Category: News

By John Kyrou

2014 National Premier League Victoria Champions South Melbourne FC drew 2-2 against the Oakleigh Cannons at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening in a match played in the presence of South Melbourne’s 1964 and 1974 Victorian State League and its 1984 National League Championship sides. Jamie Reed opened the scoring and Milos Lujic concluded the scoring as goals from Oakleigh’s Nate Foster and Dusan Bosnjak were sandwiched in between.

South were declared NPL Victoria Champions last Wednesday night after the Melbourne Knights defeated Oakleigh 1-0 to give South an uncatchable seven point lead with two matches remaining. Even though the result against Oakleigh now meant nothing in terms of ladder standings, Chris Taylor’s team were still keen on getting a positive result against the side that defeated them 3-0 at Jack Edwards Reserve back on Friday 6 June. South had also enjoyed an unbeaten home record at Lakeside Stadium in the League this season and wanted to continue that against the Cannons.

The home side began the match stronger than their opponents and should have taken an early lead after Tyson Holmes – who was playing his 50th League match for South – found himself with space in the six yard box but his shot on his non-preferred left foot went wide of John Honos’ far post. On twenty minutes, Reed outmuscled and outpaced the Oakleigh defence to control Chris Maynard’s long goal kick before slipping the ball past Honos to make the score 1-0 to the home side. Straight after the re-start, South fell asleep and Foster latched onto a ball played over the top of the South defence, rounded Maynard and scored to make it 1-1 and the score stayed that way until halftime.

Nine minutes into the second half, Bosnjak slipped his marker Shaun Timmins and calmly dispatched the ball into the top corner of Maynard’s goal to give the Cannons a surprise 1-2 lead. With the introduction of Brad Norton, Leigh Minopoulos and Nick Epifano in the final 25 minutes, South lifted a gear as they chased an equalising goal. Minopoulos was denied by a brilliant Honos save at the near post with around six minutes of normal time remaining and then the Cannons had a chance to seal the game through a Dean Piemonte shot but Maynard made a vital save to keep South alive in the contest.

With the match into the first minute of injury time, Honos made another great save at his near post to deny Reed but unfortunately for the goalkeeper, the ball spun in the air and fell perfectly for Lujic to head into the unguarded top corner and send the grandstand into a state of delirium as South denied Oakleigh the three points. It was Lujic’s 21st League goal for South this season, putting him level with Con Nestorides (1966) and Charlie Egan (1985) for the most individual goals scored by a South player in a League season. Lujic is now just one goal behind Jimmy Armstrong (1974) and Doug Brown (1984) for the Club record of 22 goals in a League season, an outstanding achievement for an individual player. He could have levelled that record and given South a dramatic 3-2 win in the fourth minute of injury time but again Honos made another save as the match finished 2-2.

Post-match, the entire playing squad, coaching staff and Team Manager Frank Piccione were presented with their Championship medals by the Minister for Environment and Climate Change and Youth Affairs, the Honourable Ryan Smith. Following this, the NPL Victoria Championship trophy was co-presented by Football Federation Victoria President Nick Monteleone and South Melbourne Hellas legend Jimmy Armstrong to Captain Michael Eagar and Coach Chris Taylor, who hoisted the inaugural NPL Victoria trophy to the applause and cheers of the 2,500 strong South Melbourne crowd in attendance. In his speech, Taylor thanked all of the players, coaches, medical staff, football staff, directors, sponsors and media before adding that “I have to especially thank the fans, you have been outstanding this season in supporting the side and we are so glad we have won the Championship for you. We want to build on this and continue to bring more success to the Club…to South Melbourne Hellas.”

The only sour note of the day was a ten-man South Melbourne NPL 20s side losing 2-5 to the Oakleigh Cannons. Dion Paola and Josh Markovski scored South’s goals.

