Author: Tim McGlone

South Melbourne FC will be looking for its second win of the PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria season when it travels over the Westgate Bridge to play the North Geelong Warriors at Elcho Park on Saturday afternoon.

Chris Taylor’s men will be well rested heading into the clash, having had a nine day break since triumphing 1-0 against Oakleigh in last Thursday night’s season opener.

The win against the Cannons was a less than convincing one, secured only via an own goal, albeit against strong opposition. South will be looking for a more complete performance this week against the newly promoted North Geelong.

Nikola Roganovic was sensational in his return to football last week, making several vital saves in the dying minutes to ensure a victory in his first game for South Melbourne. Iqi Jawadi and Kristian Konstantinidis were also strong contributors in the contest. Roganovic was a somewhat late inclusion into the first eleven, replacing the injured Peter Gavalas, who was between the sticks for South Melbourne’s Community Shield win against the Melbourne Knights a fortnight ago. Gavalas injured his back at training in the lead up to round one and is expected to miss five to six weeks.

Other than Gavalas, the side has no news in terms of injuries or suspensions, with a full squad available for the clash. It will be interesting to see whether coach Chris Taylor shuffles his pack for the match against North Geelong. The likes of Andy Brennan, Dane Milovanovic and Bonel Obradovic all started on the bench against Oakleigh, with Milovanovic coming on to make a crucial goal-line clearance in injury time.

North Geelong has faced a tough start to life in Victoria’s top flight, having gone down 2-0 to perennial contenders Bentleigh Greens last weekend, before South’s visit this Saturday. Mark Paleka will be the man the South defence must be most wary of, with the speedy striker contributing ten goals for North Geelong in NPL 1 last season.

The match kicks off at 5pm at Elcho Park in Lara. Those unable to make the game can follow it with live updates on the South Melbourne FC Facebook page and on the Club’s official Twitter @smfc with the hashtags #PS4NPL and #NGWvSM.

Photo by Anita Milas

South Melbourne FC made a winning start to its National Premier League Victoria title defence after narrowly defeating the Oakleigh Cannons 1-0 at Lakeside Stadium last Thursday night. An own goal from Oakleigh defender Adam Le Cornu in the first half was enough to secure the points for South in a hard-fought match played in front of 3523 spectators.

In the NPL Victoria’s opening match for 2015, the two top sides of the 2014 campaign battled hard to create chances in a game where no player was easily afforded time on the ball.

Dean Piemonte had a chance to put Oakleigh ahead early in the match, however he hit his shot tamely into the arms of new South goalkeeper Nikola Roganovic.

South took the lead in the 23^rd minute after Milos Lujic’s shot was saved by John Honos before ricocheting off Le Cornu and into the back of the net.

Following the goal, Chris Taylor’s men were forced onto the back foot for large periods of the game. Playing the only side they failed to beat in the League in 2014, South was resolute in defence against an Oakleigh side that was applying plenty of pressure.

Milos Lujic had a difficult chance to put the game beyond doubt in the 75^th minute, when the star striker attempted a difficult bicycle kick that was saved by Honos in goal.

Roganovic was instrumental in keeping the three points safe for the home side. In stoppage time, the goalkeeper firstly made an acrobatic save to deny the Cannons from a free kick and then made a sensational reflex save from the resulting corner. Kristian Konstantinidis cleared another shot off the line to ensure that the three points remained at Lakeside Stadium.

South Melbourne FC travel to Geelong this weekend to play the newly-promoted North Geelong Warriors. The match kicks off at 5PM on Saturday 28 February.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 1-0 OAKLEIGH CANNONS (HT: 1-0)

Goal Scorer: Le Cornu Own Goal (23’)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 3. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 5. Luke ADAMS, 7. Nick EPIFANO, 9. Milos LUJIC, 11. Brad NORTON, 20. David STIRTON (13. Dane MILOVANOVIC 59’), 22. Iqi JAWADI, 27. Leigh MINOPOULOS (17. Andy BRENNAN 73’).

Oakleigh Cannons:
76. John HONOS (GK), 2. Adrian CHIAPETTA, 4. Brian VANEGA (8. Dusan BOSNJAK 50’), 6. Steve PANTELIDIS, 7. Ben CLARKE, 10. Dean PIEMONTE (15. Jake McLEAN 70’), 11. Evan CHRISTODOULOU (C) (12. Tremayne SADLER 80’), 18. Adam LE CORNU, 19. Goran ZORIC, 23. Dominic D’ANGELO, 26. Lambros HONOS.

