Category: News

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.

Wednesday, 18 May 2011 12:14 AM

On the thirteenth episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Round 12 clash against Green Gully, and preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and Springvale White Eagles.

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

Click here to download episode 13 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As

Click here to download the show directly from iTunes

Monday, 16 May 2011 10:23 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC continued its 25 year winless hoodoo at Green Gully Reserve when it gave away three sloppy goals to lose 3-2 against Green Gully on Saturday afternoon. The loss was South’s second in a row and drops the team out of the top five. 

South travelled to Gully boosted by the return of captain Steven O’Dor, centre-half partner Ljubo Milicevic, Jesse Krncevic and Trent Waterson, with Sebastian Petrovic returning from injury to take his place on the substitutes’ bench. Despite this, South still found itself a goal down very early in the match when former South player Hamid Basma scored a scrappy goal following a defensive mix-up. To the away side’s credit, it replied almost straight away when Kyle Joryeff got to Krncevic’s centred ball before goalkeeper Nikola Roganovic and was subsequently tripped by the custodian, resulting in a penalty that Fernando De Moraes had no problem in converting.

The second half started in the exact same fashion as the first, with Gully scoring early before a South equalising goal minutes later. The home side made the score 2-1 through Mile Medjedovic, who pounced on more scrappy South defending, however their lead was only to last around five minutes before Joryeff was again fouled in the penalty area and De Moraes again sent Roganovic the wrong way with the subsequent spot kick.

The game’s defining moment came when a Daniel Vasilevski corner fell to Krncevic who hit a ferocious shot that smashed Roganovic’s crossbar before falling to Milicevic, whose quick shot forced an excellent save from Roganovic. That was the opportunity for South to finally break its Green Gully Reserve hoodoo and take a 2-3 lead, however, it was not to be and there a sense that those two missed opportunities would come back to haunt the away team.

Those concerns were again proven in the 77th minute, when South gave away the ball on the left wing, allowing Gully to regain possession. South goalkeeper Abdelhadi Deroune misjudged the subsequent cross and was left flapping as Matthew Sanders got his head to the ball and guided it into the back of the net, despite Rhodri Payne’s best efforts to clear the ball off the line. In the end, South had shot itself in the foot despite arguably playing its best game of football at Green Gully Reserve since returning to the Victorian Premier League in 2005.
In next week’s round, South Melbourne FC hosts the Springvale White Eagles at John Cain Memorial Park in what is now an absolute must-win match. Kick-off is at 3:00pm next Sunday afternoon.

FINAL SCORE: GREEN GULLY 3-2 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 1-1)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Hamid Basma (5′)
1-1: Fernando De Moraes (11’pk)
2-1: Mile Medjedovic (53′)
2-2: Fernando De Moraes (58’pk)
3-2: Matthew Sanders (77′)

Green Gully
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC, 2. Daniel JONES, 4. Cameron DRAKE, 7. Jeffrey FLEMING, 8. Jason HAYNE, 9. Brent FISHER, 10. Graham HOCKLESS, 15. Hamid BASMA, 16. Mile MEDJEDOVIC, 17. Andy VARGAS, 19. Johnathon MUNOZ
Subs: 23. Michael O’FARRELL, 6. Michael ANDERSON, 11. Pasquale VIZZARI, 12. Mathew SANDERS, 14. Simon STOREY

South Melbourne FC
1. Abdelhadi DEROUNE, 3. Rhodri PAYNE, 4. Steven O’DOR, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI, 6. Steven TOPALOVIC, 11. Jesse KRNCEVIC, 13. Ljubo MILICEVIC, 15. Fernando DE MORAES (23. Sebastian PETROVIC 90+1′), 16. Trent WATERSON, 18. Marinos GASPARIS (33. Bobby RUSSELL 76′), 25. Kyle JORYEFF (14. Kamal IBRAHIM 82′)

SMFC Man of the Match: Steven Topalovic
Venue: Green Gully Reserve
Date: Saturday 14 May 2011

Thursday, 12 May 2011 3:46 AM

South Melbourne FC travels to Green Gully Reserve on Saturday afternoon attempting to break a 25 year hoodoo at the ground when it takes on Green Gully.

