Category: News

Monday, 21 February 2011 10:22 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC has been held to a 1-1 draw by Green Gully in their opening fixture for the 2011 Victorian Premier League season at John Cain Memorial Park. South outplayed the reigning Victorian Premier League Champions in the first half before Gully worked themselves back into the match after the break to earn a deserved point.

New coach Eddie Krncevic started youngster Nick Jacobs next to Jesse Krncevic up front as South pressed for goals in the first half. Krncevic had enjoyed a bag full of goals in the pre-season Cup competitions and he scored his first Victorian Premier League goal for the Club after 25 minutes, following an excellent turn and shot that found the back of the net.

South then proceeded to miss a host of guilt-edged chances to double their lead before halftime. The best of the lot fell to Fernando De Moraes, who delayed in shooting after being fed a delightful through-ball by Jacobs, enabling Gully to get back in numbers and clear the danger. However, South rode its luck going into halftime with the lead after Green Gully missed a series of good opportunities to level, with the ball going into the car park behind the goals instead of the back of the net.

New captain Steven O’Dor should have put South two goals ahead shortly after halftime, but he put wide an excellent cut-back ball from Gianni De Nittis, who had worked himself into a dangerous position on the right side of the area. This proved costly as Gully equalised shortly afterwards, when Brent Fisher was given enough space to squeeze a shot past Stefaan Sardelic, with the ball eventually rolling into the goal. That woke South up, with the home side going close to re-taking the lead twice through De Moraes. On the first occasion he let fly with a stinging shot from outside the area that rattled the cross-bar, then had a free kick evade the wall and goalkeeper before hitting the post and rolling out.

South may have had numerous chances to regain the lead but Gully also had many opportunities to snatch a victory. Luckily for the home team, a bit of luck and a fantastic save from Sardelic denied Gully the opportunity to win the game. In a match that could have ended 5-5, the full-time whistle confirmed only a goal apiece and a share of the points.

In the second round of the Premier League next week, South travels to White Eagles Stadium to play the newly-promoted Springvale White Eagles. The match kicks off at 20:30 on Friday 25 February.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 1-1 GREEN GULLY (HT: 1-0)

Goal Scorers 

1-0: Jesse Krncevic (25’) 

1-1: Brent Fisher (56’)



South Melbourne FC

1. Stefaan SARDELLIC, 3. Rhodri PAYNE, 4. Steven O’DOR, 6. Steven TOPALOVIC, 8. Carl RECCHIA, 9. Gianni DE NITTIS, 11. Jesse KRNCEVIC. 15. Fernando DE MORAES (16. Trent WATERSON 85′), 18. Marinos GASPARIS, 23. Sebastian PETROVIC, 24. Nick JACOBS (25. Kyle JORYEFF 62′)

Green Gully 

1. Nikola ROGANOVIC, 2. Daniel JONES, 4. Cameron DRAKE, 7. Jeffrey FLEMING, 8. Jason HAYNE, 9. Brent FISHER, 10. Graham HOCKLESS, 11. Pasquale VIZZARI (14. Ryan OLLERTON 75′), 12. Matthew SANDERS, 16. Mile MEDJEDOVIC, 19. Jonathan MUNOZ



SMFC Man of the Match: Marinos Gasparis 

Venue: John Cain Memorial Park 

Date: Sunday 20 February 2011 

Friday, 18 February 2011 12:09 PM

On the first episode of southRadio in 2011, we review the Hellenic Cup win, and preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and Green Gully. Furthermore, David and John caught up with Eddie Krncevic for a chat as well as preview the upcoming season.

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

Click here to download episode 1 of southRadio (MP3) – Right Click and Save As

Click here to download the show directly from iTunes

Friday, 18 February 2011 10:45 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC will enter the 2011 Victorian Premier League season confident in challenging for the Championship, something that has eluded the Club since defeating Altona Magic 1-0 in the 2006 Grand Final.

South experienced a year of both ups and downs in 2010, which began in February with a penalty shoot-out loss against the Bentleigh Greens in the 2010 Hellenic Cup final. South began its season slowly but gradually built up good form heading into the RHB Singapore Cup first round against Gombak United in May. South recorded a historic 2-1 victory over Gombak but suffered a hangover when returning to Melbourne, gaining only nine points from a possible 18 and slipping out of the top five.

