Category: News

Tuesday, 11 February 2003 12:00 AM

South Melbourne’s left footed midfielder Zeljko Susa, who has had an interrupted season, will play his 100th National Soccer League match tomorrow night against Brisbane Strikers.

Susa who returned from Europe during the pre-season, played his first match in Round 12 but soon found himself on the sidelines after being sent off against Newcastle. Due to a foot injury he missed the traditional interstate derby against Olympic Sharks but has now returned at the most crucial time of the season.

The 24 year olds potent ball skills and deft touches will be essential during South Melbourne’s run towards the new look finals series. The Club is in need of three important points, which will strengthen their position in the top six.

“If we don’t at least get a point we could kiss our finals chances goodbye. We have had a couple of losses in a row but all the players know what job we have to do and the squad will be working hard to get the three points”, says Susa

Zeljko was unaware that he would be playing his 100th game tomorrow evening and is glad he has achieved the milestone.

“It has sort of crept on me. I didn’t realise I was so close to playing 100 matches but it’s good and I am glad that I will be playing my 100th match tomorrow”.

Although Susa is excited to be playing against his former club Melbourne Knights in Round 22 this Sunday his focus is on winning tomorrow nights encounter.

“We have to take it game by game. Three points are up for grabs tomorrow and we must achieve a victory. I have a lot of friends at the Knights and I am excited to play in the Melbourne derby”.

“This is our last home game of the home and away season and I urge all supporters to come and support us, as we need a full stadium of passionate fans. The South supporters always give the squad a lift and the more noise and atmosphere at Bob Jane Stadium the more chance we have to achieve a result”, says Susa.

South Melbourne takes on Brisbane Strikers in a deferred Round 25 match tomorrow evening at Bob Jane Stadium. Kick Off 7.30PM.

Tuesday, 11 February 2003 12:00 AM

Date: Wednesday 12 February 2003
Venue: Bob Jane Stadium
Kickoff: 7.30pm AEST

HEAD TO HEAD (Overall):
Played: 26 South Melbourne wins 12, Brisbane wins 10, Draws 4

HEAD TO HEAD (at South Melbourne):
Played: 11 (Regular Season) South Melbourne wins 6, Brisbane wins 1, Draws 4

Last Encounter: Brisbane 2-1 home win

LAST WEEK:
South Melbourne 3-2 home loss Vs Adelaide City;
Brisbane 3-0 home win Vs Parramatta Power

Position on Ladder: 6th Vs 9th

SOUTH MELBOURNE SQUAD: E Galekovic (gk), S Iosifides, M Durakovic, N Tolios, S Panopoulos, V Coveny, M Murdocca, P Buljan, M Baird, Z Susa, B Damianos, V Lia, S Pace, R Sekulovski, D Anastasiadis (gk)

IN: V Coveny (returns from suspension)
OUT: P Kisnorbo (suspended – 1 match)

BRISBANE STRIKERS SQUAD:
J Kearton (gk), J McKain, S Stefanutto, S McLaren, P Grierson, F Rech, A Webber, F Tagawa, D Pilic, W Heath, M McKay, J Rose, A Roche, S Laybutt, C Baldock (gk)

IN: S Laybutt (returns from suspension)
OUT: D Dreger (omitted)

Monday, 10 February 2003 12:00 AM

Last night’s loss to traditional interstate rivals Adelaide City put a slight dent into South Melbourne’s push for a record 15th finals appearance. South Melbourne now sit in 6th place but a win against Brisbane this Wednesday evening will see the Club reaffirm its position in the top six and jump three spots up the league table.

The Blue and Whites worked hard in yesterday’s clash but were unable to achieve a result as a structured Adelaide City line-up stuck to their game plan for the entire 90 minutes.

Coach Danny Wright was obviously disappointed with the result but cannot afford to dwell on the loss, as he has to prepare for another encounter in two days.

“We welcome the return of Vaughan Coveny to strengthen our attack and also the inclusion of Nick Tolios, who will take the position of the suspended Patrick Kisnorbo”, says Wright.

Steven Pace who was selected in the squad for only the second the second time this season came on late in the game, providing a burst of energy which resulted in South’s only goal.

The goals have been few and far between of late, to the disappointment of the demanding South Melbourne faithful. Wright acknowledged the fans displeasure but highlighted the positive effect that supporters have on the success of the famous Blue and Whites.

“The disappointment and reaction from home fans on Sunday was to be expected because we aspire to bigger things and the expectations from supporters are naturally going to be high,” says the South coach.

