Category: News

Having played a central role in the development of the NPL in Victoria, SMFC is proud of its implementation of the program to date, in its first year, while continuously looking to improve it in accordance with the club’s ethos in all areas.

We congratulate our Under 12, 13, 14, 16 and 18 teams for their qualification to the next round of their respective leagues. Our Under 15s unluckily just missed out but will, no doubt, be there next year. With the pending announcement by FFV of the final round fixtures, we wish our teams well in the final phase of the inaugural NPL season.

While everyone is aware of the success our senior team has experienced this year until now, we proudly recognise that together with the success of our junior teams, SMFC’s performance puts it among the most successful clubs in Victoria when measured under the ‘Whole of Club’ method applied by FFA and FFV. Youth development and the transition of players from junior and youth programs to senior football is a key aim of the NPL and SMFC. While we are still at the dawn of the NPL and as a club, we have still much to do, we have started well with the average age of our senior squad at 22 years of age.

After the difficult off-season experienced by many clubs with their much-publicised fight to implement a strong and viable NPL, SMFC has re-focused and settled down to the difficult but primary task of implementation of the program. Together with other NPL Clubs, SMFC is involved in the review and improvement of the NPL as a whole. With its own program, SMFC is continuously seeking to develop and improve every element of its programs and operations including their effective communication. To that end, the club values the constructive input of many of its members which will assist us to achieve our objectives.

In addition to its ongoing monitoring and development of its programs, the club will conduct a comprehensive review of all its departments, including its junior and youth programs, at the end of the season. This will satisfy not only its NPL obligations but also its own aims of identifying what it has done well and how it can improve so that we not only meet our objectives but exceed them and consolidate the club’s tradition of being a leader in football throughout the country.

The transition of our Junior Program from that of a Community Club to an elite NPL Club program is exacting and has consumed significant effort and resources from the club and our members. So we thank all our coaches, players, parents, members, administrators and staff for their dedication, support and feedback to help us build an enviable and successful elite Youth Program.

SMFC Board

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC travels to John Cain Reserve to face Northcote City on Saturday afternoon. A win for Chris Taylor’s side will extend their lead over the Oakleigh Cannons at the top of the National Premier League Victoria to twelve points, at least until the Cannons host the Bentleigh Greens on Sunday evening.

South goes into Saturday’s meeting with Northcote City full of confidence, having won its past five League matches and having defeated the Melbourne Knights 4-3 in the original Melbourne derby last Sunday evening at Lakeside Stadium. A double from Milos Lujic and further goals from Shaun Timmins and Jamie Reed sealed the win for South, taking it to 49 points on the NPL ladder. Taylor looks to have a full squad to choose from for Saturday’s match, with Leigh Minopoulos back and available for selection. Goran Lozanovski’s Northcote City also go into Saturday’s game with confidence, having been undefeated in their last five League matches (three wins and two draws) and with their most recent result being a 1-3 victory against Werribee City at Galvin Park last Sunday afternoon.

This is the first meeting between Northcote City and South Melbourne in 2014, with the two sides having not met since last season’s Victorian Premier League Preliminary Final (on Sunday 13 October 2013) that Northcote won 5-0 at SS Anderson Reserve. In the corresponding meeting between the two sides at John Cain Reserve on Sunday 23 June 2013, goals from Lujic, Kristian Konstantinidis and Michael Catalano saw Northcote defeat a poor South Melbourne side 3-0.

South Melbourne may be 24 points ahead of Northcote City on the NPL ladder but Saturday poses a massive danger game due to Northcote’s superior record in their previous meetings. In the nine League matches between the sides, Northcote has won five, with three draws and only one win for South. More alarming is the fact that Northcote have scored 24 goals in the process compared to 10 for South, with Northcote having won 5-0 on two occasions and 3-0 once. South Melbourne defeated Northcote City 3-2 (after extra time) in their Dockerty Cup meeting at Lakeside Stadium in 2013, however history has shown Northcote’s superiority in the meetings between the two sides, which is something that Taylor will be looking to change both on Saturday afternoon and then on Sunday 24 August at Lakeside Stadium when South host Northcote.

