Wednesday, 15 June 2011 10:24 PM
On the seventeenth episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Singapore Cup clash against Albirex Niigata Singapore FC, and preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and Oakleigh Cannons.
Should you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback for southRadio please email the club at multimedia@smfc.com.au
Click here to download episode 17 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As
Wednesday, 15 June 2011 2:33 PM
Bhaskaran Kunju
Albirex Niigata (Singapore) FC knocked out a determined South Melbourne FC side from the 2011 RHB Singapore Cup.
The 3-0 win at Jalan Besar Stadium on Sunday night sent the White Swans through to the quarterfinals, while the Australians failed to better their performance from last season.
Eddie Krncevic, who oversaw the second half of South’s Singapore Cup quest last season, was less than disappointed with his team’s performance. “We played a good team, they were very mobile with a few players who are a bit special. They played good flowing football, and I can understand why they are near the top of the ladder.”
Accepting that the result was a little too harsh, Krncevic mentioned “3-0? Didn’t think it was a 3-0 game,” he stated in the post-match conference.To be honest the result didn’t reflect the game. But it was good experience for us. We played good football and I was very pleased with that. It’s a game we were always going to learn a lot from. It’s not easy going out to play in the searing heat”.
The 50-year-old’s consolation stemmed from the relatively strong start his team made, when a shaky Albirex defence came close to gifting the lead to the visitors within the opening fifteen minutes.
First, Jesse Krncevic, poked over from close range after being fed through on the blind side by Daniel Vasilevski, who also flashed a long-range volley just past the framework shortly after.
Thomas Matthews failed to register a shot on target as well when he glanced a header from a good position off a wide free kick.
But Albirex quickly found their footing and broke the deadlock against the run of play in the simplest of moves that totally flatfooted the South Melbourne defence.
Ryuta Hayashi’s chip from the byline into a penalty box teeming with South defenders sailed over everyone’s reach and found an unmarked Shotaro Ihata at the deep end, who calmly nodded home the opener.
The goal unfortunately signalled the end of the match as a competition, as Albirex withdrew into their half to retain possession and tease the Australians, who were already showing signs of tired legs.
But Tatsuro Inui did manage to sneak in a powerful shot before the signal for the break, an unexpected and swerving effort from the left flank which an alert Zaim Zeneli in goal reacted to brilliantly to deflect clear.
The introduction of fresh legs started to show dividends as South broke into the Albirex half more regularly, but the White Swans promptly upped the tempo and twice came close to doubling the lead.
Zeneli expertly denied Shimpei Sakurada, and then Bruno Suzuki Castenheira pulled his effort just wide from inside the six-yard box after some nifty footwork.
But with the further influx of fresh legs from South, they began to register shots on target and came the closest yet to getting on the scoresheet.
Weir did well to bring under control a lob over the defence, but his turn and shot was weak and easily gathered by Yoshito Matsushita in goal, though the forward was unlucky for having his shirt tugged at by his marker, something that went unnoticed by referee Leow Thiam Hoe.
Fellow substitute Kyle Joryeff then tested Matsushita from outside the penalty box, which had the custodian scrambling to turn the ball around the upright for a corner.
Then Jesse Krncevic hit the crossbar from the resulting corner kick, symbolically signalling the end of the competition for his side, as Albirex went on to add to their lead just minutes later with two goals in quick succession.
Atsushi Shimono raced past the defence line to slot home from close range, and then White Swans captain Sakurada completed the scoring for his side by firing into an unguarded net from the far post after Yosuke Saito had done his part down the flank to pull a low cross back across the face of goal.
With so many of his players in excellent form for the night, Albirex Head Coach Sugiyama was visibly pleased with the performance, though he refused to single out individual performers.
“Every player impressed me tonight,” was the 39-year-old’s measured response when asked on his man of the match. South Melbourne are a tough and strong side, physically and tactically, as I had expected.”
