Category: News

Friday, 13 August 2010 9:32 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC travels to Knights Stadium to play Sunshine George Cross in the final round of the 2010 Victorian Premier League this Sunday afternoon. Three points is vital to both sides for contrasting reasons, with South needing a win to give itself hope of finishing in the top five and Sunshine needing a win to try and avoid relegation.

South goes into the match in winning form, having recorded an excellent 0-1 victory away to the Oakleigh Cannons last Friday. South is now unbeaten in four matches and will travel to Knights Stadium with confidence. Awaiting them will be a Sunshine side that have also recorded excellent results in recent weeks. George Cross came from behind to defeat Oakleigh two weeks ago, before taking the lead away to Dandenong Thunder last weekend and leaving George Andrews Reserve with a draw. Despite these results, the Georgies currently sit in the bottom two and need to rely on a positive result against South and Bentleigh dropping points at home to Richmond in order to stay up.

The last time the two sides met, South played some beautiful football on the way to a hard-fought 3-1 win against George Cross at John Cain Memorial Park. If Vaughan Coveny’s side can produce the same performance on the weekend then the three points could very well be for the away team, however this will be easier said than done with the Georgies’ survival in the VPL on the line on Sunday afternoon. Ironically, the two sides also met in the last round last season, with Fernando De Moraes’ cheeky goal giving South the three points it needed to confirm a finals appearance. South will be hoping for a similar situation come the final whistle on Sunday.

With all matches in the League kicking off at 3pm on Sunday afternoon, there is no doubt that all fans will be keenly checking the scores from around the state in the hope that everything falls into place for their team. For the South and Georgies players the instructions from their coaches will be simply to win the match at Knights Stadium before worrying about other results that could affect their 2010 seasons.

Round 22 matches, all games to kick off at 3pm on Sunday afternoon:
Dandenong Thunder v Heidelberg United (SS Anderson Reserve)
Green Gully v Melbourne Knights (Green Gully Reserve)
Northcote City v Hume City (John Cain Memorial Park)
Bentleigh Greens v Richmond Eagles (Kingston Heath Soccer Complex)
Oakleigh Cannons v Altona Magic (Jack Edwards Reserve)
Sunshine George Cross v South Melbourne FC (Knights Stadium)

* Please note that the round 19 catch-up match between Dandenong Thunder and Northcote City is set to be played next week

Last time we met

Thursday, 12 August 2010 3:32 PM

South Melbourne FC is saddened to learn that legendary former player John Bedford is battling cancer. Mr Bedford underwent a serious operation at St. Vincent’s hospital in Melbourne recently to amputate one of his legs that the cancer has spread into.

Mr Bedford is undoubtedly one of South Melbourne FC’s greatest ever players, having represented the club from 1961 to 1974 and winning an incredible six Victorian State League championships at Middle Park. The no-nonsense defender is part of South Melbourne FC’s Forty Hall of Champions and was extremely unfortunate not to feature in the club’s Team of the Century. Many former team-mates rate Mr Bedford as the greatest player they ever played alongside.

Reports post-operation are that despite the magnitude of Mr Bedford’s diagnosis, he is in good spirits and looking to fight his battle with cancer to overcome the disease.

The South Melbourne FC board of directors, sponsors, coaches, players, administration staff, volunteers and supporters are united in expressing sadness at Mr John Bedford’s diagnosis. The entire club wishes Mr Bedford well in his fight against cancer and hopes that he can make a speedy recovery.

Sunday, 8 August 2010 12:40 PM

By Paul Mavroudis (with thanks to Andrew Ongkodjojo and John Diegan)

South Melbourne FC has kept its slim finals chances alive with a 1-0 win away to Oakleigh Cannons on Friday night. In wet conditions, Fernando De Moraes’ first half goal saw the visitors take all three points from Jack Edwards Reserve for the first time since 2005, and handed the out-of-form Cannons their seventh loss in eight matches.

