Category: News

South Melbourne FC is very pleased to announce the signing of Adelaide United Youth midfielder Dion Kirk for the remainder of the 2014 National Premier League Victoria season.

The 19 year old Kirk arrives at Lakeside Stadium following a highly successful season with Adelaide United in the National Youth League. He was made Vice Captain of the side by current Adelaide Youth coach Michael Valkanis, who himself played for South Melbourne FC in the old National Soccer League between 1992 and 1996.

Kirk plays in midfield, where his work rate and ability to create when going forward was a key reason why Adelaide United finished in the top four during the past National Youth League season. His individual performances during the season were recognised when he was awarded with the Most Valuable Player for the 2014 National Youth League season.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Football Director Nicholas Maikousis said “we are quite excited to welcome Dion to the club. His addition will provide Chris Taylor with more options in the middle of the park, and will strengthen what is already a very talented squad”.

South Melbourne FC welcomes Dion Kirk to the Club and wishes him the best for the remainder of the 2014 season.

Check out his Adelaide United Highlights

U12s won 7:2, goals: Adam Brigo 3, Sam Moraitis 2, Ari Gutrie 1, and own goal
U13s won 1:0, goal: William Wilson
U14s draw 1:1, goal: Keegan Garrow
U15s draw 1:1, goal: Nick Edwards
U16s lost 2:4
U18s won 4:0

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC continued its 100% winning record in 2014 with a 1-0 victory against Pascoe Vale at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. Mathew Theodore’s long-range strike after 25 minutes proved to be the difference as South won its ninth National Premier League match in a row.

Coach Chris Taylor made only one change to the South team that defeated Bentleigh Greens 2-1 last Sunday. Andrew Mullett started in place of captain Michael Eagar, who was rested following an ankle injury sustained in the Bentleigh match. As a result, Brad Norton wore the captain’s armband against Pascoe Vale. Vitale Ferrante’s side went into the game having won only one of their opening eight NPL matches and were desperate at least for a point against South Melbourne.

The home side scored the winning goal when Pascoe Vale only half-cleared the ball to Theodore at the edge of the box and the South midfielder drilled the ball past Pascoe Vale goalkeeper Stefaan Sardelic and into the back of the net. South could have been further ahead at the break but for two excellent saves by Sardelic to deny Iqi Jawadi and Theodore, both from long range. The second half was a struggle as South battled to break down the Pascoe Vale defence. At the other end of the field, the South defence survived a few nervous scares, firstly when James Musa’s defensive header nearly resulted in an own goal and secondly when a vicious Michael Ferrante free kick almost snuck in at Jason Saldaris’ near post in the final action of the match. In the end, South had done enough for the win and Saldaris enjoyed his sixth clean sheet across all competitions this season.

Post-match, Norton noted that “it was a tough one today but getting the three points is the most important thing…we want to win every home match and make it as hard as possible for sides to beat us here (at Lakeside)…so far, so good.” Taylor agreed and gave full credit to a resilient Pascoe Vale before adding that “the big thing for us is not to get complacent, it’s not like we’ve blitzed every game and won by big scores…we’ve just got to keep going the way we’re going at the moment and keep collecting the points.”

South’s victory and Oakleigh’s 1-1 draw with Northcote City means that Taylor’s side is now six points ahead of the second-placed Cannons at the top of the NPL ladder, with the two sides due to meet each other soon (at Jack Edwards Reserve on Friday 6 June).

The news was not as good in the NPL 20s, with South Melbourne losing 1-3 against Pascoe Vale. Josh Markovski scored a consolation goal for South late in the match having been 0-3 down.

Next weekend South travels to Galvin Park to face the promoted Werribee City. Kick-off is next Sunday 25 May at 3PM.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 1-0 PASCOE VALE (HT: 1-0)

Goal Scorer:
1-0: Mathew Theodore (25’)

Key Stats (Provided by Steven Orchard):
Shots: SMFC (11) – PVFC (10)
Turnovers: SMFC (83) – PVFC (87)
Balls into Final Third: SMFC (34) – PVFC (28)
Clearances: SMFC (12) – PVFC (15)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Jason SALDARIS (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 3. Andrew MULLETT, 7. Nick EPIFANO (27. Leigh MINOPOULOS 46’), 8. Mathew THEODORE, 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. Tyson HOLMES, 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Iqi JAWADI, 14. James MUSA, 17. Jamie REED (6. Dimi TSIARAS 88’).

