Category: News

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.

Saturday, 11 March 2006 1:35 AM

By Michael Tsoukalis

South Melbourne has come away with a disappointing 1-1 draw away to Essendon after a free-flowing and pulsating encounter at the Veneto Club saw the visitors miss a host of chances whilst appearing extremely vulnerable on the counter.

On loan from Perth Glory, Solomon Islands international Henry Fa’Arodo scored a brilliant individual goal in the 21st minute totally against the run of play after South had played its best football of the season in the first 20 minutes.

South winger George Tzirtis managed to level just after the break, but extended periods of pressure from South could not yield a decisive goal with the Royals unlucky not to score themselves on a couple of occasions.

Club captain Vaughn Coveny returned after his A-League stint, bolstering the South frontline and commencing his eagerly anticipated partnership with Kevin Nelson.

The South starting eleven read as follows, Con Dimitropoulos started in goal after veteran custodian Dean Anastasiadis succumbed to an arm injury. The central defensive pairing saw Arthur Tsonis link-up with Ivory Coast native Jonas Salley with Rama Tavsancioglu and Vasilios Natsioulas playing in the left and right wingback positions respectively. In the centre of the park Scot MacNicol and Tansel Baser played in the attacking and defensive midfield positions whilst George Tzirtis and Fernando Moraes were deployed on the left and right flanks. Up-front Trinidad and Tobago import Kevin Nelson partnered South Captain and Kiwi international Vaughn Coveny.

South began the game playing superb free-flowing football and it wasn’t long before the chances started to arrive. In the 4th minute Coveny’s shot from just outside the box was easily saved by the Essendon keeper.

Four minutes later and a superb through ball by Baser was latched onto by Nelson who took a touch and unleashed a powerful drive that sailed narrowly wide.

Then in the 10th minute some excellent work down the left flank saw MacNicol produce a quality back-post cross that for a few inches would’ve found Nelson all alone and unmarked. At full stretch Nelson failed to get his boot onto it.

South’s opening 20 minute avalanche continued, this time Brazilian Moraes unleashed a thunderous 14th minute drive that the Royals’ keeper did well to parry. Fernando was at it again in the 20th minute after a powerful and swerving strike couldn’t be held by the keeper. The ball fell to Nelson who from a tight angle on the right whipped the ball across the face of goal, the ball was quickly played back into the heart of the Royal’s defence seeing an unmarked Moraes, from 5 yeards out, failing to direct his header either side of the keeper with the Essendon keeper gloving thankfully when he should’ve been retrieving the ball from the back of the net.

South paid dearly for their lack of productivity in front of goal when Fa’Arodo turned Salley inside out, threw a shot-fake which drew Dimitropoulos out of his goal area and left the Soloman Islands international with an empty net to power the ball into. Fa’Arodo made no mistake with his 21st minute strike immediately deflating South’s confidence.

South nearly leveled in the 33rd minute after a Moraes free kick from the left-hand side fell to Salley on the back-post who rushed his strike and blazed over.

Fa’Arodo however continued to be Essendon’s main attacking threat, this time the diminutive striker used his immense speed to create some space for himself down the left, producing a quality ball into the heart of the South area that found an unmarked team-mate who fortunately for the visitors, failed to make decent contact with his glancing header with the ball trickling just wide.

South best chance of the half came in injury time after a free kick from the right by Moraes expertly picked out an unmarked Coveny 8 yards out. The Kiwi international rose and sent an angled header crashing against the crossbar with the goal at his mercy.

The visitors needed to respond early in the 2nd half and managed to do so via George Tzirtis. The super fit midfield/winger timed his run superbly, latching onto a 49th minute ball from the right that evaded the Essendon defence and fell to the ex-Frankston player who one-on-one with the Royals’ keeper, calmly slotted through the keeper’s legs to level proceedings.

Two minutes later and South nearly went ahead after a quality ball from the left by Moraes found Coveny’s deep run down the right side of the Essendon box with the South skipper sending his volleyed effort narrowly wide.

Essendon had been playing on the counter all night and wasted two guilt edge chances in the 58th minute. First a glorious run down the right saw an Essendon player nutmeg Tzirtis and enter the box in a dangerous crossing position, only to see his subsequent low cross pass through a sea of legs with the ball eventually being scrambled off the line by the South defence only for the assistant referee to flag offside. A moment later an Essendon attack down the left saw a great cross find an unmarked Royals’ player 6 yards out with the subsequent header straight at Dimitropoulos who no doubt breathed a sigh of relief.

In the 65th minute Fa’Arodo once again caused problems for South after cutting in from the right and producing a quality strike that Dimitropoulos did well to parry away.

South could’ve snatched all three points in the 79th minute when the once again excellent Moraes slotted Nelson in down the left only to see Nelson’s angled drive fail to test the keeper.

Essendon almost took maximum points 8 minutes from time after a low cross from the right was flicked on towards goal with Dimitropoulos showing excellent reflexes to stick an arm out and deflect away.

Wednesday, 8 March 2006 3:35 PM

By Michael Tsoukalis

The Vodafone Cup resumes this Friday night when South Melbourne make the short trek to the Veneto Club to face Luciano Trani’s Essendon Royals.

The Royals find themselves amongst a group of four teams on the edge of the top six and must win against South to sustain pressure on the teams above them or risk falling two games behind.

The Royals have lost key personnel in the off-season with 2005 Vodafone Cup top-scorer Michael Curcija moving to Kingston with his ex-South team-mate Steve Iosifidis also following in his footsteps.

Essendon have had an inconsistent start to the season. A first round 2-3 loss to newly promoted Richmond was followed with a solid 1-1 draw against the rampant Melbourne Knights with a 1-0 win against the Sunshine Georgies in round 3 their first win of the season.

However, just as momentum was building a 3-2 round 4 loss to Altona Magic has left Trani’s men with some ground to make up.

Midfielder Leonardo Catalano is the club’s top-scorer with two goals from the first 4 games and is looking like Essendon’s midfield enforcer.

The Royals have two experienced defenders in Serdar Pir and Nathan Thomas whilst pre-season recruit David Pilic brings NSL experience (Brisbane Strikers) to the Royals’ midfield.

Conversely, after performing a last minute snatch-and-grab against Preston, South Melbourne will be looking towards consolidating a position in the top 6 as well as applying pressure to the top 3 with a win on Friday.

Coach John Anastasiadis will have some interesting selection headaches to overcome after youngsters Gianni De Nittis and Vasilios Natsioulas produced outstanding displays to help South overcome their eternal rivals. De Nittis of course hit a stunning injury time winner from outside the box whilst Natsioulas sparked a lackluster South with his 60th minute introduction providing width, flair and imagination down the right flank.

With Captain Vaughn Coveny agreeing a new one year deal with the Lakeside outfit, it will be interesting to see whether De Nittis can manage to hold onto his starting role.

Furthermore, with Natsioulas impressing greatly against Preston, the ex-Melbourne Knights winger is knocking on the door for first eleven inclusion.

Finally, veteran custodian Dean Anastasiadis is likely to miss after succumbing to an injury that was aggravated against Preston giving a chance to reserve keeper Con Dimitropoulos.

Wednesday, 1 March 2006 4:39 PM

The South Melbourne Football Club would like to announce that the winner of the 2006 Signed Guernsey Promotion is Mr. Ian Syson of Carlton North.

The promotion which involved all members signed up before December 31st 2005 was drawn on Sunday, with Mr. Syson the lucky member to receive the shirt.

Mr. Syson purchased a “South Gold” membership in December and was elated to find out that he had won such a fantastic prize signed by his heroes.

If you wish to purchase your membership for season 2006 it is not too late as memberships are still on sale through the club.

For further information please call the club during business hours on (03) 9645 9797.

Monday, 27 February 2006 5:01 PM

By George Kouroumalis

South Melbourne yesterday avenged the demons of one week ago at Kingston to capture an unthinkable last minute win against old foe Preston Lions in front of in excess of 2000 people at Bob Jane Stadium.

Despite the members only restriction placed upon fans of both sides, the atmosphere inside the stadium was electric, with South fans showing colour and excitement of the upcoming derby.

South went into the game with a changed lineup, where Con Blatsis was ruled out through injury and pocket rocket Peter Koutsoupias being dropped by coach John Anastasiadis.

Replacing them was George Tzirtis and young striker Gianni De Nittis, who was looking to assert himself at this level, as well as provide adequate support to Trinidad and Tobago international Kevin Nelson.
Fan favourite Billy Natsioulas also made his comeback to the senior side after a long struggle with illness, starting on the bench.

The first half saw a fairly scrappy game of football take place, with perhaps the nerves associated with a derby match affecting the players of both teams.

It wasn’t until midway through the half where the Moraes and the South midfield began to control the game.

The 35th minute provided the game with the first genuine chance, where the above mentioned Moraes having his attempt saved by Preston keeper Gruevski.

As it looked almost certain that the sides would go into the half time break tied, Preston managed to score only minutes before the interval.
Preston midfielder Pece Silveski cross seemed to have caused confusion in the South defense with international sensation Jonas Salley putting the ball into his own net.

This sent the small pocket of Preston fans into the ground into raptures as another unlikely victory at Bob Jane Stadium was on the cards.

The second half however started in a similar manner to the first half with South dominating possession and Preston being content to sit back and repel any attack that came their way.

In the 59th minute, Billy Natsioulas was given a chance to inject some pace and life into the South lineup replacing Evan Karavitis on the right.

With Natsioulas, Baser and Moraes controlling the game, South were bombarding the Preston area in search for a much needed equaliser.
It wasn’t until the 64th minute that South was given a lifeline by referee Damir Basic, who pointed to the penalty spot after George Tzirtis was brought down in the area by Preston defender Harris Vrbovac.

Moraes then had the poise and class to send the Preston keeper the wrong way and get his side back to level terms.
As a draw looked almost certain ex-South player Anthony Magnacca took it on himself to grab all three points from his old club, with his 91st minute shot only going centimeters wide of the target.

From the restart South went up the field and an inviting ball fell for youngster Gianni De Nittis just outside the area.

De Nittis calmly hit a long drive wide of keeper Gruevski and into the back of the net sending the blue and white army and the boys in the Clarendon Corner into frenzy as the goal secured victory against its old foe.

Two minutes later though Preston had the last chance to grab something from the game, with midfielder and another ex-South player in Yianni Galanos hitting a shot close once again just wide of the target.
From the resulting restart the game was over with South managing to hold onto an amazing victory.

In winning the contest South Melbourne FC also managed to claim the inaugural “Harmony Cup” played between the sides.
Both teams now have a two week break as the Victorian State Team travels China.

South Melbourne FC 2 (Moraes, De Nittis)
Preston Lions FC 1 (Salley OG)

Crowd: Approx 2000

Friday, 24 February 2006 12:20 AM

By Michael Tsoukalis

This Sunday South Melbourne return to Bob Jane Stadium looking to get their season back on track after last week’s disappointing 3-0 loss away to Kingston City.

South come up against eternal rivals the Preston Lions with both teams having much to play for with the Vlado Vanis coached Lions in an uncharacteristic 2nd last position, having picked up only 1 point from their opening three fixtures.

Conversely, South will be looking to make amends for a below par performance against Kingston whereby loose marking and individual errors were punished severely by the Kingston frontline.

The Lions possess a group of quality players that would trouble any Vodafone Cup side. In particular, Vodafone Cup 2005 player-of-the-year Anthony Magnacca, an ex-South Melbourne player at one point, must be given close attention. Magnacca has the ability to glide past players with ease as well as being able to score goals and will have to play well if Preston is to snatch a positive result.

Furthermore, youngsters Serkan Oksuz and Steven Pace both have NSL experience and have matured into quality Premier League players, whilst veteran defender Les Anastasiou continues to marshal the defence.

However, question marks remain over whether the Lions can replace prolific marksman John Sapazovski who moved to Fawkner in the off-season. The Lions have always been able to rely on a return of 10 or so goals per season from their ex-frontman with their season no doubt hinging on finding an adequate replacement.

Results wise the Lions have started the season very shakily with comprehensive defeats against the Melbourne Knights (1-3) and the Sunshine Georgies (4-1) rightfully raising question marks over their defence.

Conversely, South coach John Anastasiadis may make some changes after seeing his team dominate possession against Kingston but fail, time-and-time again to make effective use of the ball.

Furthermore, with both Con Blatsis and Kevin Nelson picking up injuries against Kingston, coach Anastasiadis may have his hand forced with the likes of Vasilios Natsioulas and Gianni De Nittis pushing for greater influence.

Anastasiadis will also be looking for better organization from his defence; a strong point of last season and in the opening two games of the current campaign, against Kingston the South defence was exposed making uncharacteristic mistakes and as a result was rightfully punished.

Finally, South Captain Vaughn Coveny has finished his A-League stint with Newcastle but is likely to miss due to commitments with the New Zealand national team. However, Coveny should be at South’s disposal in the coming weeks.

Thursday, 23 February 2006 11:56 PM

The Under 17 Australian squad for the World Cup Qualifiers selected by Ange Postecoglou contains two South Melbourne Juniors that have been drafted into the Victorian Institute Of Sport.

Paul Giannou was developed by the club from the Under 11s and was selected by the VIS upon the completion of his U14 2004 Super League season for SMFC. Paul currently stands at 194cm tall at 15 years of age and has already been trialling with Melbourne Victory. He is an exiting midfielder of the Zinedene mould.

The second player from the South Melbourne Junior structure to make the Australian Under 17 team is Milos Lujic, the son of Footscray JUST legend Zdravko Lujic and part of the SMFC U15 2005 Super League team. He is a tall and skilful striker that is very powerful in the air.

The boys will travel to Laos as Australia is drawn to play Indonesia and Laos and must win the group to progress to the later stages of the Asian qualifiers in Singapore in September. Four Asian nations will qualify for the Under 17 World Cup in South Korea in 2007.

South Melbourne FC wishes the team all the best success and is proud to again be a contributor to the future of football in Australia.

Thursday, 23 February 2006 3:45 PM

South Melbourne FC and Preston Lions FC have worked together to organise the inaugural game for ‘The Harmony Cup’. The first leg will be played on this Sunday, 26th February at Bob Jane Stadium and the return leg will be played at O’Connor Reserve in round two of the Vodafone Cup.

South Melbourne FC President, Greg Kaias proudly supported the initiative.

“I would like to thank my Board for initiating this event and I congratulate Preston Lions FC for welcoming our suggestion. South Melbourne is one of the biggest Club’s in Australian Football history and it is very important that the South Melbourne moves foward and starts to build bridges with other parties.

“In modern day Australia, there is no room for politics in sport. This is not a new concept. It is as old as the Olympics. We want the fans that come to Bob Jane, to support their Club with passion but also to be respectful of everyone else involved.”

With the assistance of Football Federation Victoria and the close cooperation of The Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC), the two Clubs have organised to play the game wearing orange armbands, which are a symbol of harmony. The VMC will present the Harmony Cup to the victorious team. In the case of a draw, both captains will be presented the Harmony Cup.

Children of more recently arrived immigrants fom the Horn Of Africa will be play a curtain raiser. Just as South Melbourne has been a cultural melting pot for so many migrant communities over the years, it is fitting that these children are involved and given the opportunity to pursue the spirit and ideals of sportmanship on the grand stage of Bob Jane Stadium.

South Melbourne boasts a playing list that is representative of multicultural Australia and wishes to extend a welcoming spirit to Melbourne’s football fraternity.

Mr Kaias expressed his optimism for the event. “I would like to think that the public will see that our Club’s are run by good hardworking volunteers that care for the sport. If South wants to be part of the A-League in the future we must show leadership to resolve bad behaviour of the past.”

Saturday, 18 February 2006 12:47 AM

By Michael Tsoukalis

A clinical Kingston City has ended South Melbourne’s perfect start to the 2006 Vodafone Cup season with a resounding 3-0 win at Grange Reserve.

Two goals from close range in the first half by Joe Spiteri and Joey Di Iorio broke the visitors’ spirit with Spiteri putting the icing on the cake with a late third.

South coach John Anastasiadis chose to change his lineup from last week, dropping Arthur Tsirtsakis from midfield and handing a start to Peter Koutsoupias.

