Category: News

Monday, 13 May 2013 3:21 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC came from behind to defeat Richmond 3-2 in a Mother’s Day classic at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. Goals from former South player Kliment Taseski and then Josh Groenewald looked to have given the Eagles the three points, however Tyson Holmes scored a double before Rhys Meredith won the contest for the home side.

South came into the match having won three of its four away games in the opening month of the 2013 Victorian Premier League season, though the last match that it played in the League was the 3-0 loss against Dandenong Thunder. Richmond ’s start to the season was a complete contrast to South’s, with the Eagles having lost all four of their opening matches in the Victorian Premier League, with the most recent being a 2-7 loss against Northcote City. This led to the resignation of former coach Jean-Marc Imbert and the arrival of new coach Grant Brebner. With new management at the helm at Kevin Bartlett Reserve, South coach Peter Tsolakis warned his players not to take the bottom-placed side lightly.

Richmond started brightly and could have opened the scoring in the opening minute of the match but for a rushed finish that was blasted over Peter Gavalas’ near post. From that moment, South enjoyed possession and plenty of positive moves forward but could not break down the Eagles defence. The home side worked hard, however, it could not get past Rani Dowisha despite having a large amount of corners and set pieces. South controlled the match but often gave the ball away sloppily to a Richmond side keen on capitalising on those mistakes. The away side finally did so in first half injury time when Taseski was put through and he chipped the advancing Gavalas to give the Eagles the lead at halftime.

Richmond doubled their advantage two minutes after the halftime break when former South man Hamlet Armenian’s low cross from the right was coolly finished by Groenewald. South were stunned but responded straight away a minute later when Holmes scored his first goal for the Club with a spectacular overhead kick to halve the deficit. The home fans found their voice again as South pressed forward for a leveling goal. It arrived with just over twenty minutes to go when Bradley Norton’s cross from the left side was headed home by Holmes for his second goal of the evening.

Tsolakis brought on Andy Vlahos following the equalising goal and it was the experienced veteran that provided the assist for the winning goal only four minutes after his introduction. Vlahos was put through on goal from a quick throw-in on the left side but his resulting shot was blocked well by Dowisha. Unfortunately for the Richmond custodian, his block could only be parried to the back post where a waiting Meredith was on hand to score the winning goal for the home side. South’s win lifts the Club into second place on the Victorian Premier League table, only three points behind leaders Northcote City .

The Under-21s also enjoyed success in their game, as goals from Trent Rixon and Anthony Giannopoulos gave South a 2-0 victory.

South is on the road again next Sunday afternoon when it travels to Broadmeadows Valley Park to play Hume City . Kick-off is at 3PM next Sunday 19 May.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 3-2 RICHMOND EAGLES (HT: 0-1)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Kliment Taseski (45+2′)
0-2: Josh Groenewald (47′)
1-2: Tyson Holmes (48′)
2-2: Tyson Holmes (69′)
3-2: Rhys Meredith (73′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 6. Dimi TSIARAS, 7. Joe KEENAN (14. Andy VLAHOS 70′), 10. Tyson HOLMES, 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Rhys MEREDITH, 13. Luke BYLES (C), 15. Dimi HATZIMOURATIS, 18. Marinos GASPARIS (8. Fernando DE MORAES 80′), 19. Shaun KELLY, 23. Renco VAN EEKEN

Richmond Eagles:
Rani DOWISHA, Erhan KARAHAN, Peter FRANJIC, Haris VRBOVAC (Sam SHEPPARD 33′), Hamlet ARMENIAN, Kliment TASESKI (Samuel VALDEVEISO 77′), Gideon SWEET (Nicholas KROUSORATIS 60′), Ariel RITZ, Timmy PURCEL, Sam GALLAGHER, Josh GROENEWALD

SMFC Man of the Match: Tyson Holmes
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 12 May 2013

Friday, 10 May 2013 10:15 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC hosts Richmond at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday afternoon in what is the Club’s first home game in 2013.

