Category: News

Friday, 17 July 2009 10:58 AM

South Melbourne FC will be aiming at further securing second position on the VPL table as they take on Green Gully at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday at 4pm.

The Blues, who are undefeated in their last 4 games, will be keen to defeat a Green Gully side that they have not beaten since the elimination final in 2006, where three goals in the final 10 minutes saw South overcome a stubborn and committed Cavaliers.

Since then, Gully has continued their dominance over the Blues, with the Keilor based club winning the last two outings at Bob Jane Stadium, whilst also maintaining a 23 year unbeaten run at home against South.

Going into the game, South will be confident following a resounding 3-1 victory against Richmond last week. With the likelihood of Gianni De Nittis returning to the squad following a niggling leg injury, South will be keen attack the Green Gully side from the outset.

De Nittis’ return will also be coupled by the potential home introduction of Yusuf Yusuf. The former Heidelberg winger injured his Anterior Cruciate Ligament in his knee early in 2008 whilst playing against Oakleigh that saw him miss over a year of senior football. In what was a great relief for him and the club last Friday at Kevin Bartlett Reserve, Yusuf returned to senior action as a substitute to play an integral part in the final 15 minutes to secure South the win.

In the other camp, Gully will enter the contest in somewhat contrasting form following two losses on the trot, including a 5-1 loss away to the top of the ladder Dandenong Thunder a fortnight ago.

Despite the unsavoury results of late, experienced campaigners such as Andy Vargas, Jeffery Fleming and Pablo Cardozo will continue to lead the way up front and in the middle, ensuring that the visitors are more than capable of snatching the three points from South.

Kick-off for the important clash is at 4pm on Sunday, with all South fans urged to get behind the squad as they continue to push for a finals berth in 2009.

Wednesday, 15 July 2009 10:09 AM

With the overwhelming success of the first Sub Junior Clinic program held earlier in the season, SMFC would like to announce that the program will continue in the 2nd half of the season.

The 7 week course is due to start at the famous Bob Jane Stadium on Saturday July 18th, with all juniors encouraged to register online to be a part of it.

The course focuses on improving the skill level of all participants, with each child receiving personalised specialist coaching and tips to make them a better footballer.

On top of the training, the main aim of the program is to enable participants to have fun and enjoy themselves whilst playing the wonderful game of football at the home of Victorian Football.

SMFC Football Director and Program Co-ordinator Ange Dallas urges all juniors to register for the program, claiming that “it is an ideal program not only for a child of any skill level to improve themselves, but a program that encourages children to have fun on the football field, whilst learning aspects of the world game.

We hope to see as many children at Bob Jane Stadium having fun and enjoying themselves to the fullest”

To register for the 7 week program, please visit https://www.smfc.com.au/events/sub-junior-clinics/ .

For all other enquiries please contact the club office on 9645 9797

Click here to register for the SMFC Sub Junior Clinics

Saturday, 11 July 2009 10:26 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC has a firm hold on second spot on the league table after a come-from-behind 1-3 victory over the Richmond Eagles at Kevin Bartlett Reserve on Friday night. The away side played well and deserved victory despite a massive scare near the conclusion of the match.

South went into the match knowing that a victory was paramount in its quest for a top three finish in 2009. A win would keep South in second spot for at least another week, just ahead of a chasing pack in Altona, Hume City, Green Gully and Sunshine George Cross. For Richmond, a win was vital in keeping alive their already slim finals hopes, with the Eagles sitting 9 points behind fifth position.

South began the match strongly, with Joseph Youssef missing a glorious chance early on to open the scoring. A cross from Fernando De Moraes was not cleared by the Eagles defence and fell to Youssef, who skied his volleyed attempt with only goalkeeper Peter Zois to beat.

It was the Eagles that went ahead after being controversially awarded a penalty for an alleged foul by South centre-back Steve O’Dor, who was attempting to shield the ball out of play for a goal kick. From the resultant spot-kick, Tom Milardovic sent Tommi Tomich the wrong way and put the home side ahead.

