Category: News

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.

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC broke a Club record that had stood since 1960 by defeating Ballarat Red Devils 1-2 at Morshead Park on Saturday afternoon. First half goals from Milos Lujic and Jamie Reed proved to be enough as South won the three points and registered seven wins from seven National Premier League matches in 2014, setting a new record for most consecutive wins to start a League season.

Morshead Park Stadium hosted its first ever match as the match kicked off in sunshine before the weather took a turn for the worse after about half an hour and saw the rest of the match being played out in very wet and cold conditions. Luckily for Chris Taylor’s men, they had effectively sealed the three points in the opening 21 minutes and were able to grind out the result when the weather changed and the conditions became trickier. South opened the scoring after 11 minutes when Iqi Jawadi played Lujic through before the centre-forward calmly slotted the ball past Aaron Romein’s near post. Reed then hit the crossbar with a dipping shot before the away side went 0-2 ahead on 21 minutes when Michael Eagar controlled the ball from a corner and crossed back into the six yard box for Reed to meet the ball amongst a sea of bodies and score past Romein after two attempts. The goalkeeper then made an excellent save from a goal-bound Reed shot minutes later by forcing the ball wide of the goal. Lujic was denied a second when he stuck the ball in the back of the empty net but was flagged for offside.

James Robinson’s Ballarat side had been very quiet in the first half yet went close when Charlie King hit a fierce drive that sailed just over Jason Saldaris’ goal. The home side scored what proved to be a consolation goal right on the halftime break, when James Musa gave away a foul just outside the area that the South players were incensed about because they believed the centre-back had clearly won the ball. From the resultant free kick, Dane Milovanovic stepped up and hit a wonderful free kick that hit the top left corner of the net despite Saldaris getting a glove to the ball. The goal gave Ballarat real hope that they could gain something from the match in the second half, however as the rain poured down at Morshead Park, South held firm in the second half to win relatively comfortably and maintain its 100 per cent winning record across all competitions in 2014.

Post-match, Taylor was pleased that his players had won and broken the Club record but remained level-headed about the result. “We were outstanding in the opening 25 minutes and created lots of chances and could have had two or three more goals. I’m pleased but I’m not entirely happy with the performance….but sometimes you have to take the wins you’re not entirely happy with.” Tyson Holmes and Reed were both substituted off late in the match with minor injuries but Taylor wasn’t too concerned, adding that both players should be available for selection in both the Dockerty Cup match against Berwick City on Wednesday night and then the League match against Bentleigh Greens on Sunday afternoon. In terms of squad selection for the Berwick match, Taylor said that “I will probably make about six changes to let the younger players have a go…it’s important to have everyone fit and firing and these guys will get their chance this week.”

It was a disappointing result in the NPL Under 20s match as Ballarat fought back from a 0-1 deficit in the second half to defeat South 3-1, with South’s goal being an own goal.

South Melbourne FC’s next match is the Dockerty Cup Fifth Round tie against Berwick City at Jack Thomas Reserve on Wednesday night (7 May), with kick-off at 7:30PM. League action resumes again next Sunday evening (11 May) with a tough match against the Bentleigh Greens at Lakeside Stadium, with kick-off at 5PM.

FINAL SCORE: BALLARAT RED DEVILS 1-2 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 1-2)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Milos Lujic (11′)
0-2: Jamie Reed (21′)
1-2: Dane Milovanovic (45+3′)

Ballarat Red Devils:
1. Aaron ROMEIN (GK), 3. Daniel TINKLER, 4. Dane MILOVANOVIC, 13. Michael TRIGGER (35. Adrian CURTAIN 85′), 15. Dom SWINTON (12. Miles BAKER 67′), 18. Daniel O’DONNELL, 19. Daniel FIRTH (30. Ibrahim GHULAMI 75′), 21. Charlie KING, 22. Pat KARRAS, 25. Steven THOMSON, 31. Simon MURPHY.

South Melbourne FC:
1. Jason SALDARIS (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 7. Nick EPIFANO (15. Kobbie BOAHENE 60′), 8. Mathew THEODORE, 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. Tyson HOLMES (6. Dimi TSIARAS 84′), 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Iqi JAWADI, 14. James MUSA, 17. Jamie REED (27. Leigh MINOPOULOS 75′).

