Category: News

Sunday, 21 April 2013 11:53 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC continued its excellent start to the 2013 Victorian Premier League season when it defeated the Bentleigh Greens 2-1 in a tight affair at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex. Renco Van Eeken’s late header proved to be the difference between the two sides in what was an end-to-end match.

Both sides entered the game with 100% winning records in the opening two rounds of the season. Peter Tsolakis’ South side had enjoyed two 3-0 away wins against Green Gully and Southern Stars whilst the Greens backed up their 1-0 home win against Richmond in the first round with a resounding 3-0 away victory against defending Champions Dandenong Thunder.

Both sides began the game at a furious pace and played an end-to-end attacking style of football that the fans in attendance were delighted to see. South goalkeeper Peter Gavalas was called upon to make a strong save in the opening ten minutes when he rushed out and blocked David Stirton’s shot. Tyson Holmes had South’s best chance to open the scoring after being put through one-on-one with Bentleigh goalkeeper Alistair Bray however the custodian made a good save from the resultant shot.

The first goal of the match arrived just shy of the half hour mark and it was South’s left-back Brad Norton that took the honours by sneaking in at the back post to head Rhys Meredith’s cross into the net. It was Norton’s second goal for the season following his opening-day header against Green Gully.

The away side’s lead was only to last for a few minutes as Bentleigh equalised via a cloud of controversy. South Captain and centre-half Luke Byles bravely headed away a dangerous cross from the right wing but in doing so injured himself (it was revealed post-match that Byles had actually dislocated his shoulder and kneecap during the match, however he bravely kept playing until eventually being substituted late in the second half). Despite Byles lying on the ground injured near the penalty spot, referee Shaun Evans allowed play to continue and as a result Byles kept most of the Greens players onside. South failed to properly clear the danger and subsequently the ball was played in for Luke Sherbon to score. Max Etheridge nearly scored the goal of the season with an overhead kick shortly before the halftime break, however the shot cannoned off the crossbar and South was let off the hook.

The second half was just as enjoyable as the first, as both sides attacked in search of the winning goal. Bentleigh came close a couple of times but it was again Gavalas – a former Green himself – that stood up and made some strong saves to keep South level. With Byles and Dimi Tsiaras both off substituted (the latter with cramp) and with Shaun Kelly on a yellow card, South were stretched somewhat defensively; however the away side continued to attack, with Van Eeken, Holmes, Meredith and Joe Keenan all immense. The winning goal arrived on 82 minutes when Meredith flicked a header for Dimi Hatzimouratis to run onto down the right side before firing an inch-perfect cross for Van Eeken to head past a stranded Bray.

Tsolakis was delighted with the three points, noting that it was “character building, especially to defeat a side like Bentleigh who will be right up there…thankfully we put our chances away.”

It was further good news in the Under-21s, as two Anthony Giannopoulos penalties gave South a 2-1 victory against the Bentleigh Greens.

South can create history next weekend if it defeats Dandenong Thunder at George Andrews Reserve. Should South Melbourne win, it will be the most consecutive away wins achieved at the start of a season by a South side in its entire 54 year history. In fact, its best start to a season was recorded in its inaugural season in 1960 when it won its first six matches in the Metropolitan League Division One. South has also won five away games in a row in the Victorian Premier League, a run that began on 26 August 2012 when it defeated Northcote City at John Cain Memorial Park. South has not lost an away game in the VPL since Bentleigh defeated the Blues on 15 June 2012.

