Category: News

Sunday, 5 June 2011 11:28 PM

South Melbourne FC produced a gutsy second-half performance in the 0-0 draw against traditional rivals Heidelberg United on Sunday afternoon at John Cain Memorial Park.

The first half was a dour affair, with few chances created. South pressed forward in numbers but the final ball was always lacking. The Bergers looked dangerous when going forward however like South the final ball was lacking.

South made several changes early in the second half, with Kyle Joryeff and Kliment Taseski bought on to add some pace. However a huge decision set South back, with Jesse Krncevic controversially given a straight red card.

As a result, South was on the back foot with one less player, but to the home side’s enormous credit, they stepped up the pressure and finished the match the stronger of the two sides. Daniel Vasilevski had a great opportunity to win the game from a set piece, however, his shot flew half a yard wide of McMaster’s goal.

Heidelberg were always dangerous on the counter attack but it was clear that the Bergers were clearly missing the services of their front man Osagie Ederaro, who was still serving a suspension. Whilst the Bergers came close on a few occasions, Zaim Zeneli hardly looked tested in the South goal. In the end, the full-time whistle confirmed a nil all draw.

The draw keeps both sides in the top five, with South retaining third spot while moving to 28 points, with the Bergers just behind them in fourth place with 26 points. South is two points off top place but have played one game more than first-placed Hume City and two games more than second-placed Oakleigh.

South Melbourne FC’s next match is against Port Melbourne at SS Anderson Reserve on Wednesday night in what is the Fifth Round of the Mirabella Cup, with kick-off at 7:30pm.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 0-0 HEIDELBERG UNITED (HT: 0-0)

South Melbourne FC
2. Tom MATTHEWS, 3. Rhodri PAYNE (16. Trent WATERSON 72’), 4. Steven O’DOR, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI, 6. STEVEN TOPALOVIC, 11. Jesse KRNCEVIC (sent off), 12. Daniel DRAGICEVIC (25. Kyle JORYEFF 58’), 18. Marinos GASPARIS (10. Kliment TASESKI 55’), 21. Zaim ZENELI, 23. Sebastian PETROVIC, 80. Junior CAMARGO

Heidelberg United
1. G.McMaster, 14. C.Elvin, 13. L.Byles, 3. L.Doumbalis, 2. Y.Hailemelkot, 7. H.Armenian, 11. E.Christodoulou, 23. T.Nishimots, 16. S.Martin, 20. S.Alexovski, 9. S.McIlroy
Subs: 8. A.Nabbout, 21. J.Samangis, 22. D.Alilavic, 32. J.Koutodontis, 4. M.Tancevski

SMFC Man of the Match: Steven Topalovic
Venue: John Cain Memorial Park
Date: Sunday 5 June 2011

Thursday, 2 June 2011 12:33 PM

South Melbourne FC has an enormous opportunity to turn its 2011 Victorian Premier League campaign around when it hosts Heidelberg United in the big derby at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon. The match pits the Victorian Premier League’s third placed team against fourth and should other results go favourably, a South win could remarkably see the Club finish in equal top spot at the conclusion of the round.

It has been no secret that South’s form in May has suffered considerably due to a range of factors. The ‘mad month of May’ term that is used so frequently in British football also applied in South’s case, as the Club struggled through suspensions and injuries as well as a dip in form to secure only 7 points from a possible 18. However, in more positive news, a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Bentleigh last Friday night was turned around with a 6-0 thumping of the VTC on Tuesday night, thanks to a hat trick from Daniel Vasilevski, a double from captain Steven O’Dor and a first SMFC goal by mid-season signing Junior Camargo. Although the VTC did not present the hardest of opposition, the important two things that came out of Tuesday’s victory was the fact that South were back into positive goal difference and that the side had a real sense of hunger and determination to win. In further positive news, vice captain Carl Recchia is a chance to play against the Bergers following the nasty rolled ankle he sustained in the loss against Hume City on 17 April.