Last time we met

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC defeated the Melbourne Knights 4-3 in a thrilling National Premier League Victoria meeting between the two old rivals at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. The win extended South’s lead at the top of the NPL ladder to nine points (following Oakleigh’s loss to Hume City on Friday night) with eight League games left to play in 2014.

Chris Taylor’s men went into the game keen on gaining revenge over the Knights, after Andrew Marth’s side triumphed 0-2 at Lakeside Stadium on Wednesday 25 June to knock South out of the Dockerty Cup. The Knights were confident going into the game, having won their last six matches across all competitions and having been the only team to not only keep South scoreless but also defeat them at Lakeside Stadium this season. The Knights also hadn’t lost at Lakeside Stadium since South moved back into the venue in 2012, so Sunday’s game was always going to be a tough encounter for the home side.

South opened the scoring after 13 minutes when left-back Shaun Timmins scored his first goal for the Club after cutting past his marker in the penalty area and firing the ball past Chris May at his near post. South had several chances to extend its lead but failed to do so and was punished when Daniel Visevic delivered an excellent cross for Stipo Andrijasevic to put the ball past Jason Saldaris and into the back of the net on the half hour mark. The scores were only level for a couple of minutes before a long ball caught the Knights defence napping and Jamie Reed took full advantage by sneaking through and slotting the ball past the onrushing May and into the back of the net. The home side pressed for more goals and got what they wanted right on halftime, when Tyson Holmes’ scrambled shot fell perfectly for Lujic to blast into the net to give South a commanding 3-1 lead at the break.

The second half was an end-to-end affair, with both sides creating several opportunities to score goals but failing to take them. With six minutes of normal time remaining, Shayan Alinejad won the ball off Timmins before cutting inside and scoring past Saldaris with an effort that took a deflection on the way through. The Knights could sense a comeback and kept pressing for a third goal but it was South who scored next thanks to a quick counter-attack that ended with the unmarked Lujic at the back post putting away Nick Epifano’s low cross. It was Lujic’s 14th League goal in 18 matches in 2014, with the centre-forward having scored 15 goals in 22 matches across all competitions this season. With 90 minutes gone and the score now 4-2, it looked like the three points were sealed for the home side but there was a late twist as the Knights scored again in the second minute of injury time. Alinejad took full advantage of substitute Brad Norton slipping over by stealing possession of the ball and cutting into the penalty area before scoring past Saldaris on the second attempt after the South custodian had saved his initial shot. However, there was no time for the Knights to score a dramatic fourth goal as the full-time whistle was blown shortly after, giving South another three crucial points in its quest to win the NPL Victoria Championship.

Taylor was very pleased with the win post-match, adding that “the Knights are a very direct side, at every set piece they caused us problems so we had to deal with that, which I thought we did quite well.” Captain Michael Eagar agreed and elaborated by saying that “we created many chances and we really should have scored a few more but we scored enough…as a back four it’s very frustrating to have conceded three goals but we’ll work on that, the most important thing was getting the three points.” Lujic was delighted with the win, adding that “it’s always good to score against the Knights, they’re a tough team, very physical…so it was good to get the win.” On his return to former club Northcote City next Saturday, Lujic dismissed the hype by saying “I’ll just take it as another game…from all reports the pitch isn’t the best out there so it’s going to be a battle like it was today…we just have to be focussed on getting the three points again.”

The news wasn’t as good in the NPL 20s, as South Melbourne was defeated 0-1 by the Melbourne Knights.

South is back on the road for the first time since Friday 6 June when it travels to John Cain Reserve to play Northcote City next Saturday 26 July, with kick-off at 3PM.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 4-3 MELBOURNE KNIGHTS (HT: 3-1)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Shaun Timmins (13′)
1-1: Stipo Andrijasevic (30′)
2-1: Jamie Reed (32′)
3-1: Milos Lujic (45+1′)
3-2: Shayan Alinejad (84′)
4-2: Milos Lujic (90′)
4-3: Shayan Alinejad (90+2′)

Key Stats (Provided by Steven Orchard):
Shots: SMFC (18) – MKFC (17)
Free Kicks: SMFC (14) – MKFC (26)
Balls into Final Third: SMFC (43) – MKFC (35)
Clearances: SMFC (13) – MKFC (15)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Jason SALDARIS (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 7. Nick EPIFANO, 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. Tyson HOLMES, 12. Iqi JAWADI, 14. James MUSA, 17. Jamie REED, 25. Shaun TIMMINS (11. Brad NORTON 86′), 77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS.