South settled down quickly, and set up several chances in the opening minutes. Joe Keenan on the left and De Moraes on the right in particular were repeatedly beating their opponents one on one, and sent several crosses into the area. Gianni De Nittis had South’s first guilt edge chance, when he ran on to a through ball by De Moraes, rounded the keeper, but ended up being unable to keep the ball in play. Soon after Keenan fired just wide from a free kick. Rama Tavsancioglu ran on to another through ball, this time by Marinos Gasparis, but Oakleigh goalkeeper Griffin McMaster was able to smother the ball. Further dead ball situations had McMaster stopping long range shots and being forced to punch or tip the ball to safety.

Eventually South’s good work paid off in the 30th minute, when De Moraes, finding himself in metres of space on the right hand side after a through ball by defender Eddie Cetkin, slotted a low shot past McMaster to give South the lead. The goal gave De Moraes his 11th League goal for 2010 and put him into outright ninth place on South Melbourne’s all-time leading League goal scorers list with 46 goals, having overtaken Kimon Taliadoros’ 45 goal tally.

Oakleigh’s first half attacks were mostly reliant on South’s occasional midfield errors and on rapid counter attacks on the wings. For the most part South’s defence was able to thwart the home side’s advances without too much difficulty, with only Ricky Diaco’s aerial prowess getting the ball through to Peter Zois. The home side’s best chances in the first half came from ex-South winger Yusuf Yusuf, who sprayed his shot wide after his teammates had provided some neat build-up play. As the half wore on, a passage of play started by a Bill Damianos interception forced Zois to come off his line to clear the ball, and with the ball bouncing around dangerously in the box, centre-half Steven O’Dor managed to clear it to safety from the goal line.

The second half saw more of the same attacking football from both teams, albeit with a much improved effort from the home side. Diaco looked lively again early in the second half, while De Moraes failed to repeat his goal scoring effort of the first half, shooting across the face of goal and wide from a tight angle. At the other end, Zois was also forced into action, saving a shot resulting from a goalmouth scramble. The Cannons brought on dangerous but out-of-form striker Jerry Karpeh midway through the second half, but for the most part South kept Karpeh quiet by double-teaming him and forcing him away from goal. Despite the close attention by South’s defenders, Karpeh was still able to create Oakleigh’s best chance of the night when he latched on to a cross with his head, forcing Zois to dive spectacularly to his left to tip the ball away to safety.

As Oakleigh were forced to press up the field, South turned their attention to absorbing the pressure, and hitting back on the counter. Numerous attempts were foiled by mistimed runs and the linesman’s flagging of offside calls. The best opportunity for South in the second half came when Rhodri Payne ran through clear on goal, where he appeared to be taken down from behind in the 18 yard box – the referee though, waved play on. South though was able to hold on to its lead until the end, and in doing so was able to claim a deserved victory.

FINAL SCORE: OAKLEIGH CANNONS 0-1 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-1)

Oakleigh Cannons
Griffin McMaster, Jamie Cumming, Stelios Drakos, Bonnell Obradovic, Ricky Diaco, Ashley Savanah (Martin Mason 79′), Yusuf Yusuf (Bill Damianos 35′), Michael Curcija, Aristidis Drakos (Jerry Karpeh 60′), Neven Antic, Scott Webster

South Melbourne
Peter Zois, Rhodri Payne, Steven O’Dor, Daniel Vasilevski, Eddie Cetkin (James Stefanou 86’), Joe Keenan, Carl Recchia, Gianni De Nittis (Joseph Youssef 79’), Rama Tavsancioglu, Fernando De Moraes (Kyle Joryeff 68’), Marinos Gasparis
(Scorer: De Moraes 30′)

SMFC Man of the Match: Fernando De Moraes
Venue: Jack Edwards Reserve

Friday, 6 August 2010 3:28 PM

South Melbourne Football Club advises that it yesterday commenced a Supreme Court action against both Football Federation Victoria and Football Federation Australia. The Court action relates to the decision by the FFV Appeals Board on 18 May this year to deduct the Club six championship points for a charge relating to an incident at South Melbourne match against Heidelberg United on 11 April this year when a number of South Melbourne supporters ran onto the ground immediately following the equalising goal in the 91st minute.