SMFC Man of the Match: Brad Norton
Venue: Morshead Park Stadium
Date: Saturday 3 May 2014

Here is a full rundown of the youth results from the weekend:

U12: SMFC 1 – Northcote City 4
(Goal: Adam Brigo)

U13: SMFC 4 – Northcote City 0
(Goals: Alan Fogel x 2, William Williamson & Chester Murdoch)

U14: SMFC 2 – Northcote City 2
(Goals: Tristan Meaker x 2)

U15: SMFC 0 – Northcote City 1

U16: SMFC 2 – Northcote City 0
(Goals: Own Goal & Adrian Kovacevic)

U18: SMFC 3 – Northcote City 3
(Goals: Edwin Stangherlin x2 &amp Anthony Mijac)

By John Kyrou

The Ballarat Red Devils host NPL football at its new multi-million dollar facility at Morshead Park for the first time when it welcomes South Melbourne FC to town on Saturday afternoon. The home side will want to impress in front of the local support whilst South will be aiming to set a new Club record of seven straight wins achieved at the beginning of a League season.

Ballarat head into Saturday’s match having fought out a 2-2 draw against Pascoe Vale at Hosken Reserve last Saturday evening. The result would have been hard to take for James Robinson’s side considering they were 0-2 ahead before conceding two goals in the last fifteen minutes as the match finished all square. In further bad news, Liam Harding was sent off in the 78th minute and will therefore miss Saturday’s match against South. Ballarat have lost three League matches in a row and will be desperate to change things around on Saturday afternoon.

In contrast, South goes into the game with a perfect 100% winning record across all competitions in 2014. Milos Lujic’s 85th minute goal against the Melbourne Knights was the difference in the derby at Somers Street last Sunday as Chris Taylor’s side travel to Ballarat on Saturday full of confidence. Several players had excellent matches against the Knights, including Jamie Reed, James Musa, Michael Eagar and Iqi Jawadi. Substitute Leigh Minopoulos again excelled coming off the bench by playing a key role in setting up Lujic for the winning goal and now surely gives Taylor a major dilemma in deciding whether to put him in the starting eleven this Saturday.

Ballarat and South have already met in the League this season, with a goal in each half by Jamie Reed being enough for South to win comfortably 2-0 at Lakeside Stadium on Thursday 17 April. On that night, Dane Milovanovic came off the bench and nearly scored a wonderful consolation goal for the Red Devils and will be a player that South need to watch out for on Saturday. Ballarat withstood an onslaught from South in the opening 20 minutes of the match at Lakeside Stadium whilst looking to punish South with quick counter-attacking play and again this is something that Taylor’s men need to watch out for this Saturday.

Should South Melbourne defeat Ballarat, it will break the Club record set in South’s first ever season of competition (1960) for most consecutive wins at the beginning of a League season (seven wins). In 1960, South Melbourne Hellas was in Metropolitan League 1 North (the division below the old Victorian State League/Victorian Premier League) and won promotion by winning seventeen of the 18 League matches and drawing once. That draw was in Round 7 when Chris Georgousis’ men could only manage a 3-3 draw with Corio on Saturday 7 May 1960. The 2014 South Melbourne FC side will hopefully go one better with a win on Saturday.

For those unable to make the trip, there will be live updates on South Melbourne FC’s Facebook page as well as on the Twitter feed @smfc (#NPLVIC #BRDvSM)

By John Kyrou (photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC defeated the Melbourne Knights 0-1 at Knights Stadium to continue its 100 per cent winning start to the 2014 National Premier League Victoria season. Milos Lujic’s goal five minutes from time proved to be the difference between the two sides as South won its sixth straight League match in a row.

Both sides had excellent opportunities to open the scoring in the opening few minutes of the derby. Lujic should have opened the scoring for the away side after beating the offside trap and being one-on-one with Knights goalkeeper Chris May, however the centre-forward decided to cut the ball back to Nick Epifano and that gave the scrambling Knights defence enough time to get back and block the shot. The Knights counter-attacked moments later as Rodrigo Covarrubias found himself through on goal but South goalkeeper Jason Saldaris blocked his shot. Later on in the half, May tipped a goal-bound Jamie Reed strike over his crossbar, whilst at the other end Saldaris made a vital save to deny Covarrubias scoring from Shayan Alinejad’s cross from the right side.