The home side goes into the match after a week off from playing commitments due to Oakleigh Cannon’s forfeit of their State Knockout Cup fixture. Previous to that match, South lost 3-0 away against Dandenong Thunder on Saturday 27 April, which was its first loss in the 2013 Victorian Premier League season following three consecutive away victories in the opening three rounds. Richmond goes into the fixture having lost all four matches in the Victorian Premier League, with the last being a catastrophic 2-7 home loss against Northcote City on Friday 26 April. That loss led to the resignation of coach Jean-Marc Imbert and the arrival of new coach Grant Brebner.

South coach Peter Tsolakis is expecting Richmond will put up a significantly better fight against his side on Sunday and has warned his team not to be complacent against the League’s bottom side. Tom Matthews and Trent Rixon both trained with the senior side during the week and will be available for selection. Alan Kearney will still be missing for another week as he recovers from his injury.

Both sides have enjoyed reasonable success against each other – in 14 Victorian Premier League meetings, South has won 7, Richmond have won 5 and there have been two draws. In the corresponding fixture last season on Friday 20 July 2012, Richmond defeated South 3-1 at Lakeside Stadium in controversial circumstances. Shaun Kelly was sent off on debut and Trent Rixon, a substitute on 74 minutes, scored South’s goal with ten minutes to go before also being sent off.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 5PM at Lakeside Stadium. Memberships and merchandise will also be available to be purchased and collected.

SMFC TV – Last time we met

Thursday, 9 May 2013 1:30 PM

South Melbourne FC wishes to advise that Principal Partner Beachcomber Cafe will be the official post match venue for all South home matches.

At the completion of each home match, head down to Beachcomber Cafe and mingle with players and coaching staff.

Located at the St Kilda Sea Baths, Beachcomber goes beyond expectations of a casual cafe experience. Spectacular beach side views, a sprawling outdoor dining area and a gourmet menu mean this restaurant showcases St Kilda’s food culture at its best. Delicious meals are served with a touch of the Mediterranean and set in the perfect location with its uninterrupted view of Port Phillip Bay. In addition, Beachcomber Cafe is open from morning until late in the evening, and is perfect for a morning pit stop, a lazy afternoon or to watch the sun set over the water.

Beachcomber Cafe
10-18 Jacka Boulevard
St Kilda
St Kilda Baths

Friday, 3 May 2013 11:51 AM

South Melbourne FC wishes to advise that the FFV State Knockout Cup match against the Oakleigh Cannons will not proceed as scheduled, as the Cannons have decided to forfeit the match.

South will now be awarded a 3-0 win and progress to the next round of the FFV State Knockout Cup, with the draw to be made soon.

The Club however wishes to also advise that the Family Day will still go ahead, with a game of mixed South Melbourne people planned for that time. Supporters will be able to enjoy the entertainment on the day, as well as being able to purchase and pick up memberships and merchandise.

We look forward to seeing you at Lakeside Stadium from 5pm.

Thursday, 2 May 2013 5:36 PM

Following yesterday’s media reports on SBS World Game Fox Sports and Statements made by the CEO of the Melbourne Heart.

South Melbourne FC wishes to confirm the following:.

• South Melbourne FC that it made an offer to acquire 100% of the Melbourne Heart Licence.
• The offer was in excess of 3.5 million
• The offer was made after several discussions between Heart & SMFC Directors.
• South Melbourne FC has received an expression of interest from Emerson (Brazilian Legend) to coach & has already secured Major Sponsors for its A League ambitions.

Wednesday, 1 May 2013 2:16 PM

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce that Global Gypsum is the Major Sponsor of the Club’s Youth Development Program. The partnership will involve Global Gypsum investing $120,000 into the Youth Development Program over a four-year period.

Global Gypsum is Victoria’s leading distributor of Australian made Knauf plasterboard and accessories . Their products include insulation, plasterboard, joint compounds, ceiling tiles, paint, paint accessories and cornices.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC President said “South Melbourne is ecstatic to have Global Gypsum on board for this season. Andrew Mesorouni has worked hard with Tom Kalas to set up the SMFC Youth Development Program, and the fact that he is also investing his own money into the Program speaks volumes about the character of Andrew. The Global Gypsum logo will be proudly displayed on the front of each playing strip of every age group.”

