Category: News

Wednesday, 1 April 2009 1:47 PM

South Melbourne has made it three wins in a row after defeating Whittlesea at Bob Jane Stadium on Tuesday night by 3 goals to 1.

The game was switched to Bob Jane Stadium after the Zebras were unable to host the match at Epping Stadium the night before. Despite the venue, the game was a designated Whittlesea home fixture.

The game started in a timid manner with both sides really struggling throughout the early stages to muster any meaningful chance on goal.

South however started to gain some ascendancy and through pocket rocket Goran Zoric, the lakeside club were nearly ahead after 10 minutes. A neat ball by Coveny allowed for Zoric to find himself in range just outside the area. With a non-committal Ross Antoniadis watching on, Zoric hit a curling shot into the prying arms of goalkeeper Kenny Gerohristodoulou.

South continued to come forward in waves and were thwarted twice more by Gerohristodoulou, who was starting to be the busiest player on the park given the South Melbourne dominance.

The Blues gained the 1-0 advantage after some sublime footwork by Coveny saw the veteran dart past a few defenders before playing an exceptional ball into the path of the well positioned Zoric just inside the area. The quick midfielder then calmly slotted the ball past the keeper to give his side the advantage, whilst also making himself the leading goal scorer in the competition after scoring his 5th goal in as many games.

It however was Whittlesea who would get the next goal of the match against the run of play. Some unsure South defending allowed for the ball to find the open Brandon Vassallo who brilliantly volleyed the ball past the helpless Tommi Tomich.

South had the final chance of an eventful first half in the dying moments of the period. A free kick was awarded after a brilliant solo run by Rama Tavsancioglu was cut short just outside the area. From the resultant free kick, Fernando De Moraes hit a wonderful curling shot into the left hand upright.

The second half started off in a similar way to the first half, with South coming out of the tunnel as the more attacking of the two sides, with half chances falling to Zoric and Coveny, who were both unable to bury them home.

Whittlesea also had some half chances in the opening 15 minutes of the half, with Edemer Garcia becomming a problem for the South defence, placing two timid chances into the arms of Tomich in the South goal.

It was South however who would strike first in the second half after a wonderful cross by Goran Zoric found Gianni De Nittis inside the area. Similar to his finish in the 2006 VPL Grand Final, De Nittis buried his header into the back of the net to give his side a one goal advantage once again.

South were dominating proceedings and some wonderful goalkeeping by Gerohristodoulou once again denied South from increasing their advantage. On this occasion he was able to acrobatically deny both Coveny and Fernando, who both managed to steer efforts from just outside the area onto the target.

With the Zebras on the back foot, South managed to grab the vital goal to close off the game. Some brilliant footwork by Brazilian maestro Fernando saw the midfielder slice his way past three Zebras defenders before slamming the ball over the sliding keeper.

South should have had another goal only moments later when Zoric was released into wide open space behind the stagnant Zebras defence. With only the keeper ahead of him, Zoric darted into the area and hit a low shot onto the target. With South fans already celebrating the goal thinking that Zoric had buried the ball into the bottom corner, goalkeeper Gerohristodoulou produced a remarkable point blank save to turn the shot around the post for a corner.

South was running rampant and closed the contest off by missing a host of chances in the final 5 minutes, with Nic Curtis coming closest by driving his shot over the bar.

However South could be pleased with a resounding 3-1 victory ahead of a very tough game against the league leading Richmond Eagles on Sunday. Kick-off for this vital game is at 4pm and all South members and fans are urged to make their way to lakeside and support the team as they push up the table.

Tuesday, 31 March 2009 12:34 PM

Last weekend Central U14 Boy’s were crowned Champions in the inaugural season of the FFV Summer League Victorian Championship.

Competing against representative teams from Metro and Country zones through-out Victoria they swept all before them in their age group and finished victorious in their Grand Final against North West, 2-1. Truly a wonderful team performance, not only in the Grand Final but through-out the Summer League season.

The squad of 19 was made up of 12 South Melbourne U14 Super League players. This South U14 SL team has had a lot of success finishing undefeated last year in the U13 SE SL and winning the Play off Championship against Essendon Royals. Now Central which was predominately made up of our club has beaten the best Representative teams in Victoria, a feat not to go unnoticed.