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

Goal Scorer:
0-1: Brad Norton (28′)
1-1: Luke Sherbon (31′)
1-2: Renco Van Eeken (82′)

Key Stats (provided by Steven Orchard):
Total shots: Bentleigh Greens (19) – South Melbourne (14)
Shots on target: Bentleigh Greens (10) – South Melbourne (8)
Corners: Bentleigh Greens (8) – South Melbourne (7)
Saves made: Bentleigh Greens (6) – South Melbourne (9)

Bentleigh Greens:
21. Alistair BRAY (GK), 2. Dominic D’ANGELO, 5. Jack WEBSTER, 11. Kris KIOUSSIS, 12. Max ETHERIDGE, 14. Aron WILFORD, 17. Jamie DE ABREU, 19. Liam MCCORMICK, 20. Luke SHERBON, 35. David STIRTON, 77. Steve HATZIKOSTAS
SUBS: 1. Stuart WEBSTER (GK), 9. Evan BATSIS, 23. Danny KELLY, 24. Luke PILKINGTON, 25. Luke FITZPATRICK

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 6. Dimi TSIARAS (8. Fernando DE MORAES 73’), 7. Joe KEENAN, 10. Tyson HOLMES, 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Rhys MEREDITH (14. Andy VLAHOS 90+1’), 13. Luke BYLES (C) (5. Phil PETRESKI 78’), 15. Dimi HATZIMOURATIS, 18. Marinos GASPARIS, 19. Shaun KELLY, 23. Renco VAN EEKEN

SMFC Man of the Match: Tyson Holmes
Venue: Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
Date: Friday 19 April 2013

Friday, 19 April 2013 12:21 AM

By John Kyrou

The Bentleigh Greens host South Melbourne FC at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex on Friday night in what is an early top-of-the-table clash in the 2013 Victorian Premier League season.

Both sides go into Friday’s fixture having won their opening two matches of the season. In addition, both sides completed resounding away victories last weekend; Bentleigh defeated defending Victorian Premier League Champions Dandenong Thunder 0-3 at George Andrews Reserve on Saturday afternoon and South defeated the Southern Stars by the same score at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex later that night. Marinos Gasparis scored a double whilst Shaun Kelly scored a late half-volley to continue South’s winning start to 2013.

South Melbourne return to Kingston Heath Soccer Complex for the second week in a row to face a Bentleigh side that has proven to be a bogey team in recent times. In fact South’s last away defeat in the Victorian Premier League arrived at the hands of the Greens in the corresponding fixture last season on Friday 15 June 2012, when a Luke O’Dea penalty ten minutes from time proved to be the difference between the two sides. Since then South has been undefeated in the Victorian Premier League in a run that began from the 2-2 draw at Epping Stadium against Moreland Zebras on 1 July 2012.

Bentleigh not only was the last team to defeat a South side on the road, they were also the side that killed off South’s finals chances at Lakeside Stadium on 9 September 2012. Andy Vlahos’ 78th minute goal looked like it would be enough to give a dominant South the victory it needed in its quest for finals football, however Scott Bulloch’s equalising goal in the second minute of injury time meant that South could not mathematically qualify for the finals despite a final-round 5-2 victory against Heidelberg . As a result, South missed the finals by a single point.

The influential Alan Kearney came off injured at the end of the Southern Stars match last week, however initial fears of an ACL injury were short-lived as Kearney will only miss 1-2 weeks with a knock on the knee. In further positive news, Tom Matthews and Trent Rixon trained strongly during the week and may even be considered to play for the Under-21s to work on their fitness as they seek a return to the senior side.

South will equal its previous record of keeping three consecutive clean sheets at the start of a season if it does not concede on Friday night. South did not concede in the opening three matches of the 1973 Victorian State League season, between 1 April 1973 and 15 April 1973. That included a 0-0 draw against Melbourne Hungaria, a 0-1 win against Fitzroy Alexander (Heidelberg United) and a 0-0 draw against St Kilda Hakoah.

Friday’s match kicks off at 8:15PM at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex.

SMFC TV – Last time we met

Sunday, 14 April 2013 6:30 PM

By John Kyrou (Photos by Cindy Nitsos)

Click here to view match photos

South Melbourne FC continued its 100% winning start to season 2013 with another convincing 0-3 victory, this time against the Southern Stars at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex on Saturday evening. A double from Marinos Gasparis and a late goal from Shaun Kelly completed a very comfortable victory for the away side.

