Category: News

Friday, 12 July 2013 9:34 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC is seeking to end a run of three successive defeats when it hosts the Southern Stars at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday afternoon. It is a crucial match in South’s season, as a victory could see South end the round back in the top five, should other results go its way.

South goes into the match having lost 1-3 against Green Gully at Lakeside Stadium last Sunday afternoon. Despite leveling thanks to Andy Vlahos’ wonder free kick on the half hour, South ran out of legs as Gully scored two second-half goals and cruised to victory. Shaun Kelly was already injured before the Gully match, meaning that Under-21s player James Karvellis (playing his first full game in the seniors) and Dimi Tsiaras made up a makeshift centre-half pairing. What made matters worse for new coach Chris Taylor was that Tsiaras sustained a hamstring injury after 70 minutes and had to be replaced by another Under-21s player in Erdem Ozcagli. The positive news is that both players – particularly Karvelis – impressed and may be used again by Taylor against Southern Stars.

More positive news was the mid-season transfer window signings of Nicholas Epifano and Iqi Jawadi from Dandenong Thunder during the week. It is unclear whether both players will be used in Sunday’s match but they will no doubt feature in the coming weeks. Taylor will be keen on all his players gelling together straight away against the Stars in a match that South simply must win considering it has not won a League match since defeating Oakleigh Cannons at Lakeside Stadium on 26 May. With tough games against Bentleigh Greens and Dandenong Thunder to come, it is of upmost importance that South defeats the Stars on Sunday.

The Southern Stars have only picked up two points from their opening 12 matches this season and were comprehensively defeated 0-3 by South at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex earlier on in the season on 13 April. However the Stars will be boosted by the fact that they defeated South 0-2 in the corresponding match played between the two sides at Lakeside Stadium on 4 May 2012. On that occasion, goals in each half from Mark Leech and former South player Yanni Galanos undid a very disappointing South side. Former South captain Rama Tavsancioglu will feature on Sunday and will no doubt be keen to help his side win their first game of the season against one of his former clubs.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 3PM at Lakeside Stadium.

Last time we met

Monday, 8 July 2013 7:28 PM

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce that Iqbal (Iqi) Jawadi (pictured) and Nicholas Epifano have joined the Club during the mid-season transfer window. Both players arrive from Dandenong Thunder and will renew acquaintances with their former coach Chris Taylor at Lakeside Stadium.

Iqi Jawadi arrives at the Club having played a large part of Dandenong Thunder’s treble-winning season in 2012. The central midfielder is known for his hard running and for his ability to win the ball and will be a welcome addition in the middle of the park. Perhaps more remarkable is his personal story, with the young man having been born and then fleeing war-torn Afghanistan (at four years of age) with his family to pursue a new life firstly in India and then Australia. His single mother and her five children struggled with living in New Delhi before eventually finding themselves in Melbourne . Ironically, Jawadi never really played football until arriving in Australia but once he started he was given a chance by Taylor firstly in the Victorian state team and then finally at Dandenong Thunder. He played in all 25 League games for Dandenong Thunder last season (scoring one goal) and also was part of the team that won the State Knockout Cup after defeating Port Melbourne 5-4 on penalties. He has played 11 matches this season.

Nicholas Epifano arrives at Lakeside Stadium having played nine matches with the Thunder this season, scoring one goal. He arrives with the reputation of being an attacking player who beats players on the flanks. Prior to playing for Dandenong this season, Epifano played with the Melbourne Heart in the National Youth League. In the match that South played against Dandenong at George Andrews Reserve earlier this season (27 April), Epifano was the player that got behind the South defence on the left side before firing in a low cross that resulted in Shaun Kelly’s own goal. That goal opened the scoring for the Thunder in a game they eventually won 3-0.

South Melbourne FC welcomes Iqi Jawadi and Nicholas Epifano to the Club and wishes them the best for the rest of this season.

Monday, 8 July 2013 7:11 PM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC suffered a third consecutive defeat when it was beaten 1-3 by Green Gully at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Goals from Osagie Ederaro, Jason Hayne and Daniel Jones won the three points for the away side even though Andy Vlahos did equalise for South in the first half with a fantastic free kick.

The clash against Green Gully marked the first match for Chris Taylor as Head Coach since taking over late last week. Ironically, Taylor ’s final game in charge of the Thunder last weekend was a home game against Green Gully that Gully won 0-2. Taylor’s first match as South manager was always going to be difficult, as he only had one training session with the squad on the Friday night ahead of the match on Sunday.

To make matters worse for the home side, centre-half Shaun Kelly was missing after picking up a hamstring injury against Port Melbourne the week before. Dimi Hatzimouratis and Brad Norton (the captain against Green Gully) maintained their positions at right and left fullbacks respectively whilst youngster James Karvelis played his first full match for the Club, alongside Dimi Tsiaras at centre-half. Andy Vlahos was in the starting eleven for the first time this season, having come off the bench in every other match.

South began on a mission and should have opened the scoring in the first minute but for Gully goalkeeper Kieran Gonzalez making two excellent blocks to deny Vlahos and Marinos Gasparis. Green Gully – as it has typically done against South in the past – was always going to make South pay for not scoring early and they did so by taking the lead against the run of play after 15 minutes. Jason Hayne broke down the right hand side and crossed to an unmarked Ederaro at the back post to head past Peter Gavalas. South nearly responded shortly after when Daniel Jones slipped in the wet, allowing Nick Soolsma through one-on-one with Gonzalez, however Jones recovered well and saved the day for the away side by forcing Soolsma wide of the goal. Vlahos leveled the game for South on the half-hour after firing a vicious left-footed shot into the top left corner of Gonzalez’s goal from a free kick just outside the area. Vlahos then missed a great opportunity to put the home side into the lead but his header at the near post from Gasparis’ corner flew over the crossbar.

Hamid Basma replaced Brent Fisher at halftime and it was the former South player that played a key role in Green Gully’s second goal after putting Hayne through on goal to fire past Gavalas. This led to Taylor bringing on the experienced Fernando De Moraes to try and salvage something from the game. South suffered a further blow only minutes later when Tsiaras went down with a bad hamstring injury and had to be replaced by youngster Erdem Ozcagli, meaning that South’s two centre-backs were two Under-21s players. Another Under-21s player in Baggio Youssif replaced Vlahos as quite a youthful South side set about trying to salvage something from the match. However, Green Gully ended the contest with a third goal only a minute after Youssif’s introduction, when Jones out jumped his markers to head past Gavalas from a free kick from the right hand side.

Taylor was naturally disappointed post-match, adding that “we had plenty of chances but we didn’t put them away and you’re always going to get punished if you don’t put away your chances…the goals we conceded were quite sloppy defending.”

It was further bad news in the Under-21s as Green Gully defeated South 0-1.

South will look to turn its season around next weekend when it hosts bottom side Southern Stars next Sunday afternoon at Lakeside Stadium. Kick-off is at 3pm.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 1-3 GREEN GULLY (HT: 1-1)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Osagie Ederaro (15′)
1-1: Andy Vlahos (31′)
1-2: Jason Hayne (62′)
1-3: Daniel Jones (71′)

Key Stats (courtesy of Steven Orchard):
Shots: South Melbourne (14) – Green Gully (8)
Saves: South Melbourne (3) – Green Gully (6)
Balls in Area: South Melbourne (32) – Green Gully (24)
Shots Blocked: South Melbourne (4) – Green Gully (1)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 6. Dimi TSIARAS (5. Erdem OZCAGLI 67′), 10. Tyson HOLMES, 11. Brad NORTON (C), 12. Rhys MEREDITH, 14. Andy VLAHOS (26. Baggio YOUSSIF 70′), 15. Dimi HATZIMOURATIS, 16. Alan KEARNEY , 17. Nick SOOLSMA, 18. Marinos GASPARIS (8. Fernando DE MORAES 64′), 22. James KARVELIS

Green Gully:
1. Kieran GONZALEZ (GK), 2. Daniel JONES, 5. Roddy VARGAS, 7. Jeffrey FLEMING, 8. Jason HAYNE, 12. Matthew SANDERS, 13. Brent FISHER (15. Hamid BASMA 45′), 16. Sean HARDING, 17. Andy VARGAS, 20. Osagie EDERARO, 21. Brian VANEGA (6. Stephen DOWNES 61′)

SMFC Man of the Match: James Karvelis
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 7 July 2013

Friday, 5 July 2013 9:57 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC faces a big test this weekend when it hosts Green Gully at Lakeside Stadium. Sunday’s match will conclude what has been a remarkable week at the Club, after the 0-1 home loss against Port Melbourne last Sunday was followed by the resignation of coach Peter Tsolakis on Monday before Dandenong Thunder’s Chris Taylor was appointed as the new coach on Wednesday.

South endured a frustrating afternoon against Port Melbourne last Sunday, conceding a soft goal after only two minutes and then failing to score despite dominating the game and creating a number of decent chances. South has now played every Victorian Premier League side once and at the halfway point of the season has a record of five wins, two draws and four losses. The loss to Port has seen the Club slide from fourth to sixth place on the VPL ladder, giving Chris Taylor the difficult task of quickly building confidence and getting results in the next few rounds to start the second half of the season strongly. This will be made even harder due to the fact that centre-half Shaun Kelly will be missing for a few weeks with a hamstring injury, however this present an opportunity for youngsters Matko Budimir and James Karvelis to step up and fill the centre-half role alongside Dimi Tsiaras. The injured Renco Van Eeken is close to being made available for selection but may have to miss another week, whilst fellow Dutchman and new signing Nick Soolsma impressed against Port Melbourne and will be looking for further improvement this weekend.

Green Gully may be sitting in eighth spot on the VPL ladder but it is only five points behind South with a game in hand. Gully is known for starting the season slowly before having a strong second half of the season and storming into the finals and season 2013 has been no different. After picking up only five points from its opening seven matches, Gully has picked up seven points from its last three matches and should have won its last three games in a row had it not blown a 2-0 lead against Bentleigh to draw 2-2 on 22 June. Last Saturday evening, Gully enjoyed a 0-2 away victory against defending Champions Dandenong Thunder. Ironically, Chris Taylor will be coaching against Green Gully for the second consecutive weekend after overseeing Dandenong’s loss last Saturday. He will be hoping – as will South fans – that Gully does not get the same result at Lakeside Stadium this Sunday.

In the corresponding fixture last season played on Sunday 15 July 2012 at Lakeside Stadium, a goal in each half by Brian Vanega saw Green Gully defeat South 0-2. South opened its 2013 VPL campaign with a very solid 0-3 victory against Green Gully at Green Gully Reserve on 6 April and will be very happy if it wins by the same score line on Sunday.

Sunday’s match kicks off at Lakeside Stadium at 3PM.

Last time we met

Thursday, 4 July 2013 2:47 PM

In June 2012, South Melbourne FC endorsed the general principles and direction that football was taking under the FFA and FFV’s transition to the National Premier League structure. From the outset, however, the Club informed the FFV it would be proposing appropriate changes so that the model would appeal to most clubs.

Over the last twelve months, the Club has become increasingly concerned with the process and consultation undertaken by the FFV Board in order to galvanise and build momentum to successfully launch the new NPL structure in Victoria.

South Melbourne FC is disappointed that the FFV Board has not accepted many of FFV’s stakeholders’ recommendations for changes to the NPL-V model required to ensure the financial viability of the new league and to maximise the quality of the competition. None of the key recommendations proposed by the clubs have been accepted by the FFV Board.

One of the key concerns of the clubs which have either not submitted an EOI or have since indicated an intention to withdraw their EOI is the financial and operational structure of the clubs taking part in the proposed NPL-V and the proposed competition itself. The clubs have been vindicated in their concerns by the FFV Board announcement on Tuesday 2nd July to the participants which lodged an EOI that the Small Sided Football competition cannot be included in this state. This is in direct contrast to the NPL structures in New South Wales, Tasmania, and South Australia. We are concerned that this decision by the FFV Board will now bring a further exodus of clubs which are not prepared to risk their club’s financial integrity and security.

As a result, we believe that Victoria will lose clubs with sound infrastructure and facilities, which will further weaken the proposed competition by further compromising its marketability, popularity, and resulting in restricted broadcasting and commercial opportunities, and more importantly diminishing the potential for a strong and competitive football league.

South Melbourne FC has worked long and hard to enthuse and encourage participants in Victoria to apply and enter the NPL-V as we felt that the major intended reforms would benefit football in our state. However, our Club is very disappointed and concerned with the apparent lack of understanding of the key concerns held by our club and other key FFV stakeholders.