South concludes its 2014 NPL Victoria season with a dead-rubber match away against the relegated Goulburn Valley Suns at McEwan Reserve next Sunday 14 September (kick-off at 3PM) before travelling to Hobart to play Tasmanian NPL Champions South Hobart the following Saturday 20 September in the NPL Australia play-offs.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 2-2 OAKLEIGH CANNONS (HT: 1-1)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Jamie Reed (20′)
1-1: Nate Foster (21′)
1-2: Dusan Bosnjak (64′)
2-2: Milos Lujic (90+1′)

South Melbourne FC:
21. Chris MAYNARD (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 8. Mathew THEODORE (27. Leigh MINOPOULOS 72′), 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. Tyson HOLMES (7. Nick EPIFANO 65′), 12. Iqi JAWADI, 14. James MUSA, 17. Jamie REED, 25. Shaun TIMMINS (11. Brad NORTON 72′), 77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS.

Oakleigh Cannons:
1. John HONOS (GK), 2. Thomas LAKIC (21. Andreas GOVAS 46’), 3. John BLACK, 7. Bonel OBRADOVIC, 8. Dusan BOSNJAK (10. Veton KORCARI 88’), 11. Evan CHRISTODOULOU, 14. Nate FOSTER (17. Dean PIEMONTE 65’), 18. Adam LE CORNU, 19. Goran ZORIC, 23. Dominic D’ANGELO.

SMFC Man of the Match: Milos Lujic for his late goal (Iqi Jawadi can miss out this week!)
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 7 September 2014

South Melbourne FC wishes to advise of the itinerary of events to be held on Sunday’s Championship Fiesta celebrations against the Oakleigh Cannons.

The festivities for the day will be kicked off with an exhibition match between a Select Socceroos XI against the Victoria Police’s ‘Copperoos’, which kicks off at 2.45pm. Both sides will be playing for the Tony Clarke Shield. The Tony Clarke Shield is held in memory of Senior Constable Tony Clarke, who was murdered while on duty in April 2005. Tony was a member of the Victoria Police Soccer Club and a fanatical Liverpool Football Club supporter. The presentation of the Player of the Match and Shield to the winning captain will be made by Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Andrew Crisp and both Tina and Connor Hogarth-Clarke.

At the completion of the Select Socceroos XI against the Copperoos, South Melbourne FC will be honouring its 1964 and 1974 Victorian State League and 1984 National Soccer League Championship sides who this season are celebrating their 50th, 40th, and 30th anniversaries respectively. Each player will be presented, and the large electronic scoreboard will be showing a video montage of images and highlights showcasing the teams’ tremendous achievements.

Prior to the commencement of the Round 25 NPL Victoria fixture against the Oakleigh Cannons, SMFC President Leo Athanasakis and SMFC Chairman Nick Galatas will accompany to the field the President of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria, Bill Papastergiadis, Minister for Environment and Climate Change, and Youth Affairs, the Honourable Ryan Smith, Senior Adviser to the Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship, Peter Lemonis, and Liberal candidate for Albert Park, Shannon Eeles, where the official party will address the South Melbourne faithful celebrating the recent announcement of the signing of the 40 year lease of Lakeside Stadium.

Once the formalities have concluded, both sides will take to the field flanked by the South Melbourne FC youth players forming a guard of honour, paying their respects to the NPL Victoria Champion.

At the conclusion of the match, the NPL Victoria trophy will be presented to both SMFC Captain Michael Eagar and Head Coach Chris Taylor, where fans will have the opportunity to celebrate the club’s first Victorian title since 2006.

Fans and Corporate Partners are encouraged at the conclusion of the trophy presentation to make their way to Principal Partner Beachcomber Cafe, located at the St Kilda Baths, where the celebrations will continue with players and coaching staff in attendance.

South Melbourne FC encourages all to be in attendance at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday to celebrate this momentous occasion, and wish the team all the best as it sets off on the national playoffs seeking to be crowned National Premier Leagues Champion.

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC hosts the Oakleigh Cannons at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday afternoon in a match celebrating winning the inaugural National Premier League Victoria Championship. South Melbourne was confirmed as the League Champions on Wednesday night when the Melbourne Knights defeated Oakleigh 1-0, leaving the Cannons seven points behind Chris Taylor’s side with only two matches remaining for both sides.

As League Champions, South Melbourne has qualified for the National Premier League play-offs where all the State Champions compete for the title of National Premier Leagues Champions. South’s first test will be against Tasmanian Champions South Hobart in Hobart over the weekend of 20-21 September, though details are yet to be confirmed by Football Federation Australia.