With five matches left in the season and with a finals position looking out of reach, South turned things around and recorded three wins and two draws to finish the regular season in fifth spot. However, it needed to rely on a drawn match between Northcote City and Dandenong Thunder in a match played three days after the final round of matches in order to secure a finals position. Northcote had other ideas and denied South a finals spot by defeating the Thunder 4-1 the following Wednesday.

With the Victorian Premier League season over, coach Vaughan Coveny was replaced by Eddie Krncevic, who returned for his second stint as South manager, having coached South in the 2001/02 National Soccer League season. Krncevic needed to keep his players fresh for six weeks before meeting Bangkok Glass in the RHB Singapore Cup quarter finals. In this time, goalkeeper Peter Zois departed so Krncevic promoted Stefaan Sardelic from reserve to senior goalkeeper.

Despite losing the first leg 1-3, South outplayed their opponents from Thailand in the second leg and was incredibly unlucky not to win in a thrilling 3-3 draw. Bangkok Glass went on to win the competition so it was no disgrace that a semi-professional South Melbourne FC side lost to the eventual Cup winners, who were a professional side.

South has enjoyed a solid 2011 pre-season, traveling to Tasmania and winning the Hill Street/Thrifty Cup with a 5-0 victory over Tasmanian champions South Hobart. In the now annual pre-season Hellenic Cup, South won all of its matches comfortably before defeating rivals Heidelberg United in the final 2-1 after extra time. This gave South its third Hellenic Cup triumph in five years.

Expectations are high at the Club in 2011, with South aiming to make the finals and win the Championship. A big season is expected from 2010 VPL Gold Medalist, Theo Marmaras Medalist (South player of the year) and South Golden Boot winner Fernando De Moraes, who is two goals shy of becoming only the eighth player in the Club’s history to score 50 League goals. New signing Jesse Krncevic is also expected to have a good year following a solid pre-season that has seen many goals scored.

With Lakeside Stadium still undergoing renovations, South will play all of its 2011 Premier League home matches at Northcote City’s John Cain Memorial Park. South faces a tough start to the Premier League season, hosting Champions Green Gully on Sunday evening at John Cain Memorial Park, with the match kicking off at 17:00.

Click here to view the 2011 SMFC Senior Squad

Friday, 18 February 2011 10:38 AM

South Melbourne FC is proud to announce that Star21, Coffex Coffee, Antenna Pacific, K&A Accountants, AIS Insurance Brokers, and Clean Start are its Major Corporate Partners for the 2011 Victorian Premier League season.

As mentioned previously, Star21 is the Major Sponsor for the 2011 Victorian Premier League season. Star21 is a fully accredited Telstra Channel Partner that provides a full range of expertise, experience and capacity on offer as a broad-spectrum telecommunications solution. Furthermore, Star21 enjoys the reputation of being one of Telstra’s most successful channel partners, and has earned this position due to innovative and leading edge solutions to its many loyal clients. Its dedication to its client base is second to none and Star21 believes in the longevity of business relationships.

They can provide access to the latest Telstra technology and the very best in professional customer service. They do this by delivering Telstra’s world class technology, products, solutions, service and performance to a client’s business. Star21 can plan and build a network strategy that takes the best that technology has on offer and tailors it specifically for your business needs. With years of expertise, your data is in the best hands.

Renewing their sponsorship for another season is Coffex Coffee. Coffex was founded in the late 1950s, in response to the shortage of quality espresso coffee beans in Melbourne at that time. The first Coffex beans were roasted in the first Coffex shop in Coburg, Victoria, using equipment which had to be especially imported from Europe. From these humble beginnings Coffex has grown to become one of Australia’s largest suppliers of premium ground coffee and beans. As Coffex’s reputation for quality spread, the public demanded the same great taste in their homes as at their local Coffex café; Coffex was happy to oblige and today Coffex is sold at leading retailers all around the Asia-Pacific region.

