Category: News

Friday, 22 April 2011 11:44 AM

South Melbourne FC would like to announce the details of its first fixture in the 2011 Mirabella Cup.

South is set to take on Yarraville Glory on Tuesday 26th April at 3pm at John Cain Memorial Park.

Yarraville Glory kicked off its tilt for the Mirabella Cup with an impressive 6-0 victory over the Yarra Jets in Round One. In the next stage, Yarraville won away from home with a 3-2 win over Collingwood City, and booked a fixture against South with a 2-0 win over Old Melburnians.

The Mirabella Cup is a knockout competition, open to all Football Federation Victoria (FFV) men’s clubs and to the two Victorian Hyundai A-League clubs, Melbourne Heart and Melbourne Victory.

The first stage of the Mirabella Cup was a knockout stage for Victoria’s amateur clubs, and took place within the FFV’s Zone structure (8 metropolitan and 4 regional Zones). Victoria’s semi-professionals leagues, the Alanic Victorian Premier League and State League One clubs, joined the competition in the second stage, with Heart and Victory entering in the quarter final stage. Matches were drawn randomly within the Zone structure.

Please note that 2011 SMFC Memberships do not provide access to the Mirabella Cup fixtures.

Details of South’s first match in the Mirabella Cup are as follows:

South Melbourne FC vs. Yarraville Glory
Tuesday 26th April
3pm
John Cain Memorial Park
Tickets $5 Adults, $2 Students/Concession

Thursday, 21 April 2011 12:17 AM

South Melbourne FC would like to wish all of its corporate partners, members, volunteers and fans a very happy and safe Easter.

We look forward to seeing you at the next home match on Sunday 1st May against Dandenong Thunder.

Monday, 18 April 2011 10:09 AM

By John Kyrou

Hume City has taken ANZAC Day Cup honours for the first time after defeating South Melbourne FC 5-0 at Broadmeadows Valley Park on Sunday afternoon. For South, it was a disastrous result in a match where the away side also had two men sent off and had stand-in captain Carl Recchia go off injured.

South travelled to Hume confident of a victory as the side had won its two previous matches at Broadmeadows Valley Park, the most recent being the 6-0 victory in 2010. Things started brightly for the away side, with Kyle Joryeff lobbing the ball over goalkeeper Lupce Acevski’s goal only for Jesse Krncevic to narrowly miss the tap-in at the far post. From there, South’s day turned into a nightmare. Hume opened the scoring after 16 minutes when Richie Cardozo won the ball outside the area and hit a stunning left-footed shot that flew into the top corner, giving South goalkeeper Zaim Zeneli no chance. South’s chances of forcing a result took an even harder hit less than 10 minutes later when Krncevic was given a straight red card by the referee for allegedly elbowing a Hume player behind play.

Shortly before halftime, the match was over as a contest when South lost two players and another goal in 2 minutes of madness. Centre-half Ljubo Milicevic was shown a straight red for a high tackle on a Hume player, with the resultant free kick leading to a scramble inside the penalty area before Fabio Delizia scored. South’s players protested heavily as stand-in captain Recchia – who was captaining the side in the absense of Steven O’Dor, missing through injury – fell awkwardly during the scramble and appeared to have badly rolled his ankle. Nevertheless, the goal was awarded and South suddenly found itself two men down and two goals down with a half of football still to play.

In the second half, South boldly attempted to try and minimise the damage of conceeding goals whilst at the same time trying to score a goal to bring itself back into the contest. However with two less men and tiring players, the task was always going to be nearly impossible. Hume wrapped up the three points within the first five minutes of the second half when Steven Weir was put through on goal and finished calmly past Zeneli. Weir scored his second halfway through the half before Cardozo finished the match with a double after another nicely taken shot that crept into the far corner of the net.

The Victorian Premier League takes a week off for the Easter weekend, however South may be playing Mirabella Cup football at some stage next weekend. Football Federation Victoria did the draw for Round 4 of the Cup and South was drawn to host the winner of Yarraville Glory (State League 3) and Old Melburnians (Provisional League 1). As soon as the fixture is released, the date and venue will be advised on the website.

South Melbourne FC’s next Victorian Premier League fixture is against leaders Dandenong Thunder at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday 1 May at 15:00.