Melbourne Knights:
1. Chris MAY (GK), 3. Sam TORRENS (2. Chris STEFANI 68′), 5. Milan BATUR (13. Antun KOVACIC 60′), 6. Tomi USKOK, 7. Daniel VISEVIC, 9. Stipo ANDRIJASEVIC, 10. Marijan CVITKOVIC, 11. Jordan O’DOHERTY, 12. Ivan GRGIC, 14. Michael DOYLE, 19. Shayan ALINEJAD.

SMFC Man of the Match: Stephen Hatzikostas
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 20 July 2014

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC hosts the Melbourne Knights in another crucial National Premier League derby on Sunday afternoon at Lakeside Stadium. For South, the derby presents an opportunity to at the very least maintain a six point advantage over Oakleigh at the top of the NPL ladder. For the Knights, the derby presents the opportunity to break into the top five on the NPL ladder and at the same time inflict another defeat on South in 2014.

Chris Taylor’s South side go into the match having won four League matches in a row, with the most recent being the professional 2-0 victory against Hume City at Lakeside Stadium last Sunday evening. After a slow first half, South put the foot down in the second half and won thanks to an own goal from Izzy Erdogan and a wonder goal by Nick Epifano to move to 46 points on the NPL ladder. The Knights head into the derby having won its last five matches across all competitions, with its most recent being the thrilling 3-2 win in extra time in their Dockerty Cup Semi Final against Bentleigh Greens on Tuesday night. The Knights have now moved well away from relegation danger and presently sit comfortably in mid-table.

The two sides have already met twice this year and on both occasions the away side won. On Sunday 27 April, Milos Lujic’s late goal won the derby for South 0-1 at Knights Stadium (League fixture). The Knights gained revenge at Lakeside Stadium when they defeated South 0-2 in their Dockerty Cup Quarter Final meeting on Wednesday 25 June thanks to goals from Tomi Uskok (42’) and Shayan Alinejad (58’). Those two players, along with goalkeeper Chris May and transfer window signing Stipo Andrijasevic, are the players that punished South in the Cup tie and are the danger players for Andrew Marth’s team. South Melbourne has not defeated the Melbourne Knights since returning to Lakeside Stadium in 2012 and the Knights have been the only team to hold South goalless at Lakeside Stadium in 2014.

Sunday’s derby 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 #SMvMK.

By Skip Fulton

Last week the South Melbourne FC Youth teams travelled to Dandenong City for matches in Round 13 of the Zagame’s NPL Youth leagues.

The youth teams were all successful rounding out an excellent result week for the club, undefeated at all levels in the NPL.

The results and goal scorers were:
U12s won 4:1, scorers: Adam Brigo x 4
U13s won 1:0, scorer: William Wilson
U14s won 4:0, scorers: Yannis Nisiotis x1, Tristan Meaker x1, Bradley Chick x1, Gera Bilyantsky x1
U15s won 4:1, scorers: Julian Zinni x3, Andre Polendakis x1
U16s won 5:2, scorers: Adrian Kovacevic x3, Nicholas Deris x1, Kirk Kyriakopoulos x1
U18s won 6:2, scorers: Stefan Valentini x3, Kalebh Horrocks x1, Edwin Stranghelin x1, x1 own goal

Next week the youth teams return home to Princes Park and Albert Park for the penultimate round of the season taking on Dandenong Thunder.

The smfc.com.au team have taken the opportunity recently to delve into the coaching strategies of our youth program to better understand the focus on player development. We spoke to a number of coaches to gain an appreciation of the foundation of the clubs success in delivering top quality players.

Matthew Borowicz (U12 coach)
At Princes Park in Caulfield on a wet and windy Sunday morning two weeks ago, smfc.com.au spoke to Matthew Borowicz about his U12 team and the approach to managing the youngest team in the NPL system.