In addition, Antenna Pacific TV has renewed their association with South Melbourne FC. Antenna Pacific TV has been a corporate partner since 2007, and has allowed South Melbourne FC to be one of very few clubs outside the A League the ability to advertise on national television. Currently, Antenna Pacific TV has over 70,000 subscribers on the Foxtel, Optus, Austar, and Select TV platforms, reaches over 200,000 viewers nationally. In addition to the live news bulletin, Hellenic series, entertainment and current affair shows of Antenna Pacific TV, the daily schedule is enriched with tailored features for Greeks living abroad including: Hellenic movies, children’s programming, a weekly. Special emphasis has been given to the sport programming as the subscription channels of Antenna Pacific TV have secured the exclusive rights for the Hellenic Superleague and Hellenic Soccer Cup.

Long-term supporter of South Melbourne FC, AIS Insurance Brokers, has joined as the shorts sponsor. AIS Insurance Brokers commenced operations in 1990 and have steadily grown to become the leading autonomous Victorian based Insurance Broker. AIS Insurance Brokers are members of the national Corplex Network of Insurance Brokers, Steadfast Group Limited, Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance and also the National Insurance Brokers Association of Australia.

Another new corporate partner joining the South Melbourne FC family is Clean Start. The Clean Start logo will feature proudly on the back of the playing shorts. Cleanstart was founded by father and son, George and Nick Kakridas. The company’s approach is to establish a culture in which team work, safety and individual excellence are encouraged. Cleanstart is committed to providing a cleaning program that meets with client’s individual needs, ensuring that all work adheres to statuary regulations, guidelines and specifications, investing the company’s time, money and expertise in the ongoing training and supervision of its support members, continually understanding our client’s changing need, and offering continuous resources to all staff to ensure and promote ability, morale, safety and security. Long-term financial supporter of the Club, K&A Accountants owned by Club President Leo Athanasakis, has increased their financial commitment to the Club by taking out the back of shirt sponsorship. K & A Accountants is a centrally located Accounting Practice in Melbourne’s inner suburb of Brunswick with an affiliate Financial Planning office in the surrounding suburb of Essendon, offering services to Small and Medium clients both locally and interstate. With an experienced team, consisting of one Principal accountant and two intermediate accountants, they provide high quality services with a one-on-one approach to help maximise client growth and prosperity.

Head of Corporate Sales, Marketing, and Events, George Triantos, speaking to smfc.com.au, said “we are delighted to have secured successful corporate partners for the 2011 Victorian Premier League season, and in particular, we welcome Star21 and Clean Start to the SMFC family. We hope that it will be a long-standing relationship between both organisations. I would also like to thank Club President Leo Athanasakis for increasing his financial commitment to the Club by elevating his sponsorship. We thank all our existing sponsors to continuing to support SMFC. I ask all South fans and members to get behind our sponsors, and assist the organisations that are committing their support for this great club”.

Friday, 18 February 2011 10:30 AM

 

South Melbourne FC is proud to announce its new captain for the 2011 Victorian Premier League season is Steven O’Dor.

Previously, O’Dor held the position of Vice Captain during the previous two Victorian Premier League seasons.

A long-serving member of the defensive unit at South, O’Dor has played in 105 Victorian Premier League games and scored an impressive 6 goals during his career.

Speaking to smfc.com.au Director of Football, Ange Dallas, said “we are extremely proud to be announcing that Steven O’Dor will be the new captain for the Club moving forward. He has shown great maturity beyond his young years, exhibiting strong leadership qualities both on and off the park. The coaching staff hold Steven in high regard and believe that he will become a great ambassador for the club in the future”

Thursday, 17 February 2011 11:32 AM

 

South Melbourne FC would like to announce that 2009 and 2010 Club captain Rama Tavsancioglu has left the club.

Rama was a valuable member of the team during his 6 seasons at the club that included 136 Victorian Premier League games and 6 League goals. Rama captained the club in its 50th year in 2009 as well as in 2010, which also included leading the Club in the RHB Singapore Cup.

The club wishes Rama all the best in the future.

Wednesday, 16 February 2011 11:18 AM

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce the return of the 2011 SMFC Victorian Premier League Tipping Competition. There are some great prizes up for grabs, with first prize being a signed SMFC replica shirt signed by the 2011 SMFC squad.

