Author: SMFC Media

Monday, 3 August 2009 9:56 AM

By John Kyrou – Photo by Craig Varty

South Melbourne FC has confirmed a position in the top three at least until next weekend following the hard-fought and at times extremely lucky 1-1 draw against the Oakleigh Cannons on Friday night at Jack Edwards Reserve. The draw leaves both clubs still fighting hard to cement a finals appearance with two rounds remaining.

South travelled to Oakleigh keen on making amends following the disastrous 0-1 home defeat against Hume City the previous round. A win against the Cannons was crucial in the quest to cement second spot at season’s end and with it a home final. Oakleigh were also keen on the three points as the home side went into the match five points behind the top five, albeit with a game in hand.

With the absence of Bill Damianos in the Cannons midfield, South’s chances were boosted significantly. As a result the away side began the match looking the more likely to score, however the closest chance created was a shot from the edge of the right side of the penalty area by Gianni De Nittis that soared comfortably over Cannons keeper Adrian Cagalj’s goal.

Former South boy Trent Waterson had been kept reasonably quiet in the first half by Shane Nunes and Rama Tavsancioglu, however it was his turn and cross that led to the opening goal. Waterson’s cross was met in the centre by Bonel Obradovic, who laid off to Alex Rojas at the edge of the penalty area. Rojas’ low left foot shot beat Tommi Tomich comfortably and nestled into the right corner of the goal to give the home side the advantage.

South lifted momentarily and were nearly back on level terms soon after when Vaughan Coveny had a shot at the near post somehow cleared over the goal by Cagalj in what was an excellent save. Moments later, there was another great save at the other end when Tomich dived low to smother a shot at his near post. There were howls of protests from the away fans as the Oakleigh player taking that shot appeared to be in a clear offside position, only for the linesman to keep his flag down.

In the second half, South coach Michael Michalakopoulos swung changes, bringing on Joseph Youssef for Nic Curtis and then moments later introducing Goran Zoric to replace Francesco Stella. Youssef made an immediate impact, winning the ball in midfield and supplying passes through for the forwards. However the Oakleigh defence held firm, frustrating South by constantly clearing any foray into the area.

At the other end, Karpeh had a goal disallowed for offside after he broke free and poked the ball past Tomich at his near post. Tomich then tipped a shot onto the post and the Cannons somehow failed to convert the rebound with an open goal at their mercy. A goal would have almost surely killed off South’s chances of a result.

South’s persistence finally paid off 20 minutes from time when some excellent link-up play saw De Nittis play an excellent through-ball to Coveny. With only Cagalj to beat, the veteran forward smashed the ball high into the net to bring South level and send the travelling contingent wild on the terraces. Michalakopoulos then made his final change, replacing De Nittis with youngster Sam Torrens.

South dominated the last 20 minutes as the substitutes ran amuck, causing all sorts of problems for the Cannons defence. South should have had a penalty awarded after Zoric was bowled over in the area however the referee waved play on. Minutes later, Torrens played a one-two with Youssef, with the youngster played through on goal. Cagalj tipped Torrens’ shot over for a corner and then made another brilliant save by getting his foot onto what should have been a simple tap-in for Youssef at the far post from a Fernando set-piece.

South’s defence had been on top in the second half however it was ironically a defensive mix-up that almost cost the away side a precious point. Tavsancioglu and Nunes both stopped in contesting a ball as Oakleigh players streamed forward in numbers. Rojas squared the ball to substitute Juan Nilo at the back post, who with an open goal gaping, somehow managed to the put the ball wide of not only the goal but of Karpeh and Ricky Diaco waiting in the centre for an easy tap-in.

South needs one more win in its final two games of the season to guarantee itself a finals appearance for the first time in three seasons. To finish in the top three South simply must win both of its remaining matches, against Altona away and Sunshine George Cross at home. Failure to do so may see South slide down the top five or even worse miss out on a finals spot completely. If Oakleigh can win their game in hand against Altona they will be only one point behind fifth spot, so both sides have much to play for in the final few weeks of the regular league season. 