Despite a loss to ladder leaders Box Hill, Borowicz reflected on the teams efforts by saying “I feel the boys did very well considering half the squad is U11s and some of our better players are pushed up to U13s.”

“The biggest positive from today is overall looking at the program, all of the boys are progressing at a very good rate. Football-wise we recognise we are doing a good job and the boys are picking up the South Melbourne way of playing.”

“Looking at all of the clubs we play across the board, not just U12s, we can definitely see we are a little bit different and do things our own way. Our program looks at each individual. Obviously every Sunday we want to win the game and the competition, but our long term goals are always on the individual and producing players that can challenge the seniors and give a headache to Chris Taylor.”

Samuel Young (U13s coach)
Samuel Young is the coach of the U13s and also calls Princes Park in Caulfield home for the boys. Similar to the rest of the coaching team, he has a close relationship with the teams in the age group above and below his own and sees this as a positive for player and team development. “The positive for us is there are four U12s that play in our team. That’s what we are trying to do at the club, we are trying to challenge the boys from the younger ranges to play in a tougher environment.”

“We can always improve, from the goal keepers all the way through to the strikers. I believe football is all about making the right decisions and we are helping our players from an early age learn how to make those decisions.”

Sasa Kolman (U10, U15 and U20s coach)
Sasa Kolman has a variety of coaching duties in the youth program and always speaks passionately about the boys and the future they have not only at South Melbourne but also in the broader football community.

Following the U20s 5-0 win over Hume City at Albert Park on the weekend, Kolman shared his experience with the smfc.com.au team. “South juniors I am really happy with, the kids love to play. We have some potential. At older age groups we have started to do some academy style strategies like elite squads, so we are taking care of our best players, which is really good. “

“If we look at the U20s, the oldest player is 18. We have 15, 16, 17 year olds playing in the U20s and we are winning games. What we are trying to do with all the age groups is to get them into the U20s and definitely then from the U20s into the Seniors.”

One of the differences between South Melbourne and other clubs on display in some youth matches is in the use of the substitutes on the bench. Other clubs make often make heavy use of the bench to rotate players on the field, in one such match there were sixteen changes made.

Kolman shared his thoughts on the practice indicating “we use our three to five substitutes and that is South Melbourne strategy. I come from Europe and that doesn’t happen there. You have three subs that’s it. If we want to prepare our boys for the Seniors, they need to start doing it now and learning to play that way. I am not a big fan of making subs all the time, in the younger youth that’s fine but from U15s you need to start playing serious football. Putting players in and out breaks the momentum and breaks the play so that’s the South Melbourne strategy.”

Chris Taylor (Head Coach)
Chris Taylor has an eye on all the teams in the youth ranks and leverages off the coaching team as a key component in developing players for the future.

After the Seniors recent win at Lakeside over Port Melbourne, smfc.com.au asked Taylor about the depth of playing talent at the club and the opportunities utilise key players from youth ranks to support the rotation of players in the Seniors. “We’d like to leverage off those players and one of the big things is players like Andy Kecojevic who’s been playing in the U20s. He’s 15 years old and we do want to give him some game time. Dion Kirk came on to play on Wednesday night and looks to be a very tidy player.”

The match at Lakeside was a scrappy affair in wet heavy conditions. Taylor reflected on ensuring younger players are exposed to the higher standards at the right time and not just for the sake of it. “The conditions tonight weren’t going to suit them to come on so it’s about picking and choosing the right moments to introduce them and sometimes the right games as well.”

By Skip Fulton

South Melbourne FC U20s put on a clinical display of quality attacking football and earned a 5-0 victory over Hume City at Albert Park on Sunday afternoon. Eric Hauser put two into the back of the net in a best on ground performance and he was assisted by goals to Joshua Markovski, Alex Sporea and Joshua Meaker.

Sasa Kolman’s side went into the match without a win from their last four outings. Following last weeks 1-2 loss to Green Gully, Kolman made two changes to the starting line-up. Sam Kagioglou and Jordon Moncrieff join the team on the pitch in place of Timothy Kakoliris and Massimo Pesce who were on the bench.