South goes into Sunday’s match with a full-strength squad to choose from, though it will be interesting to see if Taylor rotates his squad during the final two League matches of the season to allow fringe and younger players the chance to play first-team football and rest more senior players ahead of the NPL play-offs. This may present an opportunity for squad players such as Andrew Mullett, Kobbie Boahene, Dion Kirk and Andy Kecojevic to play and opportunities may also be given to some of the players from South’s NPL 20s side such as Stefan Zinni and Josh Markovski.

Although Sunday’s match is meaningless due to South’s uncatchable lead over the Cannons, the home side will want to give a good account of themselves. South won its opening fourteen matches across all competitions this season before losing 3-0 against Oakleigh at Jack Edwards Reserve on Friday 6 June. South has also been unbeaten at home in the League all season (with eleven wins and a draw from its 12 matches) and will want to continue that with another positive result against Oakleigh on Sunday. In the corresponding fixture played between the two sides at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 26 May 2013, a double from Dimi Hatzimouratis secured a 2-1 win for the home side.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 5PM at Lakeside Stadium. South fans are strongly encouraged to attend not only to congratulate their 2014 Championship winning side but to also honour South Melbourne FC’s 1964 Victorian State League and 1984 National Soccer League Championship winning sides. 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 #NPLVIC and #SMvOC.

By George Kouroumalis & John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC fans that are old enough to remember the old National Soccer League will recognise the names John Markovski and Andrew Zinni, both of whom were also formerly Socceroos players. Those fans that also regularly follow the progress of our 2014 Youth and NPL 20s side will have seen their sons Josh Markovski and Stefan Zinni representing the Club.

John Markovski was one of Australia’s most talented players throughout the 1980s and 1990s and played for several clubs during the NSL and then a division below in the old Victorian Premier League. There was always controversy when John played against South Melbourne (who he never played for himself) but this made those games all the more memorable to watch. Nowadays, he sits in the stands to watch his two sons Josh and Jonas trying to make their mark in Sasa Kolman’s South Melbourne NPL 20s side.

It has been a big year for 17 year old Josh, who has excelled in the NPL 20s and has been scoring goals regularly during the 2014 season. Speaking to smfc.com.au, Josh was under no illusion that he needs to continue the hard work in order to reach his intended goal. “South is a big club and I have loved every minute here. My objective is to keep working hard and learning the game and one day represent the Club at senior level. It’s great being part of a football club with such a great and proud history.”

Younger brother Jonas has also played a role in the NPL 20s side, however due to his age he has mostly featured in the Under 18s side under coach Panagiotis Panagiotidis. Jonas’ aims are similar to his older brother. “I just want to keep learning and developing my game and so far I have learnt so much at South Melbourne. If I can continue learning over the next few years I also hope that one day I can play senior football and it would be great to play alongside my brother.”

Stefan Zinni is following in the footsteps of his father, possessing similar traits that Andrew Zinni had when playing for Brunswick Juventus and Preston back in the NSL. Stefan’s ability to dribble past and trouble the defenders in front of him has resulted in him scoring plenty of goals alongside Josh Markovski, with the two players being the NPL 20s strike partnership equivalent of Milos Lujic and Jamie Reed. Stefan recently netted a hat-trick in the big win against the Dandenong Thunder at George Andrews Reserve on Saturday 16 August.

Having been involved with South Melbourne FC at youth level for the last decade, Zinni also has a very clear and simple aim. “I’d love to one day walk out onto Lakeside Stadium and play for the South seniors. I have played at the Club since Under 8s and would love to follow in my father’s footsteps and represent a big club in Victoria.” Zinni’s younger brother Julian is also part of our program, playing in the Under 15s side that is also coached by Sasa Kolman. Julian nominates his father as the key influence so far in his career. “I think dad has had a big impact on me as a player. I watch tapes of his games in the old NSL and watch his movements to see how he used to score all his goals. I try to take as much as I can from his playing style.”

South Melbourne FC wishes all four boys the very best and would love to see them all representing the senior side in the future.

By Skip Fulton

This weekend the action was at Princes Park and Albert Park as the South Melbourne FC youth teams returned home to play fixtures against FC Bulleen Lions and Richmond SC.