There were no injuries last night but South Melbourne will spend their time on recovery and light training leading into Wednesday’s match against the 9th placed Strikers.

Sunday, 9 February 2003 12:00 AM

South Melbourne’s undefeated home run came to a halt this evening as Adelaide City Force defeated the Lakeside Club 2 – 1 at Bob Jane Stadium.

The Blue and Whites started the better and should have been in front early through Michael Baird who squandered an inviting chance. Adelaide struck in the 20th minute and doubled the score line in the 79th minute after a Lucas Pantelis strike. The home side hit back late in the match through Stephen Pace who scored his first goal in the National Soccer League.

FINAL SCORE – (National Soccer League – Round 21)

SOUTH MELBOURNE 1 (Pace 91′ )
Adelaide City 1 (Turnbridge 20′, Pantelis 79′)

Crowd: 4,050
Venue: Bob Jane Stadium

Friday, 7 February 2003 12:00 AM

South Melbourne is pleased to announce it has concluded the signing of Sam Poutakidis from Victorian Premier League Club, Port Melbourne Sharks.

Poutakidis, captain of the Sharks, is a versatile, two-sided player.

A hard-running and goal-scoring midfielder, Poutakidis has been a regular for the Victorian State team.

He is widely regarded as one of the best players outside the National Soccer League since a stint with the Adelaide Sharks in the late 1990s.

South Melbourne senior coach Danny Wright has been a long-time admirer of the hard working midfielder.

“Sam Poutakidis represents the fighting spirit and the commitment the South Melbourne teams are renowned for. We welcome him to our squad”.

“Poutakidis will give us not only extra depth but I believe can play a part in our path to a successful end to the season, says Wright

Poutakidis is delighted to be joining South Melbourne.

“It’s a great honour to be playing for Australia’s most successful soccer club. I look forward to working with Danny Wright and the boys and to hopefully be playing in the finals series”, Poutakidis.

With the suspension of Vaughan Coveny and the knee injury to Trimboli, 26-year-old Poutakidis could be a likely starter on Sunday against Adelaide City.

FACT FILE
BORN – 31/07/76
AGE – 26
PREVIOUS CLUB – PORT MELB, ADELAIDE SHARKS, NORTHCOTE

Friday, 7 February 2003 12:00 AM

In a rare meeting for interstate clubs, South Melbourne Women’s Soccer Club will tackle Adelaide City Women’s Soccer Club at Bob Jane Stadium this Sunday which will act as a curtain raiser to the Round 21 South Melbourne v Adelaide City National Soccer League clash.

The women’s will play two matches, with the reserves starting at 2.30 pm, followed by the seniors at 4.30 pm. The senior sides will be contesting the inaugural ‘Team Sports United’ Cup, which will be presented at half time during the NSL match by Deputy Premier John Thwaites and a special guest, along with an award for the Most Valuable Player of the match.

South Melbourne women’s aim for this event to occur on an annual basis. They would also like to develop this inter-club concept by encouraging the involvement of other leading interstate clubs. This initiative can aid the expansion and strengthening of women’s football in Australia. The event is particularly unique as it creates a double header with a NSL match and provides an excellent opportunity to promote and enhance women’s football in Australia.

Full details of the event can be viewed at: http://www.daytec.net.au/southmelbwsc

Wednesday, 5 February 2003 12:00 AM

South Melbourne’s narrow 3-2 loss to Olympic Sharks on the weekend not only saw the club drop to fifth place, but skipper Paul Trimboli limped off the field with an injured knee.

The MRI scan on Monday night confirmed that Trimboli had ruptured his medial ligament and caused minor damage to his cartilage. Trimboli will be sidelined for the rest of the season as doctors have unfortunately indicated that the four time Grand Final player will not return for the finals series.

Luckily Trimboli didn’t damage his anterior cruciate ligament, an injury that potentially could ruin any players career. Trimboli goes in for surgery on Friday and will be out of action for up to four months.

Soccer Australia’s tribunal decision to strip the Glory of their Round 1 victory and award them to Parramatta, now has South Melbourne in fifth place behind the Power on goal difference. Over the next week, maximum points become vital for South Melbourne as Parramatta take on Northern Spirit tonight in a Round 13 deferred match which could see the Power move into third place.

This weekend South Melbourne host Adelaide City in a must win match for the Blue and Whites. The Force are in sixth place just one game adrift of South Melbourne. The important Round 21 fixture has a large emphasis on the shaping of the top six standing as a win to South Melbourne will give some breathing space from the Force.

The Lakesider’s also take on Brisbane next Wednesday 12 February in a Round 25 deferred match. A few days later, the Albert Park Club travels to Knights Stadium for the Melbourne derby. With South Melbourne undefeated at home all season, there is good reason to be optimistic about Danny Wrights men obtaining full points in their final two home matches and hopefully consolidating a finals spot with a win against rivals Melbourne Knights.

Friday, 31 January 2003 12:00 AM

Date: Sunday 2 February 2003
Venue: Toyota Park
Kickoff: 6.00pm AEST

HEAD TO HEAD (Overall):
Played: 52 Olympic wins 10, South Melbourne wins 22, Draws 15

HEAD TO HEAD (at Olympic) Played:
22 (Regular Season) Olympic wins 6, South Melbourne wins 8, Draws 8

Last Encounter: South Melbourne 6-4 home win

LAST WEEK:
Olympic 2-1 away loss Vs Newcastle;
South Melbourne 0-0 home draw Vs Wollongong

Position on Ladder: 2nd Vs 3rd

OLYMPIC SHARKS SQUAD:
C Bolton (gk), P Kohler, A Juric, W Srhoj, T Pondeljak, A Milicic, T Halpin, J North, J Porter, G Owens, Z Caravella, J Harris, A Packer, H Ishida, B Hughes (gk)

IN: A Packer
OUT: G Souris (suspended – 1 match)

SOUTH MELBOURNE SQUAD:
E Galekovic (gk), S Iosifides, M Durakovic, S Panopoulos,
V Coveny, P Trimboli, P Buljan, Z Susa, V Lia, N Tolios, M Murdocca, M Baird, P Kisnorbo, B Damianos, D Anastasiadis (gk)

IN: Unchanged
OUT: unchanged

Sunday, 26 January 2003 12:00 AM

At Bob Jane Stadium this evening, South Melbourne played out a scoreless draw with Wollongong Wolves. Both sides had numerous opportunities to win the game with the best chance falling to South striker Peter Buljan who hit the upright in the first half. Wollongong also had a delightful chance, as a powerful shot his the woodwork and bounced off the goal line back into play.

The game opened up in the later stages of the match but both sides could not find the back of the net. South Melbourne remain in third position two points in front of Newcastle United. South Melbourne now meet Olympic Sharks in the traditional interstate derby at Toyota Park, Cronulla.

Thursday, 23 January 2003 12:00 AM

Ron Corry’s Wollongong Wolves have had an indifferent season so far, but his side sits just three points outside the top six and is looking to maintain momentum as the NSL heads towards the finals series.

The Championship winning coach, who’s side has drawn their past three encounters, will be looking to grab all three points against South and one player who could do that for them is striker Stuart Young who has had a great season so far scoring 9 goals this season.

“Stuart Young has had a very good season. We have had an up and down season so far with no luck. Things just haven’t gone our way as games we should have won, we haven’t. We have to win this week and maintain our momentum”, says Corry.

In the corresponding fixture last season, Wollongong came from behind at half time to defeat South Melbourne 3 – 1. South coach Danny Wright is not worried about past results but rather concerned about grabbing full points while he has a full squad available for selection.

”The important thing is stability and now that we have all players available, it is vital we achieve results,” says Wright.

In mid March just before the Finals Series, South Melbourne is due to lose three players to the Young Socceroos who will take part in the 2003 World Youth Cup. Along with the trio, Wright will also miss striker Vaughan Coveny for International duties with New Zealand.

Danny Wright is also concerned about value for dominance, as South has played extremely well over the past few weeks but goals have been too few and far between.

“Our dominance is not being represented on the scoreboard. We need something to show for our dominance and that’s putting the ball in the back of the net,” says Wright

Wollongong is a competitive unit and will be difficult opponents this Sunday. Wright is not concentrating on stopping individuals such as Stuart Young but rather focussed on continuing his side’s good form.

“Wollongong is a very mobile side. They play with pace and we will be weary of them. We must continue to play our system and concentrate on the team rather than individuals”, says the South coach.

A win will see South Melbourne jump to 30 points and depending on Friday night’s clash between Olympic and Newcastle, South could either push closer to second spot or extend their advantage over fourth placed Newcastle.

In other matches concerning the top six, Adelaide City travel across to take on the Kingz, while Parramatta host bottom placed Marconi Stallions. On Saturday night Brisbane who also sits just outside the top six with the Wolves, host the Melbourne Knights.