South Melbourne were on the attack from the opening whistle with Andy Kecojevic looking strong in the early stages. In the twelfth minute Hauser made the first of what would be many significant plays of the match. His run down the right flank and into the area bought the keeper rushing off his line. A well timed cross into the centre of the box found Joshua Markovski who slotted it into the vacant net to open the scoring.

The majority of the first half was played out with balanced possession through the midfield. Hume City had a number of chances up front with four corners during which they were unable to convert. South goal keeper Jason Giccominato made a number of quality saves in what turned out to be a clean sheet performance. Just two minutes before the break Hauser was again dominating down the right flank getting in behind the defence. In this instance he made his way into the area with just the keeper to beat and with a left foot strike found the net doubling the home teams lead.

Hauser was at it again early in the second half with a strike going just wide and Markovski was in a similar position a few minutes later with a shot going over the crossbar. Ryan Barbare was active down the left flank also causing problems for Hume City. In the sixty fourth minute a cross came into the area with Markovski trapping turning and shooting only to have the strike blocked by the Hume City keeper. Hauser was right on hand to pounce on the loose ball and it was his left boot again which put the ball into the back of the net.

As the three goals put South Melbourne in a commanding position, coach Kolman looked to the bench to provide some fresh legs and by the seventy seventh minute had made all five substitutions.

Early in the last ten minutes of play it was Alex Sporea off the bench who scored for the home team with a classy strike from the edge of the six yard box. A few minutes later Joshua Meaker was cruising near the top of the box when his strike found its target in the back of the net delivering the fifth goal and a somewhat short and subdued celebration.

The whistle would sound marking a 5-0 win for South Melbourne. Whilst the glory often goes to the goal scorers, this match also delivered the third clean sheet of the season for the U20s. Credit goes to Giccominato in goal and the defenders who stood up strongly to tough opposition in Hume City and held out to a number of strong attacks from the visitors.

Coach Kolman was understandably positive after the match talking to smfc.com.au reflecting on the performance saying “after the last three games, it was good to win, especially when you win with five goals. We are South Melbourne! We need to win every week. I am really proud of these boys, they all deserve to wear the South Melbourne shirt. ”

Double goal scorer Eric Hauser also spoke to smfc.com.au after the match saying “I thought we played well from the beginning, pressed hard and high, we got the result. Today we were more determined to win our game.”

Next week the team returns to Lakeside Stadium for a big match against Melbourne Knights. South Melbourne will be looking to continue the form on display in this win but also replicate the result from earlier in the season when they defeated Knights 4-1.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 5-0 HUME CITY (HT: 2-0)

Match Photos: http://on.fb.me/U8nbJy

Goal Scorers:
1-0 Joshua Markovski (12’), 2-0 Eric Hauser (43’), 3-0 Eric Hauser (64’), 4-0 Alex Sporea (82’), 5-0 Joshua Meaker (87’)

South Melbourne FC:
Jason Giccominato (GK), Ryan Babare (Massimo Pesce 74’), Andy Kecojevic, Peter Constantinou (Timothy Kakoliris 77’), Juan Igic (Joshua Meaker 50’), Eric Hauser (Stefan Zinni 75’), Sam Kagioglou, Dion Paola, Joshua Markovski (Alex Sporea 67’), Ioannis Avramidis, Jordan Moncrieff.

Hume City:
Cameron Dyer (GK), Melad Goro, James Dafoski, Allam Bosha, Danny Federico, Kristian Trajceski, Emin Sele, Ebubekir Capar, Burak Durnaoglu, Reis Aygun, Baran Karagoz.

SMFC Man of the Match: Eric Hauser
Venue: Albert Park
Date: Sunday 13 June 2014

By George Kouroumalis

South Melbourne FC was thrilled to have members of Down Syndrome Victoria’s Club 21 in attendance during our home match against Hume City on Sunday evening at Lakeside Stadium.

Down Syndrome Victoria works to empower individuals with Down Syndrome for a lifetime of meaningful inclusion within the community.

The group in attendance on Sunday enjoyed the fantastic South Melbourne win and also received a South Melbourne FC pack that included the latest merchandise for them to wear proudly. One lucky member of Club 21 also received boots from Tyson Holmes.