South Melbourne Miniroos
South Melbourne Under 13s coach Samuel Young is also responsible for one our Miniroos teams at Under 9 level. South Melbourne FC has a variety of teams at the sub-youth level, some of which only practice whilst others play each week against other clubs. Samuel invited the smfc.com.au media team down to Princes Park to see them play.

Early this Sunday I joined the throng of parents surrounding a small pitch. Having visited the South canteen obtaining the obligatory souvlaki (much better quality than Lakeside hence deserving a special mention) and being served by Club President Leo Athanasakis, I settled in to watch the action. I was expecting to see a rugby scrum of boys moving around the ground with every player within about 3m of the ball. To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement.

Each week I cover our Under 20s team so I am used to seeing the likes of Ryan Barbare, Stefan Zinni and Dion Paola moving around the pitch with ease dribbling through the midfield and getting around the opposition left, right and centre. In front of me, the entire South Under 9s team were putting those same skills on display. There was no rugby scrum of players, at least on the South side. The boys were playing with structure, getting into space, creating angles and the passes being made were based on good decision-making and executed very well. In one instance the boys went the length of the pitch with three passes and a goal in just five seconds.

It was great to see such an encouraging atmosphere with the crowd applauding the efforts of both teams, and there was a lot of applause. Usually our South coaches are very focused during the match and you get that look if you go near them. However coach Samuel Young was laughing and encouraging the boys from the sideline so I dared interrupting him with for me was an obvious question, “Just who are these kids”? Samuel simply smiled and said “These boys are our future, impressive aren’t they”. He would go on to detail how they train several times a week just like the seniors. The focus of the coaching team is on skill development for each boy and introducing structure and team play as they advance through the age groups.

The half time whistle went and at this level there is no scoring, thus no winners and losers. Of course trying telling that to the parents, but realistically try telling the boys that. When one of the players yells out “that’s seven nil isn’t it mum…” you know the boys are pumped and they are playing well. Young encourages the boys to show some humility and but the brakes on, no more goals, focus on your passing. I smile to myself as I walk back to the Under 12s match thinking just how much Young is dreaming if he thinks the boys are going to follow that instruction.

After the match is over, as the boys and families start to disperse with another group replaces them for the next match, I overhear an encounter that has me smiling once again. “We beat Milos today Dad” to which the response was “What are you talking about?”. “We scored twenty one goals, we beat Milos! He’s only got eighteen.”

These boys are the future of South Melbourne football and they are clearly aiming high. Watch out Milos Lujic !!

Under 12s defeated FC Bulleen 2:1
In the first match of the day at Princes Park, the Under 12s fought out a tough battle with FC Bulleen but won 2:1. We asked double goal scorer Adam Brigo his thoughts on the game. “It was pretty good. We lost by a few goals last time, we did well to win the second time we played them” he said. Asked about the positives from the match, Brigo said “We made some good runs and took chances. It was a good game and scored two goals.”

Match Photos: http://on.fb.me/1vC7VIH

Under 13s drew with FC Bulleen 2:2
The Under 13s came under intense pressure from an aggressive FC Bulleen line-up in the second half as the visitors searched for the winning goal. The defenders stepped up including goal keeper William Lord who saved a crucial penalty kick to ensure the home side victory. Similar to the previous game, both goals were scored by the same player and smfc.com.au caught up with William Wilson after the match. “We did well. We just made a little bit of a mistake that may have cost us but kept our head up for the whole game. We should have finished our chances. I think we played well today” he said. Wilson also was able to reflect on his colleagues who stood out and contributed during the match saying “I have to say either Brad or Trifon. Trifon was putting his body on the line 24/7 and Brad was keeping his head up, destroying the defenders and strikers and doing well.’

Match Photos: http://on.fb.me/1BSLJrZ

Under 15s defeated Richmond SC 1:0
The Under 15 team recorded a 1:0 win over Richmond SC who are their closest rivals. The team with twenty two points now sit a game clear of Richmond on top of the NPL1 ladder and also have a game in hand.

