to the game on Sunday to support this wonderful cause, with every $1 of each match ticket sold being donated.
For more information please visit the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Association of Australia website at www.smaaustralia.org.au.
Friday, 30 July 2010 11:19 AM
On Saturday’s episode on SMFC TV, we will have a special presentation for all South and football fans, where we showcase our great club over the past 50 years, including never before seen footage and interviews with the legends of the club.
Channel 31
Every Saturday 10.00am -10.30am
Friday, 30 July 2010 11:12 AM
By John Kyrou
South Melbourne FC hosts its final home match of the season when the side welcomes League leaders Richmond to John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon. South has to once again chase three points to keep hopes of a finals appearance alive, with a draw most likely not being good enough. For the away side, a draw for Richmond will ensure they stay top of the table for another week, with a win potentially extending their lead to six points over Hume City.
South will head into this difficult match confident of a positive result following four points from the previous two matches, including a late equalising goal against second-placed Hume City last Sunday. Whilst disappointed not to get the three points against Hume, South should feel confident that it can perform well against the top teams, especially on the surface at John Cain Memorial Park. On the other hand, Richmond has a psychological advantage over South, having inflicted South’s first loss of the season in the 3-0 win at Kevin Bartlett Reserve on 30 April.
Former South player Jesse Krncevic is one player that the South defenders need to watch out for, with the forward scoring last time against South. Another player to watch out for is Daniel Visevic, who scored the winning goal against Oakleigh last Friday night and who is currently equal fifth in the VPL Golden Boot tally. If these players can be contained then South will give itself the best possible chance of getting the desired result. Goalkeeper Peter Zois will also be determined to keep a clean sheet against his former side.
Steven O’Dor will make his 100th League appearance for South Melbourne FC on Sunday afternoon and he joins captain Rama Tavsancioglu, Fernando De Moraes and Gianni De Nittis as the only players in the current playing list to be part of that exclusive club.
The match kicks off at 3pm on Sunday afternoon and all South Melbourne FC fans are encouraged to attend the final home game of 2010 to lend support to the players as the club pushes for a finals berth.
Tuesday, 27 July 2010 9:49 AM
The dates for the Quarter Finals of the RHB Singapore Cup have been confirmed, with South Melbourne FC due to play Bangkok Glass FC over two legs on Tuesday 5 October and Friday 8 October. Though both matches are to be played at the Jalan Besar Stadium, South Melbourne FC has been designated as the ‘home’ team for the first leg, with Bangkok Glass FC the ‘home’ side for the second leg.
Like South, Bangkok Glass are one of the foreign teams competing in the RHB Singapore Cup in 2010. Bangkok Glass FC is a professional Thailand football club that plays in the Thai Premier League. Despite only being barely four years old (the club was formed in 2006), Bangkok has enjoyed domestic Cup success by winning the Thai Super Cup in 2009 and the Queen’s Cup in 2010. Most worryingly for South, Bangkok were the runners-up in the RHB Singapore Cup last year, losing 1-0 to Geylang United FC, proving that they know what it takes to go the distance in this competition.
By beating Gombak United 2-1 in the preliminary round in May, South Melbourne FC proved to the rest of the clubs in the RHB Singapore Cup that the team is more than capable of performing in Asian competition. Whilst every round gets much tougher, South will take great comfort in the fact that the tie against Bangkok Glass will be played over two legs unlike the Gombak match which was a one-off. This will give the players plenty of time to acclimatise to the humid Singapore conditions as well as two opportunities to overcome their difficult opponents.
South Melbourne FC Football Director Ange Dallas noted that “whilst the matches against Bangkok Glass FC will be extremely difficult, we as a club have proven that we are capable of competing in the RHB Singapore Cup. We are looking at strengthening our squad even more for these important matches, so the onus is on our current playing list to finish the VPL season off strongly to prove to myself and the coaching staff that they deserve to be on the plane to Singapore in October.”
The second leg between South Melbourne FC and Bangkok Glass FC will also be beamed throughout South East Asia.