Friday, 31 July 2009 10:31 AM

South Melbourne FC will be looking to get back into winning form when it takes on the Oakleigh Cannons at Jack Edwards Reserve tonight.

After the disappointing home loss against Hume City last Sunday, the away side simply must take all three points against the Cannons if it is to be any chance to finish in the top two come season’s end. This will not be easy however as the Cannons also must win to remain in contention for a finals appearance.

South will go into the game with a similar squad to that of last weekend, when both Rama Tavsancioglu and Gianni De Nittis overcame injuries to play in the 0-1 loss against Hume. Despite the result, captain Rama was a shining light by playing a leading role in defence. He will be joined at the back by Steven O’Dor, who is having an outstanding season.

The key to South winning the game will be how it performs in attack. Over the past few weeks, the side has been guilty of squandering a host of excellent chances in their endeavours to propel themselves up the table. This was also evident last week, with some very poor finishing that got Hume out of trouble and allowed them to keep a clean sheet and take maximum points.

Opposing South tonight will be a hungry and well-rested Oakleigh side, who have not played for two weeks after their ground was deemed unplayable last weekend. Leading the charge for the Cannons will be a trio of former South men in Ricky Diaco, Bill Damianos and Trent Waterson. Damianos will pose a big threat to the South middle third by having the ability to control the game on his own. It is imperative for the away side to negate both Damianos and Waterson in the middle in order to gain control of the match and to provide adequate service to the forwards.

Up front, Oakleigh will rely on the Ricky Diaco and Jerry Karpeh combination to try and unlock the South defence. Since leaving lakeside in the summer, Diaco has had an turbulent year at Oakleigh, however just like Damianos, he is capable of winning games off his own boot. South’s defensive players must be mindful of this and attempt to keep the duo as quiet as possible in order for the away team to win the game.

Kick-off is at 20.30 tonight at Jack Edwards Reserve.

Monday, 27 July 2009 9:53 AM

By George Kouroumalis – (Photo by Craig Varty)

In what had been dubbed as the match of the round, Hume City have snatched a 1-0 win away to South Melbourne at Bob Jane Stadium.

Hume came to Bob Jane in fine form, knowing that a win against the Blues would see them climb into second position in the table. South also knew that a win would open up a handy 6 point buffer from the chasing pack.

The visitors started the game like a team on a mission and attacked South from the outset, with Tony Sterjovski finding some space just outside the area, before hitting a long range effort into the prying arms of goalkeeper Tommi Tomich.

Tomich once again was in the way of Hume moments later, with the big custodian superbly thwarting the Serkan Ozkuz on two occasions following a world class double save to his left.

South responded moments later when a sublime long range attempt by Goran Zoric was well caught by the experienced Lou Acevski in Hume’s goal.

Just before the break, South had a golden chance to open the scoring when a long ball by Tomich bamboozled the stagnant Hume City defence, allowing for the ball to fall into the path of Goran Zoric with only the keeper to beat.

With the diminutive striker open in the area, he unbelievably hit the volley from five metres out well wide of the target.

The second half started in a similar way to the first with both clubs throwing themselves into every challenge knowing the importance of the contest.

Hume had the first golden chance of the half in the 63rd minute, when a sublime first touch by Zoran Petrevski allowed for the former Preston premiership player to hit an audacious volley from long range onto the target. Similar to all previous Hume attempts, the chance was thwarted by the impressive Tomich, who was having a sensational day between the sticks.

With Hume seeming the more likely of the two sides, they continued to push forward and were subsequently rewarded in the 74th minute. In this instance Hume City’s attacking player Alfonso Opazo appeared to make the most of a soft challenge by Steven O’Dor, after receiving a long ball by Sterjovski just inside the area. Despite that, the referee pointed to the spot to award Hume City with the penalty.

From the resultant spot kick, Petrevski made no mistake, giving the away side a 0-1 advantage with 15 minutes to play.

For that remaining time, South bombarded the Hume City penalty area at every opportunity, with attempts by Vaughan Coveny and Francesco Stella flying wide of the target.

