Category: News

Friday, 14 June 2013 9:22 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC hosts the Melbourne Knights on Sunday afternoon in what is the first derby between the two sides in 2013.

The home side goes into the match on the back of a three match unbeaten run in all competitions and having defeated Northcote City 3-2 in extra time in the fifth round of the State Knockout Cup on Queen’s Birthday Monday. The Melbourne Knights had last weekend off after losing their fourth round match 0-1 against Keilor Park at Somers Street on Friday 3 May.

South coach Peter Tsolakis used Monday’s Cup game to give extra game time to youngsters Andrew Cartanos (started) Matko Budimir (substitute 30’) and debutant Anthony Giannopoulos (substitute 108’). Fernando De Moraes also returned to the senior side for the first time since coming on as a substitute in the Victorian Premier League match against Richmond on Sunday 12 May and fellow veteran Andy Vlahos played over an hour on Monday, having come on after 53 minutes and playing during the extra-time period. Tsolakis rested Joe Keenan, Tyson Holmes and captain Luke Byles for the Cup game and will more than likely include all three on Sunday to replace some tired bodies that played the full 120 minutes last Monday. In important news for South, Alan Kearney is free to play this weekend following his red card against Northcote. The FFV ruled that because the red card occured in the State Knockout Cup, Kearney is to serve the automatic one game ban in the next Cup game, which will be the Quarter Final game against Preston Lions in late July.

The Melbourne Knights will be keen on getting back-to-back away victories against South, having won 1-2 at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 20 May 2012. Adam Zilic flicked the ball into the back of the net from a free kick to open the scoring after 40 minutes before a Brad Norton header drew South level on 58 minutes. Yet it was the Knights that won all three points when former South player Yusuf Yusuf cut the ball back for Jacob Colosimo to score after 70 minutes. With the Knights celebrating their 60th birthday this year, they will be very motivated to spoil South’s 100% winning record at Lakeside Stadium in 2013 and at the same time overtake South on the Victorian Premier League ladder. South sit in third place on the ladder with 16 points from their eight Victorian Premier League matches, whilst the Knights are in sixth place (but level with fifth-placed Port Melbourne) with 14 points.

Both coaches (Tsolakis for South and Andrew Marth of the Melbourne Knights) played and scored many goals for their respective Clubs in this fixture in the former National Soccer League and both will no doubt be reminding their sides about the historical importance of the derby fixture and how vital the three points are.

Sunday’s derby kicks off at 3:00pm at Lakeside Stadium.

Last time we met

Thursday, 13 June 2013 4:41 PM

MEDIA RELEASE: MESSAGE FROM PETER GAVALAS

To all South Melbourne FC fans,

I would like to take this opportunity to apologise profusely for my gesture directed towards the crowd during the second half of the Knockout Cup clash with Northcote City FC. There is no excuse or place for such behaviour whilst in the sporting arena and wearing a South Melbourne shirt.

My actions were ill timed and misguided in attempting to stand up for the playing group, which does need the support of its fans. I acknowledge however, that this is not my responsibility and rather I should, as I have done so far this season concentrate on my on-field performance.

I hope you all enjoyed the performance of the boys on Monday and look forward to seeing you on Sunday for our clash with old rivals Melbourne Knights.

Yours in Sport,

Pete Gavalas

Tuesday, 11 June 2013 11:49 AM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC progressed to the Quarter Finals of the 2013 State Knockout Cup after defeating fellow Victorian Premier League side Northcote City 3-2 in extra time at Lakeside Stadium on Queen’s Birthday Monday. With the match 1-2 in Northcote’s favour, substitute Andy Vlahos’ late header sent the game into extra time before Brad Norton’s thrilling run and goal sent South through.

Both sides won their fourth round Cup matches albeit in different circumstances. Northcote progressed having defeated State League One side Moreland Zebras 2-1 at Reddish Reserve on Saturday 4 May. South was scheduled to play the Oakleigh Cannons on the same day; however the Cannons forfeited and South were awarded a 3-0 victory to progress to the next round. Goran Lozanovski’s Northcote went into the game as the best team in the state, having won seven and drawn one of their opening eight VPL games in 2013 plus having won their fourth round Cup game. Northcote had also won every single away match in 2013 whilst South had won every home match, so something had to give in Monday’s game.

After a sluggish opening, the match was brought to life when Milos Lujic elbowed South centre-half Shaun Kelly and escaped only with a yellow card when on another day the card may have been a different colour. Kelly was eventually substituted and replaced by Matko Budimir after needing stitches in his head as a result of the elbow by Lujic. The away side continued with their physical game and this resulted in Evan Kounavelis seeing a straight red shortly before the half-hour mark for a behind the ball incident, which saw Alan Kearney also sent off after allegedly retaliating. Video replays may show that Kearney ’s dismissal was possibly a bit harsh. With both sides down to 10 men, it was Northcote who opened the scoring after 36 minutes when James Kalifatidis’ dangerous low cross was tapped home at the back post by Lujic.