South were the more dominant side in the second half but were unable to put away their chances created. Shortly after the hour mark, Epifano put the ball into the back of the net but the goal was disallowed as the midfielder had been offside before scoring. Reed then missed a great opportunity to open the scoring after being put through by Tyson Holmes on the left side but the Englishman curled his shot wide of May’s far post. South were clearly on top of the Knights by this stage but it was the home side that missed the best chance of the match when Alinejad failed to properly connect to the ball after it was flicked over to him at the back post following Anthony Colosimo’s long throw in.

The deadlock was finally broken when substitute Leigh Minopoulos did brilliantly to beat two Knights players in midfield before setting up Lujic, who picked his spot before curling the ball past May and into the back of the net off the far post. It was Lujic’s sixth League goal of the season at an average of exactly one goal a game.

Post-match, South Coach Chris Taylor noted how “derby games are always difficult to predict…I thought we were very disciplined and we grounded it out.”

The derby wins means that South has now matched its greatest ever start to a League campaign, equalling the six straight wins achieved at the beginning of the Club’s first ever season of competition. South won its first six Victorian Metropolitan League 1 North matches in 1960 before drawing 3-3 against Corio in the seventh round on Saturday 7 May 1960. It was the only League match that South dropped points in that season as Chris Georgousis’ men blitzed Division 1 by winning seventeen of the 18 matches to gain promotion into the 1961 Victorian State League.

It was further great news in the NPL 20s, as South defeated the Knights 1-4. Ryan Babare scored twice as Andrija Roksandic and Joshua Markovski scored the other two goals.

South travels to Morshead Park next Saturday afternoon to face the Ballarat Red Devils. Victory for Taylor’s side will confirm South’s best ever start to a League season in the Club’s history, having already broken another individual Club record earlier this year with the most consecutive away wins in the League to begin a season.

Fans who would like to attend Saturday’s match in Ballarat are advised that there is a bus service leaving from Lakeside Stadium. For further details of departure times and associated cost, please contact the club on 9645 9797 or multimedia@smfc.com.au.

FINAL SCORE: MELBOURNE KNIGHTS 0-1 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-0)

Goal Scorer:
0-1: Milos Lujic (85′)

Key Stats (provided by Steven Orchard):
Shots: MKFC (5) – SMFC (18)
Saves: MKFC (9) – SMFC (2)
Turnovers: MKFC (84) – SMFC (80)
Clearances: MKFC (19) – SMFC (13)
Shots Blocked: MKFC (0) – SMFC (5)

Melbourne Knights:
1. Chris MAY (GK), 4. Ben SUREY, 5. Milan BATUR, 6. Tomislav USKOK, 8. James McGARRY, 11. Anthony COLOSIMO, 13. Antun KOVACIC, 14. Rodrigo COVARRUBIAS, 16. Nikola SRBINOVSKI, 17. Daniel VISEVIC (7. Chris TALAJIC 73’ [18. Anthony DUZEL 81’]), 19. Shayan ALINEJAD.

South Melbourne FC:
1. Jason SALDARIS (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 7. Nick EPIFANO (27. Leigh MINOPOULOS 69’), 8. Mathew THEODORE, 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. Tyson HOLMES, 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Iqi JAWADI, 14. James MUSA, 17. Jamie REED.

SMFC Man of the Match: James Musa
Venue: Knights Stadium
Date: Sunday 27 April 2014

South Melbourne FC invites 50 lucky fans to join the inner sanctum for the trip to the Round 7 clash against the Red Devils in Ballarat on Saturday 3rd May by offering you the opportunity to join either our Senior or Under 20 squad on the bus trip.

The bus trip will also form a key part of the SMFC TV episode on the following week, as well as an upcoming television commercial to be screened at future home match days and throughout mainstream media, allowing the lucky fans a chance to appear on television.

Each seat costs $50 and is inclusive of entry into the stadium for the match. Buses will depart from and return to Lakeside Stadium on match day.