However it was in the 91st minute of play that South had the best chance of the game, when a ball from the left hand side by Sam Torrens fell into the path of the unmarked Gianni De Nittis just inside the area. With the goalkeeper stranded, De Nittis launched a shot inches wide of the target.

With the vital 3 points, Hume jump into 2nd position on table on goal difference ahead of South Melbourne, who drop into 3rd spot.

South must now re-group as it faces a tough derby match against rivals Oakleigh next Friday night at Jack Edwards Reserve, whilst Hume will host Green Gully next Sunday afternoon at Broadmeadows Valley Reserve.

Friday, 24 July 2009 9:24 AM

By George Kouroumalis (Photo by Craig Varty)

In what is shaping up to be the match of the round, South Melbourne FC will play host to 4th placed Hume City in a crunch game at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday.

South go into the game 3 points ahead of their opponents, knowing that a win could see the Blues go close to securing that elusive 2nd position and a guaranteed double chance and home final in the end of season finals series.

The home side, lead by veteran striker Vaughan Coveny, will be keen to make up for a disappointing home draw last week to Green Gully.

In a match that was dominated by the home side, South managed to claw itself back from a one goal deficit to draw with Green Gully. Despite the draw, South continues to find itself playing some reasonable football and will attempt to continue to build on a 5 game unbeaten run.

Alongside Coveny up front will be young striker Gianni De Nittis, who will be expected to return to the squad following a frustrating battle with a leg injury.The hard working striker will be joined by the likes of Goran Zoric, Francesco Stella and Fernando De Moraes in a very potent SMFC attacking half of the pitch.

Hume City will come to Bob Jane Stadium in some good form and with extreme confidence following a tremendous 8-0 victory against the bottom placed Preston Lions last week. More important than the win itself would be the form of some key individuals coming into the game, including striker Zoran Petrevski, who is consistently finding the back of the net and ensuring that his side is one of the highest scoring clubs in the competition.

Former SMFC captain Tansel Baser will be at the heart of Hume’s impressive defensive line-up. Baser was a fan favourite in his time at lakeside accumulating 106 games and 7 goals in a wonderful career for the Blue and Whites. He will be remembered by South fans for a career that saw him taste NSL championship success as a young defender, as well as being a key component to South’s 2006 VPL Championship win. Along with Lou Acevski in goals, Baser will be one of the key men that Hume will use in an attempt to negate the prolific SMFC attack.

Kick-off for the huge game will be at 4pm this Sunday at Bob Jane Stadium, with all SMFC members and fans urged to get behind the team as we strive towards playing finals football.

Last time they met – smfcTV Highlights

Monday, 20 July 2009 9:50 AM

By George Kouroumalis – Photo by Craig Varty

In blustery conditions at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday, South Melbourne have squandered a host of chances to draw 1-1 at home to Green Gully.

Green Gully had come into the game with the knowledge that the Blues had not beaten the Cavaliers since 2006. The confidence of the away side was evident in the early stages on the game, with an inviting ball into the area swinging into the path of Matthew Sanders at the back post. With Tommi Tomich to beat, Sanders looped a header of the bar, which fell away to safety.

Green Gully continued to threaten the South goal in the early stages and went close again moments later when an Andy Vargas long range attempt went wide of the target.

South responded immediately and launched a series of attacks onto the Green Gully goal, including two attempts by veteran striker Vaughan Coveny, who was brilliantly denied on both occasions by the Green Gully goalkeeper in Steven Tilovski.

South had a final chance before the break when a looping ball by Goran Zoric found Francesco Stella outside the area. With the ball still in the air, the youngster launched a superb volley just wide of the target.

The second half started in a similar manner to the first with Green Gully launching the opening attack of the period. On this occasion, a ball from the left found its way into the area before a series of deflections led to the ball being parried into the path of Andy Vargas. With goalkeeper Tomich on the floor, Vargas slammed home the opening goal of the match.