South coach Peter Tsolakis changed tactics in the second half and replaced Trent Rixon with Vlahos, who immediately went about causing problems for Northcote’s defence. South equalised in style when Meredith collected the ball on the right before cutting inside and firing a beautiful curling shot across Frazer Siddall and into the back of the net. Tsolakis then introduced Fernando De Moraes as the South veteran ran amock in midfield. The home side looked more likely to score the winning goal but it was Northcote who scored next, when South goalkeeper Peter Gavalas’ attempted pass to Tom Matthews went straight to Kalifatidis, who walked the ball into the open goal. Despite the mistake, South continued to press hard for a deserved equaliser and they got it in the 89th minute as Vlahos headed home Marinos Gasparis’ cross to send the game into extra time.

Brad Norton won the match for South in the first period of extra time, when he played a one-two with Dimi Hatzimouratis before firing past Siddall with a vicious shot that rocketed into the top of the net. Norton joked afterwards that “I just closed my eyes, shot the ball and hoped for the best” in what was an excellent strike that was worthy of winning a thrilling Cup game. Gavalas then made amends for his earlier mistake with an excellent save from Dean Piemonte’s goal-bound strike, tipped the ball out for a corner kick. Tsolakis then introduced lifelong South fan and Under-21s player Anthony Giannopoulos for his senior debut for the Club in the 108th minute. With an extra goal and the extra man after the sending off of Piemonte, South saw the match out and ensured progression to the Quarter Finals, whilst at the same time inflicting Northcote’s first loss in League and Cup this season.

South’s next opponent in the State Knockout Cup is State League 2 North-West side Preston Lions, with the match to be scheduled some time between Wednesday 23 July and Thursday 31 July. South resumes Victorian Premier League commitments on the weekend when it hosts the Melbourne Knights in a huge derby match at Lakeside Stadium. Kickoff is at 3pm this Sunday 16 June.

FINAL SCORE (AFTER EXTRA TIME): SOUTH MELBOURNE 3-2 NORTHCOTE CITY (HT: 0-1, FT: 2-2)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Milos Lujic (36′)
1-1: Rhys Meredith (63′)
1-2: James Kalifatidis (84′)
2-2: Andy Vlahos (89′)
3-2: Brad Norton (93′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 2. Tom MATTHEWS, 6. Dimi TSIARAS, 9. Trent RIXON (14. Andy VLAHOS 53′), 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Rhys MEREDITH, 15. Dimi HATZIMOURATIS, 16. Alan KEARNEY (sent off 28′), 18. Marinos GASPARIS (5. Anthony GIANNOPOULOS 108′), 19. Shaun KELLY (25. Matko BUDIMIR 30′), 20. Andrew CARTANOS (8. Fernando DE MORAES 77′)

Northcote City :
1. Frazer SIDDALL (GK), 2. Adrian CHIAPPETTA, 4. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS (19. Steven SIFINOS), 5. Nick TZOULIS (21. Chris OGHANNA), 6. Bonel OBRADOVIC (16. Nick TEREZAKIS), 7. Evan KOUNAVELIS (sent off 28′), 8. James KALIFATIDIS, 9. Milos LUJIC (15. Wade DEKKER), 11. Dean PIEMONTE (sent off 118′), 18. Michael EAGER, 23. Rashid MAHAZI

SMFC Man of the Match: Andy Vlahos
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Monday 10 June 2013

Friday, 7 June 2013 9:16 AM

Cup football returns to Lakeside Stadium as South Melbourne FC host Northcote City in the fifth round of the State Knockout Cup on Queen’s Birthday Monday.

As the Victorian Premier League sides entered the competition in the previous round, both sides have only registered one victory in the Cup this season. South received a free ride through to the fifth round with a 3-0 victory after the Oakleigh Cannons forfeited the match scheduled at Lakeside Stadium on Saturday 4 May. On the same day, Northcote defeated State League 1 side Moreland Zebras 2-1 at Reddish Reserve to set up Monday’s clash.

Goran Lozanovski’s Northcote is undoubtedly the best side in the Victorian Premier League so far in 2013, having registered seven wins and a draw from their first eight matches to sit outright first on the VPL ladder. South is currently in third place with five wins, a draw and two losses from its first eight matches. Something has to give at Lakeside Stadium on Monday, as South has won all three of their home matches in the League and Cup this season whilst Northcote have won all away matches they have played. In the last two seasons of the FFV State Knockout Cup, South has been bundled out in the fifth round of the competition both times by Port Melbourne (then in State League 1) by the same score line of 2-1. South will want overcome this negative statistic and progress past Northcote to the sixth round, with that round scheduled by Football Federation Victoria to be played either on Wednesday 26 June or Thursday 4 July.