Congratulations to the South Melbourne boys: Peter Skapetis, Philip Petreski. James Karvelis, Carl Tai, Erdem Ozcagli, Bradley Blumenthal, Jonathon Parra, Chris Therios, Michael Afanassiev, Harrison Michaelis, Jeremy Minfa, and Gareth Jones (GK). Co-captains for the Grand Final were Peter Skapetis & Philip Petreski.

A special mention to the Central U14’s coach Boyan Mitkov who steered the boy’s to victory. Boyan has been a successful South Melbourne Coach for many years now and not only has his own South team’s trophies in his cabinet but also the Victorian Summer League U14 crown as well. Thank-you also to John Vafiadis who assisted Boyan with the team and Noula Skapetis who was Team Manager.

We wish all the South boys every success for season 2009.

Monday, 30 March 2009 9:37 AM

The Whittlesea Zebras will host South Melbourne at Bob Jane Stadium on Tuesday night.

With the Zebras finding themselves in uncertainty regarding the availability of their usual home ground of Epping Stadium, an agreement was reached late in the week between the two clubs and Football Federation Victoria to play the match at Lakeside.

The teams will come into the game in contrasting form. Whittlesea have opened the 2009 season with four straight losses and without scoring a single goal. In contrast, South have won their last two encounters against rivals Preston and Melbourne Knights, scoring 9 goals in the process.

If the Zebras are to trouble South they will need to take the game to them from the outset. In a stadium and environment that the South players are used to, it is vital for the Zebras to gain the early ascendancy in order to silence the parochial South fans.

To do this, their experienced players really need to step up, including Josip Kozic, Terry Antoniadis and Steve Martin. All three face the tough task in instilling belief and confidence into the struggling squad. Former South striker Tex Apostolikas will be looking to provide his side with their first goal of the 2009 campaign. To do this he must be ready to convert any opportunities that come his way.

The main factor in South’s great form in the last few weeks has been the supremacy throughout the midfield, with both Joseph Youssef and Sebastian Petrovic dominating, whilst the flamboyant Fernando De Moraes has rediscovered his form, as well as chipping in with a goal last week against the Knights.

In attack, South will rely on the veteran Kiwi Vaughan Coveny, who with Goran Zoric provides South with one of the most dangerous and potent attacking partnerships in the competition. The duo have scored a combined total of 5 goals in the past two weeks and Coveny is just two goals shy of 100 league goals for South, with his 98th coming in last weekend’s 2-1 win over the Knights.

Kick-off on Tuesday is at 8.30pm, with South fans needing to purchase a ticket for the contest as South is the away side even though the match is at Bob Jane Stadium. Whittlesea members will have the same entry entitlements as per their membership

Friday, 27 March 2009 11:06 AM

SMFC would like to announce that the Round 5 fixture against Whittlesea Zebras will be held this upcoming Tuesday night, March 31st at Bob Jane Stadium.

The fixture is still classified as being a Whittlesea home game with Bob Jane Stadium merely facilitating the staging of the match due to issues with the utilisation of Epping Stadium.

All South Melbourne FC members, sponsors and coterie members will need to purchase an admission ticket for this match as membership entitlements do not include South Melbourne FC away games.

However, due to the nature of the game being played at Bob Jane Stadium, sponsors and coterie members are entitled to use their normal corporate hospitality rights as per their appropriate classification

Whittlesea Zebras vs South Melbourne FC

Venue: Bob Jane Stadium
Date: Tuesday March 31st
Kick-off: 8:30pm (Under 21s at 6.30pm)
Admission: $12 Adults / $8 Concession

Thursday, 26 March 2009 11:55 AM

South Melbourne FC is in mourning following the passing of former midfielder Jordan Ieremiadis.

Mr Ieremiadis was a key member of the 1962 and 1964 VPL Championship teams and is best remembered for joining Panayiotis Tsitos in a clash against 3 Polonia players that resulted in Tsitos being banned for 6 matches.

The club will like to extend its condolences to Mr Ieremiadis’ family and friends in this very difficult time.