The Club had initially been fined $2,500 by the FFV Tribunal for that incident. The Tribunal also ruled that the match score which stood at one all when the match was abandoned in the 91st minute, should be recorded as a three nil win to Heidelberg. At the same time, it banned three South Melbourne supporters from attending any further matches for life.

The Club appealed those three decisions and the FFV Appeals Board made the following decisions:

1. It set aside the life bans for the two supporters who pursued the appeal and in their place, it banned one supporter until the end of the 2010 season and another supporter to the end of the 2012 season.
2. It reinstated the match score at one all.
3. It agreed with the Club that it was not guilty of the offence with which it had been charged.
4. It substituted another charge for the same offence and deducted the Club six championship points in place of the fine.

The Club was aggrieved at the decision to deduct it six points which it felt was wrong. Since that time, it has worked behind the scenes with the FFA and FFV with a view to having its grievance heard by either the FFV or the FFA or even having the matter referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Agreement was not reached to do so and with the season fast coming to a close, the Club has commenced urgent Court proceedings with a view to resolving this matter prior to the VPL finals series commencing following the final round of VPL matches next week.

The Club will not comment any further on the subject matter of the Court action as it is presently before the Court.

Friday, 6 August 2010 12:57 PM

On Saturday’s episode on SMFC TV, we review and show extended match highlights of the clash at John Cain Memorial Park between South Melbourne FC and Richmond. Furthermore, we hear from Head Coach Vaughan Coveny as well in the post-match interviews.

The show will also contain our new segment, where John and David will review this week’s action.

SMFC TV

Channel 31
Every Saturday 10.00am -10.30am

Thursday, 5 August 2010 9:41 AM

By John Kyrou

It is do-or-die time yet again as South Melbourne FC travels to Jack Edwards Reserve to play the Oakleigh Cannons on Friday night. The Cannons can almost certainly book a place in the top five with a win, whilst the three points is a must for South as anything less will mean missing the finals.

South go into the match in better form, having drawn 2-2 with the Richmond last Sunday but having clearly outplayed the League leaders. South’s last two opponents have been the League’s top two sides and South have managed two positive results from the two games. Oakleigh come into the match having conceded two late goals against Sunshine George Cross to lose 2-1. The result was a surprise but it continued to prove that anyone can be defeated in the VPL and that ladder positions are irrelevant, especially in the later stages of the season when the sides near the bottom are scraping for points to avoid relegation.

In the corresponding fixture last season, current South coach Vaughan Coveny’s equalising goal earnt South a 1-1 draw at Jack Edwards Reserve. Earlier this season, the Cannons won 2-1 at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex after Fernando De Moraes had given South the lead 14 minutes in. South has not beaten the Cannons at Jack Edwards Reserve since its first season back in the VPL in 2005, when Kosta Salapasidis was brought down in the penalty area and Peter Koutsoupias scored from the loose ball after Coveny’s penalty kick was saved.

The match kicks off at 8:30pm on Friday night at Jack Edwards Reserve.

Last time we met

Monday, 2 August 2010 10:18 AM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy NItsos)

Richmond returned to the top of the VPL ladder and at the same time severely dented South Melbourne FC’s finals aspirations after coming from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon. A wonder strike from Michael Ferrante earned the Eagles a point in a match where they had been outclassed for the vast majority of the 90 minutes.

South started the match on fire and almost opened the scoring in the first few minutes when Joe Keenan beat goalkeeper Stjepan Gal in a foot race to the ball but hit the post instead of the back of the net. South were clearly dominating and got the goal they deserved on 15 minutes when Fernando De Moraes put away the loose ball after Gal had made a save off Marinos Gasparis. The goal put the South midfielder into outright tenth position on South’s all-time leading League goal scorers list.

Steven O’Dor was celebrating his 100th League match for South and the centre-half marked the occasion in the best way possible by heading in South’s second for the afternoon ten minutes before halftime. Keenan’s in-swinging corner was perfectly placed for O’Dor to beat a flapping Gal to the ball and head into the empty goal. The 2-0 lead was more than what South deserved after a dominant first half in which Richmond was lucky not to be at least three or four goals down.