SMFC Man of the Match: Nikola Roganovic
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Thursday 19 February 2015

Lakeside Stadium plays host to a mouth-watering clash on Thursday night, with South Melbourne kicking off its 2015 campaign against Oakleigh Cannons in a match befitting of its status as the PS4 National Premier Leagues season opener.

Less than a week after securing the FFV Community Shield in dramatic fashion, South will be aiming to get their season off to the best possible start with a victory at home.

The clash features the top two sides from last year’s league season, in which South finished seven points clear of second placed Oakleigh at the top.

The Cannons were the only side Chris Taylor’s men failed to defeat all season, with a 2-2 draw on the penultimate day of the season precluded by a 3-0 away defeat at Jack Edwards’ Reserve.

In the 17 games between the two sides since 2007 South have held the ascendency, having triumphed nine times, with four losses and four draws.

Over the summer head coach Chris Taylor has added even more depth to a squad already brimming with talent, with former Northcote defender Kristian Konstantinidis perhaps the biggest of the new inclusions. Former Adelaide United midfielder Jake Barker-Daish is another big name to join the club, whilst Peter Gavalas has returned after a year’s hiatus.

South Hobart product Andy Brennan has impressed in several pre-season fixtures, while Dane Milovanovic (Maldives), David Stirton (Bentleigh), Luke Adams (Waitakere United), Cody Martindale (Noble Park), Bonel Obradovic (Oakleigh) and Nikola Roganovic will all be new faces to Lakeside in 2015.

There is some conjecture about which 11 players Chris Taylor will put out on the park, with only a few players guaranteed of their spots. One of those is captain Michael Eagar, who played in a holding midfield role last Friday night.

Golden Boot winner Milos Lujic also looks certain to start, whilst it is hard to overlook Andy Brennan given his form in the lead up to the season.

Oakleigh will be striving to prove its credentials as a title contender, having twice finished runner-up in the past three seasons.

Despite losing top goal scorer Nate Foster, the Cannons have an enviable attacking line-up that has the talent to trouble any defence.

The match is likely to be an attractive spectacle, with both sides favouring slick ball movement as their mode to goal.

A large crowd is expected for the match, which kicks off at 8.15pm. Tickets can be found here https://www.smfc.com.au/promo

Photo by Skip Fulton

South Melbourne FC won the inaugural FFV Community Shield when it came back from 1-0 down to record a thrilling 1-2 victory over old rivals Melbourne Knights last Friday night.

With less than ten minutes to play, substitute Andy Brennan scored a goal with his first competitive touch for the Club to level the scores at 1-1, before Leigh Minopoulos found the back of the net deep into injury time to give South their first trophy of the 2015 season.

In treacherous conditions at Knights Stadium, it was the home side that opened the scoring after ten minutes when David Stirton couldn’t clear Stipo Andrijasevic’s powerful header off the line.

Despite the goal, Chris Taylor’s side looked settled early and should have equalised five minutes later, when Milos Lujic spurned a golden chance following a brilliant pass from Nick Epifano.

Epifano was involved in the majority of South’s attacks for the night and came close to scoring himself just before the half-time break, shooting just wide after Iqi Jawadi played a nice ball to him.

Plenty of eyes were on the former Northcote City defender Kristian Konstantinidis in his first game for the Club and the title winning defender justified his credentials with a timely clearance off the line just after the restart to prevent a certain goal.

Not long afterwards, Peter Gavalas made an excellent save to deny Andrijasevic from a long-range free kick as the Knights looked to seal the game.

South had looked likely to score throughout the match and finally found the back of the net when new recruit Brennan tapped home at the back post with his first touch in a competitive fixture for the Club.

With penalties looming, Lujic headed back across goal for Minopoulos to side-foot past Chris May and into the back of the net to claim a remarkable late victory.

Head Coach Chris Taylor was somewhat dissatisfied with his team’s performance but was happy to claim a piece of silverware so early in the season. “I was disappointed with how we played at times, particularly in the first half, but we still created enough chances to win the game and that’s what it’s all about. It’s silverware, it’s another trophy in the cabinet and that is good for everyone involved.”

South Melbourne FC President Leo Athanasakis echoed Taylor’s sentiments. “Obviously you have to win the previous season’s Championship to qualify for this game, so this is a culmination of all of last year’s hard work. We take a lot of pride in winning this trophy, because you don’t get the chance to win these that often. It’s really a bit of icing on the cake for the Club and all of the supporters.”

