Category: News

Friday, 25 May 2012 9:48 AM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

In one of the games of the round, South Melbourne FC travels to George Andrews Reserve to face high-flying Dandenong Thunder on Saturday afternoon. South is in desperate need of a win, whilst Dandenong has enjoyed seven wins from their opening seven Victorian Premier League matches in 2012 and show no signs of slowing down.

Last Sunday afternoon, goals from Adam Zilic and Jacob Colosimo were enough for the Melbourne Knights to prevail 2-1 against South in the derby at Lakeside Stadium. The only consolation for South was Bradley Norton scoring his first goal for the Club. Later that evening, Dandenong travelled to Olympic Park and defeated lowly Heidelberg United 1-0 to maintain their 100% winning streak in the League this year.

South will be boosted by the fact that it has not lost at George Andrews Reserve in three visits there, with the first being a come-from-behind 2-2 draw in 2009 before a professional 0-2 win in 2010 was followed by an extremely hard-fought 0-1 victory in 2011. On that occasion, Jesse Krncevic’s first half bullet header was enough to see off Dandenong and give South’s prospects of finals football a real boost. Coach Peter Tsolakis will be hoping for a similar result this Saturday. South will also be boosted by the likely return of Captain Steven O’Dor to the starting eleven. Fernando De Moraes will miss this match due to still being overseas representing the Futsalroos, but he will be available for the Northcote fixture next week.

Saturday’s match kicks off at 3:00pm at George Andrews Reserve.

Last time we met

Monday, 21 May 2012 3:29 PM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

The Melbourne Knights claimed bragging rights in the first derby of 2012 with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over South Melbourne FC at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. Goals from Adam Zilic and Jacob Colosimo were enough to see off a South side whose only goal came from a Bradley Norton header.

South came into the match on the back of a professional 1-0 away victory over Hume City last Friday night, whilst the Knights came into the game having suffered a surprise 2-1 home defeat against cellar dwellers Heidelberg United. However form meant very little in derby matches as the away side proved against a disappointing South that perhaps missed their captain Steven O’Dor (injury) and Fernando De Moraes (on Futsalroo duties).

The first half was a tight affair, with South hitting too many stray passes despite periods of pressure on the Knights, who were happy to sit back and hit on the counter-attack. South’s best early chance fell to Dimi Hatzimouratis who skied a shot over the crossbar after a wonderful through-ball from Glen Trifiro. The last five minutes of the half provided wonderful entertainment, as the Knights opened the scoring before South almost responded twice. Zilic was the quickest to react to a dangerous free kick from Jake Nakic and he flicked the ball past Peter Gavalas for the Knights’ opening goal. Right from the resulting kick-off, South went down to the other end and Trent Rixon forced a brilliant save from Aaron Romein to prevent the home side levelling. Shortly after, a great turn and shot by Glen Trifiro was blocked perfectly by Zilic, who was an absolute rock for the Knights all evening.

As expected, South began the second half with more urgency as the Knights again sat back and tried to hit on the counter attack. South’s persistence finally paid off when a cross to the back post was missed by Romein and Norton was in the right spot to head the ball into the back of the net. South looked to finally be getting on top of its old foe however a combination of poor decision making in front of goal and solid Knights defending kept the scoreline at 1-1. Former South man Yusuf Yusuf came off the substitutes’ bench for the Knights and he made an immediate impact when he made an excellent run down the right before cutting back for Jacob Colosimo to score past Gavalas for what proved to be the winning goal. Substitute Kyle Joryeff came closest to levelling for the home side when he fired a shot narrowly wide of Romein’s goal, however it was not to be South’s night as the away side held on for a magnificent victory.

South has to quickly recover before travelling to George Andrews Reserve next Saturday to play the Premier League leaders Dandenong Thunder, who have won all seven of their matches this season.

South fared much better in the Under-21s match earlier in the day, as the home side defeated the Knights 2-0. South goalkeeper Jason Saldaris made a good save from a Knights penalty kick shortly before full time to keep a clean sheet.