South looked slightly shaky having gone a goal down, but were soon back to playing their normal attacking game. Youssef teamed up with his fellow midfielder Sebastian Petrovic to carve out the equalising goal for the away side. Youssef managed to find himself space down the left side, with his cut-back ball falling to Petrovic. The hard-working midfielder managed to lob Zois and in the process score his second goal for the season.

Shane Nunes has arguably been the biggest improver for South this season and it was the centre-back that put the Blues ahead before halftime. A free kick taken by Vaughan Coveny was floated into the penalty area, where Nunes snuck in unmarked and hit a perfect left-foot volley past Zois and into the bottom corner. The goal was Nunes’ second for the season and one that gave South a well-deserved lead.

The second half continued in the same fashion as the first, with South creating chances to finish the match off. Richmond had Zois to thank several times for making some excellent saves, including one from a Fernando free kick and one from a Rama Tavsancioglu power shot. Coveny was guilty of not finishing a ball that was squared back to him by substitute Sam Torrens from the left and Fernando wasted a glorious chance by hitting a shot wide of the near post, with Zois beaten.

With the match into injury time, a ball played into the area by Richmond was not cleared by South. The ball fell to Erhan Karahan, whose header towards goal was destined for the top corner before Tomich pulled off an outstanding save to keep his side ahead. The big custodian had to back-track but he managed to do so before tipping the ball out for a corner kick.

South made sure of the three points in the 94th minute, when a pass from Petrovic found Fernando who finally beat Zois to score, despite the Richmond custodian getting his hand on the ball. The goal was Fernando’s sixth for the season and 34th in his South career, making him the ninth highest goal scorer in the club’s history.

South Melbourne FC now has a two point lead in second place. In contrast, Richmond lie in ninth spot on the table with their finals hopes all but over for 2009. South have five hard matches to end the regular home & away season, with big home games against Gully, Hume and George Cross as well as tough away matches against Oakleigh and Altona. The first of these difficult assignments will be against Gully at Bob Jane Stadium next Sunday afternoon. The match kicks off at 4pm.

FINAL SCORE
Richmond Eagles 1 (Milardovic 12’)
South Melbourne 3 (Petrovic 33’, Nunes 38’, De Moraes 94’)

South Melbourne FC line-up:
Tommi Tomich, Shane Nunes, Rhodri Payne, Steve O’Dor, Vaughan Coveny, Joseph Youssef, Francesco Stella (Sam Torrens 67’), Rama Tavsancioglu (C), Fernando De Moraes, Goran Zoric (Yusuf Yusuf 77’), Sebastian Petrovic

smfcTV
Watch the Round 17 highlights between Richmond and South Melbourne FC on smfcTV. We also have 2 player interviews, Shane Nunes and Sam Torrens.

Friday, 10 July 2009 11:50 AM

The club is pleased to launch the 50th Anniversary Fundraising Raffle.

Each 2009 member and sponsor has been issued with a raffle book of 10 tickets which it is hoped they sell to family, friends and acquaintances.

The club urges all members, sponsors and supporters to partake in this fundraising initiative to assist the club financially during times of global economic hardship.

For those who have not received a book or current members and sponsors requiring additional raffle books to sell, please contact Nicki on 9645 9797 during weekdays 10am – 4pm.

First Prize: $2,500 Holiday Travel Voucher
Second Prize: 40 inch Samsung LCD TV (Retail Value $1,799)
Third Prize: Samsung PLC 60 Camera 10.2 mp (Retail Value $299)
Fourth Prize: Signed 2009 Heritage SMFC Home Shirt (Retail Value $250)

Tickets are $5 each

Raffle to be drawn on Sunday 16th August 2009

Wednesday, 8 July 2009 2:50 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC travels to Kevin Bartlett Reserve on Friday night to face Richmond knowing that a win or draw will keep the team in second spot on the league table. However the task at hand will not be made easy against a Richmond side out to make amends after being the first side to lose against Preston this season.

South heads into the match on the back of a comfortable 4-0 home victory against the Whittlesea Zebras in the previous round, giving the club a three game unbeaten run. In fact South has only been defeated once in 14 matches, an excellent achievement considering the struggles in recent seasons to achieve consistently good form. Also of a pleasing note is the fact that South is the highest scoring team in the league, with 35 goals from 16 matches.