Pascoe Vale:
1. Stefaan SARDELIC (GK), 2. Adrian TALARICO, 3. Nathen MEGIC, 10. Davey VAN’T SCHIP, 11. Jonathon VOULGARIS (7. Luca SANTILLI 67’), 13. Mathew LAZARIDES (8. Joseph YOUSSEF 62’), 14. Alvaro CARRILLO, 15. Mark PISTININZI, 16. Marco SANTILLI (6. Roberto DI VITO 70’), 21. Michael FERRANTE, 22. Carl RECCHIA.

SMFC Man of the Match: Mathew Theodore
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 18 May 2014

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC welcomes Pascoe Vale to Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening as Chris Taylor’s side looks to continue its record-breaking start to the season.

South goes into the game having won their opening ten matches in 2014 in both National Premier League and Dockerty Cup competitions, with its most recent being the 2-1 win against the Bentleigh Greens at Lakeside Stadium last Sunday 11 May. Milos Lujic and substitute Leigh Minopoulos scored second half goals as South won the three points to maintain its four point lead over the Oakleigh Cannons at the top of the NPL ladder. With essentially a full squad to choose from, Taylor will expect his side to continue its winning form in front of their home supporters on Sunday.

Pascoe Vale have had a very slow start to 2014, being eliminated in the Fourth Round of the Dockerty Cup (0-1 against State League 1 side South Springvale on Saturday 22 March) and winning only one of their opening eight NPL matches. Vitale Ferrante’s side currently sit in second-last spot on the NPL ladder, with their only win in all competitions being the 2-1 victory against Heidelberg United at Hosken Reserve on Thursday 17 April. Despite their lowly status, Pascoe Vale have players that are experienced in playing at the top level of Victorian football in Stefaan Sardelic, Tomi Milardovic, Michael Ferrante, Carl Recchia, Joseph Youssef and Jonathan Voulgaris. Sardelic, Recchia and Youssef are all former South players and will be looking to perform well against their former side.

The two sides have only met twice previously, both times in the 2013 Victorian Premier League competition. In the first meeting on Saturday 1 June 2013, Pascoe Vale had a man sent off after only ten minutes but managed to hold South to a 0-0 draw at Hosken Reserve. In the second meeting at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 25 August 2013, Nick Soolsma opened the scoring for the home side before Pascoe Vale took a shock lead thanks to goals from Ferrante and Luca Santilli. Luke Hopper levelled for South before the halftime break before Trent Rixon got on the end of a Soolsma cross to head the winning goal in the second half as South won the match 3-2.

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 #SMvPV.

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U12s – 5:0 win 
Goals: Adam Brigo 2, Dusan Pavlovic, Ari Guthri, Curtis Wong

U13s – Bye

U14s – 2:0 win
Goals: Keegan Garrow, Andrew Mesourouni

U15s – 2:2 draw
Goals: George Kalas, Julian Zinni

U18s – 4:7 lost
Goals: Edwin Strangherlin 2, Khaleb Horrocks and own goal.

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC continued its incredible start to the 2014 National Premier League season with a hard-fought 2-1 victory against the Bentleigh Greens at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. Second-half strikes from Milos Lujic and substitute Leigh Minopoulos were just enough to defeat the Greens, who scored a consolation goal thanks to a Jack Webster header.

John Anastasiadis’ Bentleigh was always going to be the toughest test for Chris Taylor’s side so far this season and the away side showed why that was the case in the first half, creating plenty of chances but not capitalising on the scoreboard. The away side should have been in the lead at halftime but for South goalkeeper Jason Saldaris making two important saves to keep his side level at 0-0 going into the rooms at the break. South’s best chance of the half fell to Nick Epifano but his shot fizzed wide of Bentleigh goalkeeper Stuart Webster’s goal.

South eventually wrestled control of the match in the second half and opened the scoring on 67 minutes when Epifano’s shot could only be parried by Stuart Webster into the path of Milos Lujic and Lujic made no mistake, blasting the ball into the back of the net. The centre-forward should have made it 2-0 only a minute later when Stuart Webster had raced off his goal line and left his goal exposed, however his defender Jack Webster put his right leg in the way of Lujic’s shot and the ball deflected wide of the goals. Bentleigh missed a great opportunity to level when Luc Jeggo sprung the offside trap and cut the ball back beautifully for Luke Pilkington but he blasted his shot over Saldaris’ goal.

