Category: News

Monday, 28 May 2007 12:26 PM

Dino Djulbic has played his final game in South Melbourne colours for the time being, after accepting a sensational opportunity to join A-League club, Perth Glory for the 2007/08 season.

Growing up in Perth, Djublic crossed over to Victoria in 2006 after signing for the Frankston Pines in the VPL.

A little over 6 months later and with injuries plaguing the senior side, South Melbourne snapped up Djulbic in a hope that the impressive defender could make a difference to the team’s performances.

The faith in Dino by South was paid off almost immediately, with the big long-haired defender making his mark on the competition, shutting out some of the most influential and experienced attacking players in the state.

Dino’s rise was topped off in the 2006 Grand Final when he completely took the season’s Gold Medal and Golden Boot winner Sash Becvinovksi out of the game, limiting the star striker to only a few half chances over the 90 mins of play, which also went a long way to securing the championship win for his side.

Speaking to www.smfc.com.au last night, Dino had nothing but praise for the club that has been his home for the past year.

“South Melbourne is a massive club in this country and it has been an honour to play in the blue and white shirt for the last 12 months. I hope that one day we can see South reach the heights that it has previously held once again.”

“I would personally like to thank everyone associated with the club for my experience, including my team mates who I shared a championship with, the coaching staff who had faith in me, as well as the board of directors and club volunteers who made the place feel like it was my home.”

“Finally I would like to thank the South Melbourne fans for all their support over the past year. This club is blessed to have one of the largest support bases in not just Victoria but the entire country and it was an amazing feeling hearing the blue army roar every time I wore the famous shirt into battle for them.”

“For the supporters’ sake, I sincerely hope South can push into greener pastures and reach the heights that it has in the past, because this club deserves to be right up there with the best.”

The South Melbourne family would like to thank Dino Djublic for his contribution over the last 12 months and would like to wish him all the best for the future.

Sunday, 27 May 2007 9:28 PM

By George Kouroumalis

South Melbourne has come back from the dead, overturning a two goal deficit to earn a hard-fought point against the impressive and high flying Preston Lions at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday.

Preston, who had come into this game on a nine game unbeaten run, was eying off first position on the Foxtel Cup table and began the match like a side on a mission. They pressed forward immediately, when a lovely ball by Marinos Gasparis found Johnny Sapazovski in open space, with the veteran hitting the ball wide of the target.

Preston continued to assert their early dominance on the game and were rewarded in the 5th minute, when a horrific pass by Arthur Tsonis was delivered straight into the feet of the speedy Gasparis, who then launched a low driving cross to the back post and directly into the path of the advancing Zoran Petrevski, who slammed the ball into the back of the net to give his side a 0-1 advantage.

South almost went two behind only 3 minutes later, when a blistering run and drive by Sapazovski swung outside the upright and away for a harmless goal kick.

After being dominated and barely having any midfield possession in the game, South rallied and through their first real attacking move of the contest got back on level terms. The ball was brought forward quickly from the defence and played into a central position to the feet of Nick Curtis, who then turned and hit an opportunistic strike past the outstretched Lupce Acevski in the Preston goal, to bring his side back on level terms.

South continued to push forward at every opportunity thereafter and won a free kick just outside the area, after a sloppy foul by Preston defender Les Anastasiou.
From the resultant free-kick, Ricky Diaco stepped up and hit a wicked shot directly at the target, only to be foiled by the experienced Acevski in goals.

Just before the half time break, South came closest to breaking the deadlock once again, when a sublime run and cross by Gianni De Nittis found the unmarked Diaco on the edge of the area. Diaco then turned and hit an amazing effort straight onto the post with a curling right foot bullet, which had Acevski rooted to the spot.

Both teams came out in a more subdued frame of mind in the second half, both content with ensuring that they would not leak anymore goals and also try and attack the opposition on the counter attack at every opportunity.

Preston had the first real chance of the half in the 60th minute, after a blistering run by Gasparis saw the winger once again dash past a host of South defenders and play an inviting ball into the area where it seemingly looked to be covered by the keeper.

