Friday, 23 July 2010 10:08 AM
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 Melbourne Knights. Furthermore, we hear from Gianni De Nittis, Captain Rama Tavsancioglu, Peter Zois and Head Coach Vaughan Coveny as well in the post-match interviews.
The show will also contain a new segment, where John and David will review this week’s action.
Channel 31
Every Saturday 10.00am -10.30am
Thursday, 22 July 2010 4:04 PM
By John Kyrou
South Melbourne FC hosts second-placed Hume City on Sunday afternoon at John Cain Memorial Park in another must-win match for the home side. South currently sits five points out of the top five and with only four games remaining must start to consistently win games in order to challenge for a finals spot.
South will go into the match confident following the hard-fought 3-0 win over the Melbourne Knights last Sunday. Despite the score line making the match sound like a foregone conclusion, South had to work very hard for the victory against a dangerous Knights outfit. The side had Peter Zois to thank for making some outstanding saves to give South a clean sheet and the three points. Gianni De Nittis returned to the goal scoring charts with a double last Sunday and the South forward will be looking to add to his goal tally against Hume on the weekend.
Hume have every reason to be expecting three points on Sunday as the side currently sits in second place on the League standings, having beaten high-flying Oakleigh 3-1 away from home last Friday night. Hume are in exceptional form having won three matches in succession and have the opportunity to reclaim top spot on Sunday with a positive result over South. With Lou Acevski, South legend Tansel Baser, Richard Cardozo and Zoran Petrevski in the Hume line-up, South has alot to worry about.
The last time the two sides met, South stunned Hume and the entire League with a comprehensive 0-6 drubbing of Hume at Broadmeadows Valley Park on ANZAC day this season. De Nittis scored four goals that afternoon and joined an exclusive list of only nine South Melbourne FC players to have scored four goals in a League match throughout the club’s entire history. Whilst the likelihood of a result like that occurring on Sunday is extremely rare, it will certainly give South confidence to know that they can defeat Hume and keep their finals hopes alive.
The match kicks off at 3pm on Sunday afternoon at John Cain Memorial Park.
Thursday, 22 July 2010 3:40 PM
By John Kyrou
South Melbourne FC vice captain Steven O’Dor will celebrate two milestones in the coming weeks. The centre-half will celebrate 100 overall senior matches for South against Hume City this Sunday, with the milestone taking into account League and RHB Singapore Cup matches. Barring injury and/or suspension, O’Dor will then celebrate 100 League matches with South the following weekend against Richmond.
During South’s National League days, O’Dor played in the club’s Youth teams. Following South’s return to the Victorian Premier League in 2005, then coach John Anastasiadis gave O’Dor his senior debut against Heidelberg United in the first round of the League season on 30 January 2005. O’Dor made a strong impression in his opening season, so much so that he only played three matches in 2006 before going to the Australian Institute of Sport and then A-League franchise New Zealand Knights. This unfortunately meant that the defender missed out on South’s VPL triumph although he was still considered very much a part of the squad.
O’Dor returned to Lakeside Stadium in 2007 but only played for half the season before departing to play professionally for the New Zealand franchise Wellington Phoenix in the A-League. At the conclusion of the 2007/08 A-League season, O’Dor decided that his university studies were more of a priority than playing in the A-League and as a result he returned to Lakeside to continue his career solely with South in the VPL.
In South Melbourne FC’s 50th year in 2009, coach Michael Michalakopoulos appointed O’Dor as joint vice captain along with Vaughan Coveny. O’Dor played in every game and was a key part in helping the club to qualify for the finals for the first time since winning the League in 2006. This season, O’Dor has continued as vice captain and has played in every single League and Cup fixture as well as getting on the score sheet three times.
South Melbourne FC congratulates Steven O’Dor on his upcoming milestone matches for the club and wishes him the very best for the remainder of the season in both the VPL and the RHB Singapore Cup.
2005 – 17 games (15 starts, 2 subs), 0 goals
2006 – 3 games (3 starts, 0 subs), 0 goals
2007 – 14 games (14 starts, 0 subs), 1 goal
2008 – 23 games (23 starts, 0 subs), 0 goals
2009 – 23 games (23 starts, 0 subs), 1 goal
2010 – 19 games (19 starts, 0 subs), 3 goals*
Total – 99 games (97 starts, 2 subs), 5 goals*
* Includes 1 RHB Singapore Cup match
Sunday, 18 July 2010 7:43 PM
By John Kyrou
South Melbourne FC has moved to within five points of the top five and sent the Melbourne Knights into the relegation zone following its 3-0 victory at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon. A double from Gianni De Nittis, a tap-in from Marinos Gasparis and superb goalkeeping from Peter Zois led to the victory.