Despite his team’s stern showing for the night, making them look like early favourites for the RHB Singapore Cup crown, Sugiyama refused to be drawn too deep into his side’s overall chances for the tournament.
“I don’t know about the future, but we had a good game today,” he remarked.
“My players did their best against big and tall players. The important thing is to continue (with this), so we must keep improving and play better than today.”
FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 0-3 ALBIREX NIIGATA SINGAPORE FC (HT: 0-1)
South Melbourne:
Zaim Zeneli, Thomas Matthews, Daniel Vasilevski (78′ Marinos Gasparis), Steven Topalovic, Carl Recchia (C), Kliment Tasevski, Jesse Krncevic, Trent Waterson, Daniel Dragicevic (73′ Kyle Joryeff), Sebastian Petrovic (58′ Steven Weir), Meyer (Junior) Carlos. Subs: Steven Weir, Marinos Gasparis, Kyle Joryeff, Robert Russell
Albirex Niigata Singapore FC:
Yoshito Matsushita, Ryuta Hayashi, Shuhei Hotta, Kazuki Kobatashi, Atsushi Shimono, Bruno Castanheira (74′ Yosuke Saito), Shimpei Sakurada (C), Tatsuro Inui (91′ Musashi Okuyama), Shotaro Ihata, Norihiro Kawakami, Takuya Hidaka Subs: Keisuke Matsui, Yosuke Saito, Ryo Hasegawa, Musashi Okuyama, Shunsuke Sagesaka, Hidekazu Yamashita, Kazuya Inagaki
Venue: Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore
Date: Sunday 12 June 2011
Crowd: approximately 2,000
SMFC Player of the Match: Zaim Zeneli
Sunday, 12 June 2011 8:35 PM
We are now LIVE on radio 3XY 1422 AM and online! We will be broadcasting the game in English at 9.25pm AEST.
Online Link
To follow this match via online radio broadcast, please go to http://greekmediagroup.com/ and click on your preferred “Listen Online Now” link
We will also be updating our Facebook http://www.facebook.com/smfc59 and Twitter http://www.twitter.com/smfc pages with online updates.
Sunday, 12 June 2011 3:20 PM
South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce that tonight’s first round Singapore Cup match will be broadcast on our media partner Radio 3XY. The broadcast will commence at 9.25pm AEST.
The broadcast commentary will be in English with periodical updates provided in Greek.
Radio 3XY can be heard on 1422 AM. Please visit the Club’s website later tonight for the links to the live audio broadcast.
In further news, South Melbourne FC has secured Cafe Sienna, Bada Bar, and OBC Interiors as broadcast sponsors for tonight’s match.
Thursday, 9 June 2011 4:22 PM
On the sixiteenth episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Round 15 clash against Heidelberg United, and preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and Albirex Niigata Singapore FC.
Should you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback for southRadio please email the club at multimedia@smfc.com.au
Click here to download episode 16 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As
Thursday, 9 June 2011 10:43 AM
South Melbourne FC was one of five invited foreign teams to participate in the 2011 RHB Singapore Cup. It is the fourteenth staging of the annual Singapore Cup tournament.
The format of the tournament remains unchanged from the previous edition in 2010. South Melbourne FC has been drawn against S League club Albirex Niigata Singapore FC. The first round match has been scheduled for Sunday 12th June at the Jalan Besar Stadium, with kick off set for 7.30pm local time (9.30pm AEST).
The first round of fixtures involve one off elimination matches, with subsequent rounds involving matches to be played over two legs.
Apart from South Melbourne FC, the other four foreign teams that have been invited to participate include:
• Pattaya United (Thailand)
• Phnom Penh Crown (Cambodia)
• Okktha United (Myanmar)
• Harimau Muda (Malaysia)
South’s opponent is a satellite team of Albirex Niigata of Japan, and its playing roster is largely comprised of Japanese players. The side joined the S League in 2004 and has attracted praise from the local media for their professional approach. Albirex Niigata Singapore FC wears a predominantly orange playing strip, with white as its away colours. Its major corporate partner is Canon. Over the previous seven years, its highest achievement has been to finish in fifth position on the S League ladder, while it finished fourth in the 2009 RHB Singapore Cup.
In 2010, South Melbourne FC reached the quarterfinal stage of the tournament. In the elimination first round match, South overcame Gombak United 2-1 with first half goals to Daniel Vasilevski and Joseph Youssef. In the quarterfinal stage, South Melbourne FC lost over two legs to the eventual champion Bangkok Glass 6-4 on aggregate.
Should South Melbourne FC be successful in overcoming Albirex Niigata Singapore FC, it will meet the winner of the match between Singapore Armed Forces FC and Phnom Penh Crown. The quarter final matches are scheduled to be played over two legs in late September.
The squad that will be travelling to Singapore is listed below:
2. Thomas Matthews (Defender)
5. Daniel Vasilevski (Midfielder)
6. Steven Topalovic (Midfielder)
8. Carl Recchia (Midfielder)
10. Kliment Taseski (Forward)
11. Jesse Krncevic (Forward)
14. Steven Weir (Forward)
16. Trent Waterson (Forward)
18. Marinos Gasparis (Midfielder)
20. Daniel Dragicevic (Forward)
21. Zaim Zeneli (Goalkeeper)
23. Sebastian Petrovich (Midfielder)
25. Kyle Joryeff (Forward)
33. Bobby Russell (Midfielder)
80. Meyer Carlos De Camargo Junior (Defender)
For any queries, please contact Nick Galatas on +61 3 9645 9797 or media@smfc.com.au
Thursday, 9 June 2011 10:41 AM
Port Melbourne has handed South Melbourne FC a disappointing Fifth Round Mirabella Cup defeat on Wednesday evening at SS Anderson Reserve. The come-from-behind 2-1 win gave the State League 1 side a thoroughly deserved victory against a disappointing South side that seemed to just go through the motions after taking the lead in the first half.
South were forced to leave out several players for the game, with Jesse Krncevic serving the first of his five-game suspension against Port Melbourne. Also missing were Junior Camargo, Tom Matthews and new signing Steven Weir, with all players being Cup-tied after playing for other clubs earlier in the competition. In better news, Carl Recchia returned to the starting line-up after being out of the team since sustaining a nasty ankle injury against Hume on 17 April.
Both sides started the game conservatively but it was South who drew first blood just short of the half-hour mark when Daniel Vasilevski headed home a great cross from Daniel Dragicevic on the right. Port scored before the half-time break but the goal was disallowed for offside. In the second half, captain-coach Eric Vassiliadis substituted himself onto the field and the game immediately changed. South went forward and blew a glorious three-on-one opportunity to double their lead before Port took the ball down to the other end and equalised with a headed goal similar to Vasilevski’s first half effort for South. From there it was all Port, with the Sharks missing a few open goals with little reply from South as the match headed into extra time.
The score remained at 1-1 throughout a nervy first half of extra time but changed in the 109th minute when Port scored what proved to be the winning goal, again converting a cross that came from the right side. Unfortunately for South, it was nothing more than what the Sharks deserved after clearly being the better side on the night. Despite having 10 minutes to muster up an equalising goal and send the match to a penalty shoot-out, South offered little more than a whimper and the full-time result confirmed its departure from the inaugural Mirabella Cup competition. Full credit must be given to Port Melbourne for defeating a side a division above them. By sitting second on the State League 1 ladder plus knocking off a Victorian Premier League side in the Cup, there is no doubt that the Sharks are well on their way to playing Victorian Premier League football in 2012.
South Melbourne FC must re-group very quickly before jetting off to Singapore on Friday evening before playing S-League side Albirex Niigata at the Jalan Besar Stadium in the First Round of the RHB Singapore Cup on Sunday night.
FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 1-2 PORT MELBOURNE (HT: 1-0)
SMFC Goal Scorer: Daniel Vasilevski (29′)
South Melbourne FC Line-up:
4. Steven O’DOR, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI, 6. Steven TOPALOVIC (12. Brad TRELOAR 91′), 8. Carl RECCHIA, 10. Kliment TASESKI (23. Sebastian PETROVIC 71′), 12. Daniel DRAGICEVIC, 16. Trent WATERSON, 18. MARINOS GASPARIS (33. Bobby RUSSELL 81′), 20. Tony LOMBARDI, 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK), 25. KYLE JORYEFF
SMFC Man of the Match: Kliment Taseski
Venue: SS Anderson Reserve
Date: Wednesday 8 June 2011
Tuesday, 7 June 2011 11:13 PM
South Melbourne FC resumes its Mirabella Cup campaign on Wednesday night when it faces Port Melbourne at SS Anderson Reserve in what will no doubt be an intriguing Fifth Round match-up. Despite the clubs having never met before in League competition, the match could be classified as a derby due to the close proximity of SS Anderson Reserve to Lakeside Stadium.
One of the attractions of Cup football throughout the world is seeing whether a team from a lower division can defeat a team in a higher division and Wednesday’s game will be no different as State League 1 plays off against the Victorian Premier League. South cruised through the Fourth Round of the Cup thanks to a 14-0 victory over State League 3 opponent Yarraville Glory on 26 April but will without a doubt face a much tougher opponent in Port Melbourne, who may have a slight advantage due to the match being played on their home ground. Despite a 1-1 away draw against Sunshine George Cross on Sunday, Port still remain in second place on the State League 1 ladder and are well on course for promotion into the Victorian Premier League for season 2012. Should that occur, it would be Port’s first season back in Victoria’s top flight since being relegated in 2003. Port comfortably won its Fourth Round match 6-0 against South Yarra on 3 May to set up Wednesday night’s match.
South drew 0-0 against rivals Heidelberg United in its Victorian Premier League match on the weekend and the players will want a win against Port before jetting off to Singapore on Friday to play against Albirex Niigata Singapore FC in the First Round of the RHB Singapore Cup on Sunday night. Despite the hectic schedule (Bentleigh on 27 May, VTC on 31 May, Heidelberg on 5 June, Port on 8 June and Albirex on 12 June), the players are relishing the challenge of playing up to three games a week. With players returning from injury (notably Carl Recchia) and with new signings joining the club in recent weeks (including Steven Weir in the last few days), there should be no excuses for South to not win Wednesday’s match and progress to the next round.
Wednesday night’s match kicks off at 7:30PM at SS Anderson Reserve in Port Melbourne.
Tuesday, 7 June 2011 11:10 PM
South Melbourne FC, with the assistance of the Football Association of Singapore, would like to announce that all fans will have the opportunity to follow the Club’s RHB Singapore Cup first round match against Albirex Niigata Singapore FC.
The Club has organised a live online audio broadcast of the match, which can be heard on smfc.com.au. Join the southRadio team who will provide live commentary.
2011 RHB Singapore Cup
South Melbourne FC vs. Albirex Niigata Singapore FC
Sunday 12th June
Jalan Besar Stadium
Kick off 7.30pm (local Singaporean time) 9.30pm (AEST)
Live audio broadcast commences at 9.25pm AEST on smfc.com.au
Go to smfc.com.au, and click on the link provided to catch all the action as South Melbourne FC looks to progress to the quarterfinal of the 2011 RHB Singapore Cup.
Tuesday, 7 June 2011 11:09 PM
South Melbourne FC would like to announce that it has secured the services of Steven Weir for the rest of the 2011 Victorian Premier League season. Weir joins South Melbourne FC from Hume City, where he played 13 games and scored 7 goals in 2011 for his previous side. South fans will remember Weir who scored twice for Hume City against South Melbourne FC in Round 9, when South lost heavily 5-0 at Broadmeadows Valley Park.
South Melbourne FC is delighted to welcome Steven to the club and wishes him all the best.