South coach Peter Tsolakis hinted at making some changes to the side that could only draw 0-0 with Pascoe Vale in the Victorian Premier League last Saturday night. Alan Kearney came off the bench to make his first senior appearance since sustaining an injury against Southern Stars on 13 April and may be given a starting berth on Monday to help regain match fitness. Other players that may make an appearance on Monday could include Andy Vlahos (on as a sub against Pascoe Vale), Dimi Tsiaras (unused sub against Pascoe Vale), Rhodri Payne, Fernando De Moraes and Renco Van Eeken. There is also the potential for the reserve goalkeeper Sebastian Mattei to make his debut or for youngsters Phil Petreski, Andrew Cartanos, James Karvelis, Matko Budimir, Baggio Yousif and Anthony Giannopoulos to make the squad for Monday’s match.

The match kicks off at 3pm on Monday 10 June at Lakeside Stadium. South Melbourne FC members are entitled to free entry to the match.

Last time we met

Thursday, 6 June 2013 1:25 PM

Anyone picking up a copy of today’s Herald Sun would have seen a couple of young Socceroo fans in green and gold showing their support for the National Team.

Photographer Alex Coppel from the Herald Sun was out at Lakeside Stadium yesterday for a photo opportunity to promote the Socceroos training at South Melbourne’s home stadium.

SMFC Junior players Billy, Lee and Eva donned their green and gold colours to lend their support to the Socceroos. In a few days, the Socceroos will be facing a must win match against Jordan to ensure their passage to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

South Melbourne FC is right behind the Socceroos in their qualification for next year’s FIFA World Cup. With over 50 Socceroos who have worn the SMFC playing shirt, we are quite proud to be hosting the National Team at our home, Lakeside Stadium.

Wednesday, 5 June 2013 2:30 PM

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce that Nissan Motor Company Ltd & Essendon Nissan has joined the Club as its Principal Community Program Partner for the 2013 Victorian Premier League season. As part of the partnership, Nissan will provide South Melbourne FC with a number of vehicles to use as part of its operations and to continue its community engagement program.

Nissan, whose headquarters are in Yokohama, Japan, are one of the world’s leading automotive companies. It produces in more than 20 countries, and offers products and services to over 160 countries worldwide. Nissan was recently named both a top 100 global brand and the most improved brand by the influential Interbrand Group.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC Corporate Sales Director Nicholas Maikousis said “we are quite excited to welcome Nissan & in particular Tony Sitch, Dealer Principal Essendon Nissan as the Club’s Principal Community Program Partner for this season. We are a non for profit sporting club and our organisations share similar core values of excellence and success. We look forward to working closely with one of the world’s leading automotive companies”.

South Melbourne FC welcomes Nissan to its growing list of Principal Partners.

See below to watch an exclusive SMFC TV video on the new partnership

Tuesday, 4 June 2013 10:40 AM

South Melbourne FC wishes to advise that SMFC TV will be moving to a new time slot as of Wednesday 5th June. Moving forward, you’ll be able to enjoy all the action of SMFC TV at 6pm each Wednesday night.

The show will continue to provide match highlights, player and coaching staff interviews, showcase our junior development program and stars of tomorrow. Furthermore, SMFC TV will focus directly on bringing the latest news from the club, as well as providing all South Melbourne FC and general football fans with a modern and fresh view of the club.

SMFC TV
Wednesday 6pm
Channel 31

Monday, 3 June 2013 2:53 PM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

It was a case of two points dropped as South Melbourne FC was held to a 0-0 draw by a determined 10-man Pascoe Vale at Hosken Reserve on Saturday night. Despite playing with an extra man for 80 minutes, South could not break through a resolute Pascoe Vale defence and in the end had to settle for a point.

Both sides came into the match in winning form from last weekend, with Pascoe Vale having pulled off a stunning 0-2 victory against defending champions Dandenong Thunder at George Andrews Reserve and with South having defeated the Oakleigh Cannons 2-1 at Lakeside Stadium. Peter Tsolakis’ side arrived at Hosken Reserve wary of the fact that the newly-promoted Pascoe Vale side was no pushover, having won three of their past four Victorian Premier League matches that included a 2-1 win over traditional powerhouse side Green Gully.

The away side was given an advantage after only ten minutes when Luca Santilli head-butted Brad Norton right in front of the referee and was subsequently sent off, with Norton receiving a yellow card for his involvement. This meant the Pascoe Vale defence had to stand up and be counted and they did just that, with former South goalkeeper Stefaan Sardelic in fine form. South had numerous chances to open the scoring, with opportunities missed by Tyson Holmes and Rhys Meredith. Norton then came close but his shot was well saved by Sardelic.