Southern Stars came into the game on the back of an extremely positive 0-0 draw against defending Victorian Premier League Champions Dandenong Thunder last weekend. The result was Zaya Younan’s first point as a coach at Premier League level and one that gave his side confidence ahead of the South match. The away side came into the game on the back of a commanding 0-3 victory against Green Gully last Saturday, its first win at Green Gully Reserve since returning to the Premier League in 2005.

South Melbourne began the game with great intensity and forced a corner kick in the opening 25 seconds of the match. It was a sign of things to come as the away side took control of possession and created several chances in what was a brilliant first half performance. After half an hour of sustained pressure, South finally opened the scoring when Gasparis’ long-range shot took a deflection as the ball wrong-footed Abdulkerim Koc and flew into the back of the net. Gasparis should have scored his second just before the break when the ball fell to him near the penalty spot, however he shot wide of the left post.

Gasparis got the second goal he richly deserved only two minutes after the halftime break, when his low free kick from outside the area beat Koc, when perhaps the goalkeeper could have done a bit better. However, there was nothing that the young goalkeeper could do for South’s third goal of the night, when Renco Van Eeken’s cross from the right found an unmarked Kelly at the back post. The centre-half hit the ball into the ground and across the goal into the far corner of the net to wrap up the three points for South Melbourne. Amazingly it was Kelly’s fifth goal for South in nine appearances for the Club, a remarkable statistic for a centre-half.

Coach Peter Tsolakis was delighted with the result, stating that “I thought we totally dominated, the most pleasing thing for me is keeping another clean sheet. We said in pre-season that if we can keep clean sheets, we’ve got enough attacking players to score goals.”

The Under-21s also enjoyed an excellent victory over the Stars, with Sebit Muon’s header (60′), Luis Bulboa’s rocket from long range (71′) and Baggio Yousif’s well-placed strike (90+1′) wrapping up a 3-0 victory.

South is back at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex this Friday night, this time taking on the Bentleigh Greens. Kick-off is at 8:15PM.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTHERN STARS 0-3 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-1)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Marinos Gasparis (31′)
0-2: Marinos Gasparis (47′)
0-3: Shaun Kelly (82′)

Key Stats (provided by Steven Orchard):
Total shots: Southern Stars (2) – South Melbourne (25)
Shots on target: Southern Stars (0) – South Melbourne (14)
Corners: Southern Stars (0) – South Melbourne (10)
Saves made: Southern Stars (11) – South Melbourne (0)

Southern Stars:
1. Abdulkerim KOC (GK), 6. Andrew VIOLA, 7. Devon BONNE, 8. Kalonzo KABONGO, 11. Joshua WOOD, 12. James WALKER, 13. Halil GUR, 14. Joshua BOWEN, 16. Ali TURGUT, 18. Rama TAVSANCIOGLU, Ilya GRIN

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 7. Joe KEENAN, 10. Tyson HOLMES (6. Dimi TSIARAS 88′), 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Rhys MEREDITH (14. Andy VLAHOS 75′), 13. Luke BYLES (C), 15. Dimi HATZIMOURATIS, 16. Alan KEARNEY, 18. Marinos GASPARIS (20. Andrew CARTANOS 78′), 19. Shaun KELLY, 23. Renco VAN EEKEN

SMFC Man of the Match: Marinos Gasparis
Venue: Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
Date: Saturday 13 April 2013

Thursday, 11 April 2013 11:40 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC travel to Kingston Heath Soccer Complex this Saturday evening to play the Southern Stars in Round 2 of the Victorian Premier League. Both sides had a positive start to the season last week and will be looking to continue the good form this week. It is the second week of four consecutive away matches for South.

Southern Stars go into this weekend’s match on the back of a solid 0-0 home draw against defending champions Dandenong Thunder. It was an excellent point for Zaya Younan’s side, with Younan celebrating his first point in charge as a coach at Premier League level. Southern Stars have former South players Jason Ricciutti and Rama Tavsancioglu on their list, with the latter captaining South during 2009 and 2010 and to this day remains very popular with South supporters.