Seats are limited, so contact us today to book your seat and to organise payment.

For more information and to reserve your seat contact the club at multimedia@smfc.com.au by COB on Tuesday April 29th to secure your spot by filling in the the attached bus booking form (Download Here).

By George Kouroumalis

It may have been a freezing Friday morning in Melbourne but it didn’t stop all those involved with our club sacrificing some sleep to pay the ultimate respect to the ANZACS at the Shrine of Remembrance.

Every senior listed player and member of the coaching staff was in attendance, as well as each member of the junior coaching staff, club media representatives and board members and volunteers.

The entire South contingent met on St Kilda Road at 4am, walking as one to the shrine for the 6am dawn service, where they were surrounded by thousands of Victorians, inclusive of many former men and women who had served for our nation, as well as many family members associated with such heroes.

Our Captain Michael Eagar is both an Australian and New Zealand resident, with the service giving him an understanding of the sacrifices that were made by troops of both nations to assist in paving the way on how we live life today.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, an emotional Eagar said “It was a wonderful experience to come to the shrine with the club and be involved in paying some respect to the brave men and women who lost their lives for our countries. Sometimes sport pales into insignificance when you sit back and realise the sacrifices that were made in order to ensure that the future generations (like ourselves) could live in a free society and essentially have the choices to do whatever we want.

It was great to see not only every member of the playing group, but all the senior and youth coaching staff, board members and club volunteers all as one and representing this great club”

Senior coach Chris Taylor also praised all club officials for all attending, stating that “it was fantastic to see all aspects of the club represented this morning at the service and that the entire club was committed to paying respect to these brave and selfless people.

At the start of the season we all made a commitment for one another, whether that was on the park as a playing group or off the field in continuing to drive the club forward.

When you hear about the commitment that the ANZACS made for one another and the stories of how many people did not come back to their family and friends, it really hits home that the commitment we have all made is quite minor compared to the ultimate sacrifice many made to make the world a better place”

We would like to thank everyone who represented the club with dignity this morning and would urge anyone who has not yet been to the service to do so in the future.

Lest we forget

By John Kyrou

The Melbourne Knights host South Melbourne FC in Melbourne’s first National Premier League derby on Sunday afternoon at Knights Stadium. The Knights will be looking to get their season back on track following an inconsistent start to 2014, whereas South will be looking for six consecutive League victories to open the season.

The Melbourne Knights were tipped as one of the teams to beat in 2014 and not surprisingly they began the League season with a 3-2 victory against Northcote City at Knights Stadium on 14 March before following up with a solid 0-2 victory against Pascoe Vale at Hosken Reserve on 28 March. With three home matches in a row following the Pascoe Vale win, things were looking very good for Andrew Marth’s side. Unfortunately for the Knights, they lost all three matches by a goal (1-2 against Werribee City on 6 April, 1-2 against Dandenong on 13 April and 0-1 against Hume City on 16 April). This leaves the Knights in seventh spot on the NPL ladder with six points next to its name.

South on the other hand has completed its opening five League matches with a 100 per cent winning record, with its most recent victim being the Ballarat Red Devils side that Chris Taylor’s men defeated 2-0 at Lakeside Stadium on 17 April. Jamie Reed scored a goal in each half as South ended the round in top spot on the NPL ladder with 15 points, four ahead of second-placed Oakleigh Cannons. Reed and Milos Lujic have been firing up front for South this season, however what has pleased Taylor the most has been the two clean sheets kept in the last two matches, something that he will demand his players achieve again on Sunday.

The Knights had the better of South during the 2013 Victorian Premier League regular season, drawing 2-2 at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 16 June before defeating South 2-1 at Knights Stadium on Sunday 1 September. However South gained revenge in the Minor Semi Final when it defeated the Knights 0-1 at Somers Street on Friday 4 October in front of nearly 5,000 spectators, advancing to the Preliminary Final whilst the Knights bowed out of the finals in straight sets. That defeat is still fresh for Marth’s side and South will need to be at the top of their game in order to achieve victory again at Somers Street this weekend.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 3PM 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)

Check out the derby overview courtesy of SMFC TV