Category: News

(Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC cruised into the PS4 NPL Victoria Semi Finals thanks to a 3-0 home Elimination Final victory over Hume City at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening. First-half goals to Marcus Schroen and Milos Lujic got South underway and Leigh Minopoulos finished off the scoring late in the game.

Theo Markelis had an early chance to put Hume ahead but from then on it was all South. Schroen got the scoring underway – against his former side – after four minutes with a left-footed effort past Chris Oldfield. Chris Taylor’s side then doubled their advantage just before the half hour mark when Lujic headed a back-post cross over Oldfield and into the opposite corner of the goal for his 32nd goal across all competitions in 2016.

In what was a dominant second half, South had numerous chances to add to their two goals but Oldfield produced some excellent goalkeeping to deny them. South finally had their third goal for the night on 81 minutes when Minopoulos initially hit a shot that rocked the crossbar before the ball was eventually bundled over the line. Stephen Hatzikostas’ late introduction to the game as a substitute brought up his 50th appearance for South across all competitions as South cruised to victory.

Prior to the match, South’s Senior Women’s team thrashed Eltham 5-0 to confirm the Women’s State League One (North/West) Championship. Caitlin Greiser scored yet another hat-trick to bring up an incredible 31 goals across all competitions, with youngsters Lauren Boyd and Sanja Trajcovska scoring the other two goals.

South now faces a huge Semi Final away to traditional rivals Heidelberg United next Saturday evening. Kick-off is at 6:30pm at the Olympic Village.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 3-0 HUME CITY (HT: 2-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Marcus Schroen (4′)
2-0: Milos Lujic (28′)
3-0: Leigh Minopoulos (81′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK) / 2. Tim MALA, 3. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 5. Luke ADAMS, 11. Brad NORTON (77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS 80′) / 23. Matthew FOSCHINI, 18. Matthew MILLAR / 27. Leigh MINOPOULOS (14. Chris IRWIN 86′), 17. Marcus SCHROEN (22. Andy KECOJEVIC 90′), 7. Nick EPIFANO / 9. Milos LUJIC.
Unused Subs: 4. Michael EAGAR, 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK).

Hume City FC:
1. Chris OLDFIELD (GK),  5. Peter FRANJIC, 6. Rama TAVSANCIOGLU, 8. Theo MARKELIS (17. Danny DIXON 60′), 9. Tom CAHILL (14. Kym HARRIS 46′), 11. Craig CARLEY, 12. Daniel CLARK, 13. Shane REXHEPI (21. Kristian TRAJCEVSKI 84′), 15. Charlie BEVERLY, 22. Deniz YILDIZ, 39. Nick HEGARTY (C).
Unused Subs: 2. Daniel CHAABANI, 20. Jordan FRANKEN (GK).

SMFC Melbourne City Toyota Man of the Match: Kristian Konstantinidis
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 28 August 2016

Everything is on the line on Sunday evening when South Melbourne FC hosts Hume City in their Elimination Final meeting at Lakeside Stadium. The losing team will conclude their 2016 season, with the winning team to progress to meet Heidelberg United in the Semi Finals next weekend. 

South goes into the game on a three-game league winning run, with its most recent being a come-from-behind 4-2 victory against Green Gully in the final round of the home & away season. This left Chris Taylor’s side level with Heidelberg United on the league table but South had to settle for third place due to an inferior goal difference.

Hume concluded their regular season with a surprising home defeat to the Bulleen Lions, who guaranteed their NPL Victoria survival with that win. In fairness, Hume did have Wednesday night’s FFA Cup tie against Melbourne Victory on their minds, a game that they were defeated 0-1. Hume can now concentrate fully on the NPL Victoria Finals Series, starting with Sunday’s match against South. If either South or Hume can manage three straight wins, they will be crowned as 2016 Champions.

South has the upper hand in overall meetings between the two clubs but Hume have the advantage in finals meetings, winning the Elimination Final back in August 2009 with a 2-0 win at Epping Stadium. Hume has never defeated South during Chris Taylor’s era at Lakeside Stadium and will welcome breaking that record this Sunday.

Sunday evening’s match kicks off at 5:30pm at Lakeside Stadium. All 2016 SMFC members have free entry to the game.

