Category: News

Monday, 1 May 2006 1:10 AM

By Michael Tsoukalis

An Andreas Oliveira hat-trick has inspired a 10-man South Melbourne to a much needed 4-1 triumph against a battling Bulleen outfit.

With Dino Djulbic receiving his marching orders after 50 minutes, South managed to play better football with 10 men as opposed to 11, adding another two goals in this period to kill the game off and send home their loyal faithful happy.

Ivory Coast native Jonas Salley picked up an injury in training during the week and Vasilios Natsioulas succumbed to an injury picked up against Oakleigh meaning that Coach John Anastasiadis was forced to make changes to the starting 11.

Recent midfield acquisition Antonio Naglieri started on the bench with Scot MacNicol being given a starting spot in the centre of the park, in came young defender James Stefanou with the hard-working George Tzirtis also winning back a starting role.

The starting eleven read as follows, Dean Anastasiadis in goal, a flat back three of Con Blatsis, Dino Djulbic and James Stefanou with Sammy Devito and George Tzirtis playing in right and left wingback roles respectively.

The defensive midfield anchor was Tansel Baser with Brazilian Fernando Moraes and Scot MacNicol playing attacking midfield roles. Up front, Captain Vaughn Coveny partnered diminutive new recruit Andreas Oliveira.

South started the game the brighter of the two sides with Moraes testing Bulleen keeper Tomas Kovar early on, making some space for himself and unleashing a 20 yard effort in the 5th minute that Kovar managed to parry.

A minute later, sensing Kovar’s shaky handling due to the wet conditions, Oliveira struck from 20 yards, seeing his shot slip through Kovar’s hands and trickle over the line to give South the early initiative.

Bulleen however struck back soon after when midfielder Steve Martin chested a loose ball invitingly into his path and unleashed a 25 yard daisy-cutter that caught South custodian Anastasiadis by surprise, slamming into the back of the net and squaring the encounter.

Twenty-seven minutes in and South could’ve went ahead after a superb long clearance from Anastasiadis eluded the Bulleen defence with Coveny latching onto the ball but failing to connect with his angled drive, kicking the turf and failing to work Kovar.

Then in the thirty-seventh minute, Bulleen missed a glorious opportunity after ex-Essendon striker Ben Harbison peeled off the South defence superbly, just managing to stay onside and controlling well in the box and with only Anastasiadis to beat from 8 or so yards out and on a slight angle to the right. Fortunately for the home side, Harbinson failed to test the South custodian and blazed over.

South immediately made Bulleen pay for their poor finishing after Coveny broke down the right flank and sent in a measured ball to the back post that saw Oliveira do superbly well to confuse his marker with an intelligent weaving run allowing for the South forward dynamo to loose his man and volley home from 2 yards out in the 38th minute, giving South a vital 2-1 edge before half time.

Sadly for South, colossal defender Con Blatsis broke down again towards the end of the first half with what appeared to be a muscle injury. Blatsis was replaced by Antonio Naglieri who shifted into midfield with Tansel Baser dropping back into defence.

Just before the half time break Harbinson again failed to capitalize on a good opening after a ball from the right was whipped into his feet, 12 or so yards out, Harbinson did well to turn his marker and sent his low 42nd minute drive narrowly past Anastasiadis’s right upright.

During first half injury time Tzirtis did well to work some space down the left for himself, skinning his marker and entering the Bulleen box, Tzirtis’s final left foot effort was decent, but unfortunately for South, slammed in the side netting.

The second half started with a bang with Dino Djulbic receving his marching orders after 50 minutes. A South attack saw the home team cross the ball into the Bulleen box with Djulbic seemingly contesting rightfully for the ball as Kovar came out to claim, however, the referee felt that Dlujbic had followed through and made contact with Kovar, giving the South defender his 2nd yellow of the evening and hence sending him off.

South looked initially nervy with 10 men and nearly conceded in the 55th minute after Anastasiadis missed a ball he came out to glove with the subsequent goal-line scramble eventually being cleared by the South defence.