Goran Zoric’s double against the Zebras took his individual tally for 2009 to double figures, with an excellent return of 10 goals from 16 games. Two more goals for Zoric will see him equal teammate Fernando De Moraes’ 12 goals in 2006. This is the highest individual tally for a South player since the club resumed life back in the Victorian Premier League. Sadly for Zoric, he still needs another 13 goals if he is to break Jim Armstrong’s club record of 22 goals in a State League season that was set in the championship-winning season of 1974.

Richmond started the 2009 season in excellent form, with four wins and a draw in their opening five matches seeing the Eagles soar to the top of the league. However it was South that inflicted the Eagles’ first defeat in the sixth round at Bob Jane Stadium and since then Richmond has struggled, with only one win in its last 11 matches. The worst of the lot was the 2-1 loss at Preston in the previous round, with the Eagles becoming the first side to lose to the Lions in 2009.

Though Richmond is third-last on the ladder, finals are still a mathematical possibility (being 9 points behind 5th position with six rounds remaining). With teams always taking points off each other, the Eagles could very well get themselves back into finals reckoning with a win on Friday night. Richmond will also be encouraged by the fact that they won the corresponding fixture 2-0 last season, thanks to a double from Pablo Cardozo (76’, 90’) that all but confirmed a spot in the finals for the Eagles and confirmed an early end to the season for South.

A point on Friday night will be enough for South to remain in second place, however with extremely tough assignments against Green Gully and Hume coming up, a win against Richmond is crucial. If other results go the right way and South wins, the Blues could end the weekend four points clear of third. This would provide the Blues with a handy gap ahead of around six other clubs also pushing for a finals spot.

Richmond first played against South Melbourne FC in 1961, with the first league meeting between the two sides ending in a 6-1 win for South at Middle Park. Antonis Hatzieleftheriou and Terry Budgen scored doubles, with John Hatzigeorgiou and Peter Tzaponis also scoring. South also had success in the return fixture, winning 3-4 thanks to a double from George Papadopoulos and singles to Stratos Kalogeros and Savvas Salapasidis.

Richmond were relegated in 1961, but returned to the State League in 1963. South Melbourne FC defeated Richmond 4-2 at Middle Park in round six before being held to a 2-2 draw at Olympic Park in the second round of matches. It was a different story in the Dockerty Cup, with South destroying Richmond 6-0 in the First Round. The next time the sides met in a league match was 43 years later, when a late Scott MacNicol goal was enough to hand South Melbourne FC a 2-1 win over Richmond at Bob Jane Stadium in 2006.

In all, the sides have met each other in ten league matches since 1961, with South triumphing seven times, Richmond twice and with just a single draw between the two teams.

Friday night’s match kicks off at 8:30pm at Kevin Bartlett Reserve (Melways reference 45 A12).

Tuesday, 30 June 2009 1:27 PM

In a remarkable Friday night, SMWFC stamped itself as a threat for the 2009 championship, defeating the top placed and highly fancied Box Hill Inter at Wembley Park.

In what was a nice night for football, South burst out of the blocks and continually broke down the Box Hill defence at almost every foray forward.

South gained the early lead after a fortunate ball found itself in the path of Jade Barnden, who buried the chance into the back of the net.

However just before the break, Georgina Koutrouvelis equalised via scorching strike from outside the box for Box Hill to ensure that both teams went into the break on level terms.

South continued to dominate the early stages of the second half and went ahead moments after the break, when a sensational curling free-kick by Aimee Benton swerved past the goalkeeper to send the away fans into raptures.

South sealed the win minutes later when Jade Barnden streaked past the defence to claim her second of the match.

Box Hill came back late in the game and snatched a late goal back after Chiara Romero managed to unlock the solid South defence.

Despite this, South walked away with all three points from the toughest place to win in the premier league.

SMWFC attacking player Melinda Aloisio was remaining focussed following the huge win.

“We are taking it one game at a time, trying to improve on our performance from the first half of the season and we are well on track having beaten Box Hill”.

SMWFC’s next game is on July 12th away to Ashburton in what will be a crunch game that will go a long way in deciding 4th place on the table.

