Category: News

Tuesday, 2 August 2011 6:33 PM

South Melbourne FC in association with Poker Night is holding the very last function to be held in the Champions Bar at Lakeside Stadium prior to the commencement of refurbishment works.

The SMFC Poker Night is to be held on Saturday 20th August at 7.30pm. It promises to be a great night of poker and many other related activities as we bid farewell to the Champions Bar. The night begins with a $100 buy in.

Please contact Nicki on 9645 9797 to reserve a table or spot.

Click here to download the flyer

Monday, 1 August 2011 9:02 PM

On the twenty third episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Round 21 clash against Dandenong Thunder, and preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and Northcote City.

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

Click here to download episode 23 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As

Click here to download the show directly from iTunes

Monday, 1 August 2011 10:28 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC has edged closer to sealing a finals berth in 2011 after a hard-fought 1-0 away victory against the Dandenong Thunder on Saturday afternoon at George Andrews Reserve. Jesse Krncevic was the match-winner for the away side after scoring a wonderful header just after the half-hour mark to settle what was otherwise a very even match.

The Blues travelled to Dandenong knowing that it had to get all three points in order to keep its finals destiny solely in its own hands, without relying on other teams to do them favours in the final few rounds. Anything less than a victory against Thunder meant South would go into the final game against Northcote City needing to win and relying on other results. It was an even harder equation for the Thunder, who needed to not only defeat South and then Oakleigh in their final two games, but also rely on other results to go their way in order to qualify for finals football.

South started the match strongly and held possession for long periods as it tried to break down the Thunder defence. Krncevic and Steven Weir had some wonderful link-up play whilst Carl Recchia was once again immense at centre-half. The away side finally broke the deadlock just after the half hour when Daniel Vasilevski won the ball outside the area and skipped around his opponent before delivering a perfect cross from the left that resulted in a bullet header by Krncevic into the bottom left corner of Stuart Webster’s goal.

Dandenong immediately lifted following Krncevic’s goal and should have been level almost straight away but for Liam Kearney putting his free back-post header wide of Zaim Zeneli’s goal. Just before the halftime break the home side wasted another great chance when Luke Sherbon hit the crossbar following a scramble in the six-yard area that left him with a clear shot at goal with Zeneli stranded on the ground. However it was not one-way traffic, as at the other end Krncevic nearly doubled South’s lead with an attempted chip over Webster that the Thunder custodian did brilliantly to save.

The second half was dominated by the Thunder, with South happy to soak up the pressure and play a counter-attacking game. Sebastian Petrovic was outstanding in midfield as South held on to its precious slim lead with Dandenong pressuring for an equalising goal. Second half substitution Veton Korcarevski was instrumental in creating many of the home side’s forward moves, as was Kearney who had an excellent match. However despite the possession and pressure by Dandenong, South held firm and gave Zeneli only a few headaches to deal with. Weir should have won the match at the other end when he was through on goal but again Webster saved Thunder with a great block at his near post.

Dandenong had two late chances to draw the match but went agonisingly wide on both occasions. As the game crept towards injury time, a free kick from the left side evaded everyone in a packed penalty area and drifted wide for a goal kick, much to the relief of all the travelling South fans. As the clock ticked into the fourth minute of injury time, Acim Tomic headed another free kick from the left over the bar. The full-time whistle sounded shortly after, officially eliminating Dandenong from the finals race in 2011 but keeping South’s chances alive and in its own hands going into the Club’s final game of the regular season against Northcote City.

In more great news for the Club, the Under 21s defeated Dandenong 2-0 to remain in first place on the Under 21s ladder, one point ahead of second-placed Hume City. Should it defeat Northcote next weekend or match whatever Hume’s result is against the Melbourne Knights, the Under 21s will be crowned back-to-back Champions in what would be a phenomenal achievement for the Club’s up and coming stars. 

There are many possibilities for where South can finish on the ladder after next week’s final round of matches, however what is absolutely certain is that the Club will play in the finals as long as it avoids defeat against Northcote City. On the other hand, a loss will condemn the Club to a second straight season without finals football. 

The Northcote game will be played at Port Melbourne’s Anderson Reserve and the game kicks off at 15:00 next Sunday 7 August. All Premier League matches will be played at that time so there is no doubt that there will be high drama throughout next Sunday as results filter through during the course of the afternoon.