South Melbourne FC take on the Oakleigh Cannons at Lakeside Stadium this Thursday night in a season opening blockbuster. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.smfc.com.au/promo.

When South Melbourne and Melbourne Knights take the field in Friday night’s FFV Community Shield, another chapter will be added to one of Australian football’s greatest rivalries.

While the ‘original’ Melbourne Derby may not hold the intensity it once did when both clubs were competing for national titles in the early 1990s, there is no doubt that this match is no ordinary football fixture.
There is nothing like a derby in football. They are matches which hold a greater significance than regular games, for intangible reasons, irrespective of where each team is on the table, or whether the game is even for points.

The two sides first met in 1960, a match South ran away 2-0 winners over a Melbourne Knights side that then went by the name ‘Preston Croatia’.

Both clubs enjoy a rich history, and have been bound together by both success and the changing landscape of football in this country.

Both have tasted the success of being national champions, whilst both have suffered the pitfalls of relegation back to the state leagues. It can also be said, that both sides harbour ambitions to compete again at the top level.

In 1984, the two sides met for the first time in the National Soccer League (NSL). South Melbourne enjoyed the majority of the success in the national league, with 54 matches against the Knights resulting in 25 victories, 16 draws and 13 defeats. However, five of these losses came in finals.

During the late eighties and early nineties, the sides clashed ten times in NSL finals matches. Many of these finals matches went to extra-time or penalties, and gave the fixture an added reputation.

There was the 1990/91 NSL Grand Final, where South Melbourne lifted the trophy after a 5-4 victory on penalties. Earlier, Joe Palatsides had equalised for South Melbourne with only seconds remaining in regular time.

The 1994/95 preliminary final will be remembered as the match which thrust Mark Viduka into the national spotlight, with the teenager scoring a hat-trick in a 3-2 victory to put Knights into the Grand Final at the expense of their rivals.

More recently, A Trent Rixon goal saw South upset the odds in 2012/13 with a 1-0 victory in the VPL semi-
final, after Melbourne Knights had gone into the game as firm favourites. The clash drew almost 5000 people through the gates.

Last season saw a mixture of emotions for South fans, with the Hellas winning both league clashes, but falling to Knights in the Dockerty Cup, missing qualification to the FFA Cup as a result.

The match will be the first time these famous clubs have clashed for silverware since the 1990/91 Grand Final. While the match is not for points, both sides will settle for nothing less than a victory.

Friday’s match kicks off at 7.30PM at Knights Stadium. Those who are unable to attend the match can follow live updates on the official South Melbourne FC Facebook page or alternatively through Twitter (@smfc, #MKvSM, #NPLVIC).

South Melbourne will be without one of its stars for the first part of the 2015 National Premier League Victoria season, after Mathew Theodore underwent hip surgery during the summer break.

While the operation was considered a success, Theodore won’t begin serious running for the next few weeks, meaning he will miss at least the first month of South’s title defence, which kicks off against rivals Oakleigh Cannons on February 19 at Lakeside Stadium.

The 25 year old bravely carried the injury through the last few games of 2014, as South battled the Cannons at the top of the NPL table.

Despite admitting to being frustrated by the setback, Theodore remains upbeat about a return.

“It has been quite a difficult period since the surgery, as it was a pretty major operation” the midfielder told smfc.com.au.

“Seeing the boys at training and with the season starting soon it is frustrating to not be out there, but I hope to be running soon and back into some meaningful training by the early part of the season”.

Theodore was an integral member of last season’s Championship winning side, scoring six goals from 29 appearances, including a screamer in last year’s season opener against Heidelberg United at Olympic Village.

The diminutive midfielder also had more than 10 assists last season, turning a regular provider for both Golden Boot and Gold Medal winner Milos Lujic and Englishman Jamie Reed who scored a combined total of 37 goals for the season.

Despite the injury, coach Chris Taylor still has plenty of options in the centre of midfield, especially with the arrival of Dane Milovanovic from the Maldives and the likes of David Stirton and Andy Brennan also both being able to play behind the striker. Both Iqi Jawadi and Nick Epifano have also been in impressive form in several pre-season hit-outs to date and can also provide South with extra options in that creative midfield position.

Theodore is one of South’s only fitness concerns in the lead up to the 2015 campaign, with only Steve Hatzikostas who injured his knee in last year’s NPL Finals Match against South Hobart on the sidelines ahead of Round 1.