Monday, 29 June 2009 1:17 PM

By John Kyrou | Photo by Craig Varty

South Melbourne FC has climbed back up to second position on the league table following a comprehensive 4-0 win against the Whittlesea Zebras on Sunday afternoon at Bob Jane Stadium.

The home side wore a special heritage strip (white with a red V on the front) as a tribute to the first few years of South Melbourne Hellas’ existence when this shirt was worn before the change in colours to blue and white.

South entered the match on the back of a disappointing away draw against the Melbourne Knights and having dropped from second to fifth position due to other results on the weekend. Whittlesea entered in a contrasting position, with the Zebras deep in relegation danger and needing a confidence-boosting win.

South began the match well and opened the scoring after only five minutes. Left back Rhodri Payne’s long ball set Vaughan Coveny through one-on-one with the Zebras keeper and the forward kept his cool and calmly lobbed the ball over the advancing keeper and into the back of the net.

The home side remained in complete control of the match but were unable to score the killer second goal until 10 minutes before halftime. The ball bounced kindly for Fernando de Moraes around the edge of the area and the midfielder hit a lovely shot that flew into the top left corner of the goal.

The match should have been over as a contest shortly after the halftime break when Francesco Stella intercepted a ball played across goals and was through one-on-one with the keeper. However Stella chose to round the keeper and shoot instead of placing a shot into the corner of the goal and as a result was quickly dispossessed.

Goran Zoric ended any feint hopes of a Zebras fight back when he added South’s third for the afternoon. Captain Rama Tavsancioglu made an excellent run down the right side and his cut-back found an unmarked Zoric who had no problems in putting the ball in the back of the net.

Zoric doubled his tally five minutes later and made the score 4-0 when he snuck down the right side and was supplied an excellent through-ball by Fernando. Zoric hit a first time shot that flew across the ball and into the corner of the goal.

The league has a catch-up round next week so both sides have a break. South opens round 17 with an away trip to Kevin Bartlett Reserve to take on the Richmond Eagles. The match kicks off at 8:30pm on the 10th of July. Whittlesea has another away match, this time against Heidelberg at Olympic Village.

Thursday, 25 June 2009 12:46 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC hosts the Whittlesea Zebras on Sunday afternoon in a match that the club is promoting as the Foundation Round. The match is important for the home side as South simply must win to continue to hold onto second place on the league table. However this will not be made easy against a Zebras side that will be pushing for the three points to help drag itself out of relegation danger.

South sits in second position in the league but has a huge chasing pack behind it, with only four points separating second from eighth. Although South has lost only once in 13 matches, too many draws have allowed Altona, Sunshine George Cross, Green Gully, Hume City and Heidelberg to catch up to them.

With some of these sides likely to take points off each other on the weekend (Hume plays league leaders Dandenong and Altona plays Heidelberg), a win on Sunday could potentially give South some breathing space in second spot, which will be handy considering some of the tricky fixtures coming up.

South enters the match following a disappointing 1-1 away draw against the Melbourne Knights last Sunday and after missing many excellent opportunities to win the match. However what was promising was the almost flawless first half performance, in which Joseph Youssef, Sebastian Petrovic, Steven O’Dor and Sam Torrens performed exceptionally well. Youssef’s 19th minute goal was his fourth goal for South in what has so far been an excellent debut season at Lakeside for the former Fawkner Blues captain. The workman-like performances in midfield by Youssef and Petrovic this season has been what the side has been missing for the past few years and the side will be looking for more of these efforts on Sunday afternoon.

Whittlesea have not had much to cheer about in 2009, with the side sitting in deep relegation trouble. The 2-1 loss away to Oakleigh last Friday night means that the Zebras sit a massive 13 points clear of safety with only seven games left. Relegation could be confirmed as early as the next round if Whittlesea does not beat South and other results don’t go their way. Therefore the away side, coached by legendary former South player and coach Ange Postecoglou, will no doubt be fired up to take the three points from Michael Michalakopoulos’ men on Sunday.

South has a long history of playing against Whittlesea, who have gone by the names of Brunswick Juventus and Bulleen Zebras in the past and in fact still trade by the name Juventus. The sides have been battling since the 1961 Victorian State League (now the Victorian Premier League) season. In the first meeting between the clubs, two goals from Barbazza and singles from Acunzo and Pagotto were enough for Juventus to comprehensively defeat South Melbourne Hellas 4-1 at Olympic Park in front of 8,500 spectators. Savvas Salapasidis was the lone scorer for South.