South Melbourne FC thanks Andrew and Harry Mesourouni for their generous financial support and Andrew’s tireless efforts in establishing the SMFC Youth Development Program.

Monday, 29 April 2013 9:25 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC dropped its first points of the 2013 Victorian Premier League season after being comprehensively defeated 3-0 by the Dandenong Thunder at George Andrews Reserve on Saturday afternoon. An own goal in the first half by Shaun Kelly was followed by late second half goals from Luke Hopper and Nate Foster to confirm a bad day at the office for South Melbourne.

South was confident of at least a draw, having not lost away against the Thunder on four previous visits to George Andrews Reserve and having won its opening three Premier League matches on the road in 2013. The 2012 Premier League and State Knockout Cup Champions had experienced an inconsistent start to 2013 and Peter Tsolakis was looking to further exploit this. However Chris Taylor’s Dandenong side had other ideas.

Both teams began the match with an attacking mindset and the game was under a minute old when Peter Gavalas was called to make his first save of the afternoon. At the other end, former South goalkeeper Zaim Zeneli rushed out to save a Tyson Holmes opportunity for the away side. As the half wore on, the Thunder began to get on top of South’s midfield and their front man Foster caused South’s defence all sorts of problems with his pace and silky skills.

The home side finally got the goal they were after when Kelly attempted to clear Nicholas Epifano’s dangerous low cross across goal but instead found the back of his net. South were extremely lucky not to go into the halftime break 2-0 down when a Foster’s long-range shot took a wicked deflection and rolled wide of Gavalas’ goal, with the goalkeeper completely wrong-footed. The closest South got to levelling was when Holmes put his free header over Zeneli’s crossbar.

Tsolakis’ side started the second half with a bit more energy as it pushed forward to level the scores, however, Dandenong defended superbly and comfortably managed to contain South’s forwards. Anthony Bran in particular was dominant in defence for the Thunder with his aerial dominance. Tsolakis replaced a tiring Joe Keenan with Andrew Cartanos to add bit more pace to the attack, however a minute after doing so the Thunder killed off the game when Hopper rounded his marker at the edge of the area and fired a shot into Gavalas’ bottom right corner of the net.

The experienced pair of Andy Vlahos and Fernando De Moraes were introduced as Tsolakis’ final roll of the dice to hopefully pull a goal back, however it was Foster who finally got his goal four minutes from time to seal his Man of the Match performance. As South pushed forward in search of at least a consolation goal, Foster won possession of the ball on the right side of the box before cutting inside and firing an unstoppable left-footed curling shot past Gavalas.

Tsolakis was naturally disappointed after the match but added that “we came close a couple of times but it didn’t work out… if Tyson had scored that header to make it 1-1 then who knows what would have happened?” He also added that it was a relief to finally have some home matches at Lakeside Stadium to look forward to over the next couple of weeks in both the League and Cup.

It was also a disappointing afternoon for the Under 21s, with Dandenong prevailing 4-2. Trent Rixon played in the first half and scored as Sebit Muon scored South’s other goal after 80 minutes. Tom Matthews played the entire match as both he and Rixon look set to push for Senior selection.

South Melbourne FC would like to thank both the Dandenong Thunder and Football Federation Victoria for facilitating a special SMFC TV live broadcast of the match to our Principal Partner Beachcomber Cafe.

FINAL SCORE: DANDENONG THUNDER 3-0 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 1-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Shaun Kelly own goal (25′)
2-0: Luke Hopper (77′)
3-0: Nate Foster (86′)

Dandenong Thunder:
1. Zaim ZENELI (GK), 3. Andrew MULLETT, 4. Sakhi FAISAL, 5. Anthony BRAN, 6. Steven TOPALOVIC, 11. Iqbal JAWADI, 12. Tim MALA, 15. Nicholas EPIFANO (8. Matthew THEODORE 66′), 17. Feston AZIZI (14. Zac WALKER 82′), 19. Nate FOSTER (2. Brendan ELMAZOVSKI 89′), 20. Luke HOPPER

