Category: News

Friday, 12 March 2004 12:00 AM

Access to Bob Jane Stadium has returned to normal after this year’s Grand Prix. Patrons will have full access to the car park and can enter Albert Park via any drive. Please note however that due to an expected large crowd, patrons are reminded that arriving to the ground early will ensure ease of entry.

There will be plenty of pre game entertainment with a curtain raiser between South Melbourne Youth and traditional rivals, Heidelberg United as well as a special presentation to Paul Trimboli and a farewell to retiring legend Mehmet Durakovic.

Kickoff is at 7:00pm with the curtain raiser starting at 3:30pm.

Friday, 12 March 2004 12:00 AM

By Michael Tsoukalis

Buoyed by a determined nil-all draw at Marconi Stadium, South come into the 2nd leg knowing that a victory at home will propel them to the next stage of the finals.

South went into last week’s first leg under a cloud of bad form that saw the Lakesiders only pick up 1 point from a possible 15 in the lead in to the business end of the season.

Bad form aside South played an accomplished defensive game focussing on nullifying the attacking threat of many of Marconi’s danger-men. Marconi was limited to an array of long range efforts that failed to threaten the goal-mouth of South custodian Eugene Galekovic.

Now at home Stuart Munro’s men will be determined to turn on the attacking style in the hope of getting the all important goal that will send them to the next round.

For the visitors Captain Brad Maloney has not managed to recover from the hamstring injury that kept him out of the 1st leg and will hence miss the corresponding fixture. Marconi created many chances in the opening fixture; however, the drive of Maloney and his innate ability to get in behind the opposition?s defence and nab a goal was sorely missed. Maloney’s absence represents a stroke of good fortune for South.

Lacklustre finishing can also be attributed to Marconi failing to get on the scoresheet in the 1st leg, both young starlets Alex Brosque and Nick Carle had plenty of decent shooting efforts that failed to test Galekovic. Though it must be said that South’s stern defence led by the brilliant performances of the ultra consistent Ante Kovacevic and the defensively assured Levent Osman played a major role in limiting Marconi?s attackers to long-range efforts, no doubt South’s backline will have to put in a similar performance in the 2nd leg if the deadly influence of attacking trio Brosque, Carle and Spiteri is to be contained.

Somewhat surprisingly Stuart Munro handed starts to both Massimo Murdocca and Scott Tunbridge in the opening tie with Murdocca in particular impressing with a busy performance in the centre of the park, whilst Tunbridge recognising his team?s determination to grind out a result did a superb job in tracking back and helping out the defence in times of need.

South defensive stalwart Mehmet Durakovic who just recently announced his retirement may be in line for a call-up for what could very well be his last ever game at Bob Jane Stadium. Durakovic has been struggling with a hamstring injury for a great part of the season but will be determined as ever to have one last game in front of South’s adoring faithful. Should Durakovic fail to make the squad, he will be heartened by a lap of honour that has been planned to celebrate his illustrious career in the blue and white.

Coach Munro once again finds himself with a near full squad of players to choose from, only Marcus Stergiopoulos has a cloud hanging over his head from last week’s first leg after injuring a knee in a 50/50 tackle late in the first half. Stergiopoulos was promptly replaced and his knee heavily iced so whether or not he can get up for the 2nd leg remains to be seen.

Thursday, 11 March 2004 12:00 AM

The South Melbourne Soccer Club today announced the details of their plans for the home final against Marconi Stallions to be played at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday 14th March at 7:00pm.

Pre-game highlights include:
· Southern Division Champions, South Melbourne’s Youth versus traditional rivals, Heidelberg United in a pre-game curtain raiser.
· A farewell to South Melbourne legend and Australian representative, Mehmet Durakovic who will be paraded around the ground in a convertible BMW.
· A special ASA presentation to Australian Soccer and South Melbourne legend Paul Trimboli commemorating his 450th NSL game.
· Victorian winner of the Australian National Anthem competition, Haylee Simpson will sing the National anthem prior to kick-off.