Results
U12s won 2:1 against FC Bulleen, goal scorer: Adam Brigo x2
U13s draw 2:2 with FC Bulleen, goal scorer: William Wilson x2
U14s lost 1:3 to FC Bulleen, goal scorer: Gera Bilytiansky
U15s won 1:0 against Richmond, goal scorer r: James Polemicos
U16s lost 1:2 to FC Bulleen, goal scorer: Tom Baker
U18s lost 0:2 to Richmond

Next Fixture
Whilst the Seniors and Under 20s have a week off with the catch-up round being played out, the Youth teams are on the road again next week. Matches this week are against Northcote City, Springvale White Eagles and Kingston City.

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC defeated Northcote City 2-1 at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening to put itself on the verge of becoming the 2014 National Premier League Victoria Champions. Centre-forward Milos Lujic scored a goal in each half as South edged even closer to securing its ninth Victorian State League title in its 55 year history.

South were the stronger side in the first half and took the lead after 16 minutes. Iqi Jawadi played his way around a couple of Northcote players in midfield and passed the ball down the left side for Tyson Holmes to run onto and cross perfectly to the back post for Lujic to head the ball past Northcote goalkeeper Chris Petropoulos. As the half wore on, the away side slowly worked their way back into the match and most likely would have equalised had South goalkeeper Chris Maynard not tipped Anthony Rizk’s shot over his crossbar.

Northcote levelled the scores after 56 minutes when former South player Marinos Gasparis hit a perfect free kick from outside the box that beat Maynard and nestled into the bottom right corner of the goal. With so much at stake for the home side, South pressed forward and almost re-took the lead straight away but Holmes’ low drive across Petropoulos’ goal went just wide of the far post and shortly after there were big shouts for Lujic to be awarded a penalty when he went down in the area but the referee dismissed the claims.

South Coach Chris Taylor made a double-substitution on 70 minutes as Mathew Theodore and Shaun Timmins replaced Holmes and Brad Norton and the move paid off instantly. Two minutes after entering the action and with his first touch, Theodore’s magnificent through-ball put Lujic through one-on-one with Petropoulos and the big striker sent the crowd into raptures by firing the ball into the bottom left corner for his 20th League goal of the season from 24 matches. Lujic is now level with Jimmy Armstrong (1972) and Charlie Egan (1982) in equal third place for the most individual goals scored in a League season by a South player.

In a tense finish, South saw out the remainder of the game to put itself in a fantastic position to win the League. The victory sees South Melbourne maintain its seven point lead over the Oakleigh Cannons, however the Cannons have a game in hand and will play that match against the Melbourne Knights at Knights Stadium on Wednesday 3 September.

Post-match, Taylor was delighted to get the three points and noted that “we’ve just got a bit more to do to get where we want to be (League Champions).” Captain Michael Eagar added that “we need to win one more game to ensure it (the title) and it would be good to do it against Oakleigh in a fortnight…we feel we owe them one after they beat us earlier this season.”

The news was not as good in the NPL 20s as South Melbourne were defeated 0-1 by Northcote City.

South Melbourne FC enjoys a weekend off before hosting the Oakleigh Cannons at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 7 September at 5PM.

Possible scenarios over the next few weeks:

If the Melbourne Knights defeat the Oakleigh Cannons on 3 September:
* SMFC will lead Oakleigh by seven points with two matches remaining for both sides and will be League Champions.

If the Melbourne Knights and Oakleigh draw on 3 September:
* SMFC will lead Oakleigh by six points with two matches remaining for both sides.
* SMFC will win the title if it avoids defeat to Oakleigh on 7 September.

If Oakleigh defeat the Melbourne Knights on 3 September:
* SMFC will lead Oakleigh by four points with two matches remaining for both sides.
* SMFC will win the title if it avoids defeat to Oakleigh on 7 September.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 2-1 NORTHCOTE CITY (HT: 1-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Milos Lujic (16′)
1-1: Marinos Gasparis (56′)
2-1: Milos Lujic (72′)

South Melbourne FC:
21. Chris MAYNARD (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 7. Nick EPIFANO, 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. Tyson HOLMES (8. Mathew THEODORE 70′), 11. Brad NORTON (25. Shaun TIMMINS 70′), 12. Iqi JAWADI, 14. James MUSA, 17. Jamie REED, 77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS.