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 6. Dimi TSIARAS, 7. Joe KEENAN (20. Andrew CARTANOS 75’), 10. Tyson HOLMES, 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Rhys MEREDITH (14. Andy VLAHOS 78’), 13. Luke BYLES (C), 15. Dimi HATZIMOURATIS, 18. Marinos GASPARIS (8. Fernando DE MORAES 82’), 19. Shaun KELLY, 23. Renco VAN EEKEN

SMFC Man of the Match: Tyson Holmes
Venue: George Andrews Reserve
Date: Saturday 27 April 2013

Friday, 26 April 2013 10:44 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC can create history when it travels to George Andrews Reserve to play the Dandenong Thunder on Saturday afternoon. If it defeats the defending Victorian Premier League Champion, South will break a Club record for most consecutive away victories at the beginning of a League season (4 wins).

South go into the game on the back of a hard-fought 1-2 away victory against the Bentleigh Greens last Friday night at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex. Headers from Brad Norton and Renco Van Eeken were enough for South Melbourne to see off a very difficult Bentleigh Greens side and continue their 100% winning start to the 2013 Victorian Premier League season. South has not lost an away match in the Victorian Premier League since losing to Bentleigh on 15 June 2012 and has been undefeated in eight away games since, including winning the last five in a row.

Dandenong Thunder have had an inconsistent start to 2013, following their comprehensive sweep of the Premier League and State Knockout Cup competitions in 2012. The Thunder began the season with a three point deduction and recorded a 0-0 draw in the opening round against Southern Stars before losing 0-3 at home against Bentleigh. Last weekend, the Thunder were 0-1 down at home against Richmond but eventually prevailed 3-1 thanks to three second half goals.

There are still injury clouds surrounding Alan Kearney, with the midfielder still in doubt to play against the Thunder on Saturday. Captain Luke Byles hobbled off the ground with a fractured knee cap and injured shoulder but is still expected to captain the side on Saturday, Trent Rixon and Tom Matthews look set to feature for the Under-21s side on Saturday in order to regain match fitness as quick as possible following their injuries.

South enjoys the trip to George Andrews Reserve, having not experienced a defeat at the venue in four visits. Since Dandenong joined the Victorian Premier League in 2009, South has departed George Andrews Reserve with two wins and two draws. In the corresponding fixture last season played on Saturday 26 May 2012, Nate Foster’s 84th minute header cancelled DImi Hatzimouratis’ 73rd minute in what was an entertaining 1-1 draw.

Saturday’s match kicks off at 3:00PM. South Melbourne FC wishes to advise once more that the game is being played behind closed doors due to Dandenong Thunder’s five match lock-out ban by Football Federation Victoria. As such, SMFC TV is screening a live broadcast of the match at Beachcomber Cafe in St Kilda from 2:30PM. Entry is FREE! All fans are invited to attend the viewing and hopefully witness South win four consecutive away matches at the beginning of a League season for the first time in its 54 year history.

SMFC TV – Last time we met

Wednesday, 24 April 2013 9:50 AM

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce that SMFC TV will be holding a live broadcast of the away fixture to Dandenong Thunder, and will be screened at Beachcomber Cafe on Saturday at 3pm.

The match is to be played behind closed doors and as such no fans will be allowed entry at George Andrews Reserve.

In order to catch all the action, head down to Beachcomber Cafe on Saturday in your South colours and support the team.

Details of the broadcast are as follows

Beachcomber Cafe
St Kilda Baths
10-18 Jacka Boulevard
Saturday 27th April
Kick off – 3pm.
Entry is FREE

Tuesday, 23 April 2013 11:01 AM

South Melbourne FC wishes to advise there has been a change to its first home fixture against the Richmond Eagles.

The Round 5 fixture will now be played on Sunday 12th May at Lakeside Stadium with kick off scheduled for 3.00pm. The Under 21s match will commence at 12.45pm.

Fans will have the opportunity to purchase and pick up their membership, along with purchasing the latest Adidas apparel from our exclusive merchandise range.

Details of the fixture change are listed below:

Victorian Premier League Round 5
South Melbourne FC vs. Richmond Eagles
Sunday 12th May
Lakeside Stadium
Kick off – 3.00pm