Category: News

Sunday, 12 August 2012 10:54 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC battled to a 2-2 draw against old rivals Melbourne Knights at Knights Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The result was one that suited neither side, with the Knights needing the three points keep alive their slim finals hopes and with South still sitting a game behind fifth-placed Bentleigh Greens at the conclusion of the round.

South went into the game on the back of a two match winning streak that had lifted it from a potential relegation dogfight into challenging for a spot in the top five. The Melbourne Knights went into the game on the back of a surprise 2-1 loss away against Heidelberg United last Sunday, a result that left the Knights two wins out of the top five. With both sides usually getting a result in their League matches in 2012 (the Knights hadn’t drawn a game all season and South had only drawn three of their 18 games), Sunday’s game was always going to be an attacking game with both sides intent on getting the three points for derby honours as well as putting pressure on the top five standings.

The away side got off to a flying start by opening the scoring after only 90 seconds. Brad Norton won the ball on the halfway line and made a dashing run down the right wing before cutting the ball back for Joe Keenan, who took one touch to set himself up before firing across Aaron Romein and into the far left corner of the goal. South nearly went two goals up when captain Fernando De Moraes was put through on goal but his shot at Romein’s near post was saved comfortably by the Knights goalkeeper. At the other end, Jake Nakic had been causing headaches for the South defence throughout the half and it was he who was on hand to level for the home side, tapping Kayne Vincent’s right-sided cross past Peter Gavalas.

The away side began the second half on a mission to regain the lead but squandered two fantastic chances to do so. The first came when Steve Burton found space down the left wing and used the outside of his right foot to square the ball perfectly for a lurking De Moraes on the penalty spot, however the captain blasted his volley wide of Romein’s goal. Minutes later, Glen Trifiro broke free and streamed forward with Keenan and Andy Vlahos in support. Trifiro fed Keenan through but Keenan was closed down magnificently by the Knights defence as the away side wasted the opportunity. As has been the case all season, the two missed chances came back to haunt South immediately as Rhodri Payne’s scuffed clearance fell perfectly for Nakic to let fly with a vicious shot from near the edge of the box that gave Gavalas no chance.

After working so hard to take the lead, the Knights were dealt with a massive blow only minutes later when a red card was issued to Marijan Cvitkovic for throwing the ball into Payne after a dispute over a throw-in. The decision was extremely harsh for the Knights but a lifeline for South as they chased an equalising goal. South had more luck when man of the match Nakic limped off with about 20 minutes to go with what looked to be a minor knock. With the home side already down to 10 men and with their main man Nakic off injured, the tiring Knights sat back and tried to hit South on the counter-attack, with former South man Yusuf Yusuf using his pace to take on the South defence. South kept the pressure on and eventually won a corner that Kelly smashed home on the volley, after the Knights defence failed to clear De Moraes’ cross. Under-21s player and debutant Baggio Yousif had a wonderful chance to score the winner for South in the third minute of injury time but he blasted well over Romein’s crossbar.

In the end, a draw was a fair result but was one that benefited neither side as the VPL season reaches its concluding month. With four games left, South remain a game from the finals and the Knights remain two games from the top five.

It was another stalemate in the Under-21s as the Melbourne Knights and South drew 1-1.

FINAL SCORE: MELBOURNE KNIGHTS 2-2 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 1-1)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Joe Keenan (2′)
1-1: Jake Nakic (33′)
2-1: Jake Nakic (55′)
2-2: Shaun Kelly (76′)

Melbourne Knights:
1. Aaron ROMEIN (GK), 2. Adam NAKIC, 4. Adam ZILIC, 6. Tomislav USKOK, 8. Craig SWEENEY (3. Ryan FILIPOVIC 79′), 10. Kayne VINCENT, 11. Anthony COLOSIMO, 12. Shayan ALINEJAD (19. Yusuf YUSUF 65′), 16. Marijan CVITKOVIC (sent off 56′), 23. Jake NAKIC (22. Chris TALAJIC 71′), 24. Ben SUREY