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

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Adam Zilic (40′)
1-1: Bradley Norton (58′)
1-2: Jacob Colosimo (70′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 3. Rhodri PAYNE, 6. Dimi TSIARAS, 8. Dimi HATZIMOURATIS (25. Kyle JORYEFF 77′), 9. Trent RIXON, 10. Glen TRIFIRO (20. Gianni DE NITTIS 82’), 11. Brad NORTON, 13. Luke BYLES, 17. Matko BUDIMIR (7. Joe KEENAN 66’), 18. Marinos GASPARIS, 23. Jason TRIFIRO

Melbourne Knights:
1. Aaron ROMEIN (GK), 2. Hrvoje SIBENIK, 4. Adam ZILIC, 6. Tom USKOK, 9. Jacob COLOSIMO (18. Craig SWEENEY 84′), 10. Josip KOZIC, 11. Anthony COLOSIMO, 12. Shayan ALINEJAD (19. Yusuf YUSUF 56′), 15. Louis FENTON, 17. Joseph FRANJIC, 23. Jake NAKIC

SMFC Man of the Match: Rhodri Payne
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 20 May 2012

Friday, 18 May 2012 12:05 PM

Click here to see the Official Olympiacos video of the day

As Official Partner of the Olympiacos tour of Australia, South Melbourne FC hosted the Greek Champions at Lakeside Stadium, where it held its first training session on Australian soil.

The Olympiacos coaching staff ran the players through their paces and provided the opportunity for the playing squad to acclimatise to the local conditions. Bathed in bright sunshine, Lakeside Stadium provided the ideal training facility for the Greek Champions as they prepared for their exhibition match on Saturday. Many fans were in attendance who were lucky enough to secure an autograph and photo with their favourite player.

At the conclusion of the scheduled training session, Olympiacos Head Coach Ernesto Valverde held a press conference with all local media.

SMFC TV was in attendance at Lakeside Stadium, and recorded all the action. Watch out for exclusive interviews with two Olympiacos stars on next week’s SMFC TV.

Click here to view a selection of photos from Thursday’s training session at Lakeside Stadium.

Friday, 18 May 2012 10:06 AM

South Melbourne FC hosts the Melbourne Knights on Sunday afternoon in what is the first derby between the two sides in 2012. The match has added significance as only two weeks have passed since the 21st anniversary of a game played between the two sides that defined their strong footballing rivalry.

Last Friday night, South enjoyed a win at Epping Stadium, triumphing 0-1 against Hume City thanks to captain Steven O’Dor’s winning goal after 87 minutes. The win consolidated South’s position in the top five and has given the Club a platform in which to kick-start its season. Last Sunday afternoon, the Melbourne Knights suffered a surprise 1-2 loss at home against cellar dwellers Heidelberg United. The victory lifted the Bergers out of the relegation zone at the Knights’ expense.

Sunday’s derby will be played only two weeks after the 21 year anniversary of the famous 1990/91 National Soccer League Grand Final, played on 5 May 1991 at Olympic Park in Melbourne. A crowd of 23,318 saw Andrew Marth’s opening goal for Minor Premiers Melbourne Croatia cancelled out by Joe Palatsides’ 88th minute equalising goal. South nearly won the match in extra time with a Kimon Taliadoros header but the game was decided by penalties. Misses by Paul Trimboli, Mike Petersen and Palatsides gave Melbourne Croatia opportunities to win the match; however Alan Davidson and Mark Silic sensationally hit the post with their penalties. Both sides kept converting their penalties after that until Ivan Kelic skied his shot over the bar for Melbourne Croatia to amazingly hand South its second National League Championship. One of the great moments in South’s proud and distinguised history is the footage of world footballing legend (and South coach) Ferenc Puskas holding aloft the National Soccer League Championship with captain Ange Postecoglou.

Of concern for South in this weekend’s derby is the fact that O’Dor will most likely miss the game due to an hamstring injury sustained in the Hume match. In addition, the popular Fernando De Moraes will be missing after being selected to play for the Futsalroos in the 2012 Asian Futsal Championships in the United Arab Emirates. At this stage it is only likely that Fernando will miss two League matches (the Knights and Dandenong), however should the Futsalroos progress further he may miss another game (Northcote). 

In more promising news, it is likely that the influential Joe Keenan will at least make the substitutes’ bench after he suffered an injury in the State Knockout Cup fourth round tie against Malvern City on 29 April. With South coach Peter Tsolakis featuring (and scoring many goals) against the Melbourne Knights in his playing days at the Club, he will no doubt be reminding his team about the historical importance of the derby fixture and of how vital it is that South gets the three points.