Monday, 23 March 2009 6:15 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC has earned its first win at home for season 2009, with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over old rivals Melbourne Knights at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday evening. The result meant that South has now scored 9 goals in its last two outings, after scoring 7 at Preston the week before.

The first half was a timid affair, with few chances created. The closest either side got to opening the scoring was a low shot by Mate Dugandzic that was comfortably handled by South keeper Tommi Tomich, returning to the starting line-up after being omitted for the Preston game.

The second half started brightly for South Melbourne FC, as Fernando de Moraes pressed forward to partner Vaughan Coveny in attack. The impact was immediate, as a ball played from the right into the area was flicked into Fernando’s path via Coveny’s head. The Futsalroo was through one-on-one with Knights keeper Savas Ozdemir and he made no mistake in comfortably slotting the ball to Ozdemir’s left and into the corner of the net, giving South Melbourne FC its first home goal for 2009, and more importantly the lead.

All of a sudden the home side was in control, and chances were coming thick and fast, with the best being a Shane Nunes left foot rocket that smashed into the crossbar. Despite the chances, the Knights held firm, largely thanks to Craig Elvin who had an extremely solid match. However even Elvin could not stop South from doubling its lead in the 65th minute. Ozdemir’s poor goal kick was headed back into the South attack by left-back Rhodri Payne. Coveny had stayed onside and as a result, Payne’s header put him through one-on-one with Ozdemir. Coveny calmly put the ball between Ozdemir’s legs and into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead and at the same time notch his 98th career goal for South.

By this stage the home side was in complete control, and should have had a third but for poor finishing. The Knights had barely been a threat, but out of nowhere, pulled a goal back in the 70th minute. A poor mix-up in the South defence saw the ball spill to Dugandzic, whose finish was full of class as he beat Tomich at his near post to halve the lead.

Suddenly South began to panic unnecessarily, which allowed the Knights back into the contest. However despite some scary moments, the defence held firm. In fact South should have wrapped the match up but for poor decision-making up forward and Elvin’s class in defence for the Knights. Goran Zoric was the most unlucky, with his shot being cleared off the line by Elvin. After over 5 minutes of injury time, referee Damir Basic’s fulltime whistle signalled a very hard-fought but well-earnt 2-1 victory for the home team.

South Melbourne’s next match is away to the Whittlesea Zebras on Monday March 30th, with the venue still to be confirmed. Kick-off is scheduled for 8:30pm. The Melbourne Knights’ next match is away to Green Gully, on Saturday March 28th. Kick-off is at 5pm.

South Melbourne 2-1 Melbourne Knights
(Goal Scorers: SMFC – De Moraes 50’, Coveny 65’. Knights – Dugandzic 70’)

SMFC Line-up: Tommi Tomich, Shane Nunes, Rhodri Payne, Steve O’Dor, Vaughan Coveny, Joseph Youssef, Rama Tavsancioglu, Stiven Mrkela, Goran Zoric, Fernando De Moraes, Sebastian Petrovic

Melbourne Knights Line-up: Savas Ozdemir, Jamie Cumming, John Fitzgerald, James Sherman, Matthew Grbesa, Mate Dugandzcic, Joshua Groenewald, Greg Draper, Dimitri Hatzimouratis, Craig Elvin, Alex Kiratzoglou.

Thursday, 19 March 2009 1:12 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne hosts its old rivals in the Melbourne Knights on Sunday in what promises to be a cracking derby match.

South will go into the fixture on the back of an incredible 7-1 away win against Preston last Sunday, with the win stretching the club’s unbeaten run at Connor Reserve to 23 years. More importantly, the win earned the club its first three points for 2009 after two home defeats opened the new season on a bad note.

The Knights will visit Bob Jane Stadium on the back of an excellent 0-1 victory against the Oakleigh Cannons last Friday. It was an important win for the Knights, making amends after the previous week’s loss at Richmond. With six points from their first three matches, the Knights sit in fourth position on the table, three places above South.

Although South are the highest scoring team in the league after three rounds, the reality is that all the goals were scored in one match. While the seven goals at Preston were remarkable, the reality is that South has failed to score in both home games so far. Despite such a proud home record at Bob Jane Stadium (122 wins in 192 matches and only 39 losses), South has lost at home 12 times since the 2006 VPL championship. A strong home record will be needed to make the VPL finals series and a positive result against a strong Knights side will continue the good form from Preston as well as begin to salvage the side’s home record.

South’s key player in unlocking the Knights defence will be Goran Zoric. After a frustrating 2008 season, the 21 year old has been one of South’s best this season, with a man-of-the-match award in the Hellenic Cup final against Heidelberg and then an unbelievable four goals against Preston. Zoric’s speed and determination to win every challenge, as well as shooting at every opportunity, will be vital in the home side’s attempts at a positive home result against their rivals.

The Melbourne Knights fixture is always a highlight for South, as the two sides have battled out many memorable games over the years. While the Knights never defeated South at Bob Jane Stadium in the old National Soccer League, they have taken the honours away from Lakeside twice since the two clubs returned to the VPL. For many South fans their favourite win against the Knights at Bob Jane Stadium is in fact their first ever encounter at the ground, when Ivan Kelic’s late header defeated the reigning NSL champions 1-0 in front of 11,547 fans in the 1995/96 NSL season. South has also recorded its highest ever win against the Knights at home, when it defeated the Knights 7-0 at Lakeside in 2006.

In the corresponding fixture last season, the high-flying Knights fought back from a 2-0 deficit early in the second half to draw 2-2 against a South side desperate for the three points to push for a finals position. In the last three league meetings between the two sides, South’s defence has leaked 7 goals against the Knights and as a result the Knights have picked up seven points from a possibly nine.

Sunday’s match will be yet another installment in a cross-town rivalry between two powerhouse Australian clubs that have battled in many memorable games both on a state and national league level. Kick-off is 6pm on Sunday at Bob Jane Stadium.

Tuesday, 17 March 2009 10:45 AM

The Lonsdale Street ‘Glendi’ has, since its inception in 1987, become an annual marker for Melbourne and Lonsdale Street – the original Greek cultural precinct. It is a celebration of Greek Australian life and culture in Melbourne, one the world’s most Greek cities outside Greece.

What is effectively a giant street party timed to coincide with Greek National Day (25 March), the Glendi is about music, dance, food, traditions and contemporary takes on all things Greek.

In what promises to be an exciting weekend, South Melbourne FC will have a stall at the Antipodes festival that will allow fans to meet some of their favourite SMFC stars, as well as being able to talk to some key SMFC personnel before the big derby game against the Melbourne Knights on Sunday.

Memberships will also be on sale, as well as fans being able to order the 2009 merchandise range.

We hope to see all South fans in attendance.

Antipodes Festival
Saturday 21 & Sunday 22 March
12pm – 11pm
Lonsdale Street Greek Precint, between Russell & Swanston Street

Monday, 16 March 2009 11:15 AM

By John Kyrou | Photos by Cindy Nitsos

South Melbourne FC produced one of its finest away performances in the club’s 50 year history by thumping rivals Preston by the astonishing score line of 1-7 at BT Connor Reserve. Goran Zoric scored four second half goals in what was a remarkable individual performance.

South went into the fixture on the back of two heartbreaking 0-1 home defeats in the opening rounds of the 2009 Victorian Premier League season. However, the away side travelled with confidence having not lost at the venue in 22 years, with the last defeat being a narrow 2-1 loss in the 1987 National Soccer League season. Preston, who is also celebrating its 50th year, entered the contest having lost 1-2 at home to the Melbourne Knights in the opening round then having its match against Altona postponed last weekend due to a lighting failure.

South started nervously and Preston took full advantage to open the scoring.
Barely a minute had registered on the clock when the Lions capitalised on a defensive mix-up in the six-yard area, with Robert Dolevski’s low and hard shot giving deputising South goalkeeper Andrew Sfetkopoulos no chance. Despite conceding so early, the away team kept their cool and were very unlucky not to be level only minutes later, when Vaughan Coveny’s header was cleared off the line by the Lions defence.