SMFC v Hume City – Head to Head (League & Finals)

Matches Played: 19
Wins (SMFC): 12
Wins (HCFC): 5
Draws: 2

First match: South Melbourne 1-2 Hume City (24 February 2008, Lakeside Stadium)
Last match: South Melbourne 2-2 Hume City (1 July 2016, Lakeside Stadium)

Biggest Winning Margin (SMFC): 6 goals (6-0 win, 25 April 2010, Broadmeadows Valley Park)
Biggest Winning Margin (HCFC): 5 goals (5-0 win, 17 April 2011, Broadmeadows Valley Park)

Most Goals in a Match (SMFC): 6 (25 April 2010, Broadmeadows Valley Park)
Most Goals in a Match (HCFC): 5 (17 April 2011, Broadmeadows Valley Park)

Biggest Finals Win (SMFC): None
Biggest Finals Win (HCFC): 2-0 (23 August 2009, Epping Stadium)

South Melbourne FC confirms that we will not be appealing Football Federation Victoria’s decision to deduct our Senior Men’s team three Championship Points.

The Club made the decision not to appeal after carefully considering all relevant matters and taking appropriate legal advice. The possibility of increased sanctions, including a further points deduction (now or suspended until next year) together with substantial fines, were just two of the key considerations during this process.

The club remains disappointed that it has been harshly treated under the Grievance Disciplinary and Tribunal By-Law 2016 (GDT), as it presently applies. The club is heartened, however, by FFV’s proposal to review the GDT at season’s end and it intends to fully participate in that process to achieve appropriate change.

The club will now host a triple-header on Sunday at Lakeside Stadium, which will include both our senior men and women playing important matches as they both strive to win silverware in 2016.

The day will kick-off at 1pm, with our Women’s Reserve team playing Eltham. This will then be followed by our Senior Women at 3pm also against Eltham, where a win will see them crowned 2016 State League Champions.

SMFC will then host Hume City in an Elimination Final commencing at 5.30pm, with the winner of this clash set to take on Heidelberg United in the Semi Final next weekend. With both matches against Hume so far this season being tight contests, we urge all of our fans to get behind the club and to support the team this Sunday.

All members of the club will receive free entry all through the day, with tickets for the Elimination Final being $15 for Adults and $10 for Concession.

(Photo by Kevin Juggins)

South Melbourne FC defeated Green Gully 4-2 in its final home & away match of the 2016 PS4 NPL Victoria season to head into the finals series on a three-game winning run. All four goals came in the second half as Chris Taylor’s side confirmed itself a home final in its next match.

South almost opened the scoring after just ten seconds but the chance was put wide of the goal. Arthur Papas’ Green Gully side opened the scoring midway through the first half when an unmarked Evan Christodoulou met the ball at the back post and fired a neat left-footed finish past Nikola Roganovic.

The home side was back on level terms shortly after the halftime break, when Leigh Minopoulos cut the ball back for Milos Lujic to notch up his 24th league goal of the 2016 campaign. South’s two centre-halves then combined to put the home side 2-1 ahead on 66 minutes. From Marcus Schroen’s corner kick, Luke Adams headed the ball back for the incoming Kristian Konstantinidis to hit home from just inside the area for his second goal of the season.

The three points were won on 76 minutes when Schroen put Lujic through to score his 25th league goal in 2016 and his 31st goal across all competitions. Schroen was next to get himself on the score sheet, with a neat turn and finish with the left foot on 84 minutes that gave goalkeeper Rani Dowisha no chance and gave South’s hardworking midfielder a second goal in successive weeks. Gully’s substitute striker Lewis Shannon scored arguably the goal of the game in injury time, volleying an unstoppable shot for a consolation goal for his side.

Apart from the excellent second half performance and securing the three points, the most pleasing aspect of the win was the first-team debut of Joshua Hodes. The 16-year-old right-back came off the bench late in the game to see out the remaining few minutes on the field, a just reward for a young defender that has had an exceptional season playing in the Under 20s. Hodes joins Rory Brian, Massimo Pesce and Andy Kecojevic as players from the U20s that have experienced first-team football in recent seasons.

South’s Under 20s had a solid 3-1 win over Green Gully, with goals coming from the usual suspects in Nashir Hussainy, Charly Layton and Giordano Marafioti. Brian MacNicol’s side have played one less game than leaders Richmond but the Eagles secured the championship with a 5-1 victory over Avondale FC. If South completes and wins its game in hand, they will finish their 2016 season only one point behind Richmond.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 4-2 GREEN GULLY (HT: 0-1)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Evan Christodoulou (24′)
1-1: Milos Lujic (57′)
2-1: Kristian Konstantinidis (66′)
3-1: Milos Lujic (76′)
4-1: Marcus Schroen (84′)
4-2: Lewis Shannon (90+1′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK) / 2. Tim MALA (16. Joshua HODES 89′), 3. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 5. Luke ADAMS, 11. Brad NORTON (C) / 23. Matthew FOSCHINI (4. Michael EAGAR 89′), 18. Matthew MILLAR / 14. Chris IRWIN, 17. Marcus SCHROEN (22. Andy KECOJEVIC), 27. Leigh MINOPOULOS / 9. Milos LUJIC.
Unused Substitutes: 7. Nick EPIFANO, 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK).

Green Gully FC:
23. Rani DOWISHA (GK), 4. Daniel JONES, 5. Rodrigo VARGAS (C), 6. Callum RICHARDSON, 7. Tomas MURPHY, 8. George LAMBADARIDIS, 9. Anthony RAGUSA (17. Lewis SHANNON 66′), 11. Evan CHRISTODOULOU (18. Todd DEKKER 81′), 15. Jay DAVIES, 19. Luke WALKER (13. Yach BOL 72′), 38. Liam BOLAND.
Unused Subs: 1. Sebastian MATTEI (GK), 14. Aaron WARD.

SMFC Melbourne City Toyota Man of the Match: Marcus Schroen
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 21 August 2016

Our SMFC Under 14s girls travelled to Caroline Springs on the weekend to take on Spring Hills in a critical penultimate season fixture.

The girls hold top position on the ladder, two points clear of Pascoe Vale, who they have twice drawn with 2-2 this season. The team’s only loss was the opening round of the season and since then they have gone a total of 15 matches undefeated. It was a run they were hoping to continue against Spring Hills. They defeated the same opposition 5-3 at home back in June, however the girls-in-grey were sitting in 3rd place and playing away on a synthetic pitch meant that the match would be a challenge.

It was a physical encounter and the girls took a while to adjust to the pitch and the speed in the wet. Smooth passing was the aim of the game and in the first half the majority of play was in the midfield with neither team finding the advantage.

A chat from coach Mark Knauer at half-time found the girls playing with a little more structure in the second half, together with some more aggressive and attacking formations.

It took just two minutes before the scoreboard came into action for the first time. The first shot was on target but the Spring Hills keeper parried it away. It wasn’t enough however as Ella Nickolaus pounced and opened the scoring.

Ten minutes later the girls’ efforts would be rewarded yet again. A great run down the left lead to the ball being crossed in well. Elena Stefanos was on hand to fire the ball into the net and double the lead.

Goal scorer Elena Stefanos spoke to smfc.com.au after the match to share her thoughts. “We put up a good fight. It was tough but we got there in the end. We had some good through-balls and we have some things to work on to score some more goals. Kiara played really well for us and some of the older players were good too.”

A terrific result for the girls, with the 0-2 win keeping them firmly on the top of the ladder. They are still two points clear of Pascoe Vale and hold a +10 goal different over second place.

Both team will go in favourites in the final round of fixtures. Pascoe Vale take on fifth-placed Bundoora, whilst our girls host the fourth-placed Kensington at home next Sunday morning.

South Melbourne FC’s Senior Women’s team maintains its dominant position at the top of the State League One (NW) ladder and has the opportunity to claim the Championship this weekend.

Whilst the squad attends tonight’s Club Trivia Night at Albert Park, there is a match on at BT Connor Reserve that could be very important for the girls. An upset win by Preston Lions over South Yarra will give South the Championship without the need to kick a football in anger.

The team isn’t relying on other results however, with the focus firmly on Sunday’s away fixture at Princes Park against Melbourne University. South have lost just two league matches all year and one of them was when Melbourne Uni triumphed 0-2 at Lakeside Stadium back in early June. Sunday provides an opportunity to avenge that loss and claim the title at the same time.

Whilst one win from its last two matches will secure the title, two draws will also suffice. Going into these matches as favourites, this is no time for our women to rest easy as they face the only two teams – Melbourne Uni and Eltham Redbacks – that have defeated them in the league in 2016.

Melbourne University were the primary challenger for the title but they stumbled in the last two weeks, with a surprise loss to Bundoora United and then a 2-2 draw with Lara United last week. These results put them out of contention but they remain very tough opposition.

Our squad had the benefit of a week off last weekend and arguably will be the strongest it has been all year.

Captain Alex Cheal spoke to smfc.com.au about the squad and the preparation going into this Sunday’s fixture. “I think the week off could have been good timing for us. At this late stage in the season, we’re starting to suffer from niggling injuries and sicknesses etc. The break has given us a good chance to recuperate and get our minds and bodies focused on what is to come. We now have our best team on the field this weekend and we have a chance to go in with fresh legs.”

Caitlin Greiser was taken to hospital in the last fixture following a head clash. This saw goalkeeper Hailey Drain give up the gloves and turn into a makeshift outfield player. There is little chance of Drain catching Greiser for the Golden Boot in 2016 but that didn’t stop her curling an effort into the net to get herself on the scoresheet.