Despite the 3-0 result, the Knights were very competitive in a match that could have been very different had it not been for Zois’ heroics. However it was the home side that opened the scoring five minutes before the break thanks to a wonderfully crafted goal. An excellent long pass from Daniel Vasilevski was controlled well by Gasparis, who then laid the ball off for Gianni De Nittis. The forward hit a stinging shot from outside the area that was too hot for Knights keeper Sebastian Mattei to control, with the ball flying off his hand and into the back of the net.
The second half was similar, with Zois outstanding in goal and with his teammates eventually scoring at the other end. The three points were confirmed in the 74th minute when De Nittis flicked Vasilevski’s near post corner past a stranded Mattei. Three minutes from time South had their third when substitute Sebastian Petrovic’s long ball was collected by Joe Keenan, who fired a low cross for the waiting Gasparis to tap home. Zois summed up the Knights’ miserable day when he parried a shot onto the post with the ball falling perfectly back for him to collect.
South has a difficult match next weekend when the side entertains League leaders Hume City at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday 25 July at 3pm.
South Melbourne:
Peter Zois, James Stefanou, Steven O’Dor, Eddie Cetkin, Rama Tavsancioglu, Gianni De Nittis, Daniel Vasilevski (Sebastian Petrovic 81’), Joseph Youssef, Joe Keenan, Marinos Gasparis (Marcus Schroen 90’), Hamid Basma (Jason Ricciuti 74’)
(Scorers: Gianni De Nittis 40’, 74’, Marinos Gasparis 87’)
Melbourne Knights:
Sebastian Mattei, Ryan Filipovic, Ben Surey, Liam Cannell (Anthony Colosimo 63’), Josip Magdic (Tomislav Ples 81’), Ivica Praiz (Jacob Colosimo 75’), Kevin Townson, Adrian Zahra, Thomas Skara, Jean Dubois, Danny Tiatto
SMFC Man of the Match: Peter Zois
Venue: John Cain Memorial Park
Date: Sunday 18 July 2010
Crowd: 600
Friday, 16 July 2010 9:15 AM
On this week’s episode of southRadio, we review the Round 17 clash between South Melbourne FC and Heidelberg United at Olympic Village, as well as preview the upcoming derby between South Melbourne FC and Melbourne Knights. In addition, we look back on the last meeting of the two clubs as well, and reminisce on previous derby matches.
Should you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback for southRadio please email the club at multimedia@smfc.com.au
Click here to download episode 20 of southRadio (MP3 7.1mb) – Right Click and Save As
Friday, 16 July 2010 9:04 AM
By John Kyrou
South Melbourne FC faces another derby match on Sunday afternoon when the side meets the Melbourne Knights at John Cain Memorial Park.
South has to win in order to give itself any hope of making the finals in 2010 and at the same time basically confirm safety from relegation. The Knights seriously need the three points to ease relegation fears and steer away from the bottom two sides Sunshine George Cross and Altona Magic.
South go into the game with many problems, with the least of those being the unfortunate 2-0 loss away to Heidelberg last Sunday. The side has been dealt with several injuries, with casualties from Olympic Village being Kyle Joryeff (3 weeks) and Rhodri Payne (2 weeks), plus Fernando De Moraes is unlikely to not return for another fortnight due to a back injury. In yet another blow, Carl Recchia will miss the Knights clash having accumulated five yellow cards which rules him out of Sunday’s match. These losses do however provide an opportunity for Marinos Gasparis, Sebastian Petrovic, Eddie Cetkin and Jason Ricciuti to press for a starting berth.
The Melbourne Knights have also had an inconsistent season and currently sit one point from the relegation zone. Despite their lowly position on the League standings, the Knights have at times been impressive in 2010 and will no doubt provide very tough opposition for South. One player South must watch out for is Danny Tiatto, with the former Socceroo and Melbourne Knights National League championship player returning to his former club this season after a decade in Europe. Tiatto has already stamped his mark in the South-Knights derby, having been sent off in the classic 1994/95 NSL Preliminary Final that the Knights won 3-2. No doubt the experienced veteran will be looking to cause a similar scoreline on Sunday.
Earlier this year, a superb individual goal from Joe Keenan gave South a 0-1 win at Somers Street. In the corresponding fixture in 2009, second half goals from Vaughan Coveny and De Moraes gave South a 2-1 win over the Knights at Lakeside Stadium.
The match kicks off at 3pm on Sunday at John Cain Memorial Park.
Friday, 16 July 2010 7:00 AM
On Saturday’s episode on SMFC TV, we review and show extended match highlights of the clash at Olympic Village between South Melbourne FC and Heidelberg United. Furthermore, we hear from Joseph Youseff and Head Coach Vaughan Coveny as well in the post-match interviews. In addition, the show will review all the scores from around the Victorian Premier League, as well as a flashback to the 1991 NSL Grand Final against the Melbourne Knights.
The show will also contain a new segment, where John and David will review this week’s action.