Tsirtsakis’s demotion meant that South played the game with a clear 4-4-2. Dean Anastasiadis was once again in goals with the back four unchanged. Arthur Tsonis partnered Con Blatsis in the heart of the defence with Rama Tavsancioglu and Ivory Coast native Jonas Salley playing left and right back respectively.

In the centre of the park Tansel Baser and Scot MacNicol played in the defensive and attacking midfield roles whilst Brazilian Fernando Moraes and youngster Evan Karavitis where planted on the left and right flanks.

Up-front Peter Koutsoupias and Trinidad and Tobago excitement machine Kevin Nelson formed South’s attacking frontline.

The game had barely begun when Kingston got off to a dream start. South conceded a dangerous free-kick just outside their box with Kingston’s Jim Latinopoulos producing a quality strike headed for the bottom left corner. Anastasiadis managed to get a glove to it but failed to parry it away with the ball falling to ex-Melbourne Knights front-man Joe Spiteri who from 6 yards out made no mistake, smashing the ball into an empty net to hand Kingston the lead in the 2nd minute.

South where stung into action and began dominating general play. Five minutes in Kingston custodian Michael Turnbull failed to glove a 25 yard effort from Fernando with Koutsoupias failing to anticipate the rebound, allowing the Kingston defence to clear for a corner.

Then in the 9th minute a South throw in was pounced on by Nelson who turned and unleashed a stinging drive from outside the box that Turnbull did well to save for a corner.

South should’ve equalized in the 26th minute after a quality cross from the right by Karavitis saw Turnbull misjudge the flight of the ball and fail to glove or punch it away. The ball fell to Baser who nodded towards goal finding Nelson who from 2 yards out seemed to head the ball away as if he was defending as opposed to nodding home, when the latter appeared the easier task.

South were then dealt a major blow when inspirational defender Con Blatsis went off with an injury. After receiving treatment the South colossus couldn’t return with George Tzirtis taking his place.

Thirty-four minutes in and Kingston scored the goal that broke South’s back. Against the run of play a corner from the right-hand side wasn’t convincingly cleared by South with the ball eventually falling to unmarked ex-Werder Bremen youth player Joey Di Iorio who from 8 or so yards out smashed it past Anastasiadis.

Tzirtis almost replied immediately after he unleashed a spectacular 30 yard effort that was destined for the top right-hand corner, only for the long reach of Turnbull to scurry back and glove at the second attempt.

South began the 2nd half with young-gun Gianni De Nittis replacing Kevin Nelson. Nelson had certainly been livelier than his strike partner Koutsoupias, so perhaps the substitution was injury related.

The visitors where out of the blocks immediately when a good chance in the 47th minute fell to MacNicol who had a decent ball played into his feet, but unfortunately, his less favoured left foot saw his shot from just outside the box sail way wide.

Spiteri then nearly wrapped up proceedings when he worked a decent angle for himself in the 51st minute only for his strike to trickle narrowly past the left-hand upright.

Fifty-nine minutes in and Tzirtis again nearly scored with a rocket-like effort, this time the busy South midfielder saw his drive from just outside the Kingston box smash into an unknowing defender in the 6-yard area with goalkeeper Turnbull well beaten.

Kingston had caught the eye all night with their counter-attacking football and it was on the counter in the 63rd minute that Kingston nearly got a third. The “Reds” as they like to be called broke down the right with a quality ball supplied into the heart of the South box. Ex-South striker Michael Curcija found himself un-marked and with a relatively simply header, however, Curcija couldn’t direct his effort either side of Anastasiadis with the South keeper comfortably gloving.

The game continued with South dominating possession but failing to produce a telling final ball to create a decent opening with Kingston’s experienced defence comfortably absorbing any threat.

Kingston then wrapped up proceedings when a seemingly harmless searching ball into the edge of the South box in the 81st minute saw Spiteri easily outmuscle Salley and then proceed to intelligently beat Anastasiadis on his near post with a side-footed effort.

It was a goal which summarized South performance, a game in which they dominated possession but lacked any real cutting edge with Kingston showing their quality by punishing three costly mistakes.