However if there is one side that would be super confident in defeating South, it would be Heidelberg. The Bergers have enjoyed a remarkable record against their big rivals in Victorian Premier League competition, having not lost against South since 21st May 2006, when goals from George Tzirtis (29′), Fernando De Moraes (53′) and Vaughan Coveny (75′) gave South a 3-1 victory at Lakeside. Although South has frequently defeated Heidelberg in Hellenic Cup battles since that day, the Bergers have had the upper hand in the Victorian Premier League, much to the frustration of South supporters. In the corresponding fixture last season, a 91st minute injury time header by Recchia gave South a 1-1 draw against Heidelberg at Lakeside. Earlier this season, Marinos Gasparis headed home in injury-time to secure a point for South in the 2-2 draw at Olympic Village.

The Bergers will be without prolific forward Osagie Ederaro, who is still suspended following a red card received a few weeks ago against Bentleigh. South was delighted to see Sebastian Petrovic start and play an hour against the VTC, with Kliment Taseski appearing off the bench. Both players have returned into the side after missing a considerable part of May following ankle and hamstring injuries. With their inclusion as well as Recchia’s return being imminent, coupled with the determination shown by the side on Tuesday night, South will be going into Sunday’s match confident of upsetting the Bergers. The only blight is that champion midfielder Fernando De Moraes will still be sidelined for at least another couple of weeks after tearing his hamstring a few weeks ago.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 3:00pm at John Cain Memorial Park. South supporters are encouraged to attend in big numbers to give their Club as much support as possible to try and break the five year hoodoo against the Bergers.

Sunday, 29 May 2011 10:05 PM

On the fifteenth episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Round 14 clash against Bentleigh Greens, and preview SMFC’s upcoming League games this week against the VTC and Heidelberg United.

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

Click here to download episode 15 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As

Click here to download the show directly from iTunes

Sunday, 29 May 2011 10:00 PM

South Melbourne FC has slipped out of the top five following a disappointing 1-0 defeat away to the Bentleigh Greens last Friday night. The result also means that the Greens have overtaken South on goal difference, pushing the Blues down to seventh spot on the Victorian Premier League ladder after 14 rounds of competition. The win was Bentleigh’s first over South in Victorian Premier League competition and was revenge for the 2-1 defeat at John Cain Memorial Park earlier in the season.

South began the match brightly and had several half chances to open the scoring through Steven Topalovic and Jesse Krncevic, with Krncevic forcing a good save from Bentleigh keeper Peter Gavalas. However, it was the Greens who were to break through and score the winning goal after 32 minutes, when Alex Rojas’ free kick found Wayne Wallace, who scored a great header past Zaim Zeneli in the South goal. The goal had come against the run of play.

The away side spent the majority of the half pressing for an equalising goal whilst the Greens were happy to sit back and try to punish on the counter-attack. The home side came close a few times, with the biggest opportunity resulting in Rhodri Payne clearing the ball off the line and out for a corner. South’s best chance came from Tom Matthews, who received a cut-back from the right hand and took a first touch to set himself up before seeing his shot blocked by the Bentleigh defence and cleared.

In the end, the full time whistle signalled the end of a disastrous month of May for South Melbourne FC that has seen the Club win only four points from a possible 15, scoring only two goals and conceding nine. For Bentleigh, the result continues their eight match unbeaten run in the Victorian Premier League, which has seen their fortunes change significantly since South legend John Anastasiadis replaced Andy O’Dell as coach at Kingston Heath earlier in the season.

South Melbourne FC simply must change its fortunues around this week, with a mid-week match against the Victorian Training Centre before a huge derby match against high-flying Heidelberg United at John Cain Memorial Park next Sunday afternoon.