FINAL SCORE: HUME CITY 5-0 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 2-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Richie Cardozo (16′)
2-0: Fabio Dilizia (39′)
3-0: Steven Weir (48′)
4-0: Steven Weir (65′)
5-0: Richie Cardozo (85′)

Hume City
1. Lupce ACEVSKI, 2. Adam NAKIC, 3. Fabio DILIZIA (17. Mark McGOUGH 83′), 6. Serdar PIR, 10. Richie CARDOZO, 11. Andrew VLAHOS (25. Atilla OFLI 73′), 15. Zoran PETREVSKI, 20. Michael BOSEVSKI, 21. Dusko DELIC (4. Mark PISTINIZI 69′), 22. Phillip RICCOBENE, 23. Steven WEIR

South Melbourne
3. Rhodri PAYNE, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI, 6. Steven TOPALOVIC, 8. Carl RECCHIA (16. Trent WATERSON 45′), 10. Kliment TASESKI, 11. Jesse KRNCEVIC, 13. Ljubo MILICEVIC, 15. Fernando DE MORAES (33. Bobby RUSSELL 66′), 18. Marinos GASPARIS, 21. Zaim ZENELI, 25. Kyle JORYEFF (24. Nick JACOBS 66′)

SMFC Men of the Match: Steven Topalovic / Zaim Zeneli
Venue: Broadmeadows Valley Park
Date: Sunday 17 April 2011

Thursday, 14 April 2011 12:51 PM

On the ninth episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Round 8 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 9 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As

Click here to download the show directly from iTunes

Thursday, 14 April 2011 11:08 AM

South Melbourne FC travels to Broadmeadows Valley Park to face Hume City this Sunday afternoon in a game that has been played for the ANZAC Day Cup in the last few seasons. A win for South could see it resume top spot on the Victorian Premier League table after being replaced midweek by Dandenong Thunder.

South goes into the game in excellent form, being undefeated in six Victorian Premier League fixtures and having won four matches in a row. The most recent triumph was a 1-0 home win against Richmond at John Cain Memorial Park last Sunday afternoon, with Carl Recchia scoring the winning goal with his head after 72 minutes. History is leaning towards the winning trend continuing this Sunday as South has a 100% winning record against Hume at Broadmeadows Valley Park, with a 2-1 victory in 2009 and the famous 6-0 victory last season when Gianni De Nittis scored four goals. The 6-0 win was a sign of what South was capable of doing to Premier League teams, even to a top five club like Hume City. South will be hoping that captain Steven O’Dor will be fit to play on Sunday, with the experienced centre-half limping off injured at halftime during the Richmond match last Sunday. Despite losing their captain, South managed to keep a clean sheet against the Eagles, with stand-in captain Recchia having another outstanding match and leading the team to victory.

Despite all signs pointing to a South victory on Sunday, Hume will no doubt provide stiff opposition for the South to overcome. Hume are presently in fourth position on the Victorian Premier League table and have proven that they know how to beat South, having defeated South twice at Lakeside Stadium and also in the 2009 Elimination Final at Epping Stadium. Hume will no doubt be very tough to break down despite the fact they suffered a 4-1 defeat away at Bentleigh Greens last Friday night. That loss was largely due to a controversial red card to reserve goalkeeper Kenny Gerochristodoulou on halftime (playing due to first choice keeper Lou Acevski being injured), meaning that third-choice keeper Evan Van Der Byl was called upon to play for the second half. Another red card in the second half, this time to Izzy Erdogan, meant that Hume finished the match with only nine men, and means that both should be missing for Sunday’s match, which will no doubt be beneficial to South.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 3:00pm at Broadmeadows Valley Park.

Monday, 11 April 2011 12:02 AM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC has maintained its position at the top of the Victorian Premier League ladder following a 1-0 victory over the Richmond Eagles at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon. A Carl Recchia header after 72 minutes was enough for South to win the three points and end the round in first position for the second consecutive week.

South was strengthened for the match as it welcomed back captain and centre-half Steven O’Dor, right-back Steven Topalovic and forward Jesse Krncevic for the visit of the Eagles, with all three players missing the previous week’s 0-2 win at St Albans. Richmond’s starting eleven from last Sunday’s 3-1 victory over Bentleigh remained unchanged except for Jason Hoffman being replaced by Chris O’Hare.

South dominated the first half but could not put away its chances. Kyle Joryeff had two magnificent opportunities to open the scoring, firstly when he headed a Daniel Vasilevski corner over the bar and secondly when he put the ball wide of Stjepan Gal’s goal after being put through one-on-one by Krncevic. Daniel Vasilevski also had an opportunity to score when he hit a stinging shot just over Gal’s crossbar. Despite the opportunities created, South was still level at the halftime break. On a sour note, O’Dor was substituted during the halftime break and replaced by Bobby Russell after the captain picked up an injury just before the end of the first half.