South heads into the game on the back of two 5-0 defeats in its past three Victorian Premier League matches. The most recent of those heavy defeats was at the hands of Northcote City last Sunday afternoon at John Cain Memorial Park. South was always going to struggle with eight senior players sidelined through injury and suspension. However, despite this, the 5-0 defeat was rightly seen as unacceptable by supporters and coaching staff alike.

In positive news for South, forward Jesse Krncevic and centre-half Ljubo Milicevic should re-join the side for the Gully match as both players have served their suspensions. Kliment Taseski and captain Steven O’Dor are both possibilities to play, however, it is more likely that they will both be given an extra week to recover from their injuries. The return of these key players is crucial as South looks to break a run of three consecutive Victorian Premier League matches without scoring whilst at the same time tightening up a defence that has conceded 10 goals in three matches.

Reigning champions Green Gully have had a very slow first round of matches in 2011. However, in recent weeks the Cavaliers have improved their form and head into Saturday’s clash confident of continuing their recent turn of fortunes. A 0-5 win at Springvale and a 6-0 demolition job on the Victorian Training Centre has seen Green Gully go from just outside the relegation zone to eighth spot on the Victorian Premier League ladder, and only being two wins outside the top five. In the opening round of the season, Gully withstood an hour of pressure from South and conceded only one goal in the process before scoring an opportunistic goal from Brent Fisher to leave John Cain Memorial Park with a point.

It is well known that one of South’s bogey grounds is Green Gully Reserve, a venue that South has not tasted victory in since 8 September 1986, when goals from Bobby Russell and Manny Anezakis gave the away side a 0-2 victory. South has not defeated Green Gully at their venue since returning to the Victorian Premier League in 2005. In fact South has only managed two points from a possible 18. In further bad news, South has only scored twice at Green Gully Reserve since that win in 1986. Those goals were from a Fernando De Moraes penalty and a Gianni De Nittis injury-time volley, which enabled South to share the spoils in a 2-2 draw on 18 April 2009. In the corresponding fixture last season, late goals from Steven Burton and Jason Hayne gave Gully a 2-0 victory against South. It will take a monumental effort from the away side to break this horrible drought against the Cavaliers.

Saturday’s match kicks off at 3:00pm at Green Gully Reserve.

Thursday, 12 May 2011 3:44 AM

On the twelvth episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Round 11 clash against Northcote City, and preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and Green Gully.

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

Click here to download episode 12 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As

Click here to download the show directly from iTunes

Sunday, 8 May 2011 10:02 PM

By Peter Kotsiris and George Triantos

South Melbourne FC suffered a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of its sister club Northcote City in the big Mother’s Day clash at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon.

South Melbourne FC went into the match on the back of an excellent performance against the Dandenong Thunder to ground out a goalless draw given the large number of missing players. This week was no different, with South losing Trent Waterson prior to kick off with an aggravated groin injury, compounding the existing headaches for the South coaching staff that were already reeling with the unavailability of Ljubo Milicevic, Jesse Krncevic, Carl Recchia, Nick Jacobs, Sebastian Petrovic, Kliment Taseski and captain Steven O’Dor.

Northcote City started the better of the two clubs and opened the scoring through captain Trent Rixon in the third minute after the striker was fed a wonderful cross from James Kalifatidis that enabled him to side foot into the net from six yards, giving his side the lead and in the process ending his goal drought which stretched back to Round 4 when he scored a brace against the Richmond Eagles.

Even though South was down a goal early in the match, the away team managed to slowly work their way back into the match and maintain possession through midfield. Subsequently, denying Northcote City any rhythm and fluency to launch any attacks of note. However, the away side could not convert its possession on the score line, and entered the half time break a goal down.

The second half commenced with South determined to pull itself back into the game, as a win would see it take top spot on the Victorian Premier League ladder. However, a goal mouth scramble that nearly saw Northcote double its lead was a sign of things to come for the away side. In the 60th minute Jason Trifiro eventually doubled the home team’s advantage after he converted brilliantly from just inside the box, bending his shot into the near corner after Rixon laid off another Kalifatidis cross.