The home side started to gain confidence with Moraes testing Kovar with a stinging 20 yard drive in the 61st minute that the Bulleen custodian did well to parry to his right and out for a corner.

Up-stepped Oliveira who produced a stunning looping corner with vicious curl, eluding the Bulleen defenders on the goal-line and sailing over Kovar. Initially it appeared the referee had signaled for a foul on the Zebras’ custodian as the Bulleen players were preparing to take a free-kick but the referee then pointed to the centre and started walking towards the kick-off spot, signaling that Oliveira’s goal was indeed valid, capping off his hat-trick and giving the diminutive striker a dream home debut.

Oliveira was soon after substituted and received a well-earnt standing ovation.

South then wrapped up proceedings with a champagne goal. MacNicol had broken well down the right and sent a quality looping ball to the back post. Moraes was waiting to pick up the scraps and when the Bulleen defence didn’t header away convincingly, Moraes controlled the ball and unleashed a stunning 68th minute left-foot volley past Kovar, beating the Bulleen custodian on his near post and sending the Clarendon Corner into party mode.

South then capped off an all-round team display with Anastasiadis pulling off the save of the evening. Bulleen had produced a quality 82nd minute corner from the left that found an unmarked player who from 8 yards out saw his headed effort superbly saved by the quick reflexes – and fingertips – of Anastasiadis who parried over at full stretch.

Thursday, 27 April 2006 7:07 PM

By Michael Tsoukalis

South Melbourne returns to Bob Jane Stadium this Sunday looking to kick-start a stuttering campaign.

John Anastasiadis’s men have been unable to string a run of positive results and hence find themselves just outside the top 6 albeit with a game in hand.

Sunday’s game serves as a “six-pointer” for South as Bulleen are the team directly above them, holding the last spot in the top 6.

Bulleen coach Michael Michalakopoulos is quickly building a solid name for himself amongst the Vodafone Cup coaching circle, having done a good job at Essendon last season, the ex-South Melbourne striker took the coaching reigns from the experienced Peter Ollerton inheriting a side which was nearly relegated last season.

Michalakopoulos has managed to string together a 5-game unbeaten run which has seen the Zebras cling onto an early top-6 birth.

Bulleen’s strength lies in its vastly experienced squad with players like Frank Tramontana, Stelios Drakos and Ross Antoniadis all having played more than 150 games at this level.

Up front, the Zebras possess some decent talent with the newly acquired (from Essendon) Ben Harbison scoring twice so far this term after a productive last season with the Royals. Partnering Harbinson could be ex-A-League player Ricky Diaco who must overcome a slight knock if he is to line-up against South.

Diaco provides and aerial presence and quick feet up-front making him a large void should he not line up. Furthermore, Diaco’s race towards fitness has become more important after leading goal-scorer (3 goals this term) Hamlet Armenian received a red card against Altona and hence will not be able to line up against South.

Youngster and A-League player Billy Celeski may also miss after an injury kept him out of the game against Altona, however, his 17-year old replacement Adam Fedjevic was outstanding in the centre of the park for the Zebras, limiting the absence the Perth Glory midfielder.

Similarly to South the Zebras have conceded more goals than they have scored, with both sides only having found the net on 10 occasions thus far.

South has moved to solve its goal-scoring problems with the diminutive Andreas Oliveira scoring his first goal for the club in last Monday’s 2-1 defeat to Oakleigh.

Oliveira has looked extremely potent and sharp and with the support of veteran striker and club captain Vaughn Coveny, could form an extremely effective partnership for the Lakeside-based club that is bound to cause plenty of problems for the Zebras.

With Con Blatsis returning to first team action against Oakleigh, the challenge for Coach John Anastasiadis is to find the best balance on the park.

Rama Tavsancioglu continues to serve his suspension after receiving a red card against Richmond and with the season-ending injury to Arthur Tsonis, South’s back four takes on a relative inexperienced tone with new recruit Dino Djulbic joining the likes of Tansel Baser, Sammy DeVito and Con Blatsis in a backline that has spent little time together as a defensive unit.