Today’s press conference also highlighted the significance of this elimination final between two of the NSL’s oldest clubs. South CEO Mark Patterson said “this is likely to be the last clash between these two great clubs in their current form.” “With the new league, this final represents the changing of the old into the new”. Both clubs have achieved unparalleled success since the NSL’s 1977 inaugural season winning four championships apiece and competing in over 15 finals series each.

“We are encouraging supporters to purchase tickets prior to the game as we are expecting a great crowd to turn out to make the trip a daunting task for Marconi” Patterson added. With plenty of pre-game entertainment and the emotional farewell to Mehmet, a large blue and white crowd will create an electrifying atmosphere and spur on South Melbourne.

From a player’s perspective, both teams are raring to go and are excited about the possibility of playing in the next round of finals. South captain, Vaughan Coveny said “all the boys are keen to make amends for our under-performances in the last month. “ “Last week’s draw was an important result for us and we are confident in our ability to score at home.”

Earlier in the day, acting Premier and the club’s number 1 ticket holder, the Honourable Mr. John Thwaites threw his support behind South Melbourne’s finals campaign. Posing for photographs with retiring legend Mehmet Durakovic, Thwaites noted the importance of South Melbourne’s presence in the finals as the only Victorian contingent competing against five other states.

The South Melbourne Youth curtain raiser kicks off at 3:30pm with the main game kick-off at 7:00pm. Tickets can be purchased through the office, online or at the gate.

Thursday, 11 March 2004 12:00 AM

All patrons must purchase tickets for this weeks game at Bob Jane stadium. To avoid any embarrassment and for ease of entry, patrons are urged to ensure they have the appropriate ticketing for the day. There are new and separate tickets for the following categories.

General admission: adult, concession and children
Grand Stand: adult, concession and children
Presidents Function
Outside Corporate Boxes
Inside Corporate Boxes
VIP Room (there will be a maximum 48 tickets available for this room)

There are strict instructions to security that NO TICKET MEANS NO ENTRY.

All areas will be tightly controlled by security and customer service staff.

LIFE MEMBERS AND MEMBERS

The South Melbourne Soccer Club also today re-confirmed that all seasons ticket holders and life members would be required to purchase tickets for this weeks finals match at Bob Jane Stadium.

Club Chief Executive confirmed the arrangements for sales are as follows:

Tickets are available from the club offices between the hours of 9.00am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday.
Sales are also available on-line at www.southmelbournesc.com.au or through the gate.

Wednesday, 10 March 2004 12:00 AM

South Melbourne’s youth team will take on traditional rival Heidelberg United in the curtain raiser prior to this Sunday’s NSL elimination final at Bob Jane Stadium.

The South Melbourne Youth have qualified for the NSL Youth Grand Final after winning the Southern Region final two weeks ago. This Sunday’s match against Heidelberg’s senior team is ideal preparation for the Youth Grand final that will be played in April. Alternatively, Heidelberg is preparing for its VSF season that kicks off shortly.

Fans are encouraged to come to the final early to witness the revival of this traditional rivalry between Heidelberg United and South Melbourne.

Curtain raiser kick-off is at 3.30pm.

Tuesday, 9 March 2004 12:00 AM

A return-match victory at Bob Jane stadium is all that is between South Melbourne and qualifying for the next round of the NSL finals when it takes on Marconi next Sunday at 7.00pm…and the fans may have a big say in what happens.

Bob Jane Stadium is traditionally a torrid place for visiting teams and the club is urging its loyal support base to really make it an intimidating home ground advantage by coming out in force and vocally supporting South Melbourne.

“The team has been working really hard through a lean patch but we believe we’re over that now and are a real chance to move on” said coach Stuart Munro. “The players are eager to win and reward the fans who have been so supportive all year. If the fans can create a favourable home ground atmosphere it will help the guys lift to a new level” he went on to say.