South edged on top in the rivalry stakes the following season when it pipped Juventus for the 1962 VSL championship by winning the league by two points. When the two sides clashed in round 14, Boulis Kambouropoulos’ winning goal for South was witnessed by over 20,000 spectators at Olympic Park. Crowds were regularly between the 10,000 to 15,000 mark when the two sides clashed throughout the 1960s.

In 1966, South began the league season with two losses. Former Greek international Con Nestorides made his debut for the club against Juventus in round three and the legendary forward’s winning goal was celebrated by over 20,000 spectators at Middle Park. The result kick-started South’s march towards being crowned VSL champions that season. The two sides did not meet in the later stages of a Cup competition until Jim Armstrong’s 119th minute goal was enough for South to see off Juventus 2-1 in the semi final of the Dockerty Cup in 1975 after a 1-1 draw in normal time.

In their first meeting in the National Soccer League, goals by Gary Ward and Kevin Swinscoe were enough for Juve to overcome South 2-1 at Olympic Park in front of 12,000. Paul Lewis scored a consolation goal for South four minutes from time. The following season, South won the Minor Premiership by four points over Juve but was stunned when Paul Wade scored in extra time to defeat the Middle Park outfit in the Major Semi Final. South crashed out against Preston the week after while Brunswick went on to win the championship by defeating Sydney City Hakoah 2-0 over two legs.

Juve dropped out of the NSL in 1988 but returned in the 1993/94 season before dropping out again in 1994/95. South won all four league contests in those two seasons, including a devastating 0-6 victory in round 12 of 1994/95. In the second last round of the season, South needed to beat Brunswick at Olympic Park to keep its finals hopes alive. Steve Panopoulos’ goal in the 14th minute helped land South a spot in the top six.

Overall, the two sides have played each other in 55 league matches. South has won on 23 occasions, with 17 draws and 15 wins for Juventus. Since returning to the VPL, South has played Bulleen/Whittlesea eight times for 5 wins, 2 draws and a loss.

For the Foundation Round on Sunday afternoon, South Melbourne FC will be wearing the red V playing shirt. These were the colours worn by the side that played Juventus in front of huge crowds in the early 1960s. South fans are strongly encouraged to attend to lend their support to the team. Kick-off is at 4pm at Bob Jane Stadium.

South Melbourne vs Whittlesea Zebras – An Overview

First VPL match:

Round 4, 1961
Brunswick Juventus 4-1 South Melbourne
(SMFC Goal: Savvas Salapasidis)
Venue: Olympic Park. Attendance: 8,500.

First NSL match:

Round 6, 1984
Brunswick Juventus 2-1 South Melbourne
(SMFC Goal: Paul Lewis)
Venue: Olympic Park no. 2. Attendance: 12,000.

Last NSL match:

Round 25, 1994/95
South Melbourne 1-0 Brunswick Juventus
(SMFC Goal: Steve Panopoulos)
Venue: Olympic Park. Attendance: 5,000.

Last VPL match:

Round 5, 2009
Whittlesea Zebras 1-3 South Melbourne
(SMFC Goals: Goran Zoric, Gianni De Nittis, Fernando De Moraes)
Venue: Bob Jane Stadium. Attendance: 500.

Total Games (League): 55
South Melbourne Wins: 23
Whittlesea Zebras Wins: 15
Draws: 17

Highest Aggregate Score:

Round 12, 1994/95 NSL
Brunswick Juventus 0-6 South Melbourne
(SMFC Goals: Con Boutsianis x2, Jason Polak, Ivan Kelic, Paul Trimboli, OG)
Venue: Olympic Park. Attendance: 4,000.

SMFC Biggest Win:

Round 12, 1994/95 NSL
Brunswick Juventus 0-6 South Melbourne
(SMFC Goals: Con Boutsianis x2, Jason Polak, Ivan Kelic, Paul Trimboli, OG)
Venue: Olympic Park. Attendance: 4,000.