Sunday’s derby kicks off at 5:00PM at Lakeside Stadium.

Last time we met

Monday, 14 May 2012 9:15 AM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC returned to winning ways with a solid 0-1 victory against Hume City at Epping Stadium on Friday night. Captain Steven O’Dor’s 87th minute goal was enough to earn South a vital three points in a match that the away side dominated in possession yet left it late in translating that to a win on the scoreboard.

South went into the match on the back of an embarrassing 0-2 loss against Southern Stars at Lakeside Stadium the previous week. With the derby against the Melbourne Knights and a very tough away match against League leaders Dandenong Thunder to follow, it was of utmost importance to secure the three points against a Hume side that had started just as inconsistently as South had. Although Hume came into the match in winning form having defeated Heidelberg United 1-2 at Olympic Park in the previous round, like South they had managed only a modest seven points from their first five League encounters in 2012.

The first half of the match was quite dour, with few opportunities for both sides. On 25 minutes, Dimi Hatzimouratis curled a shot into the top right corner but Hume goalkeeper Chris Oldfield made an excellent save to keep the ball out. A short time later, a scramble in the six yard box resulted in an O’Dor shot going wide of the goal. The home side did actually put the ball in the back of the net shortly before halftime but the linesman on the near side correctly ruled that there had been a clear handball by former South man Steven Pace in the lead-up.

In the second half, South stepped up the intensity and enjoyed a huge amount of possession on the ball, however the away side seemed unable to break down a stubborn Hume defence led by Pace. Oldfield was hardly tested in the Hume goal, however he breathed a sigh of relief when O’Dor headed a fantastic Glen Trifiro cross over the crossbar on 66 minutes. South then had what looked like two clear penalties disallowed by referee Hakan Anaz, one of which had the potential to lead to a red card being issued against Hume for a last-man offence. Despite the strong appeals, Anaz waved for play to continue and South were denied.

Nevertheless, the away side continued to launch forward attacks as the clock ticked down and they were finally rewarded with only three minutes of normal time remaining. A Bradley Norton cross on the right was partially cleared by Hume’s defence to Glen Trifiro at the back post. Trifiro’s quick turn and shot was helped into the net by the quick-thinking O’Dor, sending the away fans behind the goals into wild celebrations in the cold wintry weather. Unfortunately for the captain, he had to be substituted only minutes later after what looked to be a thigh injury. South held on through the five minutes of injury time to record a vital win heading into next Sunday’s derby against the Knights.

After the game, South coach Peter Tsolakis commented that “I thought we dominated the game and I’m just so glad that we were able to score right at the end. Hume is always a tough game and the guys had to dig deep and I’m ecstatic that we got the three points.” Speaking to SMFC TV about his injury, the goal scoring hero O’Dor was “unsure at this stage how severe it is, hopefully I’ll be fine for next week but we’ll have to wait and see.”

In the Under-21s match, South came from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 against a ten-man Hume, who also lost their goalkeeper due to injury and had to play one of their outfield players in goal for the rest of the game.

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

Goal Scorer 
0-1: Steven O’Dor (87′)

Hume City:
1. Chris OLDFIELD (GK), 3. Ben HARRISON, 4. Isyan ERDOGAN, 5. Steven PACE, 6. Serdar PIR, 7. Atilla OFLI (10. David CHICK 70′), 11. Nick HEGARTY, 12. Jarryd BARNES (37. Bobby VIDANOVSKI 70′), 17. Phillip RICCOBENE, 20. Archie TOMIC, 22. Howard FONDYKE

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 3. Rhodri PAYNE, 4. Steven O’DOR (25. Kyle JORYEFF 90+4’), 6. Dimi TSIARAS (15. Fernando DE MORAES 79’), 8. Dimi HATZIMOURATIS (17. Matko BUDIMIR 90+1’), 9. Trent RIXON, 10. Glen TRIFIRO, 11. Bradley NORTON, 13. Luke BYLES, 18. Marinos GASPARIS, 23. Jason TRIFIRO

SMFC Man of the Match: Luke Byles
Venue: Epping Stadium
Date: Friday 11 May 2012

Thursday, 10 May 2012 5:15 PM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC travels to Epping Stadium on Friday night to face Hume City, where it will be looking to record its first win in the Victorian Premier League since its second round fixture against the Oakleigh Cannons.