Things would turn from bad to worse for South with Northcote adding a third goal five minutes later and effectively ending the game as a contest. The goal came from a set piece, with Glen Trifiro’s corner landed at Rixon’s feet and after a goal mouth scramble, the big striker smashed home the rebound into the net from six yards.

The home side went further ahead in the 73rd minute from another set piece. Glen Trifiro’s corner went to the back post for Rixon to loop his header back over Abdelhadi Deroune’s head to make it 4-0.

Northcote City continued to press and was rewarded with their fifth goal of the game two minutes from time after wonderful interplay from the Northcote attackers saw the ball end up with Glen Trifiro, who curled his shot beyond Deroune to round off the scoring.

Earlier in the day, South’s Under 21 side earned a 2-2 draw.

South Melbourne FC’s next match is on Saturday 14th against Green Gully at Green Gully Reserve. The match kicks off at 3pm.

FINAL SCORE: NORTHCOTE CITY 5-0 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 1-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Trent Rixon (3’)
2-0: Jason Trifiro (60’)
3-0: Trent Rixon (65’)
4-0: Trent Rixon (73’)
5-0: Glen Trifiro (88’)

South Melbourne FC
Abdelhadi DEROUNE (GK), Bobby RUSSELL, Jake VANDERMAY, Kyle JORYEFF, Marino GASPARIS, Joshua COLOSIMO, Fernando DE MORAES, Gianni DE NITTIS, Steven TOPOLOVIC, Daniel VASILEVSKI, Rhodri PAYNE
Subs: Zain ZENELLI (GK), Kamal IBRAHIM, Robert NAUMOSKI, Leigh MINOPOULOS, Bradley TRELOAR

Northcote
Chris THEODORIDIS-PETROPOULOS, Hayden D’AGOSTINO, Kristian KONSTANDINIDIS, Paul SAVIO, Nicholas CURTIS, Glen TRIFIRO, Jason TRIFIRO, Samuel TORRENS, Dean PIERMONTE, James KALIFATIDIS, Trent RIXON
Subs: Charles TREACEY (GK), Harry KINIGOPOULOS, Eddie SOARES, Jonathon VOULGARIS

Venue: John Cain Memorial Park
Date: Sunday 8 May 2011

Friday, 6 May 2011 11:04 AM

South Melbourne FC play sister club Northcote City on Sunday afternoon at John Cain Memorial Park in what will no doubt be an exciting match. A win for South will see it keep in touch with League leaders Oakleigh whilst three points for Northcote will see it further consolidate its position in the top five standings.

South goes into Sunday’s match with Jesse Krncevic and Ljubo Milicevic still suspended, whilst there are a host of injuries to key players such as Steven O’Dor, Carl Recchia, Kliment Taseski and Sebastian Petrovic. Despite the fact that half of South’s regular starting eleven were missing from last weekend’s League match against Dandenong, the Club’s young players performed admirably and battled hard for a deserved 0-0 draw against the high-flying Thunder. League debutants Abdelhadi Deroune (goalkeeper) and Jake Vandermey (centre-half) were both very solid, as were Trent Waterson (right back) and Nick Jacobs (forward). The coaching staff will be expecting that if selected, these players can keep up their good form this weekend.

Northcote City will not be an easy side to defeat, as they showed last season by earning a 3-3 draw against South on 13 March before defeating South 3-2 on 6 June. Target man Trent Rixon caused all sorts of problems for South’s defence last season and will no doubt be keen on taking advantage of the fact that several first-choice South defenders will be missing on Sunday. Former South player Nick Curtis has had a solid 2011 with Northcote and will be another player to watch out for, as will James Kalifatidis. Northcote goes into Sunday’s match on a four match unbeaten run in the League in addition to a 2-1 win over Box Hill in the Mirabella Cup on Wednesday night, progressing through to the Fifth Round of that competition.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 15:00. South members are reminded that although the match is being played at John Cain Memorial Park, it is a Northcote City home match and therefore SMFC memberships will not gain entry into the venue.

Wednesday, 4 May 2011 10:59 PM

On the eleventh episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Round 10 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 11 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As

Click here to download the show directly from iTunes