In the second half, Richmond was very lucky not to go down to 10 men when Erhan Karahan went flying into Steven Topalovic from behind with his studs raised. Despite the mass protests from the home supporters for a red card, Karahan was extremely fortunate to continue playing as he was only cautioned for the tackle. South’s frustrations grew even further when Krncevic was put through one-on-one but was penalised for being offside when he appeared to be onside. Minutes later, Joryeff committed a rather crude late tackle and was perhaps lucky to have only been given a caution. The coaching staff reacted to diffuse the situation by replacing him with Kamal Ibrahim.

Despite the growing frustration, South continued to put pressure on Richmond and eventually got the goal they had been after, when Recchia rose at the near post to head Ibrahim’s cross into the back of the net. It was not the prettiest of goals and it was not the best of matches to watch, however Recchia’s goal meant that South achieved what it had set out to do and that was win a fourth successive match, keep a second consecutive clean sheet and remain on top of the Victorian Premier League.

In the Under 21’s match played prior to the seniors, South Melbourne FC defeated Richmond 5-1.

South’s next match is away to Hume City, with kick-off scheduled for 15:00 at Broadmeadows Valley Park next Sunday afternoon.

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

Goal Scorer:
1-0: Carl Recchia (72′)

South Melbourne FC
3. Rhodri PAYNE, 4. Steven O’DOR (33. Bobby RUSSELL 46′), 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI, 6. Steven TOPALOVIC, 8. Carl RECCHIA, 11. Jesse KRNCEVIC, 13. Ljubo MILICEVIC, 15. Fernando DE MORAES (16. Trent WATERSON 88′), 18. Marinos GASPARIS, 21. Zaim ZENELI, 25. Kyle JORYEFF (14. Kamal IBRAHIM 65′)

Richmond Eagles
1. Stjepan GAL, 3. Erhan KARAHAN, 4. Ross ANTONIADIS, 5. Mitchell BISSINGER, 6. Dimitri TSIARAS, 7. Timmy PURCELL (11. Mate ETEROVIC 75′), 9. Michael CATALANO, 10. Chris O’HARE (19. Evan BATSIS 75′), 13. Antun KOVACIC, 16. Stuart WILSON (2. Andrew VIOLA 85′), 18. Michael FERRANTE

SMFC Man of the Match: Carl Recchia
Venue: John Cain Memorial Park
Date: Sunday 10 April 2011

Friday, 8 April 2011 7:15 PM

On the eighth episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Round 7 clash against St Albans, and preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and Richmond.

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

Click here to download episode 8 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As

Click here to download the show directly from iTunes

Thursday, 7 April 2011 8:51 AM

South Melbourne FC hosts the Richmond Eagles at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon in a match that could see the home side maintain their position on top of the Victorian Premier League. South currently sits in first place on the Victorian Premier League ladder and could stretch its lead to four points depending on other results.

South goes into Sunday’s match in excellent form, having gone five games unbeaten in League competition including winning the last three matches in succession. The most recent victory was a 0-2 triumph over St Albans at Churchill Reserve last Sunday afternoon, thanks to goals from Fernando De Moraes and Kyle Joryeff. De Moraes’ goal marked the midfielder’s 50th League goal for South, making him only the eighth player in the Club’s history to reach that milestone. Joryeff’s goal was his fourth goal in seven League appearances in 2011, an excellent return for a player who has come off the bench in three of those matches. The victory over St Albans was also South’s first clean sheet in the Victorian Premier League in 2011, largely thanks to the magnificent performances by acting captain Carl Recchia and Ljubo Milicevic, who were both outstanding in the centre of defence. In further good news, it is expected that captain Steven O’Dor, Steven Topalovic and Jesse Krncevic will all be available for Sunday’s match, after the three missed the win at St Albans.

Richmond will no doubt provide difficult opponents on Sunday, with the Eagles enjoying two victories in succession thanks to a 1-0 win over the VTC last Wednesday night before a 3-1 victory over Bentleigh last Sunday afternoon. This has moved Richmond from out of the relegation zone to being level on points with fifth-placed Northcote City. One key player that has played a huge role Richmond’s turnaround in form has been Michael Ferrante, who scored twice against Bentleigh and will be a real danger for South this Sunday. South’s players will no doubt be aware of Ferrante’s abilities, as in the corresponding fixture last season at John Cain Memorial Park he led Richmond to an inspired comeback to draw 2-2 with a devastated South side that had been cruising with a 2-0 lead.