South continued its dominance after the break and had two glorious chances to finish the game off; however it was unable to do so as the Eagles just managed to hold on. Richmond pulled a goal back midway through the second half in controversial circumstances, after Keenan looked to have been fouled in South’s attack. However despite the pleas for a free kick, play was continued and as a result Richmond won possession, took the ball down the field to the waiting Daniel Visevic who found time and space to put the ball past South’s unlucky goalkeeper Peter Zois.

Richmond could sense South’s vulnerability and punished the home side again when Ferrante gained possession outside the area and let fly with an unstoppable shot that smashed into the back of the net. Despite being outclassed for so long, the Eagles showed exactly why they were the League leaders as they had somehow clawed their way back into the match and ultimately won a point. Had it not been for some Zois saves late in the match, Richmond could have very well won the game but instead were more than happy to settle for a draw.

South must win its two remaining matches and hope that other results fall favourably in order to have any chance of playing finals football in 2010. The first of those huge matches is against Oakleigh Cannons at Jack Edwards Reserve on Friday night.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 2-2 RICHMOND EAGLES (HT: 2-0)

South Melbourne
Peter Zois, Steven O’Dor, Eddie Cetkin, Joe Keenan, Carl Recchia, Gianni De Nittis (Jason Ricciuti), Rama Tavsancioglu, Fernando De Moraes (Kyle Joryeff), Marinos Gasparis (Hamid Basma), James Stefanou, Daniel Vasilevski
(Scorers: De Moraes 15’, O’Dor 35’)

Richmond Eagles
Stjepan Gal, Andrew Viola, Dimitri Tsiaras, Milos Lujic, Daniel Visevic, Michael Ferrante, Antun Kovacic, Michael Catalano, Tomislav Milardovic, Steven Topalovic, Davey Van’t Schip
Subs: Stefan Piorkowski, Jesse Krncevic, Mate Eterovic, Mitch Bissinger, Peter Sawan
(Scorers: Visevic 68’, Ferrante 77’)

SMFC Man of the Match: Daniel Vasilevski
Venue: John Cain Memorial Park
Date: Sunday 1 August 2010
Crowd: 500

Friday, 30 July 2010 1:57 PM

On this week’s episode of southRadio, we review the Round 19 clash between South Melbourne FC and Hume City at John Cain Reserve, as well as preview the upcoming game between South Melbourne FC and Richmond Eagles.

Also find out the latest news about the 2010 Singapore Cup games against Bangkok Glass.
 
Join the Chief and John, as they discuss and analyse the week’s news. 

southRadio is proudly brought to you by Homes Now and Monash Hire.

Click here to download episode 22 of southRadio (MP3 11mb) – Right Click and Save As

Click here to download the show directly from iTunes

Friday, 30 July 2010 12:16 PM

This Sunday marks an important day for South Melbourne FC, as it will participate in the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness month.

By participating in this event, every South player will wear a purple arm band on Sunday against Richmond in support of the battles that those with this disease face.

SMA is a rare, inherited disease that results in the loss of nerves in the spinal cord and weakness of the muscles connected with those nerves. The muscles most frequently affected are those of the neck and trunk that control posture, those of the leg and arm that control movement, and those of the area of the ribs that help breathing.

People with SMA generally appear normal at birth; the symptoms develop as early as three months in the most severely affected, around one to two years of age in the moderately affected, and more rarely in the late childhood or adult years in mildly affected individuals.

We encourage everyone to come to the game on Sunday to support this wonderful cause, with every $1 of each match ticket sold being donated.

For more information please visit the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Association of Australia website at www.smaaustralia.org.au.

Friday, 30 July 2010 11:19 AM

On Saturday’s episode on SMFC TV, we will have a special presentation for all South and football fans, where we showcase our great club over the past 50 years, including never before seen footage and interviews with the legends of the club.

SMFC TV

Channel 31
Every Saturday 10.00am -10.30am