Category: News

Sunday, 14 March 2010 2:25 PM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

The first ever League meeting between Northcote City and South Melbourne FC saw the away side gallantly fight back from a 3-1 deficit to draw 3-3 at John Cain Reserve on Saturday afternoon. South has now drawn all three of its VPL matches in 2010.

South travelled to Northcote with the good news that Carl Recchia was available for selection. Recchia played a full match as Yusuf Yusuf, Fernando De Moraes and Eddie Cetkin all made it into the starting eleven for the first time in 2010. The back four received a makeover following the late withdrawals of Rhodri Payne and James Stefanou, both through injury.

Despite starting very slowly, South took the lead in the opening quarter of an hour of the match. De Moraes won the ball from a throw-in and his quick turn and shot from distance gave Northcote goalkeeper Chris Petropoulos no chance. Following the goal, South had several chances to double the advantage but was wasteful with poor shooting.

Northcote, using the match to celebrate its 50th anniversary, had looked dangerous from the kick-off and had nearly opened the scoring with a thunderbolt from Trent Rixon that struck the crossbar. Despite being a goal down, the home side did not stop attacking and were rewarded with a goal in the 27th minute. The ball was floated into the area, where Rixon headed it back for Nick Tzoulis to volley from near the edge of the area, restoring parity to the score line.

The goal inspired Northcote, who were keen on a positive result following two unfortunate 2-1 defeats in their first two matches this season. South seemed rattled, and had Zois to thank for keeping them level by producing a string of excellent saves. Northcote took the lead five minutes before halftime, when Rixon found space on the left side and fired into the roof of the net. South went down the other end immediately and nearly equalised but Stiven Mrkela blasted his shot over the cross bar instead.

By now South were looking shaky and were no doubt looking forward to the halftime break to re-group. However worse was to come, as right on halftime Rixon scored his second for the afternoon after being played through one-on-one with Zois following an excellent through-ball by veteran George Papadopoulos. Rixon kept his cool and slotted the ball home to give Northcote a 3-1 lead over a shocked South.

Into the second half, Joseph Youssef came on to replace De Nittis, while Sasha Vranesevic replaced Yusuf Yusuf. The move almost paid off right away, with Youssef putting a header over the bar before missing a one-on-one attempt minutes later. A goal looked imminent and it arrived in the 63rd minute, when Daniel Vasilevski scored from near the edge of the area after being cleverly set up for a shot.

The goal sparked a sense of urgency back into the game as the away side suddenly were back on top of their opponents. Sebastian Petrovic was brought on to replace Marinos Gasparis as South began to win the midfield battle. The defence lifted as well and looked much more organised than in the first half, with Zois continuing his superb match by claiming every ball played into his area and making important saves. This included a class save when he tipped a goal-bound effort over his near post that would have killed off South’s comeback attempt had he not intervened.

With so much pressure now on Northcote’s defence, the home side were happy to hold out whilst trying to catch South on the counter attack. However the relentless South pressure finally paid off with ten minutes remaining, when Vasilevski snuck in unmarked at the far post to calmly score and send the South fans wild in the grandstand. South were now on fire and nearly had a fourth but for Petropoulos making a vital block from a scrambled shot inside the area. 

The full time whistle signalled the end of an entertaining end-to-end match that gave Northcote its first point for 2010 and also kept South unbeaten in the VPL. Despite the battle that took place on the field, the two clubs maintained their mutual respect off the pitch. Pre-game, Northcote honoured South’s title as the Oceania Team of the Century whilst South presented Northcote with a plaque congratulating the club on its 50th year anniversary in the social club post-game.

South Melbourne FC’s next match is against Green Gully at Bob Jane Stadium next Sunday. The match kicks off at 5pm.

FINAL SCORE: NORTHCOTE CITY 3-3 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 3-1)

Northcote City:  Chris Petropoulos, Hayden D’Agostino, Adriano Chiappetta, George Papadopoulos, Bradley Norton, Harry Kinigopoulos, John Theofilopoulos, Nick Tzoulis (Jonathan Voulgaris 70’), Nicholas Curtis, Trent Rixon (James Kalifatidis 73’), Ahmet Turer (Marco Rosano 77’)
(Scorers: Nick Tzoulis 27’, Trent Rixon 40’, 45’)

South Melbourne: Peter Zois, Rama Tavsancioglu, Eddie Cetkin, Steve O’Dor, Stiven Mrkela, Carl Recchia, Fernando De Moraes, Marinos Gasparis (Sebastian Petrovic 70’), Daniel Vasilevski, Yusuf Yusuf (Sasha Vranesevic 60’), Gianni De Nittis (Joseph Youssef 55’)
(Scorers: Fernando De Moraes 11’, Daniel Vasilevski 63’, 80’)

SMFC Man of the Match: Daniel Vasilevski
Venue: John Cain Reserve
Date: Saturday 13th March 2010
Crowd: 2,000

Thursday, 11 March 2010 3:38 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC travels to John Cain Reserve on Saturday to face newly-promoted Northcote City, who have played well in their opening two matches without any points to show for it.