Consequently, South Melbourne FC is now reviewing its position on its application to enter the NPL-V.

Wednesday, 3 July 2013 11:47 PM

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce that Chris Taylor has been appointed as Head Coach for the next two seasons.

Chris Taylor joins the Club from the reigning Victorian Premier League Champions Dandenong Thunder. Taylor was in charge in 2012 as the Thunder completed a dominant season that saw it win the State Knockout Cup before securing the Minor Premiership and then defeating the Oakleigh Cannons 2-1 in the VPL Grand Final. Dandenong Thunder swept the end of season awards, with Taylor receiving the 2012 VPL Coach of the Year award.

Earlier in his coaching career, he led the Melbourne Knights to a VPL Grand Final appearance in 2008; however the Knights lost against the Altona Magic in a penalty shoot-out. To cap off what was a great year for the Knights, Taylor was recognised as the 2008 VPL Coach of the Year.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Director Nicholas Maikousis said “we are very excited to welcome Chris Taylor to South Melbourne FC. Through his recruiting and coaching, Dandenong Thunder swept all before them in 2012 and had a great season. We are confident that Chris will be just as successful here as he was at the Melbourne Knights and Dandenong Thunder.”

South Melbourne FC welcomes Chris Taylor to the Club and wishes him all the very best for the season ahead.

Tuesday, 2 July 2013 2:26 PM

South Melbourne FC advises that Head Coach Peter Tsolakis has tendered his resignation.

Peter Tsolakis joined South Melbourne FC from Northcote City in 2012. In 33 Victorian Premier League matches he recorded 14 wins, 7 draws, and 12 defeats as Head Coach.

South Melbourne FC thanks Peter for his service and wishes him the very best in future endeavours.

Monday, 1 July 2013 11:10 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC suffered its first home loss in 2013 after being defeated 0-1 by Port Melbourne at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Lambros Honos’ header after only two minutes proved to be the difference between the two sides, even though South enjoyed a wealth of possession and created several chances to level.

The match was only a couple of minutes old when Honos headed home from close range after what seemed to be a mix-up in the South defence. The goal sparked the home side into action and South should have leveled shortly after but Tyson Holmes somehow skied what should have been a back-post tap-in over Adam Hrehoresin’s crossbar. New signing Nick Soolsma looked impressive on debut but like the rest of his teammates struggled to get past the Port defence. Holmes again went close before the halftime break but fired a header over the crossbar.

The second half was all South in terms of possession and chances as Port happily sat back and soaked up the pressure. Despite enjoying an enormous amount of possession and despite goalkeeper Peter Gavalas effectively having nothing to do, South could not break through and level on the scoreboard. Captain Fernando De Moraes twice got close to leveling for South from two separate free kicks; the first one beat Hrehoresin but hit the inside of the post and stayed out, while Hrehoresin got down well on his left side to save the second free kick. In the end, Port held out for the away win. Port Melbourne has now won all three of its encounters against South (one in the League and two in the Cup in 2011 and 2012).

South coach Peter Tsolakis was disappointed post-game, noting that “we again created several chances but couldn’t finish them off… I thought we played well but at the end of the day the supporters want the three points and we weren’t able to do that.”

It was further bad news in the Under-21s, as an own goal gave Port Melbourne a 0-1 victory. Anthony Giannopoulos had a penalty saved in the final ten minutes of the match.

South faces another difficult task next Sunday afternoon when it hosts Green Gully at Lakeside Stadium. Kickoff is at 3pm.

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

Goal Scorer:
0-1: Lambros Honos (2′)

Key Stats (provided by Steven Orchard):
Shots: South Melbourne (17) – Port Melbourne (6)
Saves: South Melbourne (3) – Port Melbourne (9)
Corners: South Melbourne (11) – Port Melbourne (2)
Shots Blocked: South Melbourne (10) – Port Melbourne (2)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 6. Dimi TSIARAS, 8. Fernando DE MORAES (C), 10. Tyson HOLMES (14. Andy VLAHOS 85′), 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Rhys MEREDITH, 15. Dimi HATZIMOURATIS, 16. Alan KEARNEY , 17. Nick SOOLSMA, 18. Marinos GASPARIS (20. Andrew CARTANOS 70′), 19. Shaun KELLY (22. James KARVELIS 73′)