Tuesday, 25 April 2006 11:20 AM

By George Kouroumalis

In front of a healthy crowd at Jack Edwards Reserve, the Oakleigh Cannons managed to do the impossible and snatch a win from cross town rivals South Melbourne.
The boys from Lakeside started in the perfect way with captain Vaughan Coveny playing an inviting ball across the box from the right hand side, which caused mayhem in the Oakleigh area.

Despite the best efforts from the Oakleigh defence and goalkeeper Stuart Webster, the ball fell to Andreas Oliviera who slotted the ball into the back of the open net.
With South in front after only two minutes played in the game, the experienced Oakleigh midfield launched an attack almost immediately to try and bring the sides level.
Much maligned midfielder Con Boutsianis, played a ball to Anthony Pelikan who launched a drive from outside the box, which was well saved by South keeper Dean Anastasiadis.
Only 2 minutes later in the 5th minute a cross by Sam Poutakidis was cleared by the South defence, however only to fall into the path of Bill Damianos.
Damianos, who had spent most of his career as a South Melbourne player, saw Anastasiadis off his line and proceeded to launch a 35 yard volley toward the goal.
To the disbelief of the crowd the ball cleared Anastasiadis and found the back of the net.

The rest of the second half proved a tough and uneventful contest between both clubs with no real clear chance falling to either side.
The second half started where the first left off with both sides playing safe and risk free football for the first 15 minutes.
However in the 61st minute, Oakleigh striker Juan Nilo was played behind the South defence by Poutakidis.
To the relief of the traveling fans the shot was strike directly into the arms of the waiting Anastasiadis.
As Oakleigh continued to press, Boutsianis was then released by Damianos and in true Boutsianis fashion launched a cracking drive from thirty five yards, which dipped and curled just wide of the outstretched Anastasiadis and for that matter the goal itself.
One minute later in the 68th minute the lights failed with an explosion occurring in the nearby area most likely the cause of this.

This delayed the game for some 20 minutes with Oakleigh officials and Police frantically trying to find a power source to supply the lights with the necessary power needed to function to an acceptable level.
Once this was achieved, both teams once again came out tentative with no real chance falling until the 74th minute, where South Melbourne’s Tansel Baser was inches wide from blasting his side into the lead.
In the 77th minute a careless back pass by Coveny gifted former teammate in Damianos with possession in his own half, only for Damianos to be fouled just outside the box by Jonas Salley.
As Pelikan and Boutsianis stood over the ball, the South Melbourne faithful who had watched these two stars of the Victorian Football play week in and week out in the NSL knew that they had to deal with two of the best free kick takers in the league.

True to the above description Pelikan stepped up and sent a perfectly placed free kick into the top corner giving Oakleigh the lead for the first time in the match.
Oakleigh nearly sealed the game in both the 85th and 87th minutes with Anastasiadis making two straight forward saves from former NSL player Esala Masi.
In the 91st minute South Melbourne had a final chance to gain a point from the contest through experienced midfielder Baser, who launched a drive from the left hand side of the box.
The shot unfortunately for Baser and South fans’ was only inches wide of finding the target.
Only moments later referee Perry Mur blew his whistle signaling the end of the contest with the Oakleigh Cannons running out 2-1 victors.

Oakleigh who sit clear on top of the table host Richmond on Friday, while South Melbourne who are placed outside the top six host the Bulleen Zebras at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday night.

Monday, 10 April 2006 2:12 AM

By George Kouroumalis

South Melbourne overcame a committed Richmond on Sunday in what can only be described as a fiery match that could have been confused with an Essendon – Hawthorn AFL game of the 80’s rather than a game of Vodafone Cup football.

South, with new boys Oliviera, Djulbic and Naglieri came out running, dominating possession in the early stages of the contest.