South were frustrated by the Bentleigh Greens in the 1-1 draw at Bob Jane Stadium last Sunday, where the home side could not hold onto their one-goal lead, despite a numerical advantage following the sending-off of George Goutzioulis. Despite this, there were promising signs by South in the second half of the match. Fernando De Moraes also made an impact as a substitute by scoring South’s goal from the penalty spot.

New signing Carl Recchia played in the Under 21s last week and is a chance to play against Northcote on Saturday. The signs are not as good for Joe Keenan, who looks very unlikely again due to appendicitis. This provides opportunities to De Moraes, Youssef and Sasha Vranesivic to put their hands up for a place in the starting eleven. All three players had an impact when they came on last week and coach Vaughan Coveny will no doubt have a few selection headaches, especially if Recchia is made available as well.

While South have opened the season with two draws, Northcote have opened with two defeats. However the northern suburbs club have been very unlucky in those two games, especially in the 2-1 loss to Oakleigh last week. Northcote coach Peter Tsolakis (a former championship player with South) has built a squad capable of holding their own in the VPL. Some familiar faces will be popping up on Saturday, with former South players Ahmet Turer and Nick Curtis now with Northcote, while James Kalifatidis (son of former South great Kris) will also be in the team. Another dangerous player for South defenders to watch for is Trent Rixon, who was one of the top goal scorers in State League One last season and was one of the reasons why Northcote won the League.

South has never faced Northcote in League competition but the two sides have met many times in Hellenic Cup competition. Northcote’s biggest win over South was the 1986 Cup final, when the State League side triumphed 3-1 over South, then of course a National League side. The most recent meeting between the two sides in the Cup was in this year’s Quarter Final that South won 3-0, with De Nittis netting twice and Keenan scoring the other goal.

Despite having created this small rivalry in the Cup, the two clubs share a very good relationship, with Northcote seen as a sister club to South. As a result of this, Northcote chose to have its first home match of the season against South to showcase its upgraded ground and to also celebrate its 50th year anniversary. South Melbourne FC congratulates Northcote City on reaching 50 years as a club and also for its double-promotion in the last two years, thus being able to celebrate its milestone by playing in the VPL.

The match kicks off at 3pm on Saturday at John Cain Reserve in Northcote. South Melbourne FC would love to see as many fans as possible at Northcote to see South try and win maximum points.

Thursday, 11 March 2010 3:23 PM

On this week’s episode of southRadio, we review South’s clash with the Bentleigh Greens, a round up of all the action across Round 2 of the VPL season, and preview the clash between South Melbourne FC and Northcote City. In addition, we are joined in the studio by SMFC star player, Fernando De Moraes for a chat about the season so far and about his involvement in the Futsalroos.

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

Click here top download episode 4 of southRadio (MP3 – 27mb) – Right Click and Save As

Tuesday, 9 March 2010 3:44 PM

McDonald’s Australia recently kicked off its nationwide Player Escort Competition designed to encourage sportsmanship values in children, and provide 10 lucky 6-10 year olds with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk on the field with the Australian team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The announcement coincided with new research, which revealed the majority of parents in Victoria (67%) believe sportsmanship values are essential life-skills, which should be taught from a young age.

The location of the photo shoot for the promotion was recently held at Bob Jane Stadium, with a selection of South Melbourne FC junior players in attendance. Cameron Wood, Collingwood Football Player was at Bob Jane Stadium to help launch the competition. He said: “Whatever sport you’re into, learning to be a ‘good sport’ – teamwork, winning and losing with good grace, communication, social interaction – not only make playing more enjoyable, but are essential life-skills. It’s great to see a competition which actively promotes and encourages these values.”

To help encourage children to be ‘good sports’, Ange Dallas, South Melbourne FC Director of Football, developed these top five tips for parents as part of the McDonald’s Sportsmanship promotion:

• Call out words of encouragement such as “Great play!” or “Nice job!” Yelling negative comments or scowling from the sidelines is not good sportsmanship. Provide praise not only for your child, but their teammates and opponents.
• Explain the concept of teamwork and reinforce the importance of all team members working together to form a stronger and more effective team.
• Try not to openly berate, tease or demean athletes, coaches or referees in any environment, be it while watching TV or attending a sporting event.
• Focus on the effort, not the mistakes. Mistakes will happen, and games will be lost. Use it as a learning experience and offer support and assistance during practice before the next game.
• Ultimately, we foster good sportsmanship when we encourage children to just have fun and enjoy the game, whether they win or lose

Head of Marketing, Corporate Sales and Events, George Triantos speaking to smfc.com.au commented “We are delighted to be involved with the McDonald’s Player Escort Competition which promotes sportsmanship, and provides another example of the social role our club plays in wider community.