Its easy to enter, and lots of fun. In each round you will tip for a home win, draw, or away win. You will get 1 point for a correct win or 1 point for a correct draw. The current round will close 1 hour before the first game of each round is to be played. If you forget to submit your tips in for a round, you will get the lowest score of the round minus 1 point. If you start late, you will be allocated the average points of the competition.

To enter the tipping competition, please go to http://tipping.smfc.com.au/

Monday, 14 February 2011 9:32 AM

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce “Telstra’s 2010 Business Partner of the Year”, Star21, as the new major sponsor for the 2011 Victorian Premier League season.

Star21 is a fully accredited Telstra Channel Partner that provides a full range of expertise, experience and capacity on offer as a broad-spectrum telecommunications solution. Furthermore, Star21 enjoys the reputation of being one of Telstra’s most successful channel partners, and has earned this position due to innovative and leading edge solutions to its many loyal clients. Its dedication to its client base is second to none and Star21 believes in the longevity of business relationships.

They can give you access to the latest Telstra technology and the very best in professional customer service. They do this by delivering Telstra’s world class technology, products, solutions, service and performance to your business.

Star21 specialises and assists businesses around the country in the following:

Mobile Phones

Getting the best in speed, cost and reliability

Endorsed by Telstra as a Business Accredited Solutions Centre Star21 has access to the latest technology on offer and our certified specialists can match the right solution for your business every time.

Mobile Data and Wireless Apps

High speed and functionality online

Star21 build technology tailored to business using optimum speed and high performance apps. With extensive knowledge of what apps are on offer, we can recommend and upload instantly.

Office Phone and Voice

Smarter voice solutions

Understanding the options and with the expertise to offer your business the best solution, Star21 can upgrade or offer a complete solution from design to integration of your phone systems.

Internet and Data

Superior accessibility with enhanced security

Star21 can plan and build a network strategy that takes the best that technology has on offer and tailors it specifically for your business needs. With years of expertise, your data is in the best hands.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Head of Marketing, Corporate Sponsorship, and Events, George Triantos said “we are delighted to welcome Star21 to the South family as a corporate partner, and ask all South fans and members to contact our new major sponsor for all their telecommunications requirements. We hope that it will be a long-standing relationship between both organisations. Support the sponsors that support our great club”.

Call 1300 Star21 (1300 782 721) and speak to a business consultant for all your telecommunications requirements or visit www.star21.com.au

Sunday, 13 February 2011 9:57 PM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC won the Hellenic Cup for the third time in five seasons after defeating Heidelberg United 2-1 in extra time on Saturday evening. Despite going a goal down early in the match, South rallied to send the match into extra time before a magnificent Marinos Gasparis goal won the match and the Cup for South at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex.

Eddie Krncevic fielded a strong line-up against a Heidelberg side that provided South with a tough and physical match against Premier League opposition prior to the commencement of the Victorian Premier League. Stefaan Sardelic started in goal, with his defence comprising Rhodri Payne, Steven O’Dor, Steven Topalovic and Sebastian Petrovic. In the midfield was Carl Recchia, Fernando De Moraes, Daniel Vasilevski and Marinos Gasparis, with Jesse Krncevic and Kyle Joryeff up front.

Heidelberg started the match well as South took a long time to settle into the game. The majority of chances fell to Heidelberg in the first half and they were rewarded for their efforts when Osagie Ederaro beat several South defenders, cut in from the left and slotted past Sardelic to open the scoring. South stepped up a gear and almost equalised straight away when a beautiful move on the right culminated in a cross to the back post for De Moraes to sky his shot over the bar. Eventually South did level however, when Joryeff dispossessed his opponent with a clean tackle and sent a low cross from the right to the back post for Krncevic to fire into the roof of the net.

The second half was mostly South, with Heidelberg needing some excellent defending to keep the scores level. Craig Elvin was unbeatable at centre-half, whilst goalkeeper Griffin McMaster pulled off the save of the match at his near post to deny Gasparis a tap-in. However it was not all one-way traffic, as South needed a clearance off the line by Payne and a wonderful block by Sardelic to deny Heidelberg the lead again. Whilst Heidelberg were always dangerous going forward with Ederaro, it was always South that looked the more likely to score again. However both sides remained level as the referee blew for full time.