True to the expectation of a stunned home crowd, South responded almost immediately and were back on level terms in the 56th minute, after a floating ball found it’s way to the unmarked Sebastian Petrovich in the area, who tucked the ball into the back of the net.

Upon equalising, South proceeded in dominating the rest of the game, with Coveny coming close in the 64th minute when his speculative shot from range was cleanly dealt with by Tilovski.

It was only moments later that the veteran thought he had snared the South winner, when a lovely move culminated in youngster Stella producing a sublime bicycle kick to create an inventive attempt on target. In what was a great piece of play, Tilovski produced a sublime save to deny the youngster.

From the resulting rebound off the save, Coveny found himself in space to bury home the tap-in.

In a controversial decision, referee Kevin Docherty signalled back to the centre having awarded the goal. It wasn’t until he saw the assistant referee flag Coveny being in an offside position that he overturned his decision and disallowed the goal, leaving the home fans irate.

South had the final chance of the game when a sublime ball was played into the path of the open Coveny. With the keeper to beat, Coveny hit a low shot onto the target. True to his form over the course of the match, Tilovski made a fantastic low save to ensure his side left Bob Jane Stadium with a point.

Friday, 17 July 2009 10:58 AM

South Melbourne FC will be aiming at further securing second position on the VPL table as they take on Green Gully at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday at 4pm.

The Blues, who are undefeated in their last 4 games, will be keen to defeat a Green Gully side that they have not beaten since the elimination final in 2006, where three goals in the final 10 minutes saw South overcome a stubborn and committed Cavaliers.

Since then, Gully has continued their dominance over the Blues, with the Keilor based club winning the last two outings at Bob Jane Stadium, whilst also maintaining a 23 year unbeaten run at home against South.

Going into the game, South will be confident following a resounding 3-1 victory against Richmond last week. With the likelihood of Gianni De Nittis returning to the squad following a niggling leg injury, South will be keen attack the Green Gully side from the outset.

De Nittis’ return will also be coupled by the potential home introduction of Yusuf Yusuf. The former Heidelberg winger injured his Anterior Cruciate Ligament in his knee early in 2008 whilst playing against Oakleigh that saw him miss over a year of senior football. In what was a great relief for him and the club last Friday at Kevin Bartlett Reserve, Yusuf returned to senior action as a substitute to play an integral part in the final 15 minutes to secure South the win.

In the other camp, Gully will enter the contest in somewhat contrasting form following two losses on the trot, including a 5-1 loss away to the top of the ladder Dandenong Thunder a fortnight ago.

Despite the unsavoury results of late, experienced campaigners such as Andy Vargas, Jeffery Fleming and Pablo Cardozo will continue to lead the way up front and in the middle, ensuring that the visitors are more than capable of snatching the three points from South.

Kick-off for the important clash is at 4pm on Sunday, with all South fans urged to get behind the squad as they continue to push for a finals berth in 2009.

Wednesday, 15 July 2009 10:09 AM

With the overwhelming success of the first Sub Junior Clinic program held earlier in the season, SMFC would like to announce that the program will continue in the 2nd half of the season.

The 7 week course is due to start at the famous Bob Jane Stadium on Saturday July 18th, with all juniors encouraged to register online to be a part of it.

The course focuses on improving the skill level of all participants, with each child receiving personalised specialist coaching and tips to make them a better footballer.

On top of the training, the main aim of the program is to enable participants to have fun and enjoy themselves whilst playing the wonderful game of football at the home of Victorian Football.

SMFC Football Director and Program Co-ordinator Ange Dallas urges all juniors to register for the program, claiming that “it is an ideal program not only for a child of any skill level to improve themselves, but a program that encourages children to have fun on the football field, whilst learning aspects of the world game.

We hope to see as many children at Bob Jane Stadium having fun and enjoying themselves to the fullest”

To register for the 7 week program, please visit https://www.smfc.com.au/events/sub-junior-clinics/ .

For all other enquiries please contact the club office on 9645 9797

Click here to register for the SMFC Sub Junior Clinics

Friday, 10 July 2009 11:50 AM

The club is pleased to launch the 50th Anniversary Fundraising Raffle.