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

Sunday, 3 April 2011 10:30 PM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC is on top of the Victorian Premier League ladder after defeating St Albans 0-2 at Churchill Reserve on Sunday afternoon. Goals from Fernando De Moraes and Kyle Joryeff gave South the three points against a spirited Saints side that were clapped off the field by the home supporters following a difficult week for their club.

Eddie Krncevic’s side travelled to Churchill Reserve for the first time since drawing 2-2 against St Albans on 29 May 2005, the last time St Albans were in the Premier League. The Saints had experienced a disastrous start to 2011, with only two points from their opening six matches. In contrast, South was sitting in second position on the League table following consecutive wins against Oakleigh and the Melbourne Knights. However South went to St Albans missing key players Jesse Krncevic, Steven Topalovic and captain Steven O’Dor. Carl Recchia moved into centre-half next to Ljubo Milicevic to replace O’Dor, whilst Kliment Taseski replaced Topalovic and Joryeff replaced Krncevic.

Fernando De Moraes had been chasing his 50th Premier League goal for South for several weeks and despite having many assists in goals recently, he had been unable to score his half century of League goals for the Club. That was until the 18th minute of Sunday’s match. South won a corner following a curling strike from Joryeff that was tipped over the bar magnificently by Saints goalkeeper Steven Pavlovic. Taseski’s corner could only be cleared by the St Albans defence to De Moraes standing just outside the area. De Moraes cooly chested the ball down before hitting a half-volley that crept into the bottom left corner of Pavlovic’s goal, with the big keeper rooted to the spot. The goal finally gave De Moraes his 50th Premier League goal for South Melbourne FC but more importantly gave the away side the lead.

South’s defence had been under pressure all season and was under even more strain without O’Dor and Topalovic. However, Milicevic and Recchia put in outstanding performances to keep the away side’s one goal lead intact. St Albans nearly scored right on halftime when a free kick played into the area led to an almighty scramble, resulting in Recchia using his face to clear a point-blank volley from the six-yard box out for a corner. Post-match, Recchia claimed that the flag had been raised for offside prior to the shot that hit his face, regardless it was an outstanding save by South’s acting captain.

In the second half, the home side pressed early and put South under pressure, however Milicevic and Recchia stood firm and soaked up the pressure before South killed off the game with a sucker-punch second goal on 73 minutes. Milicevic won the ball in midfield and went on a mazy run that dragged four St Albans defenders out of the contest before he laid the ball off for Joryeff to slot into the far corner for his fourth goal in seven League appearances this season. Despite a few testing moments including a free kick shortly after the 0-2 that narrowly sailed over the crossbar, South was largely untroubled for the remainder of the match and as a result recorded its first clean sheet of 2011. For St Albans the result spelt an end to a difficult week, however the home side can be encouraged with a positive performance against the current League leaders.

In the Under 21s match played prior to the Seniors, South defeated St Albans 2-1.

South Melbourne FC’s next match is at home against the Richmond Eagles next Sunday, with kick-off at 15:00 at John Cain Memorial Park.

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

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Fernando De Moraes (18′)
0-2: Kyle Joryeff (73′)

St Albans
1. Steven PAVLOVIC, 4. Tomislav USKOK, 6. Alan PALEKA, 7. Goran JOZELJIC (21. Martin HANA 78′), 9. Josip LONCARIC, 14. Maks CUZE (22. Mustafa ALIBEYI 83′), 16. Mark PALEKA, 17. Daniel VISEVIC, 18. Stefan PIORKOWSKI, 19. Michael GRGIC, 23. Tomislav MILARDOVIC

South Melbourne FC
3. Rhodri PAYNE, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI, 8. Carl RECCHIA, 10. Kliment TASESKI, 13. Ljubo MILICEVIC, 14. Kamal IBRAHIM (24. Nick JACOBS 77′), 15. Fernando DE MORAES, 21. Zaim ZENELI, 23. Sebastian PETROVIC (16. Trent WATERSON 70′), 25. Kyle JORYEFF, 33. Bobby RUSSELL (18. Marinos GASPARIS 25′)

SMFC Man of the Match: Ljubo Milicevic
Venue: Churchill Reserve
Date: Sunday 3 April 2011

Friday, 1 April 2011 10:19 AM

On the seventh episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Round 6 clash against Melbourne Knights, and preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and St Albans Saints.

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

Click here to download episode 7 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As

Click here to download the show directly from iTunes