South remained on top during extra time and Gasparis was finally able to beat McMaster when he expertly chipped him from the edge of the box on the right hand side. Despite a few nervous moments, South managed to hold onto its 2-1 lead to win what is hoped to be the first piece of silverware in 2011. Most importantly, South showed they were able to compete reasonably well with tough Premier League opposition, as Heidelberg were in the top five in 2010 and have also enjoyed great results against South recently. In somewhat of a consolation to the Bergers, Ederaro was given Man of the Match for his efforts up front.

There were a few worrying signs for South, with Vasilevski and Krncevic both going off the field for treatment. Krncevic’s injury looked quite minor but Vasilevski was unsure of the diagnosis of his injury, however it is expected that both should be fine for the first Victorian Premier League fixture next weekend.

South begins its 2011 Victorian Premier League season by hosting reigning champions Green Gully at John Cain Memorial Park next Sunday evening. Kick-off is at 5:00pm.

FINAL SCORE (AET): SOUTH MELBOURNE 2-1 HEIDELBERG UNITED (HT/FT: 1-1)

South Melbourne FC Line-up:

Stefaan Sardelic, Rhodri Payne, Steven O’Dor, Steven Topalovic, Sebastian Petrovic, Carl Recchia, Daniel Vasilevski (Jake Van Der May), Fernando De Moraes, Marinos Gasparis (James Riccobene), Kyle Joryeff, Jesse Krncevic (Nick Jacobs)

Friday, 11 February 2011 11:32 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC will play Heidelberg United in the final of the 2011 Hellenic Cup this Saturday night after defeating the Bentleigh Greens last Tuesday evening. The win continued South’s perfect pre-season in Cup competitions after winning the Hill Street/Thrifty Cup in Tasmania before securing victory in all its Hellenic Cup matches.

After the 5-0 win over South Hobart in the Hill Street/Thrifty Cup final on January 16, South opened its Hellenic Cup group stage campaign a week later against Box Hill United. A double from Jesse Krncevic and goals from Marinos Gasparis, Rhodri Payne and Fernando De Moraes gave South a comfortable 5-0 win. The good form continued the following Thursday when South defeated Beaumaris 9-1. South finished on top of the group after defeating Kingston City 5-0 in the last match to progress to the quarter finals to play Altona East Phoenix.

A strong 4-0 victory against the Phoenix last Saturday set up South’s first serious test in 2011, as Eddie Krncevic’s side met Premier League opposition in the Bentleigh Greens in the semi final. Krncevic fielded a strong line-up and the team put in a good performance as it overcame the Greens 2-0 despite a few scares near the end. A wonderful curling free kick from Daniel Vasilevski and a calmly converted penalty by De Moraes was enough to set up Saturday’s final against Heidelberg United.

This will be South’s third consecutive final appearance in the Hellenic Cup. In 2009, South easily accounted for Heidelberg 3-0 at John Cain Memorial Park and were the better side in the 2010 final before losing 5-4 on a penalty shoot-out against Bentleigh following a 0-0 stalemate in both normal and extra time.

Unfortunately for the Under-21s, the team lost their semi final 1-0 against Bentleigh but was largely unlucky not to at least send their match into extra time.

Saturday evening’s final will kick off at 18:45 at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex.

South Melbourne FC – Hellenic Cup 2011 Summary

Date Opponent Score SMFC Goal Scorer(s) January Sun 23 Box Hill United 5-0 Krncevic 2, Gasparis, Payne, De Moraes Thurs 27 Beaumaris 9-1 Krncevic 4, Joryeff 3, De Moraes, Minopoulos February Tues 1 Kingston City 5-0 Krncevic 3, De Moraes 2 Sat 5 Altona East Phoenix 4-0 Krncevic 2, Vasilevski, De Moraes Tues 8 Bentleigh Greens 2-0 Vasilevski, De Moraes (p)

 

Goal Scorers:
11 – Jesse Krncevic
6 – Fernando De Moraes
3 – Kyle Joryeff
2 – Daniel Vasilevski
1 – Marinos Gasparis, Rhodri Payne, Leigh Minopoulos