Northcote City:
22. Chris PETROPOULOS (GK), 2. Adrian CHIAPPETTA, 4. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 5. Phil PETRESKI, 6. Aaron WARD, 10. Marinos GASPARIS (9. Trent RIXON 78’), 11. Liam WOODING, 15. Wade DEKKER (8. James KALIFATIDIS 77’), 16. Greg LOMBARDO, 17. Anthony RIZK, 23. Jonathan BOUNAS (7. Jonathan MUNOZ 70’).

SMFC Man of the Match: Iqi Jawadi
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 24 August 2014

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC hosts Northcote City at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening in a match that could possibly decide the National Premier League Victoria Championship. If the Bentleigh Greens defeat the Oakleigh Cannons at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex tonight and South then defeats Northcote on Sunday, South will have a ten point lead over Oakleigh with only three League matches remaining for the Cannons and will therefore be crowned as League Champions.

South goes into Sunday evening’s match against Northcote having won their last two matches, with the most recent being the hard-fought 0-1 victory against the Dandenong Thunder at George Andrews Reserve last Saturday 16 August. Jamie Reed’s goal on the hour mark gave Chris Taylor’s side a crucial victory and set up the possibility of winning the Championship against current League Champions Northcote on Sunday. Goran Lozanovski’s Northcote come into the match having also won their last two matches, with the most recent being the 1-0 victory against Heidelberg United at John Cain Reserve last Sunday 17 August.

South Melbourne are 26 points ahead of Northcote City on the NPL ladder but Sunday’s game is a massive danger game due to Northcote’s superior record in their previous meetings. In the ten League matches between the sides, Northcote has won five and drawn four, with South winning only once. More alarming is the fact that Northcote have scored 25 goals in the process compared to 11 for South. In the League meeting between the two sides at John Cain Reserve earlier this season on Saturday 26 July, Milos Lujic opened the scoring against his former side on 74 minutes before Jonathan Munoz scored a penalty against his former side after 80 minutes for a 1-1 draw. In the corresponding League meeting between the sides at Lakeside Stadium last year on Saturday 14 September 2013, Evan Kounavelis opened the scoring for Northcote on 75 minutes before Trent Rixon headed the equalising goal after 83 minutes to secure a 1-1 draw.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 5PM at Lakeside Stadium. 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 #NPLVIC and #SMvNC.

South Melbourne FC is excited to offer its fans and members the exclusive opportunity to purchase tickets online for the opening ceremony and match of the 2015 Asian Cup between the Socceroos and Kuwait. This offer includes sitting in a “South Melbourne only” section for that match on 9 January 2015 at AAMI Park in Melbourne.

The Asian Cup presents an exciting opportunity to celebrate the sport of football in Australia and to further strengthen the relationships between the participating Asian countries. The football community looks forward to further enhancing Australia’s reputation for staging great sporting events and to the long term community, diplomatic and economic benefits that the Asian Cup will generate in Australia.

Beyond the actual football tournament itself, the friendly people, beautiful natural attractions, exceptional food and wine and spectacular beaches make Australia the perfect host for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 1300 304 001 and quoting “South Melbourne FC”. Any tickets purchased (tickets available are in Category 1 only as Categories 2 and 3 are already sold out) will ensure that the tickets will be for our reserved area in the stadium.

Tickets can also be purchased online at www.afcasiancup.com/tickets

When purchasing online, click on the grey code box and type in “southmelbournefc” to ensure that the tickets are purchased for our reserved area in the stadium.

Tickets are reserved for a period of three weeks and are available right now.

By George Kouroumalis & John Kyrou

It has been a long four year wait, however with the recent announcement that the Club has been granted a 40 year lease at Lakeside Stadium, construction of its Social club, Futsal centre and Administration offices will now commence and the dream now becomes a reality.

Last Tuesday afternoon, all stakeholders involved in the signing of the 40 year lease met inside the newly constructed Greek Community of Melbourne building in the CBD. Speaking exclusively to smfc.com.au and SMFC TV, The Honourable Matthew Guy (Minister for Planning) was elated that construction could now commence at Lakeside Stadium. “Firstly, I wish to thank the South Melbourne fans for remaining patient as they waited for this moment. We are pleased that a resolution of the 40 year lease has been achieved and that an iconic Victorian sporting club in South Melbourne FC can thrive in facilities that it deserves.” Minister Guy added that “we are also very pleased to honour the promises made to the Club.”