The excited attendees met with all of the South Melbourne players in the rooms post-match and also had a chat to SMFC TV ahead of Tuesday’s episode on Channel 31.

We hope that Sunday’s football experience at Lakeside Stadium put a smile on the faces of such brave individuals and their families.

For more information about Down Syndrome Victoria and to learn more about the condition as well as being able to support this great organisation, please visit www.downsyndromevictoria.org.au.

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC won its fourth straight National Premier League Victoria match with a hard-fought 2-0 victory against Hume City at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. Following a 0-0 stalemate at halftime, Hume defender Izzy Erdogan’s own goal after 54 minutes and Nick Epifano’s emphatic finish after 68 minutes proved to be the difference as South maintained its six point lead over the Oakleigh Cannons at the top of the NPL ladder.

Chris Taylor’s side went into the match with a slender three point lead at the top of the NPL ladder following Oakleigh’s 1-5 victory against Green Gully on the Saturday and needed the three points against Hume for breathing space at the top of the table. However the first half was a rather dull affair, with neither side really stamping their authority on the match. Hume suffered a big loss when captain Shane Rexhepi hobbled off with a knee injury after only 17 minutes, making the task an even harder one for their coach Lou Acevski. South’s best chances in the half came from a fierce Epifano shot from distance that just flew over Chris Oldfield’s crossbar and when an unmarked Jamie Reed failed to properly control the ball at the back post, allowing for Oldfield to save. Hume hit the post twice in the first half, firstly from Erdogan and secondly from John Sapazovski.

Both sides showed more intent in the second half and luckily for South they got the breakthrough goal shortly before the hour mark when Erdogan deflected Epifano’s low cross from the right past Oldfield and into the back of the net. Hume nearly levelled on the hour mark when Christopher Cristaldo’s effort hit the crossbar and stayed out, making it the third time in the match that the away side had hit the woodwork. Unfortunately for Hume, those missed chances came back to haunt them when in the move of the match, Iqi Jawadi played a nice one-two before cutting the ball back from the left side for an unmarked Epifano to steer the ball into the back of the net from inside the penalty area. The final result confirmed South goalkeeper Jason Saldaris’ tenth clean sheet in 17 League matches and his twelfth clean sheet in the 20 League and Cup matches he has played in 2014.

Post-match, Taylor noted how his side lacked fluency in the first half but won the game due to “a couple of pieces of individual brilliance.” Right-back Tim Mala was pleased with the result and added ahead of next weekend’s derby against the Melbourne Knights that “we all need to be ready for that one… it’s a very important game.”

There was further good news in the NPL 20s as South Melbourne smashed Hume City 5-0, with the goal scorers being Eric Hauser (2), Josh Markovski, Alex Sporea and Josh Meaker.

South Melbourne FC’s next match is a huge derby meeting with the Melbourne Knights at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 20 July, with kick-off at 5PM.

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

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Own Goal (54′)
2-0: Nick Epifano (68′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Jason SALDARIS (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 7. Nick EPIFANO (11. Brad NORTON 79′), 8. Mathew THEODORE (10. Tyson HOLMES 76′), 9. Milos LUJIC, 12. Iqi JAWADI, 14. James MUSA, 17. Jamie REED, 25. Shaun TIMMINS, 77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS.

Hume City:
1. Chris OLDFIELD (GK), 4. Izzy ERDOGAN, 13. Shane REXHEPI (43. Nikos JACKSON-TSEREXIDIS 17′), 8. Adel FESSEHA (9. Anthony PROIA 72′), 10. Richie CARDOZO, 14. Baki EFE, 17. Aaron TURNER, 18. John STOCJEVSKI (Adrian ROGLIS 72′), 23. Christopher CRISTALDO, 24. Jeremy WALKER, 44. John SAPAZOVSKI.

SMFC Man of the Match: Nick Epifano
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 13 July 2014

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC will be aiming for a fourth straight National Premier League Victoria win when it hosts Hume City at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. With ten matches to go in the NPL season, victory for Chris Taylor’s side will at the very least maintain a six point cushion at the top of the NPL ladder ahead of the Oakleigh Cannons.