South goes into the match on the back of a highly disappointing 0-2 home loss against promoted Southern Stars last Friday night. Goals from Mark Leech and former South man Yanni Galanos were enough for the Stars to record a memorable victory and severely embarrass South in only its second Premier League match back at Lakeside Stadium in 2012. Further bad news for South is the fact that Joe Keenan will be missing for at least another week due to a hamstring strain, whilst right-back Tom Matthews will still be out of action at least for another month as he recovers from a leg injury. In more positive news, Rhodri Payne looks set for a recall in the starting eleven, whilst Marinos Gasparis and Kyle Joryeff had positive impacts off the substitutes’ bench last week and may be included in the starting line-up on Friday night.

Hume City go into the match in winning form after coming from 1-0 down to defeat Heidelberg United 2-1at Olympic Park last Sunday. That result lifted Hume to eighth spot on the VPL ladder, only two places behind South, with both sides locked on 7 points from five League matches in 2012. The Hume players that South will need to watch out for are Zoran Petrevski, Serdar Pir, Pece Siveski, Isiyan Erdogan and former South man Steven Pace, all of which are capable of causing damage. South will also be wary of the fact that in the corresponding fixture last season at Broadmeadows Valley Park, doubles to Richie Cardozo, Steven Weir and a goal from Fabio Dilizia gave Hume a resounding 5-0 victory over a 9-man South Melbourne side following the dismissals of Jessie Krncevic and Ljubo Milicevic in the first half.

Friday night’s match kicks off at 8:30pm at Epping Stadium.

SMFC TV – Last time we met

Thursday, 10 May 2012 5:08 PM

The fifth round draw for the zonal playoffs in the FFV State Knockout Cup was held yesterday with South Melbourne FC being drawn against the Port Melbourne Sharks. The match is set to be played on the Queens Birthday long weekend, with games being played between June 8-10.

The FFV State Knockout Cup is a competition that includes clubs from all levels of Victorian Football. Initially, 130 clubs entered the FFV State Knockout Cup competition. In this round, the 10 clubs from the Victorian Premier League will compete against the remaining 14 non Premier League sides for the zonal playoffs.

South were eliminated from last year’s competition by Port Melbourne , with the Sharks defeating South 2-1 in extra time.

Match details to be released shortly.

Wednesday, 9 May 2012 4:04 PM

South Melbourne FC is excited to announce that Greek Superleague double winners Olympiacos will train at Lakeside Stadium ahead of their exhibition match on Saturday May 19th.

Olympiacos are the most successful side in Greek football history, claiming their 39th Championship in 2012, as well as an unprecedented 25th Greek Cup.

South Melbourne FC President Leo Athanasakis was elated to announce the news, saying “we are delighted that Olympiacos will be training at Lakeside Stadium in preparation for their exhibition match. Olympiacos played their last Australian exhibition match in 1978 against South Melbourne, and we are quite excited to be involved again.”

Please note that training will be closed doors, with only accredited media allowed.

Tickets for the game can be purchased via ticketmaster outlets or via clicking this link.

Sunday, 6 May 2012 9:36 PM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

Southern Stars handed South Melbourne FC a footballing lesson on Friday night as the newly-promoted side impressed in a 2-0 victory at Lakeside Stadium. A wonder strike by Mark Leech and a goal from former South player Yanni Galanos were enough to see off a thoroughly disappointing home side.

South went into the match knowing that three points were vital in gaining momentum in the League following some inconsistent results in recent weeks. A 3-1 loss away at Green Gully was followed by a 1-1 draw at Richmond before South got back into winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Malvern City in the State Knockout Cup last Sunday. The Southern Stars knew that three points against South would take them to seven points from five League matches, a solid start by a promoted side.