FINAL SCORE: BENTLEIGH GREENS 1-0 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 1-0)

Goal Scorer:
1-0: Wayne Wallace (32′)

Bentleigh Greens
1. Peter GAVALAS, 12. Adam FADLJEVIC, 14. Aaron WILFORD, 17. Jack WEBSTER, 20. Luke PILKINGTON, 8. Wayne WALLACE, 11. Alex ROJAS (10. Scott BULLOCH 70′), 16. Ryan DAVIDSON, 22. Stuart NICHOLSON, 23. Ryan DE VRIES, 6. Michael GWYTHER (7. James McGARRY 85′)

South Melbourne FC
21. Zaim ZENELI, 2. Tom MATTHEWS, 3. Rhodri PAYNE, 4. Steven O’DOR, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI (18. Marinos GASPARIS 82′), 6. Steven TOPALOVIC, 9. Jean DUBOIS, 11. Jesse KRNCEVIC, 13. Ljubo MILICEVIC, 20. Daniel DRAGICEVIC (25. Kyle JORYEFF 63′), 80. Junior CAMARGO (16. Trent WATERSON 80′)

SMFC Man of the Match: Kyle Joryeff
Venue: Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
Date: Friday 27 May 2011

Sunday, 29 May 2011 9:55 PM

On the fourteenth episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Round 13 clash against Springvale White Eagles, and preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and Bentleigh Greens.

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

Click here to download episode 14 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As

Click here to download the show directly from iTunes

Thursday, 26 May 2011 9:57 AM

South Melbourne FC travel to Kingston Heath Soccer Complex on Friday night to take on the Bentleigh Greens in another must-win fixture. South will want to win consecutive matches, hit positive goal difference and consolidate a spot in the top five, whilst the Greens will be looking for three points to keep up with the chasing pack that is pushing for a finals position.

South goes into Friday’s match in mixed form, with South struggling in the 1-0 victory against third-last Springvale White Eagles last Sunday following a lean month that saw the side win only one point in four Victorian Premier League matches and concede 13 goals in the process. In more positive news, transfer-window signings Tom Matthews, Daniel Dragicevic, Jean-Charles Dubois and Junior Camargo all made their debuts for the Club against Springvale and it was Dragicevic that set up Jesse Krncevic for the winning goal with a cross. Matthews was the only new signing not to come from the Melbourne Knights and the former Green comes up against his old club on Friday night.

Bentleigh are currently outside the top five but have been undefeated in their past seven Victorian Premier League matches and undefeated since former South Championship player and coach John Anastasiadis took over as coach following the departure of Andy O’Dell. The most recent result for Bentleigh was a 3-2 victory against the Victorian Training Centre on Tuesday night at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex, with the Greens coming back from 0-2 down to claim victory. Important players for South to watch out for will be goalkeeper Peter Gavalas, Wayne Wallace and Alex Rojas, with the last two players scoring goals against the VTC on Tuesday.

In the last meeting between the two sides earlier this year on the 6th March, an early header by Sebastian Petrovic (2′) and a wonderful individual goal by Kyle Joryeff (38′) was enough for South to earn a 2-1 win despite the second-half dismissal of Kliment Taseski. In the corresponding fixture last season at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex on 11 June, a rocket from Fernando De Moraes with five minutes to go was enough for South to win 1-0 in a scrappy affair on a wet and cold winter’s night.

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

Monday, 23 May 2011 2:17 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC regained its position in the top five of the Victorian Premier League standings following a scrappy 1-0 victory over relegation-threatened Springvale White Eagles at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon. A first half header by Jesse Krncevic was enough to settle the match that saw few chances created by both sides. The match broke a horror month for South in Victorian Premier League competition, with South winning for the first time in the League since the 1-0 win over Richmond on Sunday 10th April.

South made wholesale changes to the team that was defeated by Green Gully last week, recalling Zaim Zeneli in goal and starting all four May transfer-window signings in Thomas Matthews (right wing back), Daniel Dragicevic (midfield), Junior Camargo (defence) and Jean-Charles Dubois (forward). Missing for South was Fernando De Moraes (hamstring injury) whilst Kyle Joryeff and Rhodri Payne started the match on the bench. Springvale went into the match confident of getting a good result, with the White Eagles registering four points from its last two Victorian Premier League matches to move out of the relegation zone.