South Melbourne’s dour and solid performance in the scoreless draw with Marconi on Sunday indicated to Munro that the early season form, particularly in defence had returned and that a strong showing from the forwards is not far away. “Our early season form was all about our defence and we created opportunities and goals from this strength” he said.

The South Melbourne crowd can be a huge benefit to the home team and the club believes that if the supporters come out in droves it will create a very favourable environment for the players. “The team has performed well at home and particularly when the crowds have been strong” said club CEO Mark Patterson. “Not only are we representing South Melbourne, there is state pride on the line in this finals series with five States being represented” he went on to say. “Let’s encourage our friends and all soccer fans to get behind this game and make it hard for the visitors away from their home state” encouraged Patterson.

Tickets are on sale from the club at Bob Jane Stadium, the club website www.southmelbournesc.com.au and at the ground on match day.

Sunday, 7 March 2004 12:00 AM

By Michael Tsoukalis

South Melbourne has turned on a gritty defensive display to grind out a nil-all draw at Marconi Stadium. South now go into next week’s second leg assured that a home victory will secure their passage to the next round of the final’s series.

Coach Stuart Munro surprised with his tactics from the onset choosing to mirror Marconi’s 4-42 formation in the hope of numbing the presence of influential centre-man Nick Carle. Selection wise Munro also pulled a few surprises leaving the mercurial Con Boutsianis on the bench and preferring Massimo Murdocca and Scott Tunbridge to Kristian Sarkies and Michael Curcija.

From the onset it was clear that South would be happy to try and absorb pressure whilst limiting Marconi’s ability to get in behind their defence, a tactic that would force the Stallions to shoot from long range. Both sides started somewhat tentatively just happy to knock the ball around and settle into the game. 9 minutes in Marconi carved out their first opportunity when the dangerous Brendan Renaud whipped in a stinging near post cross from the left that Marconi starlet Alex Brosque headed over.

South failed to take notice of the first Renaud-Brosque linkage and where subject to similar interplay between the two after 15 minutes. Renaud again found space down the left but somewhat mishit his cross, the ball bobbled low to Brosque who fired a decent strike straight at South custodian Eugene Galekovic who saved easily.

Marconi dominated possession throughout the first half but continually failed to carve out a clear cut opportunity. Frustrated by his side’s lack of attacking menace, Marcus Stergiopoulos sent a booming – though always rising – strike from 25 yards just over Marconi keeper Michael Turnbull’s goalmouth. Stergiopoulos’s shot was a timely reminder to the Stallions that even though South was content to soak up the pressure, they were equally as keen to offer something going forward.

The 27th minute saw South go painstakingly close to scoring the opener, Stergiopoulos fired in a menacing corner from the right that eluded everyone right in the heart of the Marconi box, including a desperate lunging attempt from South defender Steve Lawrie, who just failed to get his toe onto the ball.

39 minutes in and South once again gave Marconi a scare after brilliant work down the left from wingback Simon Storey saw the ex-Green Gully defender skate away from his man, Storey then played a quick one-two with Michael Panopoulos that released Storey deep into the Marconi box, with Storey approaching the goalmouth a calm head and a fierce strike was needed but unfortunately for South Storey chose to try and square the ball, a decision that the Marconi defence were well placed to handle and subsequently cleared.

The 2nd stanza began with an aura of expectation coming out of the South dressing room, just before half time Stergiopoulos had been substituted after picking up in a knock during a 50/50 challenge and was replaced by Con Boutsianis. Boutsianis is renowned for being a big-game player and his influence in the 2nd half was immediate. The 49th minute saw “Boutsi” win the ball in the centre, the ball fell to South captain Vaughn Coveny who strode well towards the Marconi goal before firing a decent shot from just outside the box that Turnbull was quickly down to save.