South goes into the game on the back of a crushing 0-3 victory away against Green Gully last Saturday. Renco Van Eeken, Tyson Holmes, Rhys Meredith and Alan Kearney all had solid debut games for South, with Van Eeken (or RVE as he is now affectionately known) scoring South’s third goal of the afternoon. South have Dimi Tsiaras available for selection this week after he served the second of his two-match suspension against Gully. Fernando De Moraes is also available after not being selected in the squad last week. Tom Matthews will be missing for another month after breaking his arm in the week leading up to the Green Gully match.

If selected, Andy Vlahos will play his 50th League match with South, including two seasons with the Club in the old National Soccer League. Vlahos first played for South in the 1999/00 NSL season as Ange Postecoglou’s side missed the finals. The following year (2000/01), Vlahos scored 13 goals as South finished as Minor Premiers before losing 2-1 against Wollongong Wolves in the Grand Final. After a decade, Vlahos returned to South last season and contributed with two goals from nine appearances. In total he has represented the Club in 49 League games and scored 17 goals.

The corresponding fixture between the two sides last season (Saturday 28 July 2012) was arguably the biggest highlight of South’s season. Southern Stars twice took the lead against the run of play through Nick Harrhy, before two South goals in injury time won the three points for the away side. Steve Burton equalised in the 91st minute with a nice strike before youngsters Andrew Cartanos (on debut) and Phil Petreski linked up on the left to cross the ball for Nick Jacobs to head home the winning goal in the 94th minute.

Saturday’s match kicks off at 6:00PM at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex.

SMFC TV – Last time we met

Wednesday, 10 April 2013 10:11 PM

One of the highlights on South Melbourne’s event calendar is the annual Jersey Presentation Night. This year’s event is set for Friday 10th May at Beachcomber at the St Kilda Baths at 7pm. A two-course meal, with beer, wine, and soft drink will be provided.

As a principal partner of the Club, Beachcomber is set in the perfect location with its spectacular and uninterrupted views of Port Phillip Bay. The evening will provide an excellent opportunity to meet the playing group in a relaxed and informal environment.

MC for the evening will be SBS Sports Presenter David Basheer, and the event will feature a football panel discussion comprised of SMFC Senior Technical Director Mehmet Durakovic and SMFC Hall of Fame legend Michael Peterson.

All eyes will be on which South player records the largest bid in the annual fundraising player auction.

Wednesday, 10 April 2013 9:52 PM

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce it will be holding its annual Family Day event on Saturday May 4th from 5pm onwards.

The SMFC Family Day is a FREE event, and will provide the perfect opportunity for fans to head down to purchase or pick up their membership and merchandise before the first home match of the season against the Richmond Eagles on Saturday 11th May.

South Melbourne FC will be hosting the Oakleigh Cannons in the fourth round fixture of the FFV State Knock Out Cup. Entry for this fixture is FREE.

It promises to be a day filled with fun activities.

Monday, 8 April 2013 10:02 AM

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce the return of SMFC TV for the 2013 Victorian Premier League season. SMFC TV will continue to be screened on Channel 31 at Wednesday 7pm each week.

The first episode of SMFC TV is scheduled for Wednesday 10th April at 7pm. This week’s episode will cover the Round One match against Green Gully.

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 General Manager, Peter Kokotis speaking to smfc.com.au said “We are extremely delighted with the news that SMFC TV will be continuing for another season. SMFC TV provides an excellent opportunity to showcase the club to a wider audience, as it will cover all facets of the Club.”

South Melbourne FC encourages all football fans to tune into the show, and enjoy the best of Victorian football.

Should you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback for SMFC TV please email the club at multimedia@smfc.com.au.

SMFC TV

Each Wednesday night
Channel 31
7pm

Sunday, 7 April 2013 9:16 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC opened the 2013 Victorian Premier League season in style with a professional 0-3 victory against Green Gully at Green Gully Reserve on Saturday afternoon. A first-half header from Brad Norton and second-half goals from Marinos Gasparis and Renco Van Eeken sealed the three points for South, who won at Green Gully for the first time in almost 27 years.