Click here to view a selection of photos taken at the launch of the McDonald’s Player Escort Competition.

Monday, 8 March 2010 12:17 AM

By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

The Bentleigh Greens produced a strong workmanlike performance to gain a point in the 1-1 draw against South Melbourne FC on Sunday evening. Despite playing most of the second half with one less man and despite being 1-0 down, the Greens fought back to level and ultimately share the spoils with the host side.

South entered its first home match of the 2010 season still missing the services of new signings Joey Keenan (appendicitis) and Carl Recchia, who played in the Under 21s side for match practice following a spell on the sidelines through injury. Stiven Mrkela started for the home side after missing most of the 2009 season and he replaced Joseph Youssef, who joined Fernando De Moraes and Sasha Vranesevic on the bench.

Bentleigh began the match looking more likely to score than South, however the South defence comfortably defended most of the danger that the away side generated. In turn, South relied mostly on the danger of Daniel Vasilevski at set pieces to create any problems for the Greens defence, of which everything was comfortably dealt with by goalkeeper Peter Gavalas.

In the second half, South coach Vaughan Coveny reacted by substituting Sam Torrens and Sebastian Petrovic with Fernando De Moraes and Joseph Youssef, with Youssef joining Gianni De Nittis up front. South instantly looked ten times the side it had been in the first half and really began to open up the game. South’s cause was helped even more with the sending off of its former player George Goutzioulis with half an hour remaining. Goutzioulis was dismissed for a behind-the-scenes incident that was spotted by the referee.

With an extra man and extra firepower up front, it was inevitable that South would eventually score. With ten minutes remaining, substitute Vranesevic won the ball on the right flank and charged towards goal. An attempted clearance off his cross hit the arm of one of the Greens defenders, which the linesman saw instantly and flagged for a penalty. De Moraes stepped to the penalty spot and coolly dispatched the spot kick by sending the ball to the bottom left corner.

The script was set for a comfortable win for South but that was scrapped five minutes later after the Greens equalised from a set play. Adam Fadljevic took full advantage of a ball to the back post by nodding the ball home.

South Melbourne FC’s next match is away to sister club Northcote City, with the game kicking off at 3pm next Saturday at John Cain Reserve.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 1-1 BENTLEIGH GREENS (HT: 0-0)

South Melbourne:
Peter Zois, Rhodri Payne, Steve O’Dor, Daniel Vasilevski, Gianni De Nittis, Sam Torrens (Joseph Youssef 58’), Rama Tavsancioglu, Stiven Mrkela, Marinos Gasparis (Sasha Vranesevic 77’), James Stefanou, Sebastian Petrovic (Fernando De Moraes 58’)
(Scorer: Fernando De Moraes 80’ pk)

Bentleigh Greens:
Peter Gavalas, George Stavridis, Sam De Vito, Con Anthopoulos, Alex Rojas (Craig Metcalfe 68’), George Goutzioulis, Tony Ouliaris, Jack Webster, John Sapazovski (Damir Lokvancic 81’), Dean Piemonte, Denis Alilovic (Adam Fadljevic 68’)
(Scorer: Adam Fadljevic 85′)

SMFC Man of the Match: Daniel Vasilevski
Venue: Bob Jane Stadium
Date: Sunday 7th March 2010
Crowd: 1,500

Friday, 5 March 2010 2:17 PM

South Melbourne FC is delighted to welcome back one of its favourite sons, Peter Laumets, who has joined as the Under 11s coach in the junior development program.

Peter had a distinguished playing career, having spent nine seasons at the Club between 1979-1987, and being an integral member of the side that clinched the 1984 National Soccer League Championship. Peter was named as the Goal Keeper in the Club’s Team of the Century in 2001, and recently joined the Club’s Hall of Fame. He is best remembered for only conceding 26 goals in 32 matches in the 1984 season, where the team went on to clinch its first national championship.

Tom Kalas, Youth Development Coordinator, speaking to smfc.com.au, commented “we are delighted to welcome one of South Melbourne’s legends back to the Club, and we believe that his involvement will further strengthen our junior development program”.

South Melbourne FC wishes Peter all the best as he assists in the development of tomorrow’s Socceroos.

Friday, 5 March 2010 12:10 PM

On this week’s episode of southRadio, we review South’s opening clash with Altona magic, a round up of all the action across Round 1 of the VPL season, preview the clash between South Melbourne and Bentleigh Greens, and discuss all matters South on the show.