South’s second half was poor, with Pascoe Vale’s centre-back pairing of Will Abbott and Tom Milardovic comfortably dealing with anything South put into the area. Despite the average performance, South did have more chances to win the match but Sardelic was there to save both Marinos Gasparis and then Joe Keenan’s free kicks. With the game into injury time, the home side could have snatched all three points when Daniel Chaabani caught South on the break and squared the ball for Mark Pistininzi but his shot was well blocked by Peter Gavalas, who had had nothing to do for the whole match. In the end, Pascoe Vale was delighted with the point and South were left ruing the two points dropped.

Tsolakis noted post-match that “we had enough chances to win two games but we just couldn’t put them away tonight.” The result keeps South in third spot on the ladder with a huge derby match coming up in two weeks time against the Melbourne Knights. On a more positive note, Alan Kearney came on as a second-half substitute, having not featured for South since sustaining an injury against Southern Stars on 13 April.

The Victorian Premier League breaks next weekend for the fifth round of the FFV State Knockout Cup, as South Melbourne FC hosts Northcote City at Lakeside Stadium. The match will be played on the Queens Birthday Monday (10 June) at 3PM.

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

Pascoe Vale:
Stefaan SARDELIC (GK), Adrian TALARICO, Tom MILARDOVIC, Luca SANTILLI (sent off 10′), Gregory LOMBARDO, Mark PISTININZI, Marco SANTILLI (Daniel CHAABANI 67’), Matthew LAZARIDES (Liam FLYNN 26’ [Rylan SADLER 79’]), Jake VANDERMEY, William ABBOTT, Michael FERRANTE

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 2. Tom MATTHEWS, 7. Joe KEENAN, 9. Trent RIXON, 10. Tyson HOLMES (16. Alan KEARNEY 73′), 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Rhys MEREDITH, 13. Luke BYLES (C), 15. Dimi HATZIMOURATIS (14. Andy VLAHOS 71′), 18. Marinos GASPARIS, 19. Shaun KELLY

SMFC Man of the Match: Luke Byles
Venue: Hosken Reserve
Date: Saturday 1 June 2013

Friday, 31 May 2013 1:26 PM

South Melbourne FC wishes to advise that the Round 5 fixture of the FFV State Knockout Cup against Northcote City will be played on Monday 10th June. Kick off is scheduled at 3pm at Lakeside Stadium.

All 2013 South Melbourne FC members will be able to enter the match for FREE.

South Melbourne proceeded to the fifth round of the State Knockout Cup after the forfeit of the Oakleigh Cannons, and was awarded a 3-0 victory instead.

Friday, 31 May 2013 11:10 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC travels to Hosken Reserve to play promoted side Pascoe Vale on Saturday evening. It will be the first time that South has played Pascoe Vale in the Victorian Premier League as well as the first time South has played at Hosken Reserve.

South will go into the match on the back of a well deserved 2-1 victory against the Oakleigh Cannons at Lakeside Stadium last Sunday evening. A first half double from Dimi Hatzimouratis proved to be the difference as South won despite Alex Smith’s late consolation goal for the Cannons. South’s winning margin should have been much greater. However, the most important aim was winning the three points to keep the Club in outright third position on the Victorian Premier League ladder. Alan Kearney was close to playing against Oakleigh and must certainly be in contention for the Pascoe Vale match, whilst Renco Van Eeken did not feature against Oakleigh due to early signs of osteitis pubis that needs to be monitored closely.

Pascoe Vale also comes into Saturday night’s match in winning form, having scored a very impressive 0-2 victory against defending Champions Dandenong Thunder at George Andrews Reserve last Saturday. They currently have three wins (and nine points) from their opening seven Victorian Premier League matches and are in eighth spot on the ladder, ahead of Green Gully and Oakleigh. This shows that Pascoe Vale is certainly no pushover and will be tough opposition on Saturday night, especially due to the fact they have won three of their last four Victorian Premier League matches including defeating Green Gully at Hosken Reserve on 26 April as well as the victory against Dandenong last weekend. There are a host of former South players at Pascoe Vale, including Stefaan Sardelic, Jake Vandermey, Joseph Youssef and Marco Santilli.

The two clubs have not played each other in the Victorian Premier League proper but they did play each other in a pre-season friendly on 9 March that Pascoe Vale won convincingly 3-0. As a result, South coach Peter Tsolakis is wary of the opposition, noting that “they have a compact little ground, good coaching staff and a tight-knit group of players…it will be difficult but if we can get a win there on Saturday it will really set up our season nicely.” South can end the round in second place on the ladder with victory over Pascoe Vale and will remain in third place even if it loses on Saturday. A win will give South four victories from six away games in the Victorian Premier League this season.

Saturday night’s match kicks off at 7pm at Hosken Reserve.