South began the game stronger, however it was the White Eagles who had the best chance to open the scoring but put the ball wide of Zaneli’s goal. Yet it was South that got the all-important goal, when Dragicevic crossed from the right for Krncevic to head the ball over goalkeeper Scott Augustin and into the back of the net. The home side had a couple of half chances to double their lead but seemed more content in playing conservative football to maintain their one goal advantage instead of pressing to increase their advantage.

Springvale opened the second half positively and went close with a couple of shots that narrowly went past Zeneli’s far post, however that was as close as they got to scoring, with Zeneli looking comfortable back in the South Melbourne goal. The home team showed glimpses of positive football in the second half but again were more content with holding rather than increasing their lead. After six minutes of injury time, the full-time whistle finally ended a scrappy game in which South had done enough to notch up its first Victorian Premier League win in over five weeks and jump back into the top five. A concern however was influential centre-half Ljubo Milicevic hobbling off in the final minutes with what looked to be an ankle injury.

In the Under-21s match, South Melbourne FC also triumphed 1-0 over Springvale.

Next Friday, South Melbourne FC travels to Kingston Heath Soccer Complex to play the Bentleigh Greens, with the match kicking off at 8:15pm.

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

Goal Scorer:
1-0: Jesse Krncevic (30′)

South Melbourne FC
2. Thomas MATTHEWS, 4. Steven O’DOR, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI (23. Sebastian PETROVIC 70′), 6. Steven TOPALOVIC, 9. Jean-Charles DUBOIS (3. Rhodri PAYNE 89′), 11. Jesse KRNCEVIC, 13. Ljubo MILICEVIC, 16. Trent WATERSON, 20. Daniel DRAGICEVIC (24. Kyle JORYEFF 81′), 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK), 80. Junior CAMARGO

Springvale White Eagles
2. Adam EWIN, 4. Boris BAJIC, 6. Gojko PONJEVIC, 7. Tome RACUNICA, 8. GORDAN MRDIC, 9. Milos LUJIC, 12. Dusan NIKOLIC, 16. Dominic D’ANGELO, 17. Zoran VUKAS, 19. Goran ZORIC, 23. Scott AUGUSTIN (GK)
Subs: 1. Bojo JEVDJEVIC, 11. Rados TOMIC, 14. Paul MAGHIAR, 21. Dejan ERAKOVIC, 24. Lewis KARANICOLAS

SMFC Man of the Match: Steven Topalovic
Venue: John Cain Memorial Park
Date: Sunday 22 May 2011

Thursday, 19 May 2011 1:15 AM

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce the arrivals of Jean Dubois, Junior Camargo, Tom Matthews and Daniel Dragicevic to the Club. Dubois, Junior and Dragicevic have all arrived from the Melbourne Knights, whilst Matthews has arrived from the Bentleigh Greens.

Dubois is a forward that made 11 appearances for the Knights this season, scoring 2 goals. He will provide South with another option up front and may possibly link up with Jesse Krncevic.

Junior is a defender and has also been with the Knights, making 5 appearances this season for them. Dragicevic made 12 appearances for the Knights this season, scoring 2 goals so far in 2011. He is an attacking right midfielder and will provide more options for the midfield.

Matthews made 13 appearances for Bentleigh this season and is arguably the best signing out of the four players. The right back has also played for Hull City and Boston United in the United Kingdom.

South Melbourne FC is delighted to welcome all four players to the Club and would like to wish them all the best.

Thursday, 19 May 2011 1:09 AM

South Melbourne FC announces that it has released Gianni De Nittis after seven seasons with the Club.

De Nittis was one of the inaugural players in the South squad for its first season in the Victorian Premier League in 2005. He played eight games that season before really making his mark in John Anastasiadis’ side in 2006. Gianni will always be remembered for scoring the winning goal via a header from a Fernando De Moraes cross in the 2006 Victorian Premier League Grand Final against Altona Magic in 2006. He will also be remembered for scoring both goals against Altona in the Major Semi Final at Knights Stadium a fortnight earlier to ensure South’s progression into the Grand Final.