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 3. Rhodri PAYNE, 6. Dimi TSIARAS, 7. Joe KEENAN, 10. Glen TRIFIRO (18. Marinos GASPARIS 80′), 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Steve BURTON, 13. Luke BYLES, 14. Andy VLAHOS, 15. Fernando DE MORAES (16. Baggio YOUSIF 88′), 19. Shaun KELLY

SMFC Man of the Match: Shaun Kelly
Venue: Knights Stadium
Date: Sunday 12 August 2012

Thursday, 9 August 2012 1:02 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC travels to Somers Street on Sunday afternoon to face the Melbourne Knights in the second derby match between the two sides in 2012.

South goes into the game on the back of a two-game winning streak, having defeated Southern Stars and Hume City in the past fortnight. The Melbourne Knights head into the derby on the back of a surprise 2-1 defeat away against cellar dwellers Heidelberg United at Olympic Park last Sunday. The Knights have been the only side to have lost to Heidelberg in the Victorian Premier League this season and have lost both meetings. Despite this upset, the Knights will be confident of defeating South on Sunday as they defeated the Blues earlier this season (Sunday 20 May) at Lakeside Stadium 2-1. Adam Zilic (40’) and Jacob Colosimo (70’) were on hand to score both goals for the Knights as South could only manage a single goal courtesy of a header from Bradley Norton (58’).

South will be missing youngsters Phil Petreski and Andrew Cartanos as both boys have been selected as part of the Victorian Schoolboys Under-19s side to play in Canberra. Also missing will be Nick Jacobs, the young hero against Southern Stars, having tragically broken his ankle playing football for his high school Brighton Grammar last weekend. It is expected that South will field a similar line-up to the one that defeated Hume City at Lakeside last Sunday evening but the coaching staff may choose to include Glen Trifiro or Joe Keenan in the starting eleven.

Sunday’s derby kicks off at 3:00PM at Knights Stadium. A win for South could see the Club finish the round level on points with fifth-placed Bentleigh Greens.

Last time we met

Wednesday, 8 August 2012 9:42 AM

South Melbourne FC have been rocked by the news that youngster Nick Jacobs has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2012 season with a broken ankle.

The 17 year old forced his way into the senior line-up in the match against Southern Stars on Saturday 28 July and became a hero when he headed home Phil Petreski’s cross in the 94th minute to win the game for South 3-2.

It is expected he will be out of action for up to six months but with a bit of luck he will hopefully be available for the opening round of the 2013 Victorian Premier League season.

We wish Nick all the best in recovering from such a horrific injury and hope to see him in a South shirt early next year.

Monday, 6 August 2012 1:54 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC has moved to within a game of the top five following a 2-1 victory against Hume City at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. Goals from Steve Burton and Andy Vlahos early in the second half were enough to earn all three points for the home side, who had to survive a late charge by Hume City following Nick Hegarty’s goal for the away side later in the half.

South came into the game on the back of the amazing come-from-behind 3-2 victory against Southern Stars at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex the previous weekend. With Dimi Tsiaras and Shaun Kelly returning to the starting line-up after serving their one-match suspensions against the Stars, the home side were always confident of getting a positive result. This would have to be done without coach Peter Tsolakis, who was serving the first of his two game touchline ban following his send-off from the sidelines in the game against Richmond on Friday 20 July. Assistant coach Joe Montemurro took the reigns in his place and now currently enjoys a 100% winning record for South Melbourne FC.

Hume City went into the game unbeaten in three matches (including two wins) with the most recent result being the 3-1 home win against Heidelberg United at Epping Stadium the previous Friday night. That win lifted Hume into sixth position on the VPL ladder on 24 points (three points ahead of South), making the game all the more interesting for the neutral observer. Hume was also very keen on inflicting revenge on South after it conceded an 87th minute goal against the Blues at Epping Stadium earlier on this year on Friday 11 May to lose 0-1. On that occasion, captain Steven O’Dor was on hand to flick Glen Trifiro’s cross from the left into the goal for all three points. Unfortunately for South’s captain, his hamstring injury forced him to miss out against Hume this time around.

The first half was a dour struggle as both sides battled in the wet and windy conditions. South came close twice through Bradley Norton and Fernando De Moraes, but on both occasions their headers were easy pickings for Hume goalkeeper Chris Oldfield. Hume themselves came close to scoring right on the halftime break when a stinging shot from outside the area zipped just over Peter Gavalas’ crossbar. A halftime downpour from the heavens above suggested an even bigger struggle for ball control in the second half and that perhaps only a single goal would decide this contest, however this was to be proven wrong immediately.

For the second week in a row, South started the second half with all guns blazing and opened the scoring after only 40 seconds. Rhodri Payne managed to break free past a couple of Hume markers down the left side and cut the ball back for Burton to flick past Oldfield for the opening goal. Hume had had barely enough time to wake up when De Moraes won the ball in midfield and flicked over the top for Vlahos to run onto. With Hume’s defenders backing off, Vlahos was allowed time and space to run all the way into the penalty area before curling a shot around his marker and into the bottom right hand corner of Oldfield’s goal. It was Vlahos’ first goal for South in the Victorian Premier League and his 16th career goal at the Club, having scored fifteen times for South in the old National Soccer League.

The home side had a comfortable lead but was unable to find another way through the tough Hume defence led by former South man Steven Pace. The old saying that a two goal lead was the most dangerous in football looked to be applicable to South when Hegarty won the ball on the left and beat three South players before hitting a fierce low shot into Gavalas’ bottom left corner, with the South custodian rooted to the spot. With just under 20 minutes of play to go and with their lead halved, South suddenly were shocked while Hume came out of their shelves in search of an equalising goal. The away side had a couple of half-chances before Gavalas won the match for South with an outstanding one-handed save from Pace’s chested flick of the ball towards goal from a Hume set piece. Three nervous minutes of injury time were played without any more damage on the scoreboard and the final whistle marked South’s second victory in a row and its march up the League table.

South now go into next Sunday’s derby game against the Melbourne Knights in good form and knowing that a victory at Somers Street could put it level on points with fifth-placed Bentleigh Greens should other results go the Club’s way. A win against the Knights will also make it mathematically impossible for South to be relegated as it will leave the Blues a minimum of 13 points clear of Moreland Zebras (currently second-last) with only four matches remaining after that.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 2-1 HUME CITY (HT: 0-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Steve Burton (46′)
2-0: Andy Vlahos (49′)
2-1: Nick Hegarty (71′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 3. Rhodri PAYNE, 5. Phillip PETRESKI, 6. Dimi TSIARAS, 11. Bradley NORTON, 12. Steve BURTON, 13. Luke BYLES, 14. Andy VLAHOS (7. Joe KEENAN 77’), 15. Fernando DE MORAES (10. Glen TRIFIRO 82’), 18. Marinos GASPARIS, 19. Shaun KELLY

Hume City:
Chris OLDFIELD (GK), Jarryd BARNES (Ben HARRISON), Isiyan ERDOGAN, Steven PACE, Serdar PIR, Jose GUERRERO (Richard CARDOZO), Nick HEGARTY, Zoran PETREVSKI, Phillip RICCOBENE, Howard FONDYKE (Ryan BALDACHINO), Mark LEECH

SMFC Man of the Match: Steve Burton
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 5 August 2012

Friday, 3 August 2012 9:22 AM

South Melbourne FC hosts Hume City at Lakeside Stadium this Sunday evening in what is simply a must-win game for the home side in its quest to make the Victorian Premier League finals in 2012. With six rounds of the regular season remaining, South are currently in eighth spot on the VPL ladder with 21 points, four points behind fifth-placed Northcote City. A victory against Hume could see South end the round only a point from finals contention.

South goes into the game on the back of a thrilling 3-2 victory against Southern Stars at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex last Saturday night. South were 1-0 down at halftime and 2-1 down in second-half injury time before a 91st minute leveling goal by Steve Burton was followed by a 94th minute Nick Jacobs header that won the match for the Blues. Most pleasing for South was the combination of three youth players – Phil Petrevski, Andrew Cartanos and Jacobs – in setting up the winning goal. South was forced to use youth due the amount of injuries and suspensions that the Senior side was carrying but the move paid off dramatically.

Hume City go into Sunday’s game unbeaten in three matches (including two wins) with the most recent result being a 3-1 home win against Heidelberg United last Friday night. That win lifted Hume into sixth position on the VPL ladder on 24 points (three points ahead of South), making Sunday’s game all the more interesting. Hume will also be keen on revenge, having conceded an 87th minute goal against South at Epping Stadium earlier this year on Friday 11 May. Captain Steven O’Dor turned in Glen Trifiro’s cross to win the game for South 0-1.

Dimi Tsiaras and Shaun Kelly are both available for selection this week after both players served their automatic one game suspension against Southern Stars. O’Dor is likely to miss again with a hamstring injury. Trent Rixon had his 12 game suspension reduced to a 6 game suspension mid-week at the Tribunal and he will not be available until the last round against Heidelberg United. Coach Peter Tsolakis was handed a 2 game touchline ban and a fine for his send-off against Richmond on Friday 20 July and he will have to sit in the stands for Sunday’s match as well as next week’s game against Melbourne Knights at Somers Street. Finally, Tom Matthews will serve the third of his four game suspension against Hume. He will also miss the Knights game next Sunday before being eligible to play the following week against Dandenong Thunder.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 5:00PM at Lakeside Stadium. South fans are encouraged to attend and support their team as it strives to hit the top five again.

Last time we met

Thursday, 2 August 2012 3:32 PM

South Melbourne FC would like to announce the departure of Jason Trifiro, who has signed for A-League franchise Western Sydney Wanderers.

Jason joined the Club in 2012 after crossing over from Northcote City during the summer. He was a key contributor to the SMFC midfield in his short spell with the Club and scored three League goals in the process.

We wish Jason all the best as he embarks on a professional playing career.

Thursday, 2 August 2012 9:09 AM

South Melbourne FC wishes to update its members and supporters in regards to the Tribunal hearings for Trent Rixon and coach Peter Tsolakis that occurred last night (Wednesday 1 August) in relation to their red cards received in the Richmond game at Lakeside Stadium on Friday 20 July.

Trent Rixon was originally given a 12 match suspension (Automatic game + 11), however after appearing at the Tribunal he has had his suspension reduced to 6 matches (Automatic game + 5). Having already missed the Southern Stars match last weekend, Rixon will miss South’s next five Victorian Premier League games and will be eligible to play again in the final round of the regular season against Heidelberg United on Sunday 16 September.

Coach Peter Tsolakis was given a two game touch-line ban as well as a fine following his send off against Richmond. He will be unable to be on the coaching bench for this Sunday’s match against Hume City as well as next weekend’s game against the Melbourne Knights at Somers Street. He will be eligible to return to the coaching bench for the game against Dandenong Thunder at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 19 August.

In further updates, Shaun Kelly and Dimi Tsiaras will both be available for selection for this weekend’s match, as both served their automatic one-game suspension in last week’s 3-2 victory against Southern Stars. Tsiaras was suspended for accumulating his fifth yellow card of the season against Richmond, whilst Kelly was suspended for being sent off (after receiving two yellow cards) in the same fixture. Finally, Tom Matthews will serve the third of his four game suspension against Hume this weekend and will be available for the Dandenong game on 19 August. Matthews was suspended for four matches following his send-off against Green Gully on Sunday 15 July.

Monday, 30 July 2012 10:42 AM

South Melbourne FC scored two goals in second half injury time to record a thrilling 3-2 victory against Southern Stars on Saturday night at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex. The victory was all the more incredible considering the way the side had been decimated with injuries and suspensions in the week leading up to the game.

South came into the game on the back of two horrible home defeats against Green Gully and Richmond. This left the Club in 10th position on the Victorian Premier League ladder, five points from the top five but also seven points from the relegation zone. This meant that while South could still aim for finals, it had to start picking up points to erase the slight possibility of relegation. With Southern Stars only two points ahead of South going into the game following a 2-2 draw at Heidelberg last weekend, it presented the Blues with a great opportunity to jump up the ladder. However South was missing several players such as Tom Matthews (serving the second of his four game suspension), Trent Rixon (12 game suspension that will be heard at the Tribunal this week), Shaun Kelly (1 week suspension), DImi Tsiaras (1 week suspension) plus the long-term injury to Dimi Hatzimouratis and the 2-3 week injury sustained by captain Steven O’Dor last week.

The first half was an ordinary one for South as the makeshift three-man defence of Rhodri Payne, Luke Byles and Brad Norton struggled to contain the Stars’ runs down the flanks. The Stars took the lead in the 10th minute when Nick Harrhy was put through on goal and he rounded Peter Gavalas before placing the ball into the back of the net as the South defence continued to appeal for offside. South was reduced to only a handful of half-chances in the first half and was unable to capitalise. Fernando De Moraes’ curling shot forced a sharp save from Frazer Siddal before the Futsalroo danced through the Stars midfield before firing a shot that went just wide of Siddal’s goal on the stroke of halftime.

The away side came out inspired in the second half and levelled the scoring after just 45 seconds, when Phil Petreski’s cross from the left was deflected in for an own goal by Luke Fitzpatrick. De Moraes and Marinos Gasparis more than doubled their first half work-rate and were involved in everything as South poured forward in search of a second goal. On the hour Joe Keenan was replaced by youngster Nick Jacobs, who made his first League appearance in 2012 and only his second appearance since the Statewide Knockout Cup match against Malvern City on 29 April.

Shortly after Jacobs’ arrival on the park, Gasparis skipped past his Stars marker before firing in a cross from the right that found an unmarked Steve Burton at the top of the six yard box, but the striker failed to connect with the header at all as South missed a golden opportunity to go 2-1 up. As has happened all season, that miss proved to be costly barely a minute later when Stars ventured down the other end and scored with their first genuine chance of the half. Again it was Harrhy that was the goal scorer as he beat the offside trap for a second time before finishing neatly past Gavalas’ near post.

South heads may have dropped at that point but the team kept pushing for an equalising goal. Gasparis had been exceptional but was cramping up and he was duly substituted as young Andrew Cartanos made his debut for the Club. With five minutes remaining, a De Moraes cross from the right was met powerfully by Jacobs but Siddal made an outstanding fingertip save to deny the youngster a headed goal. With the match into the first minute of injury time and with the away side wondering what it had to do to score again, Rhodri Payne’s shot from outside the area fell to Burton with his back to goal. The striker’s quick turn and left foot shot rocketed past Siddal, bounced off the right post and went into the back of the net for a deserved equaliser.

Stars won a free kick in a dangerous position from kickoff but failed to capitalise as South won possession in the 94th minute and poured forward again. The youngsters were the heroes for the away side, as Cartanos linked up with Petreski who took on and beat his marker before firing in a cross from the left. Siddal did well to block Burton’s shot on goal but could only parry the ball into the path of the incoming Jacobs, who had the easy task of heading the ball into the empty net to send the away bench and the away supporters wild on the far side of the ground. South had conjured up one of the great escapes with a threadbare squad and in the process kept its finals chances well and truly alive.

It was another high-scoring affair in the Under-21s, as South defeated Southern Stars 3-2. South had a 2-0 lead erased before finding the winning goal in the final 10 minutes.

With six games remaining, South sits four points from fifth placed Northcote City. South now has a wonderful opportunity to close this gap even further with a home game against Hume City next Sunday afternoon at Lakeside Stadium at 5:00PM.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTHERN STARS 2-3 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 1-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Nick Harrhy (10′)
1-1: Luke Fitzpatrick OG (46′)
2-1: Nick Harrhy (67′)
2-2: Steve Burton (90+1′)
2-3: Nick Jacobs (90+4′)

Southern Stars: Frazer SIDDAL (GK), Ryan DARRAGH, John FITZGERALD, Luke FITZPATRICK, Kieran FITZGERALD, Alan MULCAHY, Alan KEARNEY, Josh WOOD, David STIRTON, Liam MCCORMACK, Nicholas HARRHY

South Melbourne FC: 1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 3. Rhodri PAYNE, 5. Phillip PETRESKI, 7. Joe KEENAN (24. Nick JACOBS 62’), 10. Glen TRIFIRO, 11. Bradley NORTON, 12. Steve BURTON, 13. Luke BYLES, 14. Andy VLAHOS, 15. Fernando DE MORAES, 18. Marinos GASPARIS (20. Andrew CARTANOS 85’)

SMFC Man of the Match: Fernando De Moraes
Venue: Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
Date: Saturday 28 July 2012

Thursday, 26 July 2012 3:19 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC travels to Kingston Heath Soccer Complex on Saturday evening to take on the Southern Stars in a match of extreme importance for the Blues. With South sitting five points from the top 5 but at the same time only seven points from the relegation zone, the result of Saturday’s game will be a huge factor in determining whether South’s season will end with the team either fighting relegation or pushing to make the finals.

South goes into the game on the back of two horrible home losses against Green Gully (0-2) and Richmond (1-3), with the team finishing last week’s game against the Eagles with only nine men following the red cards given to Shaun Kelly and Trent Rixon. Tom Matthews will again be missing after receiving a four game ban following his red card against Gully. In more bad news for South, Dimi Tsiaras will miss the Southern Stars game after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season last weekend, incurring an automatic one game ban. In addition, it seems likely that captain Steven O’Dor will also miss after being substituted early in the Richmond game due to a hamstring injury.

With so many injuries and suspensions, South faces a monumental battle against a Southern Stars side that defeated South 0-2 at Lakeside Stadium earlier this season on Friday 4 May. The Stars have adjusted well after being promoted into the Victorian Premier League at the end of last season and currently have 20 points and sit above South in 9th spot on the League ladder. Southern Stars come into this weekend’s match on the back of a disappointing 2-2 draw against Heidelberg last Sunday, with the Stars leading 2-1 before conceding a late goal.

South will most likely start Andy Vlahos up forward with Steve Burton, with the veteran impressing last Friday against Richmond. Forgotten man Rhodri Payne was substituted on for O’Dor against the Eagles and had an excellent match and will no doubt be deployed in defence again this weekend. Joe Keenan limped off last week but is expected to be fine to make at least an appearance off the bench against the Stars. The Trifiro brothers were on the substitute’s bench against Richmond and will be expected to step up and perform on Saturday.

Saturday’s match kicks off at 7:00PM at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex.

Last time we met

Monday, 23 July 2012 8:52 AM

By John Kyrou

Richmond inflicted South Melbourne FC’s fifth home loss in 2012 and condemned South to 10th spot on the Victorian Premier League ladder when it defeated the Blues 3-1 at Lakeside Stadium on Friday night. The match ended bizarrely, with South’s Shaun Kelly, Trent Rixon and then coach Peter Tsolakis all sent off in the final 20 minutes.

South simply cannot take a trick in 2012, and the events of the Richmond match were just a reflection of what has been a disastrous season for the Club. The home side looked good in the first half, as Andy Vlahos dominated on the left side, however that was not reflected on the scoreboard. Vlahos had the best chance for South after cutting in past his Richmond marker, however his final shot was hit straight at Stjepan Gal in the Richmond goal. Richmond’s best chance of the half fell to Tom Cahill, whose shot from outside the area beat Peter Gavalas as well as the far post, with the home side breathing a sigh of relief as the ball rolled out for a goal kick.