Port Melbourne : 1. Adam HREHORESIN, 2. Peter ROBERTS (6. Christopher GROSSMAN), 3. Martin MASON, 5. Felix ROSMAN, 7. Amadu KOROMA, 10. Graham HOCKLESS, 12. Phillip RICCOBENE, 18. James RICCOBENE, 19. Daniel VISEVIC, 26. Lambros HONOS, 32. Jake NAKIC (9. Luke BOWEN)

SMFC Man of the Match: Dimi Tsiaras
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 30 June 2013

Friday, 28 June 2013 11:19 AM

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce Dutchman Nick Soolsma has been signed by the Club for the rest of the 2013 Victorian Premier League season. The 25 year old forward arrives at Lakeside Stadium after playing at Major League Soccer (MLS) side Toronto FC and most recently Eerste Divisie (Dutch second division) side Excelsior. His last match for Exelsior was only a few weeks ago, and has been quite sharp in training.

Soolsma began his career in the lower Dutch leagues and featured for FC Volendam, FC Haarlem, FC Chabab and VV Young Boys. In January 2011, Soolsma had a trial with Toronto FC and was signed by the Canadian side in March of that year. He made his debut on 19 March 2011 against Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the first all-Canadian game in the MLS and he scored his first MLS goal from the penalty spot on 29 June 2011 against the same opponents. After leaving Toronto FC in July 2012, Soolsma returned to the Netherlands and signed with Excelsior for the 2012/13 Eerste Divisie season. Excelsior has had many notable players represent them, including Michel Bastos, Salomon Kalou, and Robin Van Persie.

South Melbourne FC General Manager Peter Kokotis speaking to smfc.com.au added that “we are excited to secure the playing services of a very talented individual who has played in the MLS against the likes of David Beckham and Thierry Henry. He will add another dimension to our attacking options and look forward to his creativity that will unlock opposition defences”.

South Melbourne FC welcomes Nick Soolsma to the Club and wishes him the very best for the season.

Check out Nick Soolsma’s video below

Friday, 28 June 2013 9:00 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC hosts Port Melbourne Sharks on Sunday afternoon at Lakeside Stadium in a match that the home side must win in order to keep up with the top three.

Following the thoroughly disappointing 3-0 loss to Northcote City last Sunday, South announced the departures of Luke Byles (captain), Tom Matthews (one of three vice captains), Rhodri Payne, Joe Keenan and Sebastian Mattei during the week ahead of the mid-season transfer window. Fellow vice captains Dimi Tsiaras and Fernando De Moraes will be required to step up and lead the side following the departures of Byles and Matthews. Tsiaras is expected to replace Byles by joining Shaun Kelly at centre-back this weekend whilst it is likely that Dimi Hatzimouratis will return to right-back – where he did an excellent job at the start of the season – following Matthews’ departure. There is also the possibility that youngster Matko Budimir may be given a chance in defence following his good performance against Northcote City in the Cup game on 10 June. Exciting Dutchman Nick Soolsma has been signed by the Club and will be in contention for a place in the starting eleven.

South currently sits in fourth place on the Victorian Premier League ladder with 17 points. Northcote are 11 points ahead of South (28 points), Hume City is four points ahead (21) and Bentleigh Greens are two points ahead (19). What is also a cause for concern is the fact that fifth-placed Melbourne Knights and sixth-placed Port Melbourne are both only two points behind South on 15 points each. South could end the weekend in outright third place or could drop out of the top five altogether. With a run of five straight League matches at Lakeside Stadium, it is a crucial part of the year that will really define South’s season. A tally of 10-12 points out of the next available 15 points at home would set South up nicely for a finals appearance, whilst 15 out of 15 would go a long way to securing a top three finish.

Port Melbourne will be looking to take advantage of South’s shot confidence on Sunday afternoon. Whilst Eric Vassiliadis’ side has never played South in the Victorian Premier League, they have played – and twice defeated – South in the State Knockout Cup in the last two years. On both occasions Port was a State League One side that was trailing 1-0 before winning both matches 2-1 and knocking an embarrassed South out of the competition. Having been promoted at the end of 2012 and sitting comfortably mid-table in 2013 as the season approaches the halfway mark, Port Melbourne will be a difficult opponent to overcome on Sunday.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 3pm at Lakeside Stadium.

Last time we met