South goes into the game having defeated Green Gully 1-0 at Lakeside Stadium last Sunday evening thanks to a headed goal by Mathew Theodore in the 12th minute. Hume City also head into the game in winning form, having defeated Dandenong Thunder 1-0 at Broadmeadows Valley Park last Sunday afternoon. It was Hume’s second win in succession and lifted them to fifth place on the NPL ladder.

Nick Epifano rolled his ankle against Green Gully last Sunday but should be available to play on Sunday. Apart from the absences of Dimi Tsiaras and Leigh Minopoulos (both overseas), Taylor has almost a full squad to choose from for the Hume match. Taylor noted post-match last Sunday that he was going to start rotating his squad around more, which may give the likes of Andrew Mullett, Kobbie Boahene and Dion Kirk the opportunity to play. Goalkeeper Jason Saldaris has enjoyed eleven clean sheets in the 19 matches he has played so far this season and will be hoping for another one on Sunday evening.

In the meeting between the two sides earlier this season on Sunday 13 April at Broadmeadows Valley Park, second half goals from Epifano (60’, 75’) and Milos Lujic (78’) gave South Melbourne a commanding 0-3 win. In the corresponding match between the two sides at Lakeside Stadium last season (Sunday 11 August 2013), South smashed Hume City 6-1 thanks to a hat-trick from Luke Hopper (62’, 85’, 88’), a double from Trent Rixon (34’, 45+1’) and a ripping free kick from Nick Soolsma (89’).

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 #SMvHC.

By Skip Fulton

A goal to Timothy Liokos on the back of a defensive error put South Melbourne U16s in front however missed opportunities meant the team was unable to get the win after Box Hill equalised.

A blustery Albert Park was the venue for the round thirteen match-up between South Melbourne FC and Box Hill United in the NPL U16 East league.

South started the match with positive attacking play through the midfield and had the majority of possession as Box Hill took some time to get into the game.

An attacking move down the right side bought Box Hill goal keeper off his line rushing out to the edge of the area. An error meant the ball wasn’t gathered allowing South to keep possession. A pass was centred to the top of the box where Timothy Liokos was on the end of it. A right foot strike easily found the back of the net in the twenty eighth minute.

The encouraging start and goal was quickly countered by an improving Box Hill and they equalised just three minutes later.

South set about trying to re-establish the lead and in the remainder of the half controlled possession and several times play went into the final third without reward.

Seven minutes after the break South were presented with another opportunity to hit the front. A careless Box Hill challenge inside the area resulted in the whistle going and the referee pointing to the spot. Unfortunately the strike went over the crossbar for a goal kick.

Both teams continued to push for the winning goal until the final whistle. South goal keeper Nicholas Moraitis made a number of great saves include one from a superb Box Hill strike which was just tipped over the crossbar.

The final result was a 1-1 draw leaving the team in fourth on the ladder three points behind Heidelberg United.

South Melbourne U16s coach Davide Bertamini spoke to smfc.com.au after the match saying “the first half was very convincing after a few weeks where we struggled a bit with playing good football. We missed a penalty and a few chances in the second half, that’s football its part of the game.”

Looking at the positives that could be taken away from the game, Bertamini indicated his highlights were “the playing from the back in the first twenty minutes and the organisation that we applied today was very good.”

The ongoing process of South Melbourne developing its teams and players continues all the way through the season right to the end. Bertamini has a number of areas of to consider but he was very clear on one. “Well definitely we missed too many chances. Not just the penalty, it is only one small episode in a game but the fact we create every game seven, eight, ten chances and we convert only a few is the aspect we should work on. We got away with one point today it’s a bit disappointing.”

Match photos: http://on.fb.me/1mLfLbL

Other SMFC Youth Results
U12s lost 0:2
U13s lost 0:4
U14s won 3:0, goals: Tristan Meaker x2 and Matthew Loutrakis
U15s drew 1:1, goal: George Kalas
U18s lost1:3, goal: Nasir Hussaini

South Melbourne FC Youth teams play in the penultimate round of the season this weekend against Dandenong City away at the Frank Holohan Soccer Complex in Dandenong.