Gianni was always a feature in the South senior team from then on and always contributed with goals every season. In 2010 he scored four goals in a Victorian Premier League match against Hume City, joining an exclusive list of only nine South Melbourne FC players to achieve that effort. Later on that year, he scored two goals in the second leg of the RHB Singapore Cup Quarter Final against Bangkok Glass that almost sent South through to the Semi Finals of that competition.

South Melbourne FC wishes Gianni De Nittis all the best for his future and thanks him for his contribution to the Club.

Gianni De Nittis – South Melbourne FC Statistics

2005: 08 appearances (01 starts, 07 subs), 0 goals
2006: 21 appearances (08 starts, 13 subs), 8 goals
2007: 19 appearances (15 starts, 04 subs), 2 goals
2008: 23 appearances (21 starts, 02 subs), 8 goals
2009: 20 appearances (13 starts, 07 subs), 6 goals
2010: 23 appearances (22 starts, 01 subs), 9 goals
2011: 07 appearances (05 starts, 02 subs), 2 goals

Total:

Victorian Premier League: 117 appearances (81 starts, 36 subs), 31 goals
Singapore Cup: 3 appearances (3 starts, 0 subs), 2 goals
Mirabella Cup: 1 appearances (1 starts, 0 subs), 2 goals

Overall: 121 appearances (85 starts, 36 subs), 35 goals

Achievements:

• Member of South’s 2006 Victorian Premier League Championship side
• Scored the winning goal in the Victorian Premier League Grand Final against Altona Magic
• Member of South’s 2007, 2009 & 2011 Hellenic Cup Championship sides
• Scored four goals in a Victorian Premier League match against Hume City in 2010

Thursday, 19 May 2011 1:07 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC hosts the Springvale White Eagles on Sunday afternoon in what is simply a must-win match for the Club following an extremely disappointing month of football. South has slipped out of the top five as a result and no less than three points will be expected in order to change the Club’s fortunes around.

South go into Sunday’s match on a horror run of form that has seen the side gain only one point from four Victorian Premier League matches, only scoring two penalties and conceding 13 goals in the process. The most recent result was a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat against Green Gully at Green Gully Reserve last Saturday afternoon, with South conceding three disappointing goals despite playing patches of good football and fighting back twice after going behind on the scoreboard. The positive news from last week was the return of captain Steven O’Dor, Jesse Krncevic, Ljubo Milicevic, Trent Waterson and Sebastian Petrovic. Despite the loss against Gully, the side looked a great deal better with the return of these players and will no doubt be hoping that they will help the team get over the line against Springvale on Sunday.

The White Eagles are in deeper trouble, with only two points from its last five games and an overall goal difference of -22 thanks largely to a 0-5 home defeat against Green Gully and a 9-0 away defeat against Heidelberg. This leaves Springvale in third-last on the Victorian Premier League table and fighting tooth and nail to ensure that it does not go straight back down a division after being promoted at the end of last season. The White Eagles gained a positive result last weekend with a 1-1 draw against Bentleigh and will be hoping to go one better and win three points against South on Sunday. One of their most dangerous players is former South forward Goran Zoric, who has scored five goals in the League this season and who tore South apart in the match between the two sides at the Serbian Sports Centre earlier this season. On that day, two goals from Zoric gave Springvale a 2-0 halftime lead before South ran riot in the second half with six goals to win by a tennis scoreline of 4-6.

The last time South hosted Springvale was on Sunday 13 May 2007 at Lakeside Stadium. A double from Nathan Caldwell (9′, 59′) and singles from Fernando De Moraes (24′), Yusuf Yusuf (25′), Ricky Diaco (73′) plus a fantastic volley by Gianni De Nittis (85′) gave South a comfortable 6-0 win in a season that saw the White Eagles relegated to State League One with a miserly five points from 26 League matches. Springvale have already surpassed that with 9 points from 13 League matches and they will be hoping to have 12 points from 14 matches at the conclusion of Sunday’s match. South will simply be hoping to be back in the top five at the conclusion of the round.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 3:00pm at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon.