Category: News

South Melbourne FC would like to congratulate and farewell defender Chelsea Blissett, who has secured a full scholarship at the Future Matildas program in Sydney.

Chelsea started playing football at the age of seven in Albury Wodonga where she grew up. She played in the local leagues against boys and had the opportunity to represent the Country NSW team at the National Football Championships on multiple occasions. To progress her football career she made the move to Sydney for an eighteen month period playing with Blacktown Spartans and Marconi Stallions.

In mid-2017 South’s then Under 18s coach Daniel Foden reached out to Chelsea to see if coming to Melbourne and playing at South was something she was interested in. With her family and home town of Albury being closer to Melbourne than Sydney, Blissett reflects back on it being the perfect opportunity and one of the best decisions she’s ever made.

Chelsea’s move to Melbourne was one of those fairytale scenarios and one she considered a big gamble as well. She relocated to Melbourne without a lot of plans in place, she had a football club at South Melbourne but no school and not much else. Blissett was thrown straight into the action at the club, lining up for the Under 18s team on Lakeside Stadium for her first time wearing the royal blue assisting in a 3-2 win over Calder United. A week later, she returned to Lakeside playing in the Under 18s before backing it up immediately after to come off the bench in the 81st minute to make her Senior debut.

Blissett finished off Year 11 living in Point Cook and with the full support of the club she obtained a scholarship to Firbank Grammar for the final year of her schooling. That year in 2018 would be a whirlwind adventure as she was signed to the Senior squad and would play a full season in the top tier of Victorian football. The training and match exposure throughout the year would see her alongside current and former Matildas including Lisa De Vanna and Ella Mastrantonio and experienced W-League players such as Tiffany Eliadis and Alex Gummer.

The tenacity and determination was on show by Blissett and the squad went on an undefeated run of seventeen matches to claw their way back to the top of the League table and secure the Premiership with a win in the last round of the season. Whilst a Grand Final loss at AAMI Park was a bitter pill to swallow, it wouldn’t be long before Blissett was back on the turf at the big stage. Her performances throughout the year had caught the eyes of Melbourne City and her efforts rewarded with a contract for their 2018-2019 season. She made six appearances for City during the season, four of them starting, including her debut in Round 1 against Canberra United.

Blissett was a regular feature at SMFC during the off-season, supporting the young girls throughout their spring training program. She regularly attended and participated in training seasons and handed out jerseys at presentation night to welcome newcomers to the club. By February she was back in training at Albert Park ready for Round 1 against Southern United, where she scored her first goal of the 2019 campaign in a solid win for the team.

Mixed results would be recorded in the first few rounds of this season. Blissett missed the match against the Senior NTC as she had been flown to Sydney to meet with the technical and coaching staff at Football Federation Australia and talk about the Young Matildas, the opportunities offered as a part of that team and their upcoming journey to qualify for the 2019 AFC U-19 Women’s Championship in Thailand.

A footballer’s journey is never static so the time has come for Blissett to pack the bags and make the move yet again, this time however it’s back to somewhat familiar surroundings in Sydney. Chelsea has reached another height in her young career, having been offered a full scholarship as part of the Young Matildas program. Living in Sydney, the program will represent a full-time professional football environment training twice a day.

Wednesday night’s 1-1 draw against Alamein FC therefore was an emotional occasion and represented the last time Blissett would represent SMFC for now. Today (Saturday) she is flying back to Sydney for a Young Matildas training session and an overnight stay before returning to Melbourne to pack up for good. A road trip home to Albury to see family and then to round out the week it’s a drive on to Sydney to embark on the latest episode in the footballing career of Chelsea Blissett.

The club is proud to have played a role in helping develop, guide and mentor Chelsea both on and off the field. We wish her the best for the next stage in her footballing life and we know we will see her back at Lakeside in some capacity in the future as she will always be a part of the SMFC family.

South Melbourne FC was left frustrated by a resolute ten man Kingston City on Monday night, going down 1-0 in a tight encounter at the Grange Reserve.

Kingston, who conceded late equaliser last week, started on the front foot and capitalized on their first chance of the game in the 7^th minute. Damian Iaconis cut in off the left wing a placed a low, curling shot into the bottom right corner.

South worked into the game as the half wore on and came within inches of scoring 28 minutes, when Marcus Schroen released Billy Konstantinidis, but the imposing striker’s shot was palmed wide.

After being 1-0 down at the break, South came out with far more urgency in the second half. The major talking point of the game came in the 59^th when Alex Caniglia cynically brought down Pep Marafioti to receive his second yellow card.

The ten men of Kingston defended admirably, but South finally started to penetrate in the latter stages of the half and created a glut of chances in the last fifteen minutes.

The breakthrough almost came in 79^th minute when Billy Konstantinidis was slipped through but crashed his shot against the cross-bar.

After several other narrow misses, the stage was set for a last gasp equaliser and Marcus Schroen was agonizingly close to being the hero.

The attacking midfielder had two close-range headers incredibly saved deep into stoppage time as ultimately it wasn’t to be South’s night.

The 1-0 loss sees South slide to 9^th before a must win Friday night clash away to Pascoe Vale, Kingston meanwhile rise to 10^th.

South Melbourne’s string of away games continues in round five, as they look to get back to winning ways against local rivals Kingston City FC.

The visit to the Grange Reserve comes off the back of a disappointing week for South, with last week’s loss to Avondale having broken the momentum of back to back wins.

Despite the loss, South sits in 8^th on the table and have shown plenty to suggest that 2019 will be a positive season.

The attacking unit, in particular, is looking cohesive, with both Marcus Schroen and Gerrie Sylaidis showing promise in the playmaker role while there is a constant threat down the wings through Nick Krousoratis and Pep Marafioti.

South’s opponents for this week, Kingston City, sit in 13^th after four rounds of football. Kingston is yet to pick up a win so far but has made a strong account of themselves in the opening rounds. Nick Tolios’ men were cruelly denied the three points last week, conceding an 89th-minute goal at home to Oakleigh.

Since Kingston’s promotion in 2016, the meetings have been fairly even. The teams split the points last season, with South winning 2-0 at the Grange Reserve before an Alex Caniglia double helped Kingston gain revenge by beating South 4-1 at Lakeside.

A huge three points will be up for grabs on Monday night; Kingston will be hungry to get their first win of the season while South is aiming to prove that last week’s result was an anomaly.

Thanks to Football Victoria’s game-changing new broadcasting deal, ALL senior NPL games will be broadcast and streamed LIVE. If you are unable to support the team in person, more information about how to watch can be found here.

South Melbourne FC will be searching for back to back wins this Sunday as they travel to Knox to face Senior NTC. The NPL Women’s league has seen some wildly lopsided results so far and the two teams will go into battle on the back of  vastly differing form.

South currently sit third on the table after beating fellow contenders Bulleen 1-0 last week and also recorded an incredible 11-0 victory over Southern United in the opening round. The only loss for South came in a difficult round two fixture away to league leaders Calder.

Coach Mick Gallo will be proud of the even goal spread from his team with Chelsea Blissett, Cindy Lay, Emily Rayment and Erin Hudson all having chipped in with two goals each to start the season.

Senior NTC, on the other hand, is coming off a brutal 12-0 loss to Calder United and are yet to get off the mark in 2019. The team sits in ninth and will be keen to bounce back from the heavy defeat.

The game will have huge implications at both ends of the table, with South looking to keep up with the league leaders, please come along to support the women in what should be an exciting game.

Thanks to Football Victoria’s game-changing new broadcasting deal, ALL senior NPL games will be broadcast and streamed LIVE. If you are unable to support the team in person, more information about how to watch can be found here.

Match details
Senior NTC vs South Melbourne FC
Sunday 17 March @ Knox Regional Football Center (Pitch 1)
Kick-off 1.15pm

Last time we met

Senior Women return to winning form

South Melbourne FC’s senior women returned to winning form with a significant victory over FC Bulleen Lions on Monday evening.

A sizeable crowd ventured to the Veneto Club in what was a replay of the NPLW Victoria 2018 Grand Final. Looking to reverse the result not just of that fixture but also the previous weekend’s loss to Calder United, the girls went into the match with a renewed focus on team structure.

Coach Mick Gallo made a number of changes to the squad including Natalie Martineau being an omission due to injury and new club signing Adriana Jones making her debut.

The match itself was very evenly poised between the squads with both teams having opportunities to score. Goalkeeper and Player of the Week Erin Hudson came up with some amazing saves to prevent Bulleen from going ahead. It took until the last fifteen minutes for the game to really open up. As both teams moved more fluidly on the counter attack, space opened up and South was the one to capaitalise.

Breaking through the midfield, Sofia Sakalis slid the ball through the back four to allow Kelsey Minton to make a run down the right flank and deep into the area. Drawing the two defenders, she cut the ball back to Sarah Richardson, who with a sly side-foot centred the ball back to Sakalis. Finishing what she started, Sofia’s left foot buried the ball into the back of the net to give South a 1-0 lead in the 82nd minute.

That score would remain as South recorded a second win of the season, positioning themselves in third place on the NPLW ladder.

The team travels to the Knox Regional Football Centre on Sunday to face the Senior NTC. This fixture marks the start of a very busy seven days for the team, which will feature three matches. After the Senior NTC they are back at Knox on Wednesday night to play Alamein and then travel to Stead Park next Saturday to take on Geelong Galaxy United.

FINAL SCORE: BULLEEN LIONS 0-1 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-0)

Goal:
0-1: Sofia Sakalis (82′)

Bulleen Lions:
1. E Shields (GK), 2. T Sernio (9. L Privitelli 74′), 6. C Friend, 7. C Ferreyra Bas (16. K Zafiridis 86′), 8. A Natoli, 11. M Camilleri, 14. K Hall, 17. F Iermano, 18. S Cain, 20. K Morrison, 22. E Dolzan
Unused Substitutes: 12. L Iaconis, 13. H Richardson, 24. K Fotopoulos
Yellow Cards: Nil

South Melbourne:
1. Erin Hudson (GK), 5. Aimee Medwin, 6. Cindy Lay (2. Leah Scroggie 89′), 7. Chelsea Blisset, 8. Sofia Sakalis, 9. Kelsey Minton (4. Emily Rayment 95′), 10. Adriana Jones (38. Giulia Mazzeo 69′), 11. Jamie Pollock, 17. Alex Gummer, 30. Leia Varley, 24. Skye Jensen (3. Sarah Richardson 59′)
Unused Substitutes: 18. Kelsey Quinn.
Yellow Cards: Nil

South Melbourne’s winning run came to a sudden halt on Saturday, with a disappointing result away to Avondale FC.

Avondale, who had won the previous five fixtures against South, got off to a strong start, scoring the opener just three minutes in. After South cleared the initial corner, the ball was whipped back into the box for Yitay Towns to score with a looping header.

South’s response to falling behind early was brilliant, with the players pushing forward and carving out several good opportunities.

Nick Krousoratis once again looked threatening and fired narrowly wide from the edge of the box in the 6^th minute. Shortly after, in the 16^th, Marcus Schroen played a stunning pass into the stride of Pep Marafioti, but once again, he fired just wide of the post.

As the half wore on, Avondale midfielder Tasuku Sekiya stood out as the danger man. The Japanese playmaker began to exert his class into the game and looked a constant threat.

The match was put to bed with a quick one-two punch before half time.\

In the 31^st minute Stefan Zinni cut in from the left wing and fired low past Nikola Roganovic, then, just minutes later in the 34^th, Liam Boland headed home from a set piece.

Despite being down 3-0 at the half, South Melbourne started positively in the second stanza. George Howard had a great opportunity to pull one back just 15 seconds into the half, but his header was well saved by the keeper.

Marafioti and Howard combined several times to trouble the Avondale defence but, in the end, the breakthrough eluded South.

Avondale managed to find their fourth and final goal in the 62^nd minute when Zinni cut in off the left wing to draw a penalty from South’s centre back. Despite Jake Marshall standing his ground, the winger made the most of the contact, which allowed Liam Boland to score his second from the penalty spot.

Overall a disappointing result for South, who slip to 8^th. The team continues on the road next week and will be eager to bounce back in the Monday night clash against Kingston City.

South Melbourne FC hit the road for the third time in four weeks this Saturday, with a mouth-watering Saturday afternoon fixture against Avondale FC

Avondale narrowly lost last year’s final to Heidelberg and look like genuine title contenders again in 2019. The ‘Avengers’ have come out of the blocks, emphatically winning their first three games to sit equal top of the table.

Similarly, South have started the season strongly by redeeming their opening day loss with back to back victories over Dandenong City and Port Melbourne. The triumph away to Port was particularly inspirational, with South claiming the derby day points in the dying stages of the game.

Both teams will go into the game high on confidence but Con Tangalakis will be wary of the recent contests between the sides. Avondale has won the last five meetings between the teams and prevailed 6-2 in the reverse fixture last season.

Although recent fixtures don’t read well, history will count for nothing on Saturday. South’s new look squad looks to have already formed a tight bond and performances will give fans optimism about the season ahead.

The game will have huge implications at the top of the table, South Melbourne FC urges fans to get out in force and support the squad!

Thanks to Football Victoria’s game-changing new broadcasting deal, ALL senior NPL games will be broadcast and streamed LIVE. If you are unable to support the team in person, more information about how to watch can be found here.

FORM GUIDE

SMFC

Port Melbourne    1-2    South Melbourne
South Melbourne 1-0    Dandenong City
Bentleigh                3-1     South Melbourne

AVONDALE

Avondale FC        2-1    Kingston City
Avondale FC        1-0    Port Melbourne
Dandenong City  1-4    Avondale FC

Match details
Avondale FC vs South Melbourne FC
Saturday 9 March @ Avenger Park (476 Brunswick Rd, Parkville)
Kick-off 3.15pm

Daniel Girardi appointed as SMFC Technical Director

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel Girardi as the club Technical Director.

Girardi joined the club in October 2018 as Sporting Director to lead the youth program under the guidance of Head of Football Development, Michael Valkanis. Daniel will continue in this capacity and he now takes on the Technical Director role for our boys.

Daniel started playing at a young age in the juniors at Adelaide Blue Eagles where he rose through the ranks to feature in the the clubs senior team. He maintained his links to the club after his playing days serving as the Youth Technical Director for a number of years.

The AFC B Licence holder was recognised for his football knowledge, accumen and technical capability joining former South Melbourne player and Socceroo Michael Valkanis at Adelaide United FC. At the time Valkanis was the Head Coach of the youth program at United and Girardi worked for three years as Scout and Assistant Coach. The youth program under Valkanis at United has be acknowledged as one of the most productive in Australia in recent years with some twenty-seven players having gone through the program and progressed to senior A-League football.

Football Director Andrew Mesourouni spoke to smfc.com.au saying “I am pleased to be able to announce Daniel as our Technical Director. Daniel is implementing a new approach to our youth development program with Michael Valkanis and together they are leading the club in a new direction to facilitate the latest evolution of us producing the country’s next crop of talented players.”

Girardi replaces outgoing Technical Director Strati Xynas who, after serving the club for three years, resigned in December 2018 to pursue his football career overseas. We wish Strati the best with his future endeavours and welcome Daniel to the role.