Minopoulos had been making an impact as a substitute all season and on this occasion he scored four minutes after coming off the bench, getting on the end of Jamie Reed’s cross to the back post and then getting past his marker before scoring past Stuart Webster to give South a commanding 2-0 lead. The home side looked to be cruising towards another victory but Bentleigh provided a late scare when Jack Webster’s well-placed header from a corner kick in the second minute of injury time gave the away side a lifeline. Despite the six minutes of injury time played, South held on and have now won their opening eight League matches – plus the two Dockerty Cup wins – giving Chris Taylor’s men an incredible ten straight victories across all competitions to start the season.

Taylor was very proud of his side post-match, adding that “it was a big test today…in the second half we stepped it up and were worthy winners.” South end the round on top of the NPL ladder with a four point lead over second-placed Oakleigh Cannons.

It was a different story in the NPL 20s as Bentleigh defeated South 5-2. Eric Hauser and Matthew Kundevski scored South’s goals.

South Melbourne FC’s next match is against Pascoe Vale at Lakeside Stadium next Sunday 18 May, with the match kicking off at 5PM.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 2-1 BENTLEIGH GREENS (HT: 0-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Milos Lujic (67′)
2-0: Leigh Minopoulos (89′)
2-1: Jack Webster (90+2′)

Key Stats (Provided by Steven Orchard):
Shots:  SMFC (16) – BGFC (13)
Saves: SMFC (5) – BGFC (4)
Turn Overs: SMFC (75) – BGFC (79)
Balls into Final Third: SMFC (40) – BGFC (43)
Clearances: SMFC (20) – BGFC (14)

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC hosts its second home game of the National Premier League season when it welcomes the Bentleigh Greens to Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. With South sitting first on the NPL ladder and the Greens in third place, there is certainly a lot of interest and anticipation ahead of Sunday’s match.

Chris Taylor’s South Melbourne side head into the match having won their opening nine matches across all competitions in 2014, with the most recent being the 1-4 win against Berwick City in the Dockerty Cup Fifth Round on Wednesday night at Jack Thomas Reserve. South is the only side still yet to drop points in the NPL in 2014 and will be hoping to continue the winning run on Sunday. John Anastasiadis’ Bentleigh head into the game having surprisingly lost their last League match (3-2 against Green Gully on Saturday 3 May) after leading 1-2. It was their first loss of the season but they bounced back into winning form in midweek with a solid 3-1 victory against the Moreland Zebras in their Dockerty Cup tie at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex.

Bentleigh enjoys an excellent recent record against South at Lakeside Stadium, having won there on their last two visits. On both occasions, South has ended the game with nine men in a load of controversy. On Sunday 9 September 2012, Peter Tsolakis’ South side needed to defeat the Greens in order to keep their finals hopes alive. Andy Vlahos scored what looked like being the crucial goal after 78 minutes, however tragically a nine-man South (following a Dimi Tsiaras red card and an injury to Glen Trifiro after South had used all three substitutes) conceded a 92^nd minute equaliser and missed the finals series by one point. On Sunday 21 July 2013, Nick Epifano scored in the second minute before goalkeeper Peter Gavalas was sent off and Iqi Jawadi received two controversial yellow cards as Bentleigh won 1-4. The nine South players remaining on the field were applauded off by the home support and were offered sympathy by Anastasiadis, who himself thought the score line was very flattering to his side.

It is expected that Jason Saldaris will return in goal on Sunday and that Nick Epifano, Brad Norton, Tyson Holmes, Jamie Reed and Mathew Theodore will return to the starting eleven, however all the fringe players impressed against Berwick City on Wednesday night and Taylor may spring a surprise or two in the starting eleven on Sunday.

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 #SMvBG.

Last time we met

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

The Fifth Round of the Dockerty Cup was played overnight as South Melbourne FC defeated Berwick City 1-4 at Jack Thomas Reserve to progress through to the next round. Goals from Milos Lujic, Slaven Vranesevic, Leigh Minopoulos and Kobbie Boahene saw South comfortably progress to the Sixth Round and make it nine wins from nine matches across all competitions in 2014.