The winner between South Melbourne FC and Bangkok Glass FC will face the winner of the matches between Kitchee SC and Etoile FC.
12 September – Young Lions v Albirex Niigata (Jalan Besar Stadium) – first leg
23 September – Albirex Niigata v Young Lions (Jurong East Stadium) – second leg
27 September – Tampines Rovers v Balestier Khalsa (Tampines Stadium) – first leg
30 September – Balestier Khalsa v Tampines Rovers (Toa Payoh Stadium) – second leg
28 September – Etoile FC v Kitchee SC (Queenstown Stadium) – first leg
01 October – Kitchee SC v Etoile FC (Jalan Besar Stadium) – second leg
05 October – South Melbourne FC v Bangkok Glass FC (Jalan Besar Stadium) – first leg
08 October – Bangkok Glass FC v South Melbourne FC (Jalan Besar Stadium) – second leg *MATCH TELECAST LIVE INTO SOUTH-EAST ASIA
Sunday, 25 July 2010 11:26 PM
By John Kyrou and George Kouroumalis
A late Carl Recchia header ensured that South Melbourne FC shared the spoils in the 2-2 draw with Hume City at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon. Hume remain in second spot and South remains six points clear of the relegation zone, whilst at the same time creeping to within four points of a finals position.
Hume started the match strongly and forward Richard Cardozo had a few early chances to open the scoring. However it was the home side that scored first, when Joe Keenan got past his marker on the left side and from just inside the area fired a wonderful shot across Lou Acevski and into the far top corner of the goal.
The away side were level before halftime following a goalmouth scramble. Despite Peter Zois making a point blank save during the scramble, the ball fell kindly for Cardozo to tap home. Hume could have even had the lead going into the break but hit the post instead of the back of the net.
The second half began like the first half as Hume looked the more likely to score; however it was Zois who again thwarted the chances by the away side. Hume did eventually score with just under twenty minutes to go, when another scramble ended with Cardozo tucking the ball away for his second of the afternoon.
South pressed forward looking for an equaliser and was fortunate not to go further behind with Hume having two opportunities cleared off the goal line. The attacking initiative by South was ultimately rewarded five minutes from the end of the match when Recchia used his head to direct a Daniel Vasilevski shot into the goal at the back post.
South could have stolen the three points right at the death but former player and South legend Tansel Baser got his body in the way and blocked a stringing shot from Vasilevski that looked goal-bound. The final whistle signaled the end of a hard-fought game between two sides that probably both deserved a point for their efforts.
Next Sunday afternoon, South faces another huge test against League leaders Richmond Eagles at John Cain Memorial Park.
South Melbourne
Peter Zois, Steven O’Dor, Daniel Vasilevski, Eddie Cetkin, Joe Keenan (Sebastian Petrovic 74’), Carl Recchia (Marcus Schroen 90’), Gianni De Nittis, Rama Tavsancioglu, Fernando De Moraes, Marinos Gasparis (Jason Ricciuti 76’), James Stefanou
(Scorers: Joe Keenan 30’, Carl Recchia 85’)
Hume City
Lou Acevski, Fabio Dilizia, Serdar Pir, Isiyan Erdogan, Alfonso Opazo (Turhan Sumbul (66’), Richard Cardozo, Zoran Petrevski, Tansel Baser, Dusko Delic (Ross Thompson 58’), Michael Bosevski, Phillip Riccobene (Brendan Beni 82’)
(Scorer: Richard Cardozo 42’, 71’ )
SMFC Man of the Match: Carl Recchia
Venue: John Cain Memorial Park
Date: Sunday 25 July 2010
Crowd: 1,000
Friday, 23 July 2010 2:56 PM
On this week’s episode of southRadio, we review the Round 18 clash between South Melbourne FC and Melbourne Knights at John Cain Reserve, as well as preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and Hume City.
southRadio is proudly brought to you by Homes Now and Monash Hire.
Should you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback for southRadio please email the club at multimedia@smfc.com.au
Click here to download episode 21 of southRadio (MP3 7.1mb) – Right Click and Save As