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

Goal Scorer
0-1: Jesse Krncevic (33′)

Dandenong Thunder:
1. Stuart WEBSTER (GK), 3. Ben HARRISON, 5. Steven GRAY, 7. Scott WEBSTER, 10. Ashley STOTT (9. Veton KORCEREVSKI), 11. Acim TOMIC, 13. Shane REXHEPI, 14. Feston AZIZI (16. Jarryd BARNES), 15. Deniz SABANOVSKI, 17. Liam KEARNEY, 20. Luke SHERBON

South Melbourne FC:
3. Rhodri PAYNE, 4. Steven O’DOR, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI, 8. Carl RECCHIA, 11. Jesse KRNCEVIC, 15. Fernando DE MORAES (2. Tom MATTHEWS 69’), 16. Trent WATERSON, 17. Steven WEIR (18. Marinos GASPARIS 82’), 20. Daniel DRAGICEVIC (25. Kyle JORYEFF 75’), 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK), 23. Sebastian PETROVIC


SMFC Man of the Match: Sebastian Petrovic
Venue: George Andrews Reserve
Date: Saturday 30 July 2011

Thursday, 28 July 2011 10:25 AM

It is do or die for both Dandenong Thunder and South Melbourne FC when the two sides meet at George Andrews Reserve on Saturday afternoon. A loss will almost certainly mean that the Thunder will miss finals action in 2011, whereas a loss for South will make things extremely difficult going into the final round of matches next weekend.

Two weekends ago, South breathed new life into its 2011 campaign with a fantastic 3-1 victory over League leaders Hume City to put itself into second place on 37 points and with a weekend off to prepare for the Dandenong match. Since then, Oakleigh and Green Gully won their games in hand and have subsequently pushed South down to fourth spot. A win over Dandenong will put South on 40 points which could be enough for a spot in the finals depending on the events that transpire in the Hume vs Oakleigh and Northcote vs Bentleigh matches. What is certain however is that two wins from its final two matches will see South playing finals football, so the Club’s destiny for season 2011 is still in its own hands.

Dandenong made use of its game in hand to defeat the Melbourne Knights 3-1 at George Andrews Reserve last Saturday to keep alive its chances of playing finals football in 2011. That result pushed the Thunder to only two points behind Bentleigh Greens in fifth spot. Depending on other results, a win against South on Saturday could very well put the Thunder into the top five, or level with teams currently in the top five. Unlike South, Dandenong essentially need to win their final two matches as well as rely on other results to fall positively in order to make the top five.

South will be boosted by the fact that it hasn’t lost at George Andrews Reserve in two visits there, with the first being a come-from-behind 2-2 draw in 2009 before a professional 0-2 win last season. Coach Eddie Krncevic should have almost a full squad to choose from, and with key players having returned from injury and suspension and hitting match form, the supports will be expecting to see nothing less than a performance similar to the one against Hume City two weeks ago.

Saturday’s match kicks off at 15:00 at George Andrews Reserve. The match is open to the public so South fans are strongly encouraged to attend and support their team to hopefully win the three points that could seal a finals spot.

Monday, 18 July 2011 11:55 PM

On the twenty second episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Round 20 clash against Hume City, and preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and Dandenong Thunder.

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

Click here to download episode 22 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As

Click here to download the show directly from iTunes

Sunday, 17 July 2011 8:07 PM

South Melbourne FC crept closer to securing a finals spot in the 2011 Victorian Premier League following an emphatic 3-1 victory against League leaders Hume City on Sunday afternoon at John Cain Memorial Park.

South went into the match knowing that it simply had to win against high-flying Hume in order to keep ahead of the chasing pack in Bentleigh, Heidelberg, Green Gully, Northcote City and Dandenong. With all teams within only a few points of each other, a slip-up by any team could have meant starting the round in the top five but ending it as low as seventh.

The home side started the match with a real point to prove and deservedly opened the scoring when Daniel Dragicevic snuck in at the back post unmarked to fire Rhodri Payne’s cross across Hume goalkeeper Lupce Acevski and into the goal for his first goal for South.