It was well documented that South had not won at Green Gully since 8 September 1986. In fairness, the sides did not meet each other for many years between 1986 and 2005 as South remained in the National Soccer League whilst Green Gully returned to the Victorian Premier League. Regardless, South had not been victorious at Green Gully Reserve for nearly 27 years and since returning to the Premier League in 2005 the Blues had failed to win in nine attempts (including a penalty shoot-out loss in the 2005 finals series).

South were dealt with a major blow going into the match, with the news that right-back Tom Matthews had broken his arm during the week and would be missing for 4-5 weeks. This was on top of Carl Recchia’s season-ending knee injury and Dimi Tsiaras already missing for the Gully match through suspension. Coach Peter Tsolakis made a bold move in putting a forward player in Dimi Hatzimouratis into Matthews’ right-back role. Van Eeken, Alan Kearney, Tyson Holmes and Rhys Meredith all made their debuts for South, whilst Luke Byles captained the side for the first time following Steven O’Dor’s retirement at the end of the 2012 season.

The away side began the match strongly, applying plenty of pressure on Gully’s defence. After half an hour South were awarded a penalty when Gully keeper Kieran Gonzalez was judged to have brought down Van Eeken as he challenged for a header. The penalty seemed unfortunate against Gonzalez, however the goalkeeper stood tall and saved Van Eeken’s spot kick to keep the scores at 0-0. The opening goal arrived only five minutes later, when Kearney’s cross from the left side was headed home by Norton. Gully almost equalised before the break but a header from a corner kick was put wide of Peter Gavalas’ goal.

The home side were more lively in the second half but the South defence comfortably dealt with any dangerous crosses into the box by Andy Vargas and continued to assert their authority on the match. The three points were sealed just before the hour mark, when Van Eeken provided a defence-splitting through-ball for Gasparis to run onto before chipping the advancing Gonzalez for South’s second goal of the afternoon. Van Eeken turned from provider to scorer when he latched onto a through-ball from Meredith and put the ball past Gonzalez and into the back of the net for a goal on his debut. South could have had even more goals but in the end were more than happy to settle for three goals, a clean sheet, three points and a near 27 year long hoodoo finally broken.

In the Under-21s match played prior to the Seniors, a Baggio Yousif goal was not enough as Green Gully scored two late goals to defeat South 2-1.

South’s next match is away against the Southern Stars at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex next Saturday 13 April at 6:00PM.

FINAL SCORE: GREEN GULLY 0-3 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-1)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Brad Norton (35′)
0-2: Marinos Gasparis (57′)
0-3: Renco Van Eeken (80′)

Key Stats (provided by Steven Orchard):
Total shots: Green Gully (5) – South Melbourne (20) 
Shots on target: Green Gully (1) – South Melbourne (8)
Corners: Green Gully (5) – South Melbourne (8)
Saves made: Green Gully (5) – South Melbourne (1)

Green Gully:
Kieran GONZALEZ (GK), Daniel JONES, Mitchell BISSINGER, Stephen DOWNES, Jason HAYNE (Michael ANDERSON 65′), Tom CAHILL, Matthew SANDERS (Osagie EDERARO 78′), Sean HARDING (Christopher DIB 90+1′), Andy VARGAS, Brian VANEGA, Scott MUIRHEAD

South Melbourne FC:
01. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 07. Joe KEENAN (05. Phil PETRESKI 83′), 10. Tyson HOLMES, 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Rhys MEREDITH (14. Andy VLAHOS 85′), 13. Luke BYLES (C), 15. Dimi HATZIMOURATIS, 16. Alan KEARNEY, 18. Marinos GASPARIS (20. Andrew CARTANOS 77′), 19. Shaun KELLY, 23. Renco VAN EEKEN

SMFC Man of the Match: Alan Kearney
Venue: Green Gully Reserve
Date: Saturday 6 April 2013

Friday, 5 April 2013 11:38 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC opens the 2013 Victorian Premier League season on Saturday when Peter Tsolakis’ side travel to Green Gully Reserve to play Green Gully. South will be attempting to break a 27 year hoodoo at the ground, having not won there since 1986.