Wednesday, 24 June 2009 10:19 AM

In what will be an exciting day for South Melbourne FC, the club is hosting the inaugural “Foundation Round” on Sunday against Whittlesea Zebras at Bob Jane Stadium.

The day will focus on celebrating the foundation and formulation of South Melbourne FC in 1959, following the merger of three clubs: Hellenic, Yarra Park and South Melbourne United.

In 1960, South played it’s first official game as a club, where as part of the merger agreement, their home shirt was the famous Red V with a white background that was made well-known by South Melbourne United in previous years.

The shirt would be South Melbourne Hellas’ first official home shirt as a club and would be worn by some great players throughout the highly successful 1960’s. Between 1959 and 1976, South Melbourne stamped its name on Victorian football by capturing 8 state league Championships in 1960 (First Division), 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1974 and 1976 and three Ampol Cups in 1969, 1970 and 1976. The club was also Dockerty Cup Champions in 1974 and 1975.

On top of the team success, South also had numerous club legends that played throughout this 1960’s period in the famous red and white shirt. This included the likes of Ernie Ackerley, Jimmy Adam (deceased), John Bedford, Antonis Hatzieleftheriou, Jordan Ieremiadis (deceased), Boulis Kambouropoulos (deceased), Antonis Karagiannis, Michael Mandalis, Takis Mantarakis, John Margaritis, Con Nestorides, George Papadopoulos, Jim Pyrgolios and SMFC’s first Socceroo, Ted Smith.

In what will be a tribute to the birth of the club and the memories of such legends, South will wear a special limited edition Red V shirt for the home game against Whittlesea on Sunday in a crucial contest for both teams.

The game kicks off at 4pm, with festivities including post match interviews with players in the social club after the game.

To view a full detailed history about the formation of SMFC, please click here.

Monday, 22 June 2009 11:50 AM

Click here to view smfcTV highlights of the game

Photo by Craig Varty

South Melbourne has climbed back up into second position on the table following a frustrating 1-1 draw with the Melbourne Knights on Sunday.

In front of a healthy derby day crowd at Mansion Stadium, the Blues came out of the blocks early, with a long range effort by Joseph Youssef being brilliantly turned around the bar by the Knights goalkeeper.

South continued to pressure the Knights defence and were rewarded in the 23rd minute of the game when a Sebastian Petrovich long range attempt was deflected into the path of Joseph Youssef. Instinctively, Youssef hit a low drive into the back of the net to give his side the lead.

Youssef continued to dominate in the middle of the park and could have had a second only moments later when he managed to win possession in the middle before launching himself forward. However in an unselfish bit of play, Youssef opted to play a ball into the offside Goran Zoric rather than hitting a shot on the target from the edge of the area.

The second half commenced in a completely opposite manner, with the Knights coming out of the tunnel in a far more focussed manner.

In their first real chance of the game, a swirling Mate Dugandzic was headed across goal on the back post, allowing for an unmarked Greg Draper to steer a header into the top corner from point-blank range to send the vocal home crowd into raptures.

South responded by launching a series of attacks of their own, starting via a storming run down the right hand flank by youngster Francesco Stella. The midfielder then hit a beautiful cross into the path of Vaughan Coveny, who had his header deflected into the path of Sam Torrens. With only the keeper to beat from 3 yards out, Torrens was unable to steer his shot onto the target.

The Blues continued to burst forward at every opportunity, with an exceptional interception and final ball by Goran Zoric unlocking the Knights defence and allowing from Youssef to find himself clear on goal. With one Knights defender tracking back and two team-mates by his side, Youssef opted to take the chance himself, only for the ball to be sensationally blocked by the solitary Knights defender.

Youssef was released one final time moments later when yet another Zoric ball unlocked the stagnant Knights defence. With only the keeper ahead of him, Youssef shaped to have the shot from just inside the area. However to the amazement of the travelling contingent, a desperate Craig Elvin somehow launched himself at the ball and thwarted Youssef with an exceptional tackle to secure a point for his team.

With the draw South jump above Altona Magic into second spot, with an important Foundation Round game against Whittlesea to be played at Bob Jane Stadium next Sunday. Kick-off is at 4pm.

Click here to view smfcTV highlights of the game