As promised, South Coach Chris Taylor made six changes to the starting line-up, as goalkeeper Chris Maynard made his first appearance in 2014 whilst Andrew Mullett, Dimi Tsiaras, Boahene, Vranesevic and Minopoulos all started as well. It was important that Taylor rotated his squad for the Cup match to allow the fringe players the chance to show their worth and at the same time give other players the chance to rest ahead of the important National Premier League match against Bentleigh Greens on Sunday. Jason Saldaris, Nick Epifano, Jamie Reed, Tyson Holmes and Brad Norton were all on the substitutes’ bench whilst Mathew Theodore was left out of the squad altogether.

South opened the scoring after only two minutes when Minopoulos’ shot could only be parried by Berwick’s goalkeeper and Lujic got to the ball first before tapping home. South were 0-2 ahead just after the quarter-hour mark when Vranesevic got past his marker before firing a low left-footed drive into the bottom right corner of the goal from outside the box. The away side were in cruise control after 24 minutes when Lujic held off his marker before flicking the ball into the path of the incoming Minopoulos to pick his spot before curling the ball into the top corner of the goal. With the game effectively wrapped up, South switched off shortly before halftime and allowed Ashley Savanah to powerfully head a consolation goal for Berwick City following an excellent cross from the left side. Boahene completed the scoring after 70 minutes when he took on and beat his marker on the right side of the box before firing a shot across the goalkeeper and into the bottom left corner of the net.

Football Federation Victoria have advised that the draw for the Sixth Round of the Dockerty Cup will be made on Monday 12 May, with the ties to be played midweek on either Tuesday 27 May or Wednesday 28 May. Following the Sixth Round will be the Quarter Final stage and then the Semi Finals, with the four Semi Finalists qualifying for the FFA Cup that will be played later this year.

South returns to League action this weekend as it hosts the Bentleigh Greens at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. Kick-off is at 5PM.

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

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Milos Lujic (2’)
0-2: Slaven Vranesevic (17’)
0-3: Leigh Minopoulos (24’)
1-3: Ashley Savanah (42’)
1-4: Kobbie Boahene (70’)

South Melbourne FC:
21. Chris MAYNARD (GK), 2. Tim MALA (7. Nick EPIFANO 73’), 3. Andrew MULLETT, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 6. Dimi TSIARAS, 9. Milos LUJIC (17. Jamie REED 64’), 12. Iqi JAWADI (10. Tyson HOLMES 71’), 14. James MUSA (11. Brad NORTON 73’), 15. Kobbie BOAHENE, 20. Slaven VRANESEVIC, 27. Leigh MINOPOULOS.

SMFC Man of the Match: Slaven Vranesevic
Venue: Jack Thomas Reserve
Date: Wednesday 7 May 2014

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC travels to Jack Thomas Reserve to play Berwick City in the Fifth Round of the Dockerty Cup on Wednesday night. The winners will progress through to the Sixth Round of the competition that will be played either on Tuesday 27 May or Wednesday 28 May.

South goes into the match in excellent form, having won its opening seven matches of the National Premier League season and having defeated Sunshine George Cross in the Fourth Round of the Dockerty Cup at Chaplin Reserve back on Saturday 22 March. Berwick City head into Wednesday’s match having had an inconsistent start to its State League 2 South-East campaign (two wins, one draw, two losses), however they won their last two League matches (against Seaford United on Saturday 26 April and against Mooroolbark on Saturday 3 May) to head into Wednesday’s match against South on a winning run. Berwick has reached the Fifth Round of the Dockerty Cup thanks to a 5-0 win against Old Trinity Grammarians in the Second Round (Saturday 8 March), a 2-1 win against Surf Coast FC in the Third Round (Sunday 16 March) and a 3-2 win against Western Suburbs in the Fourth Round (Saturday 22 March).

South Coach Chris Taylor noted that he would make up to six changes to his side that defeated Ballarat Red Devils 2-1 at Morshead Park Stadium last Saturday afternoon. This may give the likes of Andrew Mullett, Dimi Tsiaras, Kobbie Boahene, Slaven Vranesevic, Andy Kecojevic, Leigh Minopoulos and Chris Maynard the opportunity to start against Berwick and show Taylor their worth. Minopoulos will surely get the chance to start, having started against George Cross in the Cup earlier this season and having been used very effectively off the substitutes’ bench in the opening seven League matches.

Wednesday night’s match kicks off at 7:30PM and Jack Thomas Reserve.