South eventually found its rhythm and the team began to settle into the BT Connor Reserve conditions and dominate possession, especially down the wings. As a result, chances to score came thick and fast but Preston’s goalkeeper was up to the task, comfortably dealing with shots from Coveny, Joseph Youssef and Fernando de Moraes. South’s dominance down the wings was finally rewarded in the 29th minute. A low and hard cross from the right by Fernando found centre-back Steve O’Dor, who had charged up forward. O’Dor did not need a second chance as he smashed home the equaliser for only his second ever South goal.

From that moment, South took complete control of the match. In the 37th minute, clever one-touch play between Nunes and Coveny set Nunes up for a left-foot shot that should have given South the lead. A minute later, Fernando again found himself with an acre of space on the right wing. The Futsalroo rounded an opponent but fired the ball quickly across the box without realising how much more time he had to properly pick out one of three team mates, who were all positioned for a simple tap-in. The frustration for the away side continued when Coveny’s beautifully timed through-ball over the top of the Preston defence set Gianni de Nittis one-on-one with the Preston keeper, however the shot was well saved. From the resultant corner, Youssef’s volley flew over the bar.

With the half entering into injury time, South continued to hassle and put pressure on their opponents in order to take the lead. Their dominance finally paid off in the 47th minute when excellent build-up play by Payne, Zoric and Coveny saw the ball fall to Youssef outside the area.
Youssef calmly rounded two opponents to create an opening before hitting a low shot into the bottom left corner of the goal to send the travelling supporters wild behind the goal at the other end of the ground.

The match was over within the opening 10 minutes of the second half as South simply continued their dominance in possession and goal-scoring chances that had been enjoyed in the first half. Fernando nearly scored a remarkable goal in the 53rd minute when a delightful turn and shot from outside the area sizzled just wide of the post. Until that point South had created 6-7 excellent opportunities throughout the game to bury their opponents and wrap up the match but had not yet been able to do so.

This was when Zoric stepped up for one of the most remarkable solo efforts by a South player in its history. His first goal came through great lead-up work down the left wing by Payne and substitute Sam Torrens, who cut the ball back to Zoric just outside the area. Zoric turned his man before unleashing a beautiful curling effort that flew across the goals and into the top right corner. Eight minutes later, a similar build-up from the wing saw Zoric produce a class flick of the ball to get around his opponent before slotting the ball into the same corner of the net to make the score 1-4.

With the match over as a contest, South coach Michael Michalakopoulos decided to rest his players, sending Francesco Stella and Danni Radojicic on to replace Coveny and de Moraes. With twelve minutes of regular time left, it was 1-5 as Youssef sent Zoric through one-on-one. Instead of going for his hat-trick goal, Zoric unselfishly rounded the keeper before passing across to Radojicic, who tapped the ball into the empty net for his first goal for the club. The youngster, in only his third appearance for South, celebrated with the South supporters that were situated behind the goal.

Zoric finally achieved his hat-trick only two minutes later, when he was fouled in the area, resulting in a yellow card for the Preston keeper. Zoric stepped up to the spot but his penalty was well saved, however the ball rebounded back to the small forward, who tapped the ball into the net for South’s sixth of the evening.

With the match entering its final few minutes, Zoric then scored an outstanding half volley from outside the area that gave the Preston keeper no chance of saving. That remarkable strike capped off a wonderful afternoon for the young talent, who became the first South player to score four goals in a match in nearly eight years. The last occasion was at Bob Jane Stadium on April 29th 2001, when Con Boutsianis’ four goals against Northern Spirit in the final round of the 2000/01 season led the club to a 6-2 win.

South faces a difficult match against the Melbourne Knights at Bob Jane Stadium next Sunday, where the club will be looking for back-to-back wins and its first points at home for the season. Kick-off is at 6pm.

Friday, 13 March 2009 1:32 PM

South Melbourne FC in conjunction with the FFV, Preston Lions FC and Channel 31 would like to announce that Sunday’s contest between South Melbourne and Preston Lions will be shown live via video streaming at Bob Jane Stadium.

In what will be an important game for the club, all South fans are urged to attend Bob Jane Stadium in order to watch their side take on the Preston Lions in the Champions Bar.

Doors at Bob Jane Stadium will open at 4pm, with kick-off scheduled for 5pm.