Jason Trifiro replaced Joe Keenan at halftime and it was the midfielder that had the next best chance for South in the 66th minute, when a mix-up in the Richmond defence resulted in the ball deflecting straight to him but catching him off-guard. Trifiro managed to get the ball on target and the ball was rolling into the back of the net but Gal’s spectacular goal-line clearance with his foot deflected the ball off the post and out to safety. With all the possession but nothing to show on the scoreboard, it was only a matter of time before the Eagles were due to punish the home side and it occurred barely a minute later. Daniel Visevic took on and beat Kelly on the left flank before crossing to the back post where the unmarked substitute and former South player Hamlet Armenian was on hand to slot home. Having already substituted Rhodri Payne for the injured Steven O’Dor as well as Jason Trifiro for Keenan, coach Tsolakis played his final roll of the dice by introducing Rixon to the action (in place of Marinos Gasparis) in an attempt to level the scoreline.

The night turned from bad to worse for the home side in five minutes of madness. In the 78th minute, a hopeful, non-dangerous long ball by Armenian wasn’t cleared properly by Kelly. Cahill intercepted and was through on goal before being brought down by Kelly, resulting in a penalty being awarded and Kelly being sent off for a second yellow card. Cahill took the penalty and made no mistake, sending Gavalas the wrong way. From the resulting kick-off, South played the ball down the other end and Steve Burton played a wonderful through-ball for Rixon to split the Richmond defence and slot past the advancing Gal and halve South’s deficit. There was an incident involving Rixon that resulted in him being shown a straight red card which prompted coach Tsolakis to protest, also resulting in him being issued a red card by the referee Shaun Evans.

Ironically, South’s best passages of play had been when the team had been down to ten men and then nine. South continued to press forward urgently seeking an equaliser, however this left them horribly exposed at the back. Richmond took advantage on a counter-attack and Armenian had the easy task of passing into an empty goal and seal the 3-1 win. Even with nine men and a two goal deficit and the match in its 95th minute, South still almost scored but Burton’s final shot from Fernando De Moraes’ cut-back was cleared off the line by the Richmond defence. The final whistle moments later confirmed another miserable home result for South, its fifth loss at home in the League in 2012 and sixth in all competitions. South now sits five points from fifth spot, but also worryingly is only seven points from the relegation zone with seven matches remaining.

It was more misery for South in the Under-21s, with Richmond triumphing 4-1.

With several injuries and potential suspensions, South now faces a monumental task away from home against the Southern Stars next Saturday night at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex. Kick-off is at 7PM.

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

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Hamlet Armenian (68′)
0-2: Tom Cahill (79′ pk)
1-2: Trent Rixon (80′)
1-3: Hamlet Armenian (90+5′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 4. Steven O’DOR (3. Rhodri PAYNE 17’), 6. Dimi TSIARAS, 7. Joe KEENAN (23. Jason TRIFIRO 46’), 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Steve BURTON, 13. Luke BYLES, 14. Andy VLAHOS, 15. Fernando DE MORAES, 18. Marinos GASPARIS (9. Trent RIXON 74′ [sent off 85′]), 19. Shaun KELLY (sent off 78′)

Richmond Eagles:
1. Stjepan GAL (GK), 3. Erhan KARAHAN, 4. Antun KOVACIC (2. Andrew VIOLA 46’), 5. Liam CANNELL, 6. Tom MILARDOVIC (30. Michael FARNHAM 86’), 7. Timmy PURCELL, 9. Tom CAHILL, 10. Kyle JORYEFF, 14. Daniel VISEVIC, 13. Davey VAN’T SCHIP (19. Hamlet ARMENIAN 65’), 23. Scott MUIRHEAD

SMFC Man of the Match: Andy Vlahos
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Friday 20 July 2012