South Melbourne FC legal representative and Head of the Greek Community of Victoria, Bill Papastergiadis, was also thrilled at the resolution. “South Melbourne is not only an iconic football club, it is part of the Greek community of Victoria and its long history. I am very pleased that the Club has now secured itself at Lakeside Stadium for the next forty years and given itself a fantastic base in order to grow.”

Full interviews with both Minister Matthew Guy and Bill Papastergiadis, along with South Melbourne FC President Leo Athanasakis, Chairman Nick Galatas and SMFC Director for Youth Development Andrew Mesourouni can be seen exclusively on Tuesday night on SMFC TV on Channel 31 at 7PM.

It is expected that the Social Club area will have the capacity to seat close to 300 people and provide South Melbourne members and fans alike with an area to enjoy pre and post-match, as well as during the week. Part of this exciting new facility will be large screens showing many sporting events from around the world, as well as a new modern museum featuring the highlights, trophies and memorabilia of South Melbourne’s 55 year history.

The Club’s futsal court to be built in the remaining space, will be state of the art, which will be enjoyed not only by the club and its members but the local community.

South Melbourne FC is keen to have construction completed by early 2015 in preparation for the new National Premier League season

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC moved one step closer to becoming Champions of National Premier League Victoria after grinding out a 0-1 win against the Dandenong Thunder at George Andrews Reserve on Saturday night. Jamie Reed’s goal just shy of the hour mark gave Chris Taylor’s side the three points to temporarily extend their lead at the top of the ladder to ten points, before second-placed Oakleigh Cannons defeated Werribee City 0-1 on Sunday to reduce South’s lead back to seven points.

South began Saturday night’s match in a strong fashion by controlling possession and putting a lot of pressure on the Dandenong defence. Apart from a clearance off the line however, South did not trouble Zaim Zeneli in the Dandenong goal. At the other end, South goalkeeper Chris Maynard – retained by Taylor after keeping a clean sheet in the 4-0 win over Werribee City last week – got in the way of Feston Azizi’s shot after the Dandenong player managed to sneak past the South defence on the right side.

The match was won on 59 minutes when Brad Norton slipped the ball through for Reed to fire past Zeneli at his near post for the striker’s tenth League goal of the season and eleventh across all competitions in 2014. Dean Hennessey’s young Thunder side spent the final half hour of the game putting pressure on South but ultimately did not create a true goal scoring chance, with the closest they got was from a blocked Kieran Dover shot and an Azizi free kick that flew over an untroubled Maynard’s crossbar. The final whistle brought a sigh of relief from the South fans, with South doing it tough but ultimately prevailing 0-1 against the Dandenong Thunder at George Andrews Reserve in both the League and the Dockerty Cup this season.

Post-match, a happy Taylor noted how “it was important just to get the three points tonight… (in order to win the Championship) we just have to take it one match at a time and keep trying to chalk up the wins that we need to secure it.”

South Melbourne FC’s next match is against Northcote City at Lakeside Stadium next Sunday 24 August, with kick-off at 5PM. If the Bentleigh Greens defeat Oakleigh Cannons on Friday night and South defeat Northcote on Sunday, South will be the 2014 NPLV Champions.

FINAL SCORE: DANDENONG THUNDER 0-1 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-0)

Goal Scorer:
0-1: Jamie Reed (59′)

Dandenong Thunder:
21. Zaim ZENELI (GK), 2. Jarryd BARNES, 3. Ilir PALI (20. Dillon JAKUPI 78′), 4. Rama TAVSANCIOGLU, 5. Faisal ZADA, 7. Kieran DOVER, 8. Matthew MILLAR, 9. Feston AZIZI, 12. Brendan ELMAZOVSKI, 15. Rees DUNCAN (11. Kris KIOUSSIS 59′), 23. Josh CARUANA.

South Melbourne FC:
21. Chris MAYNARD (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 7. Nick EPIFANO (27. Leigh MINOPOULOS 79′), 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. Tyson HOLMES (25. Shaun TIMMINS 89′), 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Iqi JAWADI, 14. James MUSA, 17. Jamie REED (8. Mathew THEODORE 90+3′), 77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS.

SMFC Man of the Match: Stephen Hatzikostas
Venue: George Andrews Reserve
Date: Saturday 16 August 2014