Each 2009 member and sponsor has been issued with a raffle book of 10 tickets which it is hoped they sell to family, friends and acquaintances.

The club urges all members, sponsors and supporters to partake in this fundraising initiative to assist the club financially during times of global economic hardship.

For those who have not received a book or current members and sponsors requiring additional raffle books to sell, please contact Nicki on 9645 9797 during weekdays 10am – 4pm.

First Prize: $2,500 Holiday Travel Voucher
Second Prize: 40 inch Samsung LCD TV (Retail Value $1,799)
Third Prize: Samsung PLC 60 Camera 10.2 mp (Retail Value $299)
Fourth Prize: Signed 2009 Heritage SMFC Home Shirt (Retail Value $250)

Tickets are $5 each

Raffle to be drawn on Sunday 16th August 2009

Tuesday, 30 June 2009 1:27 PM

In a remarkable Friday night, SMWFC stamped itself as a threat for the 2009 championship, defeating the top placed and highly fancied Box Hill Inter at Wembley Park.

In what was a nice night for football, South burst out of the blocks and continually broke down the Box Hill defence at almost every foray forward.

South gained the early lead after a fortunate ball found itself in the path of Jade Barnden, who buried the chance into the back of the net.

However just before the break, Georgina Koutrouvelis equalised via scorching strike from outside the box for Box Hill to ensure that both teams went into the break on level terms.

South continued to dominate the early stages of the second half and went ahead moments after the break, when a sensational curling free-kick by Aimee Benton swerved past the goalkeeper to send the away fans into raptures.

South sealed the win minutes later when Jade Barnden streaked past the defence to claim her second of the match.

Box Hill came back late in the game and snatched a late goal back after Chiara Romero managed to unlock the solid South defence.

Despite this, South walked away with all three points from the toughest place to win in the premier league.

SMWFC attacking player Melinda Aloisio was remaining focussed following the huge win.

“We are taking it one game at a time, trying to improve on our performance from the first half of the season and we are well on track having beaten Box Hill”.

SMWFC’s next game is on July 12th away to Ashburton in what will be a crunch game that will go a long way in deciding 4th place on the table.

Wednesday, 24 June 2009 10:19 AM

In what will be an exciting day for South Melbourne FC, the club is hosting the inaugural “Foundation Round” on Sunday against Whittlesea Zebras at Bob Jane Stadium.

The day will focus on celebrating the foundation and formulation of South Melbourne FC in 1959, following the merger of three clubs: Hellenic, Yarra Park and South Melbourne United.

In 1960, South played it’s first official game as a club, where as part of the merger agreement, their home shirt was the famous Red V with a white background that was made well-known by South Melbourne United in previous years.

The shirt would be South Melbourne Hellas’ first official home shirt as a club and would be worn by some great players throughout the highly successful 1960’s. Between 1959 and 1976, South Melbourne stamped its name on Victorian football by capturing 8 state league Championships in 1960 (First Division), 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1974 and 1976 and three Ampol Cups in 1969, 1970 and 1976. The club was also Dockerty Cup Champions in 1974 and 1975.

On top of the team success, South also had numerous club legends that played throughout this 1960’s period in the famous red and white shirt. This included the likes of Ernie Ackerley, Jimmy Adam (deceased), John Bedford, Antonis Hatzieleftheriou, Jordan Ieremiadis (deceased), Boulis Kambouropoulos (deceased), Antonis Karagiannis, Michael Mandalis, Takis Mantarakis, John Margaritis, Con Nestorides, George Papadopoulos, Jim Pyrgolios and SMFC’s first Socceroo, Ted Smith.

In what will be a tribute to the birth of the club and the memories of such legends, South will wear a special limited edition Red V shirt for the home game against Whittlesea on Sunday in a crucial contest for both teams.

The game kicks off at 4pm, with festivities including post match interviews with players in the social club after the game.

To view a full detailed history about the formation of SMFC, please click here.