The first half was an end-to-end affair, with Southern Stars taking the game to the home side early. Both sides created a number of chances, with South coming the closest when Fernando De Moraes hit a fierce shot from the right that goalkeeper Frazer Siddall got a glove to before the ball smashed the crossbar and stayed out. A minute later, Glen Trifiro was set free down the left and was in a great position to shoot, however he unselfishly elected to cut the ball back into the six-yard box and the danger was cleared by the South defence. Dimi Tsiaras also missed a golden opportunity by hitting a shot at the back post way over the crossbar.

Despite South’s possession, Southern Stars had been busy creating opportunities as well and they punished South right on halftime. Stars broke down a South forward move and counter-attacked by playing the ball over Leech to run onto and then chip Peter Gavalas beautifully from 30 metres and send the away supporters wild. The goal was just reward for a side who had worked very hard for each other in the first half.

South started the second half well and almost levelled when Trifiro hit the post from a shot on the right. However once more it was the Stars who delivered a sucker-punch blow to South, when a bad mix-up in defence resulted in Tsiaras’ poor clearance to fall straight to Galanos and he smashed the ball into the unguarded goal. This was the killer blow to the home side, who really struggled to create any meaningful chances afterwards. Kyle Joryeff was substituted onto the field and his intensity and freshness immediately gave South another forward option. With 10 minutes to go Joryeff went down in the penalty area after a challenge however the referee did not award a penalty and Southern Stars saw the game out comfortably to record a memorable 2-0 win and severely embarrass South at home.

South has a horror run of fixtures coming up, with games against Hume City, Melbourne Knights and leaders Dandenong Thunder in the next few weeks. With key players Tom Matthews (leg injury) and Joe Keenan (hamstring injury) potentially missing, South coach Peter Tsolakis will need to fix up his defensive problems as soon as possible, as well as finding out a way to break through opposition defences.

In the Under 21’s match played, Southern Stars came from a goal down to defeat South 3-2.

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

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Mark Leech (45′)
0-2: Yanni Galanos (59′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 4. Steven O’DOR, 6. Dimi TSIARAS, 8. Dimi HATZIMOURATIS (25. Kyle JORYEFF 69′), 9. Trent RIXON (20. Gianni DE NITTIS 80′), 10. Glen TRIFIRO, 11. Brad NORTON, 13. Luke BYLES, 15. Fernando DE MORAES, 17. Matko BUDIMIR (16. Marinos GASPARIS 73′), 23. Jason TRIFIRO

Southern Stars:
1. Frazer SIDDALL (GK), 2. Ryan DARRAGH, 3. Patrick SULLIVAN, 5. Luke FITZPATRIC, 6. Alan MULCAHY, 8. Keiren FITZGERALD, 11. Yanni GALANOS, 12. David STIRTON, 13. Halil GUR, 16. Alan KEARNEY, 22. Mark LEECH
Subs: 20. Nick ABOUGELIS, 15. Karl BROWN, 9. Ridvan SAGLAM, 14. Satt GULER, 19. Liam MCCORMACK

SMFC Man of the Match: Kyle Joryeff
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Friday 4 May 2012

Thursday, 3 May 2012 11:57 PM

By John Kyrou

After over a month away from Lakeside Stadium, South Melbourne FC returns to its home ground to face the newly promoted Southern Stars on Friday night.

South goes into the game in inconsistent form, having lost and then drawn League matches at Green Gully and Richmond before returning to winning form with a 2-1 win over Malvern City in the fourth round of the State Knockout Cup last weekend. With tough League fixtures coming up against Hume City, Melbourne Knights and Dandenong Thunder, South will be very keen on winning three points on Friday night in order to keep in touch with Dandenong at the top of the table.

The Southern Stars have also had an inconsistent start to 2012, winning four points from their first four League games. Like South, it progressed in the Cup last weekend thanks to a 3-0 victory over Churchill United. Southern Stars feature former South players Yanni Galanos and Sasha Vranesevic, both who would be keen on getting one over their former club on Friday night. Victory over South would move Southern Stars to seven points, the same total as South currently. Despite being a newly-promoted side, South coach Peter Tsolakis will be wary of the potential for this game to be a danger match and will be hoping to continue South’s 100% home record this season.

The match kicks off at 8:30pm on Friday night at Lakeside Stadium. South supporters are reminded that 2012 merchandise is now available and can be purchased either online (smfc.com.au/merchandise) or at the merchandise store at Lakeside Stadium on matchday.