However to the astonishment of the South faithful, Richmond through energetic striker
Veton Korcarevski managed the first goal of the game in the 16th minute.
Korcarevski took hold of possession just outside the area and launched a low drive that struck the post and found the back of the net.
Immediately from the restart, Andreas Oliviera in his first game for South Melbourne confused the Richmond defence weaving his way into the box, only to be fouled by the Richmond defender winning the penalty for his new club.
Moraes then stepped up and calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net.

With the game evenly poised, an innocuous foul on Tansel Baser threatened to turn the contest into a wrestling match.
South players took offence to the treatment of Baser and responded by telling Richmond player Simon Webster what they thought of his treatment of Baser.

This however lead into an all in brawl, with both sets of players confronting each other over the incident, with pushing and verbal insults being exchanged.
To the outrage of the home crowd, only one player in South fullback Ramazan Tavsancioglu was sent off, with numerous other players given a yellow card.

Leading up to half time with the game in a bit of a quiet period following the incident, Moraes came close to breaking the deadlock with a powerful strike from 20 yards that tested the Richmond keeper.

In the second half both sides came out cautiously with no real chance falling until the 61st minute when Baser and Naglieri combined to set up the Ivory Coast native in Jonas Salley, who launched a amazing drive from 30 yards.

Although the South faithful and Salley himself thought the ball was headed to the top corner, it swirved late and missed the target by a coat of paint.

In response Richmond pushed forward through former Heidelberg player Brendan Beni, who had two clear cut chances on goal in the 68th and 72nd minutes respectively.

The first chance was well held by Dean Anastasiadis in the South goal, however the second caused confusion in the South area with Beni having two cracks at the target only for his shot to strike the cross bar.

This close call sparked South Melbourne who through a well placed shot from new player Naglieri came close to breaking the deadlock in the 77th minute.

However once again the strike was only inches away from finding the back of the net.

In pushing for the winner a deflected pass from Salley lead for an inviting ball to fall between Kevin Nelson and Richmond keeper, who under pressure opted to punch the ball out of the area into the clear.

Unfortunately for the youngster the ball fell to South midfielder MacNicol, who from 30 yards steered a volley into the empty net sending the small but vocal crowd into raptures.

This was the last chance of the game with referee Senko Rasticic blowing for full time moments later.

The much needed win sent South Melbourne into sixth place on the table, but only one point behind fourth placed Heidelberg United with a game in hand, while Richmond were sent to the bottom of the Vodafone Cup Standings.

Both teams have a two week break for Easter before the next round of games.

Friday, 7 April 2006 1:28 AM

By Michael Tsoukalis

South Melbourne returns to Bob Jane Stadium this weekend looking to get their season back on track after three consecutive disappointing results have landed John Anastasiadis’s men outside the top 6 for the first time this season.

Coach Anastasiadis is likely to include new recruits Antonio Naglieri and Andreas Oliveira in the squad with both players keen to make an impression after having a hit-out last week with the Under-21 side.

Conversely, Richmond will be keen to get a positive result as they currently languish in the bottom two but due to the closeness of the Vodafone Cup a win could see Dean Hennessy’s men steer clear of the drop zone.

Richmond hasn’t tasted victory since the opening round of the season, while South’s last triumph was against Preston in round 4.

With both sides out-of-form, returning to Bob Jane Stadium could not have come at a better time for South who will be looking to win convincingly to restore supporter faith as well as build confidence in front of goal, as similarly to last season, the team is consistently carving out decent openings, however, without the expected efficiency on the scoreboard.

Players South must look to contain in the Richmond camp include the talented Brendan Beni who moved from Heidelberg in the off-season. Beni has quality technique with the ability to turn games with his vision and willingness to run at defenders through the middle of the park.

Furthermore, striker James Robinson found some form last week, bagging a double against Fawkner-Whittlesea to bring his season tally to three.

In the South camp, Naglieri and Oliveira will hopefully inject some freshness and with Captain Vaughn Coveny scoring last week against Altona and the markedly improved performance of Kevin Nelson off the bench, South should have plenty of attacking presence and goal-scoring ability on the park.

Finally, one area of concern this season for South has been the increase in goals conceded. With Arthur Tsonis out for the rest of the season and Con Blatsis still at least a couple of weeks away, added pressure and expectation will be placed on the shoulders of youngsters James Stefanou and Sammy DeVito. Both did reasonably well last week against Altona, but with South at home, a clean sheet must be the aim.

Sunday, 2 April 2006 12:23 AM

By Michael Tsoukalis

South Melbourne have continued their worrying form slump going down 3-1 to a determined Altona Magic outfit after Vaughn Coveny had put the visitors ahead with a 14th minute strike only to see referee Jim Ouliaris award a speculative penalty on the stroke of half time, allowing for Sash Becvinovski to equalize.

In the 2nd half Altona capitalized on a strong tailwind with Becvinovski fortunate to see his 75th minute strike rattle off the crossbar and onto Dean Anastastasiadis’s back with the ball eventually trickling over the line, whilst Igor Arsovski wrapped things up in the 84th minute with a close range effort.

With injury and form forcing Coach John Anastasiadis’s hand this week, a couple of personnel changes and positional adjustments were made to the starting lineup.

Trinidad and Tobago native Kevin Nelson started on the bench with the season-ending knee injury suffered by Arthur Tsonis seeing young defender James Stefanou making his first full debut for the club. Postionally, Tansel Baser was moved to a central defensive role with Ivory Coast defender Jonas Salley playing in defensive midfield. Finally, young left back Sammy DeVito also made a comeback to senior action.

South’s starting 11 read as follows, Dean Anastasiadis in goal, a central defensive pairing of Tansel Baser and James Stefanou with Rama Tavsancioglu and Sammy DeVito playing the right and left back positions.

In the centre of the park, Jonas Salley played in a defensive midfield role with Scot MacNicol the more attack-minded midfielder. On the flanks Vasilios Natsioulas and George Tzirtis played on the right and left respectively with Brazilian Fernando Moraes having a free roaming attacking role in behind Captain Vaughn Coveny who led the line up front.

The Magic started brightly creating a quality opening after only 2 minutes when an angled strike from the right-hand side of the box was well saved down low by Anastasiadis.

Then in the 6th minute Altona should’ve gone ahead after a superb cross down the left flank was met with a firm header 8 or so yards out. Anastasiadis did well to get a glove on the attempt and was somewhat fortunate to see the ball balloon up and onto his chest with the South custodian planted on his back.

A minute later South produced a counter attack with George Tzirtis finding space down the left hand side of the Altona box with his subsequent angled-drive requiring a sharp save from Altona custodian Bojo Jevdjevic.

The frenetic pace continued when a 9th minute free kick from South was sent deep into the Altona box with Tavsancioglu meeting the ball around the penalty mark, sending a sharpish header crashing onto the crossbar.

Altona then broke on the counter finding some space down the right and sending a deep back-post cross that Tomi Razov failed to connect with after the striker managed to lose Stefanou, finding himself 8-10 yards out and in plenty of space.

Thirteen minutes in and South took the lead. A searching ball was caught by the wind wrong-footing Altona defender Levent Osman and allowing Coveny to out-muscle the ex-South defender and latch onto the opportunity. Faced with only Jevdjevic to beat, Coveny made no mistake, sending a powerful drive comfortably past the Altona custodian.

The goal seemed to have a calming effect on the pace of the game, chances stopped being created and South looked destined to head into the change rooms with a valuable advantage.

However, on the stroke of half time the game was turned on its head, a hopeful through-ball over the top by the Magic caught the South defence flat-footed allowing for an Altona player to get in-behind. Faced with only Anastasiadis to beat a chip was attempted with Anastasiadis seemingly trying to punch the ball away, the ball was destined to cross the line when South managed to scurry back and clear at the last moment, only for referee Ouliaris to point to the spot. Ouliaris must’ve ruled that Anastasiadis had somehow made contact with the player, but to the majority of the crowd, the incident seemed to be a genuine attempt to get the ball.

Altona leading marksman Sash Becvinovski stepped up and comfortably slotted past Anastasiadis, hitting his drive low and firmly into the bottom left corner, leveling the ledger and giving Altona the advantage with a large tailwind awaiting them in the second half.

The 2nd half was evenly balanced possession wise, however, Altona looked the more likely to score. A 63rd minute strike from just outside the box had Anastasiadis beaten with the veteran keeper saved by the left upright.

Then in the 72nd minute, a deep back-post cross from the left was sliced by the arriving Altona player, when a shot on target would’ve heavily tested Anastasiadis.

South should’ve gone ahead in the 74th minute after excellent work down the right by substitute Kevin Nelson saw the diminutive striker produce a superb back-post cross that left Coveny with the easiest of tap-ins from 2 or so yards. Coveny however seemed to underestimate his finish, sticking out a toe but with far too little power allowing for the desperate Jevdjevic to lunge at full stretch and smother.

Immediately after Coveny’s miss Altona made South pay with Becvinovski latching onto a cross from the left by Tomi Razov, Becvinovski saw his looping headed attempt cannon off the crossbar with Anastasiadis struggling at full stretch to get a glove onto the effort. As the South keeper was falling back the ball ricocheted off his back and trickled its way over the line sending the Magic ahead.

Altona then wrapped up proceedings in the 84th minute after a searching switch of play saw a desperate lunging attempt by Tavsancioglu fail narrowly, allowing for Altona to break into the South box down the left flank with the subsequent cutback being comfortably finished by Igor Arsovski who from 6 yards out couldn’t miss.

Friday, 31 March 2006 7:20 PM

By Michael Tsoukalis

After disappointing consecutive performances against Essendon and Sunshine, South Melbourne travel to Paiseley Park this Saturday night to take on the undefeated and 2nd placed Altona Magic.

Coached by ex-South player and member of the coaching staff Ken Murphy, the Magic have started the season in outstanding fashion, producing 4 wins and 3 draws to sit only one point behind top-of-the-table Kingston City.

The Magic lost several quality players in the off-season, with goalkeeper Martin John moving to Sunshine, attacking midfielder Cameron Pino to Oakleigh and dogged defensive midfielder Marcus Stergiopoulos to Kingston.

However, Altona have managed to cover these losses, signing the likes of experienced Premier League and former NSL custodian Bojo Jevdjevic, handy midfield brotherly pairing Ivan and Tommy Razov, as well as securing the services of classy winger Daniel Vasilevski from A-League club Perth Glory.

In Sasho Becvinovski, the Magic have one of the most experienced goal-getters in the league, Becvinoski has already netted 5 times this season and will have to be closely watched if South are to keep a clean sheet.

Furthermore, twins Koce and Kole Delev are two of the more exciting players in the league with Koce Delev posing a genuine goal-scoring threat from the centre of the park.

Ex-South Melbourne players Levent Osman, Agim Sherifovski and Alfonso Opazo add quality and provide a solid spine in the defensive, midfield and forward areas of the pitch, topping off an extremely strong and competent Altona line-up.

Conversely, South Melbourne have shown worrying signs over their past two matches, lackluster displays and in-efficient finishing have cost John Anastasiadis’s men points in their last two encounters with a win – against Altona – crucial for South as it would consolidate their position in the top 6.

During the week South have moved swiftly in the transfer market in a bid to rectify their early season deficiencies, signing Western Australian natives and ex-Perth S.C. players Andreas Oliveira (striker), Antonio Naglieri (attacking midfielder) and Dino Djulbic (defender).

All three players will immediately come into contention for selection, especially with the lack of goals scored so far this season and the injuries to defensive stalwarts Con Blatsis and Arthur Tsonis.

In the case of Oliveira, he has already scored 3 goals in this season’s Vodafone Cup for the Frankston Pines, hence it is hoped that the he will be able to quickly acclimatize himself to South’s system of play and continue the good form he has shown in the league thus far.

A knee injury sustained in last week’s game against Sunshine will keep Arthur Tsonis out for the rest of the season with the colossal defender needing a knee reconstruction. James Stefanou will most likely take his place in the first 11 against the Magic.

Friday, 31 March 2006 12:15 PM

South Melbourne has moved swiftly to strengthen its playing squad obtaining the services of Western Australian natives Andreas Oliveira, Antonio Naglieri and Dino Djulbic.

Oliveira is a 25 year old striker who has scored almost 100 goals in the past 5 seasons for Perth S.C. in the Western Australian Premier League. Last season he finished a credible fifth in the competition’s player of the season award.

Oliveira began the current Vodafone Cup season at Frankston Pines where he has managed to score 3 goals in 5 games and will no doubt go a long way in bolstering South’s attacking stocks.

At 23 years of age Naglieri is considered a quality attacking midfielder with the ability to both score and create goals. Naglieri finished second in Perth’s best and fairest last season, a superb effort considering it was his first season in the colours of Perth S.C.

Naglieri has been signed with the view of providing more penetration from the centre of the park, allowing for Coach Anastasiadis to have greater flexibility in his midfield selection.

Finally, 21 year old Djulbic is a product of the Perth S.C. youth system. A defender who is very comfortable on the ball, Djulbic progressed from reserves action at the start of last season to a fully fledge member of the starting eleven by season’s end. With injuries to Con Blatsis and Arthur Tsonis, Djulbic will be looked upon to provide defensive cover.

Sunday, 26 March 2006 9:51 PM

By Michael Tsoukalis

A 10th minute close range header from Trent Waterson has proved enough to give the Sunshine Georgies a much needed 3 points and crown new Coach Joe Montemurro’s debut in the sweetest possible manner.

Montemurro was the South youth coach as recently as last week but switched allegiances after being handed his first senior coaching job at Premier League level.

South made only one change from their starting line-up against Essendon with veteran custodian Dean Anastasiadis returning between the uprights after overcoming an arm injury.

South lined up as follows, Dean Anastasiadis in goal defended by a back three consisting of Jonas Salley, Arthur Tsonis and Rama Tavasancioglu. In the centre of the park Tansel Baser played in the defensive midfield position with Scot MacNicol and Brazilian Fernando Moraes the more advanced midfielders. On the flanks, George Tzirtis and Vasilios Natsioulas played on the left and right respectively with both players instructed to drop back and defend their flank where appropriate. Up front, Captain Vaughn Coveny resumed his new found partnership with import striker Kevin Nelson.

Sunshine began strongly finding space down the left and producing a quality cross that recent signing Fidel Richards headed over from 12 or so yards.

A minute later Ivan Filipovic produced a decent strike from outside the box that failed to test Anastasiadis.

Ten minutes in and Sunshine were ahead after Richards found acres of space down the left flank and produced a quality ball into the heart of the South box. Up popped up an unmarked Trent Waterson who from 8 yards out sent an angled header comfortably past a hapless Anastasiadis who was left stranded by his defence.

Eighteen minutes had been played when South should’ve drawn level after intelligent play from Moraes saw the Brazilian play Nelson in behind the Georgies defence. With only Sunshine keeper Martin John to beat, Nelson took the ball towards his un-favored left foot, yet instead of striking with his left, the Trinidad and Tobago native tried to poke the ball past John with his right foot, seeing the Sunshine keeper save with his feet.

General play was slightly in South’s favor; however, Coach Anastasiadis’s charges were well below their best as Montemurro kept instructing his players to work hard and continue to soak up South’s attack.

Thirty-five minutes in and John produced a stunning save to deny South and Kiwi international Coveny an equalizer. South had won a free kick slightly on the left hand side, 25 yards out. Moraes stood over the ball and produced a neat lay off to Coveny who proceeded to unleash a brilliant low drive headed for the bottom left corner that John saved superbly at full stretch.

South continued to press and a hastily cleared corner in the 38th minute fell to Tavsancioglu who proceeded to unleash a volleyed attempt that caused havoc in the Georgies 6 yard box with the home side eventually clearing.

