Category: News

Monday, 2 May 2011 10:18 AM

By John Kyrou

A very youthful South Melbourne FC grounded out a 0-0 result against high-flying Dandenong Thunder at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon. The result was excellent for a South side that had as much as half its preferred starting 11 missing through suspension or injury. In fact, South was missing the services of Carl Recchia, Ljubo Milicevic, Steven O’Dor, Sebastian Petrovich, Kliment Taseski, and Jesse Krncevic.

South went into the match on the back of a 5-0 thumping by Hume City in its last Victorian Premier League match the previous Sunday, however, the side had hit winning form by defeating State League 3 side Yarraville Glory 14-0 in the Fourth Round of the Mirabella Cup on Tuesday afternoon. Dandenong entered the match on a two-game unbeaten run in the Victorian Premier League as well as a 2-0 win over South Springvale in the Mirabella Cup Fourth Round, and the Thunder were keen to continue that form.

The away side began the match brightly and had several chances to score in the first half, however debuting South goalkeeper Abdelhadi Deroune commanded his area brilliantly and made several excellent saves. On the one occasion that Deroune was beaten, Steven Topalovic was in the way to make a goal-line clearance and keep the score at 0-0.

In the second half, South went out of its conservative shell and stepped up the tempo in an attempt to snatch an unlikely and surprising three points. Fernando De Moraes had been the stand-in captain and he had a glorious chance to snatch the goal South were after, however he unfortunately skied his shot over the bar. De Moraes almost turned provider a few minutes later when he put Marinos Gasparis into space with a wonderful ball, however, once more the move amounted to nothing on the scoreboard as Gasparis put his shot over the bar. South did not create many chances but the ones that they did create were some of the best of the whole game.

Despite a few nervous moments, the South defence held firm throughout the second half and grounded out a clean sheet largely thanks to the efforts of Deroune, Topalovic and young debutant Jake Vandermey, who had featured in South’s pre-season Cup tournaments before making his League debut against Dandenong. The final 0-0 result was a credit to South’s resilience and even more pleasing was that coach Eddie Krncevic had faith to give game time and valuable senior match experience to young players such as Vandermey, Nick Jacobs, Bobby Russell, Kamal Ibrahim and Leigh Minopoulos.

South Melbourne FC’s next match is on Sunday 8 May against sister club Northcote City. The match kicks off at 15:00 at John Cain Memorial Park.

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

South Melbourne
1. Abdelhadi DEROUNE, 3. Rhodri PAYNE, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI, 6. Steven TOPALOVIC, 9. Gianni DE NITTIS (25. Kyle JORYEFF 60′), 15. Fernando DE MORAES, 18. Marinos GASPARIS (19. Leigh MINOPOULOS 81′), 16. Trent WATERSON, 17. Jake VANDERMEY, 24. Nick JACOBS, 33. Bobby RUSSELL (14. Kamal IBRAHIM 70′)

Dandenong Thunder
1. Stuart WEBSTER, 2. Jack HINGERT, 3. Ben HARRISON, 5. Steven GRAY, 6. Agim TOMIC, 8. Matthew THEODORE (16. Jarryd BARNES 80′), 9. Veton KORCARI (14. Stephen COOK 60′), 13. Shane REXEPI, 17. Liam KEARNEY, 20. Luke SHERBON, 23. Chris TAYLOR

SMFC Man of the Match: Abdelhadi Deroune
Venue: John Cain Memorial Park
Date: Sunday 1 May 2011

Thursday, 28 April 2011 11:11 PM

South Melbourne FC hosts the Dandenong Thunder at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon to maintain its pursuit for top spot. South currently sit in second place on the Victorian Premier League ladder, trailing the Oakleigh Cannons by only two points. Depending on other results, a win on the weekend could see South reclaim top spot.

South goes into Sunday’s match after a comfortable win over the Yarraville Glory in the Mirabella Cup, which saw the home side trounce the minnows 14-0, which was arguably its biggest victory in recognised League and Cup competition. Five goals to Fernando De Moraes and doubles to Ljubo Milicevic, Nick Jacobs and Gianni De Nittis were some of the highlights in a match that showed a huge contrast in class between the Victorian Premier League and State League 3, even though coach Eddie Krncevic rested many of South’s senior players. It was some solace after a disastrous Round 9 which saw South crash to a 5-0 loss away at Broadmeadows Valley Park to Hume City. South finished the game down to nine men, after Jesse Krncevic and Ljubo Milicevic were both issued with red cards. Both players are suspended and will not be eligible for selection for this fixture. 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 in Round 8.

Dandenong Thunder come into the match with mixed form, having picked up two wins, draw, and loss in its previous four matches. The draw away to Bentleigh Greens saw it surrender top spot. Dandenong started the season strongly, with big wins against the St Albans Saints, Richmond, and Northcote City. The visiting side have the best attack, accumulating 24 goals so far this season, and the best defence only conceding 8 goals. South will need to break down the tight and well disciplined Dandenong defence to have any chance in securing the three points. Dandenong currently sit in fourth position on the ladder and will be keen to reclaim the top spot it previously held.

In the corresponding fixture in 2010, the Dandenong Thunder snatched the three points with a late penalty converted after an alleged handball on defender Steven O’Dor to win 3-2, after South had clawed its way back from being 0-2 down. Sunday’s match kicks off at 3:00pm at John Cain Memorial Park.

Tuesday, 26 April 2011 11:34 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC recorded arguably its biggest victory in recognised League and Cup competition when it defeated Yarraville Glory 14-0 in the Fourth Round of the Mirabella Cup on Tuesday afternoon at John Cain Memorial Park. Five goals to Fernando De Moraes and doubles to Ljubo Milicevic, Nick Jacobs and Gianni De Nittis were some of the highlights in a match that showed a huge contrast in class between the Victorian Premier League and State League 3, even though coach Eddie Krncevic rested many of South’s senior players. South is expected to play the winner of the match between South Yarra (Provisional League 1 North/West) and Port Melbourne (State League 1) in the Fifth Round of the competition.

South Melbourne FC resumes Victorian Premier League duties on Sunday afternoon when it entertains League leaders Dandenong Thunder at John Cain Memorial Park. Kick-off is at 15:00.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 14-0 YARRAVILLE GLORY (HT: 4-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Ljubo Milicevic (6′)
2-0: Fernando De Moraes (19′)
3-0: Kyle Joryeff (42′)
4-0: Bobby Russell (45+2′)
5-0: Fernando De Moraes (53′)
6-0: Nick Jacobs (59′)
7-0: Nick Jacobs (63′)
8-0: Fernando De Moraes (70′)
9-0: Fernando De Moraes (71′)
10-0: Gianni De Nittis (75′)
11-0: Gianni De Nittis (76′)
12-0: Fernando De Moraes (83′)
13-0: Ljubo Milicevic (85′)
14-0: Fernando De Moraes (90′)

South Melbourne FC Line-up:
5. Daniel VASILEVSKI, 6. Steven TOPALOVIC (27. Joshua COLOSIMO 72′), 9. Gianni DE NITTIS, 12. Brad TRELOAR, 13. Ljubo MILICEVIC, 15. Fernando DE MORAES, 16. Trent WATERSON, 20. Abdelhadi DEROUNE (1. Stefaan SARDELIC 72′), 25. Kyle JORYEFF (24. Nick JACOBS 56′), 30. Jake VANDERMEY, 33. Bobby RUSSELL (17. Mackie SIMMONS 73′)

SMFC Man of the Match: Fernando De Moraes
Venue: John Cain Memorial Park
Date: Tuesday 26 April 2011

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