The game was blown open ten minutes later in a minute of madness that saw a goal and a red card. Daniel Vasilevski expertly hit his corner to the penalty spot where Sebastian Petrovic met the ball and fired a header past Acevski. The goalkeeper then booted the ball away before receiving a straight red card from the referee for apparent verbal dissent. Hume was lucky not to have another man sent off when Steven Pace elbowed Dragicevic in the face and only received a caution.

South made sure of the three points early in the second half when Steven Weir’s free kick deflected off Hume’s wall before landing for Jesse Krncevic to shoot past substitute goalkeeper Kenny Gerochristodoulou. With a three goal advantage and a one man advantage, South created so many more chances to increase their lead but could not add to their tally despite going close numerous times. In the closing stages of the match, Hume pulled back a consolation goal through substitute Richie Cardozo, who got in between Carl Recchia and Trent Waterson and headed past Zaim Zeneli to give the visiting team something to cheer about.

After the game Jesse Krncevic commented that “it was great to be back playing (following his five match suspension against Heidelberg). I linked up well with Steven Weir up front and hopefully we can continue this partnership against Dandenong and Northcote in the last two games.”

In further great news, the Under 21s defeated Hume 1-0 through a goal by Robert Naumovski to overtake Hume in top spot on the Under 21 League table with two games to go. Coach Gus Caminos commented that “we’ve done the hard work to get to top spot but now we need to hold onto it with two games to go.”

Both sides have a break in League action next week for the VPL catch-up round and resume their League seasons the following week. South travels to Dandenong on Saturday 30 July to play Dandenong Thunder and on the same afternoon Hume hosts Oakleigh Cannons at Broadmeadows Valley Park. Both matches kick off at 15:00.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 3-1 HUME CITY (HT: 2-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Daniel Dragicevic (13’)
2-0: Sebastian Petrovic (26’)
3-0: Jesse Krncevic (51’)
3-1: Richie Cardozo (81’)

South Melbourne FC:
3. Rhodri PAYNE, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI, 6. Steven TOPALOVIC, 8. Carl RECCHIA, 11. Jesse KRNCEVIC, 15. Fernando DE MORAES, 16. Trent WATERSON, 17. Steven WEIR, 20. Daniel DRAGICEVIC (25. Kyle JORYEFF 74′), 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK), 23. Sebastian PETROVIC

Hume City:
1. Lupce ACEVSKI (GK) (sent off), 5. Steven PACE, 6. Serdar PIR, 7. Isiyan ERDOGAN, 9. Pece SIVESKI, 10. Richie CARDOZO, 11. Andy VLAHOS, 15. Zoran PETREVSKI, 20. Michael BOSEVSKI (25. Atilla OFLI 64′), 21. Dusko DELIC (18. Kenny GEROCHRISTODOULOU 26′), 22. Phil RICCOBENE

SMFC Man of the Match: Jesse Krncevic
Venue: John Cain Memorial Park
Date: Sunday 17 July 2011

Friday, 15 July 2011 5:21 PM

South Melbourne is pleased to announce that it has clarified with FFV today that Kliment Taseski was eligible to play against Richmond Eagles last Saturday.

As a result, the 3 Championship points which had been deducted by FFV have now been reinstated.

SMFC would like to thank FFV for its cooperation in rectifying the matter in a timely manner.

SMFC had properly extended the loan agreement with Melbourne Heart enabling Kliment Taseski to play last week.

The club understands that FFV were unaware of the extension and as a result, concluded that the club played an ineligible player triggering an automatic penalty.

Thursday, 14 July 2011 11:59 PM

South Melbourne FC goes into this weekend’s match against Victorian Premier League leaders Hume City knowing that it simply must win to keep alive its quest for a finals appearance in 2011.

In better news for the Club, Jesse Krncevic returns to the squad having served his five match suspension following his send-off against Heidelberg United on Sunday 5th June. Krncevic will almost certainly link up with Steven Weir and Kyle Joryeff up front, with South having badly missed having a big target forward in recent weeks. Zaim Zeneli bore the full brunt of an accidental collision with Steven Topalovic in the Richmond match, however the custodian should be available for Sunday’s match. Captain Steven O’Dor missed the Richmond match due to hospitalisation mid-week last week but should hopefully be back in the line-up on Sunday afternoon.