In an unlucky twist for the young keeper Tosic, he saw the ball slip straight through his hands and to the waiting Tony Sterjovski, who smacked the ball into the back of the net, to send coach Lozanovski in delirium mode in the technical area.

The Lions continued to push forward to try and ice the game and looked to have done so in the 71st minute, after a short corner was knocked into the path of Gasparis, who hit a screaming shot over Tosic and into the back of the net from 25 yards and also from a wicked angle near the corner post.

With South 1-3 down and looking at slipping further down the table, coach John Anastasiadis threw caution into the wind, sending on two attacking minded players in Trent Waterson and Yusef Yusef in place of Arthur Tsonis and Tansel Baser.

The gutsy move paid off immediately, when a magnificent swinging cross was hit by Waterson into the back post and onto the head of Yusef, who hit a driving header on target and into Acevski, who made a great save. However from the resulting deflection, the ball fell into the path another substitute Bill Natsioulas, who was left with a simple tap-in to bring his side back within a solitary goal.

South continued to push forward in numbers and was denied by Acevski in goals. Another brilliant ball by Waterson once again found the unmarked Yusef in space in the six yard box. From nowhere, Acevski made what was close to the save of the season and denied Yusef from point blank range, keeping his side in front for the moment.

Sensing that an equaliser would come, South, with a home crowd behind them, continued to push forward, even though at times they left themselves with nobody at the back. The move paid off in the 85 th minute, when Waterson once again played in an inch perfect pass into the feet of unmarked Natsioulas. He buried home his chance from five yards out and sent the home fans into raptures and the Preston defence into total disbelief as to how they could allow Natsioulas with such space inside the area.

South put further pressure on the Preston goal, with Acevski making a routine save in the 92nd minute from a Yusef shot, ensuring at least that his side would hold on for a point, when at one stage it looked like his side was destined to take all three.

South defender Dino Djulbic, in his final game for South before heading to Perth Glory in the A-League, was disappointed with the errors his side made, saying that “we were unlucky, but we only have ourselves to blame after giving away the two points, after some crucial errors gifted Preston some goals early.”

Preston coach Goran Lozanovski was also disappointed with the outcome, noting how “we started off so well and had a two goal advantage, but I was very disappointed to concede two goals so late in the game, but that’s football”.

South will face Kingston City away next Sunday at 3pm.

Friday, 25 May 2007 4:04 PM

By Michael Tsoukalis

This Sunday at Bob Jane Stadium South squares up against eternal rivals the Preston Lions in what looms as a do-or-die match for John Anastasiadis’s men.

After an inconsistent season, South face the most consistent team of the current campaign, a Preston Lions outfit coached by ex-South stalwart Goran Lozanovski that has gone unbeaten for over two months to sit comfortably in third position.

On the other hand the Champions have had an up-and-down campaign, struggling to put together a consistent run of results which sees South currently in seventh position, a point outside the top six.

Particularly disappointing for the Albert Park-based outfit has been its leaky defence with up to three players destined to depart for A-League contracts later on in the season, South on paper were considered to have by far the best defensive structure in the league. However, the season-ending injury to club legend and goalkeeper Dean Anastasiadis, coupled with indecisive decision making has seen South concede avoidable goals at crucial times.

The Lions have one of the better squads in the league with danger-men Blaze Georgioski and Johnny Sapazovski having scored 10 goals between them. Of course the Reservoir-based outfit posses one of the best goalkeepers in the country in Lupce Acevski who has been nothing short of spectacular during the current campaign.

The experience of winger Tony Sterjovski coupled with the youthful quality of players like Steven Pace, Marino Gasparis and Isyan Erdogan make Preston one of the most formidable teams in the league with an even spread of experience and promising youth.

In the South camp, Coach John Anastasiadis will have to seriously considering starting both Vasilios Natsioulas and Gianni De Nittis. Both players have had reduced roles this season because of off-season arrivals, but particularly in the case of Natsioulas, who was outstanding after coming off the bench against Whittlesea, a recall to the first eleven is almost a certainty.

It is worth noting that De Nittis has been played largely out of position this season out of necessity, but with his cool finishing during the business-end of last season steering South to the Championship, Coach Anastasiadis will be weighing up whether to start the young striker as South has been quite wasteful this season in front of goals.

South will have to produce a consistent performance all over the park if it is to get a positive result against the Lions, players like Brazilian maestro Fernando Moraes, Tansel Baser and Ricky Diaco who have been proven very successful at this and higher levels will need to lead the way and set the tone for their team-mates to follow.

Thursday, 24 May 2007 1:03 PM

FOXTEL CUP Round 12 South Melbourne FC vs. Preston Lions SC
Kick Off: Sunday 27th May 4.30p.m. Bob Jane Stadium

In this week’s Round 12 FOXTEL Cup match, South Melbourne FC welcomes the Preston Lions in the pick of the round’s matches. South Melbourne FC will be looking to take maximum points, after a disappointing defeat at the Whittlesea Zebras, in this encounter between the two historic Melbourne sides. The in-form Preston Lions are coming off a win over their arch rival Heidelberg Warriors SC and will be looking to cause an upset.

In accordance with the Football Federation of Victoria Tribunal decision handed in 2005, the following match will be a South Melbourne FC (SMFC) Members Only match. Entry to the stadium will only be permitted to the following persons:

• SMFC Season Pass Holders/Life Members
• SMFC Corporate Partners/Members
• FFV Accredited Media
• FFV Accredited Staff
• Preston Lions Players/Officials

Please note that FFV Season Pass Holders will not be permitted entry.

We look forward to seeing all South Melbourne FC members and dignitaries on Sunday to enjoy what promises to be a classic encounter.

All patrons at Bob Jane Stadium are reminded that your attendance at the stadium or the precinct surrounding the stadium is subject to the controls of the Major Events (Crowd Management) Act. Patrons are prohibited from possessing flares, weapons and whistles or engaging in disruptive or annoying behaviour within these areas. Authorised officers will remove persons found in contravention of the Act from the stadium and/or managed area.

For more information, please contact Jim Marinis, media spokesperson on 9645 9797 or media@smfc.com.au

Tuesday, 22 May 2007 7:52 PM

By George Kouroumalis

South Melbourne has continued its up and down start to the season after being defeated by a spirited Whittlesea Zebras side 3-2 at freezing Epping Stadium on Monday.

John Anastasiadis kept a similar squad to the one that comprehensively beat Springvale 6-0 the week before, with only Arthur Tsonis making way for Sam DeVito. Joining DeVito in defence were central defenders Dino Djulbic and Steven O’Dor and the inspirational Ramazan, who had started the season in great form.

The midfield was made up of the same faces as the previous week, with Trent Waterson patrolling the left hand flank and Yusef Yusef being asked to replicate his superb form of the Springvale game. Tansel Baser was asked to perform the central midfield duties against old foe Eric Vasiliadis, while Fernando provided the link between the midfielders and Ricky Diaco and Nathan Caldwell, who were up front for South.

South uncharacteristically started the game on the back foot, with Whittlesea attacking from the outset and trying to unsettle the South defence with some early speculative long range efforts. In midfield, the Zebras were dictating terms and subsequently were playing all over South. They were rewarded when defensive confusion by South allowed A-League bound Billy Celeski to get past the final defender and slip the ball past young keeper Mladen Tosic and into the back of the net.

After conceding the goal, South came out of their shell and through ex-Zebra front man Ricky Diaco were nearly on equal terms, after he hit a goal bound drive into the arms of Ken Gerhristodoulou in the Whittlesea goal.

South equalised moments later, with what can be described as a contender for goal of the season by Ramazan. He produced a strong defensive tackle, reclaimed possession of the ball and began to dash up the right hand touch line. After stepping past one defender and spinning past another, he hit a speculative and intentional 35 yard rocket towards the goal, with the ball swinging and dipping into the top right hand corner and over the fully-stretched Gerhristodoulou, sending the South fans into blue delirium.

With the game looking to be all square at the half time interval, a final foray forward by the Zebras saw the ball come into the area and deflect through a sea of legs, including Steve Martin who seemed to have the final touch before the ball rolled into the open net to give the Zebras a 2-1 advantage at the break.

The Zebras came out in the 2nd half in a totally different fashion to the first, seeming content to sit back and absorb the South attacks and try and hold onto their slender one goal advantage. The defensive mindset almost saw the Zebras concede an equalizer in the first 20 minutes of the half, with Nathan Caldwell, Yusef Yusef and Ricky Diaco all having their efforts saved by Gerhristodoulou in goals.

The chance of the game came soon after, when substitute Bill Natsioulas delivered an inch perfect ball from the right hand flank to the feet of Fernando, who unbelievably mis-kicked the ball from close range straight into the arms of the surprised Gerhristodoulou.

Almost immediately, a counter attack by the Zebras, in what was their first real attack of the second half, saw the ball released to Billy Celeski, who danced past the South defence and with acres of space hit a low shot past Tosic, giving his side a two goal buffer with five minutes remaining.

To South’s credit, they continued to push forward and pulled back a goal immediately after the re-start, when Wellington-bound defender Steven O’Dor climbed over the Whittlesea defence and nodded home his side’s second of the night from a free kick.

South sensed that they could steal a point from the match and the final 5 minutes saw the away side attack at all costs, bombarding the goals of Gerhristodoulou at every opportunity. However, the Zebras keeper stood up at every occasion, determined to prove to be the difference in the game.

With time ticking away and the referee eying his watch, South launched one final attack at goal. An inviting ball into the box was headed on target by Dino Djulbic, who had made his way forward. Gerhristodoulou made the save of the match, tipping the ball over the bar from a fully outstretched and aerial position. The save ensured that his side would finish the encounter with all 3 points.

South Melbourne must now front up against the high-flying Preston Lions, in what promises to be a cracking derby match next Sunday at 4.30pm at Bob Jane Stadium. The match is open only to South Melbourne members.

Sunday, 20 May 2007 7:21 PM

By George Kouroumalis

Round 10 of the Foxtel Cup will culminate on Monday night, with a mouthwatering contest between the Whittlesea Zebras and South Melbourne at Epping Stadium.

In recent weeks, both sides have started to find their feet. The Zebras seem to have put behind them an indifferent and perhaps unlucky start to the season by taking 2 wins and a draw from their last three outings, including an impressive and hard working 2-2 draw against the odds last week at Heidelberg.

South Melbourne on the other hand have had an uncharacteristic start to their season by conceding quite a few goals in the early games and being beaten at home on two occasions, by the high flying Green Gully and Altona Magic three weeks ago. Following the 1-3 defeat to Altona, South have rallied to defeat the AIS and then comprehensively beat the Springvale White Eagles 6-0 to improve their home form and goal difference.

The Zebras, who lie only 3 points outside the top 6, are looking to improve their home form also, only winning once at Epping Stadium so far this season. In their next three matches they play 3 sides in the upper regions of the table, starting with South Melbourne at home this round.

To get the points against a tough and talented South lineup, Zebras coach Michael Michalakopoulos will be looking towards a few individuals to spark up his side. The main threat is the young and energetic striker Hamlet Armenian, who has had an impressive start to the season, scoring on four occasions and playing a part in most forward thrusts that the Zebras generate. In support, A-League bound Billy Celeski and the underrated workhorse Steve Martin must also be on their game and be working together with Armenian in order to give the South defence massive headaches.

The battle in the middle of the park will also be an important factor in the contest, with Josip Kozic and Eric Vassiliadis having to try and stifle the influence of Tansel Baser, who in his two games after returning from suspension has dominated proceedings, playing an integral part in the recent form of the South Melbourne side. Vassiliadis will also be looked upon to give his side some drive from the midfield and generally provide another problem for the South defence to deal with.

Defensively the Zebras will once again be marshalled by John Angelovski, who will be looking to organize his defensive unit to give young keeper Ken Gerohristodoulou very little work to do, despite the youngster being in superb form so far in the Foxtel Cup. Should they succeed in their defensive conquest, the Zebras will go a long way to defeating the attacking South Melbourne side.

South Melbourne on the other hand will approach this game in 6th position, with an eye on trying to get the win that will push them higher on the table. Despite a horrible home record so far in 2007, the blues have performed very well away from Bob Jane Stadium, remaining undefeated away from home this season.

As per usual, South will be looking to attack the Zebras defence from the outset, with the former Zebra Ricky Diaco leading the charge up front against his old side. Diaco, who was a high profile signing for the reigning champions, has so far been one of the performers of the season, scoring six goals and causing every defence problems whenever he has the ball at his feet.

In support, Nathan Caldwell should once again get the nod as Diaco’s strike partner, with the tall and quick front man scoring five goals so far this season. In addition, inspirational Brazilian Fernando will be behind the forwards feeding the ball to their feet.

In the middle of the park, Tansel Baser has given the side some real stability in both an attacking and defensive sense and for the Zebras to win, they must stop Baser having any influence on the game. The Zebras must also come up against a superb back 4, including three A-League quality players in Steve O’Dor (bound for Wellington Phoenix), Dino Djulbic (bound for Perth Glory) and Ramazan (ex-Melbourne Victory), along with veteran defender Arthur Tsonis patrolling the left hand side of defence.

Despite the quality of defensive players, South has been uncharacteristically guilty of conceding plenty of goals this season. This provides the Zebras with some hope that they can get something from their forward thrusts.

Taking all that into account and with both sides chasing an important three points, this game promises to be an enthralling contest that hopefully sees both sides play some attractive and exciting attacking football in front of what is expected to be a large crowd at Epping Stadium.

Thursday, 17 May 2007 3:22 PM

The F.A. Cup final is the most decorated club final in the world; and billions will tune in to watch the best team on the planet; or indeed the best two teams on the planet as the contrasting football styles of Manchester united lock horns with Chelsea.

To celebrate this great night of football, head to the Champions Sports Bar at Bob Jane Stadium to catch all the action. Doors open at 10pm. Enjoy the game with friends and family in a fun and enjoyable atmosphere.

Details:
Champions Sports Bar, Bob Jane Stadium
25 Albert Road, Albert Park
Doors Open 10pm

Tuesday, 15 May 2007 10:36 AM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne’s clash with Springvale was a special occasion for Chris Tsarpalas, one of the South juniors.

Chris stood in the players’ tunnel pre-game, before leading the senior team out onto Bob Jane Stadium along with captain Tansel Baser.

Chris was nervously excited in the tunnel before the game, but looked confident and proud walking out onto Bob Jane and lining up with the SMFC senior team.

Chris is 11 years old and has played all his junior football for South and this year is playing in the South under 11s team, where he dreams that one day he will be playing for the Senior team, alongside his favourite player in Fernando de Moraes.

All SMFC supporters will remember the Springvale game as a big win for the club, however for young Chris he will also never forget that it was the game where he led the senior team and his personal heroes out onto the field.

He can now brag to his team mates and friends about his special experience.

Monday, 14 May 2007 11:30 AM

By George Kouroumalis

South Melbourne has won its first home game of 2007, with the reigning champions producing an astonishing display of attacking football against the hapless Springvale outfit on Sunday at Bob Jane Stadium.

South opened strongly, attacking immediately from the outset, when a lovely run down the left hand flank by Trent Waterson saw the ex-Sunshine winger play the ball into the path of Nathan Caldwell, who hit his well-struck drive wide.

Springvale created their opening chance of the evening, when highly rated midfielder Igor Arsovski made a storming run past Arthur Tsonis on the right hand side and with venom hit an inventive strike at goal, only for the ball to go flying over the bar.

In the 11th minute, South struck the first major blow of the evening, when Ricky Diaco fed a dangerous ball into the path of Caldwell, which saw the highly fancied striker make up for his early miss and slam the ball into the back of the net.

Five minutes later, South almost double its advantage after Yusef Yusef was brought down inches outside the area. From the resulting free kick, Arthur Tsonis stepped up and hit a fantastic shot at goal with the ball swinging and grazing the outside of the post, going narrowly wide.

The danger that Tsonis was providing at the dead ball situations continued in the 21st minute, when a free kick from the area was whipped into the area causing mass confusion amongst the Springvale defence. With the defence bamboozled, the ball fell into the path of Ricky Diaco, who hit a weak shot into the arms of the acrobatic Nikola Adganovic, who saved Springvale between the sticks.

Springvale and Adganovic were unable to hold out South Melbourne for much longer, after a dazzling run by Brazilian maestro Fernando, lead to the midfielder hitting his initial shot into the waiting defence, before hitting the resultant rebound into the back of the net, doubling his side’s advantage.

From the resultant kickoff an interception by Ramazan saw the former Melbourne Victory defender storm his way down the right hand flank and play a ball into the area, finding Yusef, who hit a superb first time strike past the outstretched keeper and into the back of the net, giving South a 3 goal advantage after only 25 minutes of play.

Springvale, despite the early onslaught, continued to push forward in numbers in an attempt to get back into the game and might have pulled a goal back in the 31st and 33rd minutes, when the dangerous Arsovski on both occasions hit two creative strikes from outside the area. Both flew over the cross bar and into safety for South.

The acting South skipper for the evening, Tansel Baser, almost extended his sides advantage to 4 goals just before the break, hitting a blistering drive onto the target, however once again keeper Adganovic was in the way.

The final chance of the first half came to Springvale after a well weighted cross by Vladan Zoric found the unmarked Nick Papadopoulos, who was lurking at the back post with an open net in front of him. To the disbelief of all present, he mis-hit his header and missed the target completely, ensuring that South went into the break with a comfortable 3 goal cushion.

South commenced the second half in the same manner that it did the first, taking only five minutes to find a fourth goal of the evening. On this occasion, Yusef once again found himself in space on the right hand side and struck a superb cross into the back post for the waiting Waterson. Waterson hit his header across goal into the path of Caldwell, who bagged his second goal from only one metre out.

In the 65th minute a superb ball by Waterson completely opened up the Springvale defence leaving Diaco in acres of space with only the goalkeeper to beat. Diaco, who hadn’t yet scored, buried his chance and gave South a 5 goal advantage with 25 minutes still to play.

Springvale responded with a sublime move of their own, when a lovely build up of passes culminated with Rados Tomic finding speedy striker Goran Zoric.
Zoric who seemed to be in a non shooting position, got past a few defenders and hit a superb volley that curled and dipped inches wide of the target.

In the 82nd minute, South once again ripped a hole in the brittle Springvale defence, with substitute and Grand final hero Gianni De Nittis hitting an absolute wonder strike with his left foot from well outside the area, beating Adganovic at the near post and sending the strong home crowd into raptures with a contender for goal of the season.

Springvale almost grabbed a consolation goal near the end with the last shot of the game, when a free kick was awarded just outside the area, against South defender Tsonis.

Goran Mrdic stepped up and hit his strike onto the target, but unfortunately for Springvale his shot was tipped over the bar by Mladen Tosic and away from a goalkick.

South Melbourne defender Steve O’Dor had a stellar game in defence and was only complimentary about performance of the team.

“It was a sensational team display by the boys and we hope that we can continue such performances in the weeks and months ahead.” remarked O’Dor.

South Melbourne make the trip out to Epping Stadium to take on the Whittlesea Zebras on Monday night. Kick off is at 8.15pm.

Wednesday, 9 May 2007 11:41 AM

South Melbourne FC would like to announce that it has agreed to work with an independent lawyer appointed by the FFV, in investigating the circumstances and reasoning that led to the game being forfeited.

The club is willing to co-operate for the purposes of the investigation and wishes to bring a just and timely resolution to this issue in order to concentrate on defending its VPL title.