South heads into the match on the back of positive pre-season friendly results, with victories against Port Melbourne, Heidelberg United, Altona Magic and Northcote City in recent weeks. The side also finished the 2012 Premier League season strongly and are now undefeated in three League matches.

Coach Peter Tsolakis has kept the majority of his squad from last season, with the departures being Kyle Joryeff (released during last season), Gianni De Nittis (released during last season), Jason Trifiro (Western Sydney), Glen Trifiro (Sydney United), Jason Saldaris (returned to Perth) and Steve Burton (returned to Perth). Former Captain Steven O’Dor retired from football due to professional work commitments and has been replaced by Luke Byles as Captain. New additions to the squad for 2013 are Queenslanders Rhys Meredith and Tyson Holmes, Alan Kearney (Southern Stars), Carl Recchia (Moreland Zebras), Renco Van Eeken ( Netherlands ) and Sebastian Mattei (Melbourne Heart Youth). Furthermore, a number of players have been promoted from the Under 21 side to the Senior Team, those being Andrew Cartanos, Phil Petreski, James Karvelis, Baggio Yousif, Matko Budimir and Anthony Giannopoulos.

It is well documented that one of South’s bogey grounds is Green Gully Reserve, a venue that South have not experienced a victory in since 8 September 1986. On that day, goals from Bobby Russell and Manny Anezakis gave South a 0-2 victory. South has not defeated Green Gully at that venue since returning to the Victorian Premier League in 2005. In fact South has only managed two points from a possible 24 and this does not even include the penalty shoot-out loss against Gully in the Major Semi Final in 2005. In further bad news, South has only scored five times at Green Gully Reserve since that win in 1986. In the corresponding fixture last season on Saturday 14 April 2012, South took an early lead via an own goal before Gully overpowered South for a 3-1 victory.

South Melbourne will be without the services of Carl Recchia who will be missing for the entire year after a bad knee injury sustained during pre-season. Dimi Tsiaras is also suspended following his red card against Bentleigh Greens in the second-last round last season. Kearney will most likely be deployed as a makeshift defensive midfielder in Tsiaras’ absence. Apart from those two, Tsolakis has a full squad to choose from going into the match. A positive that South can take into the game is the fact that Gully traditionally start the Victorian Premier League season slowly before asserting their authority later in the year; Saturday could be the ideal opportunity to take advantage of this and at the same time break the hoodoo. Another positive is that Roddy Vargas – a player that always plays so well against South for Gully – is suspended for this weekend’s match.

Saturday’s match kicks off at 3:00PM at Green Gully Reserve.

SMFC TV – LAST TIME WE MET

Friday, 5 April 2013 10:50 AM

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce that Luke Byles has been appointed as Captain for the 2013 Victorian Premier League season. Byles replaces the recently retired Steven O’Dor, who held the captaincy from 2011. Head Coach Peter Tsolakis has elected to have three vice-captains, with Dimi Tsiaras, Fernando De Moraes and Tom Matthews all deputies under Byles.

Luke Byles arrived at Lakeside Stadium in late 2011 following a strong season at Heidelberg United that year. Prior to that he had played at Southampton ’s reserve side in the 2003/04 English Premier League season. The centre-half made 20 appearances for South Melbourne in all competitions in 2012 and impressed all with his strong aerial presence and hard tackling game. In addition, he has proven to be a real character in the locker room and was one of the people behind the recent SMFC Harlem Shake video that went viral online and recorded close to 220,000 views on YouTube.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Tsolakis added that “Luke Byles was a natural choice for the captaincy role for his natural leadership qualities. I would like to congratulate Luke on his appointment as captain, and joins the list of famous players who have captained our great club such as Paul Trimboli and Ange Postecolglou”.

South Melbourne FC congratulates Luke Byles on his appointment as Captain and wishes him and his three deputies the best for the upcoming season. South’s first 2013 Victorian Premier League match is against Green Gully at Green Gully Reserve on Saturday 6th April.