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

Click here to download Episode 3 of southRadio (MP3 – 23Mb) – Right Click and Save As

Friday, 5 March 2010 9:26 AM

Photo by Cindy Nitsos

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC welcomes the Bentleigh Greens to Bob Jane Stadium this Sunday in what is the first home game of the season for the Blues. South will be looking for three points following the hard-fought draw against Altona last week.

The visiting Greens side has built up a bit of a rivalry with South. Despite the two sides not meeting in the Victorian Premier League since 2005 (with South winning both matches), Bentleigh have had the upper hand in Hellenic Cup contests. In the 2010 final only two weeks ago, the Greens prevailed 5-4 in a penalty shootout following a 0-0 draw during regular and extra time. Bentleigh also won a pre-season friendly played between the two sides at Bob Jane Stadium in January.

Many former South Melbourne FC players will be returning to Bob Jane Stadium in Bentleigh uniforms, including newly-appointed Greens coach Goran Lozanovski. Other players include Con Anthopoulos, George Goutzioulis, Sam De Vito and Bill Natisioulas. De Vito and Natsioulas will return to the ground where they won the VPL championship with South in 2006. Greens keeper Peter Gavalas will be one player to watch out for, as the custodian produced a series of outstanding saves against South in the Hellenic Cup to win the Cup for his side.

South Melbourne FC will be pleased with the point gained in the 1-1 draw against Altona at Paisley Park last weekend, but will be looking to push for the three points against the Greens. The home side’s chances will be greatly increased if new signings Joe Keenan and Carl Recchia play, as the midfield stocks will be boosted greatly. Fernando De Moraes will no doubt press to play the full 90 minutes on Sunday following his half an hour of brilliance last week, which culminated in his equalising goal for the away side late in the match.

The match kicks off on Sunday at 5pm at Bob Jane Stadium. South Melbourne FC wishes to advise supporters that memberships will be available for purchasing, as well as to be picked up. South fans are strongly encouraged to pledge their support for the club in 2010 by signing up as members on Sunday.

smfcTV – Last time they met (2010 Hellenic Cup Final)

Thursday, 4 March 2010 2:38 PM

Picture: Jim Diamantaris embracing Ulysses Kokkinos at the 50 Year Gala Ball

The entire South Melbourne FC family would like to extend its deep condolences and wishes to the Diamantaris family on the passing of former South Melbourne FC President Jim Diamantaris.

Diamantaris served as president from 1985-1986 and was recently inducted into the SMFC Hall of Fame at the club’s 50th Year Anniversary Gala Ball at the Crown Palladium.

South Melbourne FC President Leo Athanasakis, speaking to smfc.com.au, remarked that “the passing of Mr. Diamantaris represented the passing of a true Club legend, and his smile and presence will be severely missed by the SMFC family. I wish to pass on my condolences on behalf of everyone at SMFC to the Diamantaris family. We will miss him dearly”.

Monday, 1 March 2010 12:30 PM

South Melbourne FC would like to proudly announce the signing of miRoamer as the major sponsor for the 2010 VPL season.

miRoamer was launched in 2001 and in the years proceeding have proven to be one of the most innovative, imaginative, affordable and reliable leaders in the Information Technology industry. The Melbourne based company has made remarkable steps over this period, actively developing a technology that would make listening to radio content from anywhere in the world a realistic option with the aid of a developed electronics device. miRoamer enables users to access a portal online that allows them to find, locate and then listen to their favourite radio station from anywhere in the world. What makes such a technology a step above the rest is that when a miRoamer capable device is purchased, it can be synchronised to that particular miRoamer portal, thus enabling the user to listen to these particular channels on such devices from anywhere. Along with the development of such innovative technologies, miRoamer has also made a concerted effort to become a global brand, building headquarters in both the United States and in Europe.

miRoamer founder George Parthimos, speaking to smfc.com.au, said “South Melbourne has proven over its history to be the strongest and proudest club in Australia and it was a simple decision for us to support such an iconic organisation. We hope that our association can continue for numerous years and that both miRoamer and South Melbourne can reach their intended targets in the near future”, said Mr Parthimos.

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. A.I.S. 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.

Joining the South family for the first time is Souvlaki Hut. Founders, Bill and John Fotiadis, set up their first site in the Melbourne suburb of Hillside in 2004. The aim was to create a chain of casual Greek restaurants with an authentic product range as well as bringing fresh and exciting new flavour profiles to the Australian market. Its vision is to become one of Australia’s leading casual restaurant chains. The pair eventually hopes to take the chain overseas, but for now they will concentrate on growth in Australia and keeping up their relationship with their franchisees.

Head of Corporate Sales, Marketing, and Events, George Triantos, speaking to smfc.com.au, said “we are delighted to have most of our corporate partners renewing for the 2010 VPL season, and in particular, we welcome Souvlaki Hut to the SMFC family. We hope that it will be a long-standing relationship between both organisations. 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”.