Suddenly the game became more open with half chances consistently being created. Joe Spiteri who was being marked by ex-Melbourne Knights team-mate Ante Kovacevic turned sharply and fired a powerful low drive that whistled just past Galekovic’s right-hand post in the 60th minute. Galekovic appeared to be struggling and was thankful the ball wasn’t hit on target. Then a minute or so later, Spiteri was played in behind the South defence, just as Spiteri was about to unleash Scott Tunbridge produced an inspirational piece of defensive work by throwing his body into the path of Marconi Striker’s shot and subsequently deflecting it away. It was no doubt a moment which typified South’s commitment to get a result, that a Striker was willing to trek all the way to opposition’s box and throw himself at the ball was inspirational for the Albert Park based club.

Marconi sensed they needed to get a goal and in the 65th minute perhaps their best chance arrived. South midfielder Sam Poutakidis lost the ball near the middle of the park with the ball eventually breaking to Brosque who was bearing down on goal with South defender Levent Osman rapidly trailing him, Brosque attempted to lob South keeper Galekovic but his attempt was going wide the moment it was struck.

Then in the 68th minute a lovely piece of interplay by Nick Carle and Brosque saw Carle presented with a decent striking opportunity, unfortunately for the home side, under pressure, Carle fired wide.

Long range shooting seemed to dominate the crux of the chances throughout the game with South’s Michael Panopoulos seeing a well-hit 70th minute drive from a decent distance outside the box sail over.

83 minutes in Carle had his best effort on goal saved at the second attempt by Galekovic. After making space for himself on the edge of the South defensive area, Carle unleashed a stinging drive towards Galekovic that the South custodian fumbled at his first attempt but did well to quickly react and glove at his second.

With the sides destined to remain at a stalemate South nearly grabbed a winner at the death when the intuitive Con Boustianis unleashed a classy searching 86th minute ball from the centre of the park that Captain Coveny only needed to touch to steer home. Luckily for the Stallions Coveny’s outstretched foot just failed to make contact with the ball and one must also mention that the South skipper was under constant pressure from a Marconi defender.

So all in all a great result for South, a win next week will see the Lakesiders progress to the next stage of the finals and to no doubt maximise our chances of success the onus will be directed out our supporters to not only get out in force, but to also offer parochial support.

Saturday, 6 March 2004 12:00 AM

By Michael Tsoukalis

With the regular season over and the business end of the season about to begin, South Melbourne find themselves pitted against the in-form Marconi Stallions for the first round of the finals.

After opting to delay 3 regular season games due to Olyroo commitments, Marconi coach Jean Paul De Marigny was rewarded for his decision with a sterling end to the regular season. Marconi went on a barnstorming run that saw them skyrocket up the NSL ladder to finish the regular season in 4th place.

Conversely South’s end to the regular season was anything but eye-catching. In the last 5 matches of the season the Stuart Munro coached South dropped 4 consecutive games and finally stopped their rot with a disappointing nil-all draw away to Sydney Olympic in the final round of the season. Throughout their form slump the Albert Park based club has struggled for desire and passion resulting in a sharp fall from grace. At one point in the season South had topped the ladder, however, their late season form slump saw them finish a distant 5th. That said, it must be noted that out of the 4 consecutive late season losses, South’s best performance came against Marconi where a luckless South went down 1-0 after putting on a highly competitive performance.

The squads named reveal that both clubs will be fielding near full strength sides. Notable omissions for Marconi include inspirational Captain Brad Maloney who is out with a hamstring injury, whilst burly ex-Sydney Olympic forward Jeromy Harris will also miss due to an ankle complaint. For South, club legend Mehmet Durakovic – who announced his retirement during the week – will miss once again because of the hamstring injury that has kept him out for a number of games throughout the campaign. Youngster Carl Recchia has a foot injury that will also see him take no part in Sunday’s encounter.

Injuries aside, both teams have key players who can turn a game on its head. Marconi youngsters Nick Carle and Alex Brosque are two shining examples of the array of immense talent this country possesses; Carle in particular has had a superb season, scoring plenty of goals and providing regular assists. A great strength of the Stallions is the experience they possess all over the park, in Simon Bell, Luke Casserly, Dominic Longo, Angelo Costanzo, Chad Gibson, Brendan Renaud and Joe Spiteri Marconi have a squad littered with seasoned NSL professionals who have done the job at the highest level in Australia for many seasons.

Conversely, on paper, South appears to have a very strong squad, however, the South faithful will be desperately hoping for an injection of form from their players who have been well below their best for the past month. Crucial to South’s chances of a result will be the midfield presence of Michael Panopoulos, Panopoulos has shown glimpses of his European class but will now be offered the stage to truly showcase his ability. The past month has also coincided with South’s share of goals drying up. With 1 goal in their last 5 games, extra responsibility will rest on South’s attacking players. Players such as Vaughn Coveny, Michael Curcija, Scott Tunbridge and Con Boutsianis must step up and make significant contributions to South’s attack. Defensively, South’s backline performed solidly throughout the regular season campaign with Adelaide City recruit Ante Kovacevic a consistent standout throughout. Kovacevic will have to be at his commanding best in order to withstand the expected Marconi onslaught.

Friday, 5 March 2004 12:00 AM

South Melbourne legend, Mehmet Durakovic, yesterday announced his retirement at the end of this season. His NSL career has spanned five clubs and totalled 360 NSL games. He spent fours years in Malaysia – winning three Championships and has represented Australia on 64 occasions.

It is fitting that Durakovic is ending his career with South as he notes one his his career highlights as being named in South’s Team of the Century in 2000. His other most notable achievement was marking Maradonna in the Socceroos’ World Cup playoff against Argentina. “I’ve had a really good run and wouldn’t change one minute of it,” Durakovic said.

Despite battling a calf injury, Mehmet hopes to play in South’s second final against Marconi at Bob Jane Stadium on March 14th. While his place in the team is yet to be determined, he will be farewelled to the crowd prior to kickoff in what looms as a blockbuster game for South Melbourne. South CEO Mark Patterson said “Mehmet is a champion of this club and I hope a big crowd can turn out to show their appreciation for a true Australian soccer legend”.

South’s home final will be held at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday 14th March at 7:00pm. Tickets are available online or through the club from Tuesday 9th March.

Wednesday, 3 March 2004 12:00 AM

The two oldest clubs still remaining in the National Soccer League competition – Marconi Stallions and South Melbourne – will go head to head this weekend and will kick-start what is shaping as one of the most intriguing Championship series for years.

To show how truly national the NSL competition is, five states are represented in the six-team finals series, with NSW having two representatives. That means the vast majority of soccer supporters will be able to witness the cream of the crop in Australian domestic soccer, in what will be an intriguing and very hard fought series.

While Perth Glory and Parramatta Power have lived up to its early season favouritism by finishing first and second respectively, the battle for the final four places has ebbed and flowed throughout the home and away premiership season. Only four weeks from the end of the season did we get any indication as to whom they might be and it is fair to say that every team deserves to be there.

This weekend starts off with the 1st Leg’s of the Elimination Finals, with the Stallions (4th) and South (5th) facing off in Sydney, while later on Sunday night, Adelaide United will be hoping for another packed Hindmarsh Stadium when it takes on the surprise of the finalists – Brisbane Strikers.

It is only fitting that Marconi and South should make it to the last NSL finals series as we know it, as they are the only survivors from the inaugural season of the NSL back in 1977.

In that time they have become the most successful teams in the competitions history, with each winning four NSL Championships (along with Sydney City), while South Melbourne has won five premierships to Marconi’s four.

Prior to last season’s revamped finals series, they also both had the best finals records of any teams, but in their absence and each team playing at least ten games, Sydney Olympic and Adelaide City both surpassed them. Marconi has however contested the most finals of any club with this being their 16th appearance, while South is one behind them.

So it is rather ironic that these two should meet in a do-or-die elimination final and there is no doubt, both sides will not just want to win this leg to progress further in the finals series, but to get one up on their arch rival.

It is a clash that should have both club’s old supporters drooling at the mouth with the prospect of re-living many of the clashes between the two sides – all 54 of them. Funnily enough only three of these games have been finals matches, with the honours firmly in Marconi’s favour.

No Marconi fan will ever forget the last finals match between the pair and most of South’s fans won’t want to be reminded of it. It is the Major Semi Final of the 1992-93 season and Marconi has returned from Melbourne with a surprise 1-0 lead in the first leg. Nobody however could have predicted what was going to happen in the return leg at Parramatta Stadium.

Ironically, Marconi’s current coach Jean-Paul De Marigny was a member of the Marconi side that day and scored an early that helped Marconi on its way to the record 7-0 win. To this day it remains the highest ever finals win and is the worst loss ever recorded by South Melbourne in the National League.

Three players – Paul Trimboli, Con Boutsianis and Mehmet Durakovic – from that South Melbourne team on that day will be remarkably backing up (or most likely to) for Sunday afternoon’s game.

Momentum going into Sunday’s game is firmly in Marconi’s favour and they were a tad unlucky not come away from Perth with a win.

South on the other hand let a golden opportunity to finish in second spot slip as they suddenly lost four straight games and the draw in the final round will have hardly done much for confidence.

But as we all know finals is a completely different ball game to the premiership season and this is when champion teams come to the fore. South has the team capable of going all the way, but will it be enough to overcome a Marconi team riding high, that remains to be seen.

The second elimination final in Adelaide features two teams that confounded every critic to make the finals.

Adelaide United’s performance has been nothing short of sensational both on and off the field. The demise of Adelaide City, a month from the start of the season, saw the hurried birth of Adelaide United, with former Brisbane Strikers coach John Kosmina, hastily asked to put a squad together and compete in the upcoming season.

While most of the players came from the old Adelaide City squad, some had already flown the coup and Kosmina was forced to look locally for players to make up the squad.

Starting their season in Round 5, Kosmina reverted Carl Veart (pictured left)back to playing as a striker and the move worked a treat in the first game of the season with his goal securing a memorable win over the Strikers, who just happen to be Adelaide’s opponent on Sunday night.

That set the seen for the rest of the season and a strong run home saw them push and ultimately achieve third position. This coupled with the average crowd for Adelaide games of over 12,000, makes it a remarkable season and has given everybody a great deal of confidence in the resurgence of the game at the top level in this country.

Brisbane was one of the teams that most experts believed would be fighting for the wooden spoon this season, rather than a place in the top-six.

The fact that its coach Stuart McLaren was also a player in the team, meant not many held too much hope for them, but a close knit squad soon made everybody sit up and take notice. So much so that they were never out of the top-six all season and had enough points in the bag, to even lose its last four games and still make it.

However the poor end of season form is not a good sign for McLaren and his team, with injuries starting to play its role and the squad’s depth being tested.

Their last appearance in the finals ended with successive losses to South Melbourne two years ago and for those players still at the club, they will be looking to turn that around. For that to happen however they will need a good performance in Adelaide and that will not be an easy task.

So we are set for a fascinating finals series and this weekend’s two matches should provide the perfect start. Get out there and enjoy it.

NSL Championships Series – Week 1

Sunday March 7, 2004
Elimination Finals – 1st Leg

Marconi Stallions v South Melbourne – Marconi Stadium – 3.45pm*

Adelaide United v Brisbane Strikers – Hindmarsh Stadium – 7.00pm (7.30pm AEST & 8.30pm QLD time)

* SBS will show the Marconi and South Melbourne game LIVE, with the broadcast coverage starting at 3.30pm.

Source: www.australiansoccer.com.au