Hume surprisingly come into the match in losing form despite leading the Victorian Premier League by two games outright. Hume had been undefeated since a 4-1 loss against Bentleigh on Friday 8 April and ironically it was the Greens who broke that winning streak last Saturday with a 2-1 away win at Broadmeadows Valley Park. Despite this minor setback, Hume City will be confident of beating South on Sunday and will almost certainly confirm a top two position should that occur. Richie Cardozo has been in outstanding form for Hume City in 2011 and has scored many wonderful goals including against South.

In the corresponding fixture between the two sides last season on Sunday 25 July, a late goal by Carl Recchia salvaged a valuable draw for South five minutes from time after Cardozo scored a double (43′, 70′) following Joe Keenan opening the scoring after 31 minutes. Earlier this season on Sunday 17 April, Krncevic and Ljubo Milicevic were sent off in the first half as a nine-man South crumbled 5-0 to Hume, with that loss knocking South from the top of the Victorian Premier League ladder in what seems a lifetime ago.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 15:00 at John Cain Memorial Park.

Tuesday, 12 July 2011 12:08 AM

On the twenty first episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Round 19 clash against Richmond, and preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and Hume City.

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

Click here to download episode 21 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As

Click here to download the show directly from iTunes

Sunday, 10 July 2011 10:50 PM

South Melbourne FC threw away an excellent opportunity to cement a position in the top three on the Victorian Premier League ladder following a 1-0 away loss against Richmond on Saturday afternoon at Kevin Bartlett Reserve. A Ross Antoniadis goal after only five minutes ultimately proved to be the difference between the two sides, with South blowing several opportunities in the second half following a disappointing first half performance.

The away side arrived at Richmond knowing that winning the three points would go a long way to not only cementing a finals position but also in finishing in the top three. However, there was bad news from before kick-off, with captain Steven O’Dor missing from the squad after being hospitalised during the week. The news went from bad to worse when Antoniadis pounced on the loose ball from a set piece and smashed a firm and hard shot across Zaim Zeneli and into the far corner to give the home side the lead. South was very flat in the first half and was fortunate to go into the break only a goal down as Nick Marinos proved difficult for the defence to handle. The away side had a chance to level just before the break but Steven Topalovic hit a weak left-footed shot at goalkeeper Stjepan Gal instead of cutting back for the waiting Steven Weir.

It was no coincidence that South improved dramatically following the introduction of Fernando De Moraes at the start of the second half. The away side dominated possession but could not convert any of it into goals on the scoreboard. Zeneli was kept quiet for most of the second half. At the other end, South had three glorious opportunities to level through Daniel Vasilevski and Carl Recchia. Vasilevski hit two wonderful free kicks from just outside the area, one deflecting off the wall and hitting the crossbar (with Gal beaten) and the other flying just wide of Gal’s goal. In injury time, Recchia missed a wonderful chance to salvage a point for the away side when he skied Daniel Dragicevic’s cut-back ball over the crossbar.

There was more positive news in the Under 21s, with South defeating Richmond 0-3.

The matches get no easier, with South hosting League leaders Hume City at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon. Kick-off is at 3:00pm.

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

Goal Scorer:
1-0: Ross Antoniadis (5′)

Richmond Eagles:
1. Stjepan GAL (GK), 2. Andrew VIOLA, 3. Erhan KARAHAN, 4. Ross ANTONIADIS, 5. Mitchell BISSINGER, 7. Timmy PURCELL, 8. Scott MUIRHEAD (11. Mate ETEROVIC 80′), 9. Michael CATALANO (12. Devon BONNE 85′), 10. Nick MARINOS (6. Dimitri TSIARAS 70′), 13. Antun KOVACIC, 18. Michael FERRANTE

South Melbourne FC:
2. Tom MATTHEWS, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI, 6. Steven TOPALOVIC, 8. Carl RECCHIA, 10. Kliment TASESKI, 14. Rhodri PAYNE, 16. Trent WATERSON (15. Fernando DE MORAES 46′), 17. Steven WEIR, 18. Marinos GASPARIS (25. Kyle JORYEFF 75′), 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK), 23. Sebastian PETROVIC (20. Daniel DRAGICEVIC 83′)

SMFC Man of the Match: Carl Recchia
Venue: Kevin Bartlett Reserve
Date: Saturday 9 July 2011