Channel 31
Every Saturday 10.00am -10.30am
Monday, 12 July 2010 11:46 AM
By John Kyrou
Heidelberg United defeated South Melbourne FC 2-0 at Olympic Village on Sunday evening.
The match was a lacklustre affair, with both sides creating few chances and playing conservative football, however both teams created some decent half-chances in the first half. First, South’s defenders scrambled to clear a goal-bound effort away from danger and secondly the Bergers defence managed to clear away a potential Gianni De Nittis shot after the South forward had found space in the area.
The second half saw both goalkeepers called into action after both had been kept relatively quiet in the first half. Peter Zois made two crucial saves to keep the score at 0-0, firstly by pushing a fierce shot away from danger and secondly by tipping a goal-bound header over his crossbar and away for a corner. Steven Tilovski at the other end was called into action when he parried away a fierce shot by Joseph Youssef. Both sides won a series of corner kicks but were unable to gain anything from them.
The match turned when Heidelberg United was awarded a penalty with just under 15 minutes to go when Osagie Ederaro was judged to have been brought down in the penalty area. Nick Marinos stepped up to the penalty spot and sent Zois the wrong way to open the scoring. With eight minutes remaining in the match, Heidelberg United was awarded a second penalty, with Carl Recchia adjudged to have handled the ball. The result was the same with Marinos sending an unlucky Zois the wrong way again.
South’s Kyle Joryeff went down with what looked like being a bad injury late in the match and he was stretchered off the ground. Earlier on in the match, Rhodri Payne also had to leave the field after picking up a minor knock. The club will be hoping that the injuries aren’t too serious although initial signs do not look good for Joryeff.
South Melbourne FC hosts the Melbourne Knights next Sunday afternoon at John Cain Memorial Park in yet another must-win match. South needs to win at least four of its remaining five matches to give itself any chance of finishing in the top five.
Heidelberg:
Steven Tilovski, Paul Miller, Yanni Galanos, George Slefendorfas (Denis Alilovic 66′), Nick Marinos, Tony La Verde, Luke Byles, Craig Elvin, Steve Martin, Osagie Ederaro (Laurence Gogorossis 90′), Saso Alexovski (Les Doumbalis 86′)
(Scorer: Nick Marinos pk 76’, pk 82’)
South Melbourne:
Peter Zois, Rhodri Payne (Rama Tavsancioglu 13′), James Stefanou (Jason Ricciuti 75′), Steven O’Dor, Carl Recchia, Daniel Vasilevski (Sebastian Petrovic 83′), Joseph Youssef, Kyle Joryeff, Joe Keenan, Hamid Basma, Gianni De Nittis
SMFC Man of the Match: Peter Zois
Venue: Olympic Village
Date: Sunday 11 July 2010
Crowd: 1,000
Friday, 9 July 2010 12:57 PM
By George Kouroumalis (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)
In what is looming as one of the most important games in the 2010 Victorian Premier League season, South Melbourne FC will travel to Olympic Village on Sunday to take on old foe Heidelberg United in another instalment of the famous derby.
The lakeside team will go into the game with some confidence behind them, with South Melbourne FC bouncing back against the Altona Magic, defeating the reigning premiers 3-1 in a very dominant display.
South Melbourne FC will welcome back Rama Tavsancioglu into the squad for the big game, with the club captain missing last week’s win after serving a one match suspension following a send off the week before. He is expected to come into a back four which looked reasonably solid last week.
South are also expected to go into the game with three ex-Heidelberg players in the line-up, with James Stefanou, Hamid Basma and Marinos Gasparis all pushing for a position in the starting eleven for the big derby. Basma started his first game for the club last week and will be looking at doing so again this week against his old club.
Over at Olympic Village, Heidelberg United are on a seven game unbeaten streak and have forged their way into the top five with a solid 0-1 away win against the Bentleigh Greens last Friday night. Heidelberg United will go into the game fully aware they have not lost a derby to South since the 2006 VPL season, a trend that Heidelberg United will be intent on continuing on Sunday.
In the only league meeting so far in 2010, South Melbourne’s Carl Recchia scored a 92nd minute equaliser to snatch a point away from Heidelberg United at Bob Jane Stadium, whilst in the pre-season South managed to overcome Heidelberg in the Hellenic Cup semi final.
Kick-off for the derby is at 5pm.
Thursday, 8 July 2010 10:19 PM
On this week’s episode of southRadio, we review the catch up fixture between South Melbourne FC and Altona Magic SC at John Cain Memorial Park, as well as preview the upcoming traditional derby between South Melbourne FC and Heidelberg United. In addition, we look back on the last meeting of the two clubs as well, and reminisce on previous derby matches.
Join George and ‘the Chief’ on this week’s episode, as they discuss and analyse the week’s news.
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 -6.6Mb) – Right Click and Save As