Just before half time, South produced their best opening of the half. A weaving run down the right by Moraes saw the Brazilian work his way into the Sunshine box and produce a perfect cutback for Nelson who from 6 yards out could only blaze his 42nd minute strike over when the goal was at his mercy.

South began the 2nd half in a positive manner. Fifty-one minutes had been played when Natsioulas produced a quality ball from the right. The ball fell to Coveny who did well to fashion a chance for himself, turning his marker sharply and producing a low drive that looked certain to level the tie only for John to produce another outstanding save down low.

Sunshine continued to soak up the pressure and largely relied on counter attacking play and individual efforts to threaten South’s goal. In the 57th minute Sunshine substitute John Cvetanovski connected well with a 20 yard effort that Anastasiadis did well to glove.

Six minutes later Sunshine striker Tony Neceski almost capitalized on a South defensive lapse, getting in behind the defence and almost managing to round Anastasiadis who was thankful that Neceski ran out of space with the ball going beyond the goal line and out for a goal kick.

South’s final decent opening arrived in the 65th minute after a good cross from the left fell to Nelson in the Sunshine box, who unfortunately for the visitors, produced a poor first touch, allowing for the Georgies defence to adjust their positioning and block his eventual effort.

The final 20 minutes saw the visitors drop their overall performance. Sunshine were happy to soak up the play whilst South seemed to lack a leader who could fashion something to galvanize the team.

The Georgies almost capitalized on South’s seemingly uninspired play when Richards broke down the left in the 87th minute and sent a deep cross into the South box that was met by the intelligent late run of Waterson who produced a looping header that had Anastasiadis scurrying, only for the effort to nestle on the top of the net.

Friday, 24 March 2006 10:22 PM

By Michael Tsoukalis

After a week hiatus due to the Commonwealth games making Bob Jane Stadium unavailable, South Melbourne return to Vodafone Cup action against a Sunshine Georgies outfit in desperate need of 3 points.

The Georgies have recorded only one win in their opening six encounters and find themselves in the relegation zone on a meager three points.

Adding further intrigue to the encounter is the appointment of former South youth coach Joe Montemurro as the new head coach of the Georgies. Montemurro replaces Chris Taylor who paid dearly for Sunshine’s poor start to the season.

In the Georgies camp, midfielder Tony Neceski is an experienced campaigner with the ability to score goals. Neceski has netted three times so far this season with his contribution having to be well managed if South is to take control of the midfield battle.

In goalkeeper Martin John the Georgies posses one of the league’s best shot-stoppers. John has had vast experienced playing at the highest level in the NSL and provides an intimidating final barrier.

Defensively, Colin Azzopardi brings some much needed experience with youngster Emanuel Muscat given the Captain’s armband after barely a season under his belt at Premier League level.

The Georgies have also added two British players to their ranks in recent times. The first, Fidel Richards, has moved from Heidelberg after spending last season at Richmond. Richards was on the bench when South played the Bergers in the opening round of the season. The second acquisition is a 21-year old English striker by the name of Mark Draycott. Draycott has played second division football in the U.S. and represented the Republic of Ireland at Under 15 level. He possesses a tallish frame and will provide the Georgies with a target man up front.

Conversely, coming off a week’s break South will be looking for the three points to cement their spot in the top 6. John Anastasiadis’s men were particularly impressive in the first 20 minutes against Essendon but lost their way after conceding against the run of play. Anastasiadis will be looking for a consistent performance throughout the entire 90 minutes.

On the injury front, midfielder George Tzirtis may miss after coming off against Essendon with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. His and the long-term injury of Con Blatsis aside, coach Anastasiadis has a near full list of players to choose from with his brother and veteran custodian Dean Anastasiadis expected to return after resting his arm injury over the past two weeks.

South’s major concern remains its ability to score goals. With only 6 goals in 5 games, the same problem that plagued the team last season has resurfaced this campaign. However, with captain Vaughn Coveny back from his A-League stint, it is hoped that the Kiwi marksman can form a good understanding with strike partner Kevin Nelson and bring the much needed goal supply to Lakeside.