Cheal made it clear that a repeat goal-scoring performance is unlikely this week as the gloves will be back on. “Hailey was great last week but back in goals as we have our strength back on the field! We have a full team in this weekend. Caitlin has been cleared (of injury) and those other players suffering injuries in the last game have been able to get themselves fit for the weekend. It couldn’t be a better time for us really. There’s no excuses this weekend.”

The Women’s teams take on Melbourne University at Princes Park on Sunday afternoon. The reserves kick off at 1pm and the Seniors kick off at 3pm.

South Melbourne FC confirms that our Senior Men’s team has been deducted three Championship Points and fined $500 after being charged with an MP5A Offence (Failing to Control Club Associates) by Football Federation Victoria.

Despite the match being an away game, the tribunal found that the club was liable for the conduct of its supporters, who were found to have misbehaved by verbally abusing the Assistant Referee in our recent match against Bentleigh Greens.

The Club also had one of its members suspended for a six-month term.

SMFC has five business days to appeal the decision and is carefully assessing its options.

We will make no further public comment.

South Melbourne FC hosts Green Gully in the final round of the NPL Victoria season at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday afternoon. 

It is still possible for Chris Taylor’s side to finish the season in second spot should it win on Sunday. The reality however is that regardless of Sunday’s result, South will finish in third spot and host an elimination final at Lakeside Stadium next weekend. Gully come into the game in fourth position – which also means hosting an elimination final next weekend – however Arthur Papas’ side can still finish as low as sixth after Sunday. They will be looking for all three points to confirm a home final.

With four crucial games in two weeks for Gully – they played the Dockerty Cup final on Wednesday, play South on Sunday before their FFA Cup next Wednesday and then their first finals game next weekend – it will be very interesting to see how Papas approaches Sunday’s meeting with South, considering the importance of winning the game and securing a home final.

For South, Sunday is an opportunity to head into the finals series on a three-game winning run, with Taylor’s side having beaten the Melbourne Knights and Pascoe Vale in the last two rounds.

Sunday’s match at Lakeside Stadium kicks off at 3pm.

SMFC v Green Gully – Head to Head (League & Finals)

Matches Played: 32
Wins (SMFC): 16
Wins (GGFC): 11
Draws: 5

First match: Green Gully 0-2 South Melbourne (11 March 1984, Green Gully Reserve)
Last match: Green Gully 0-1 South Melbourne (21 May 2016, Green Gully Reserve)

Biggest Winning Margin (SMFC): 5 goals (5-0 win) – (22 June 1986, Middle Park)
Biggest Winning Margin (GGFC): 3 goals (3-0 win) – (6 April 2008, Lakeside Stadium)

Most Goals in a Match (SMFC): 5 (5-0 win) – (22 June 1986, Middle Park)
Most Goals in a Match (GGFC): 3 (four times) – (2008, 2011 to 2014) 

Biggest Finals Win (SMFC): 3-0 (1 September 2006, Lakeside Stadium)
Biggest Finals Win (GGFC): 0-0 (5-4p) (3 September 2005, Green Gully Reserve)

Football is an industry driven by results but one of the great things about the game is the ability for people to make friends both on and off the pitch.

Earlier this year on 7 February, our Under 13s played a friendly match against the Bentleigh Greens at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex. In the opening ten minutes, an incident occurred that saw our junior player Yianni Panakos knocked to the ground by a Bentleigh defender (named Dominic) behind play. Yianni lay motionless on the ground initially and suffered an immense pain in his right arm that went from his elbow down to his wrist. It left Yianni sidelined for several weeks and in a great deal of pain.

Fast-forward to 12 March and our Under-13s opened their NPL Victoria East season at Dandenong City with a huge 10-1 win. A man by the name of Robert approached the SMFC parents, introduced himself as Dominic’s father and said that he had come to the match with his son for the sole purpose that his son apologise to Yianni for what had occurred in the friendly match a month prior. Yianni accepted the apology and the boys went off playing as if nothing had happened.

Just a few weeks ago on 17 July, SMFC and Bentleigh played each other in the league. Both sides were in winning form and sitting high on the ladder, giving the game added spice. There was to be no animosity between Yianni and Dominic however, with both boys displaying excellent quality and sportsmanship in a match that saw Yianni score two goals and South triumph 5-4. For the record, Yianni has scored 19 goals in 15 appearances for the Under 13s in 2016!

Since the regrettable incident in February, a strong friendship had developed between Yianni and Dominic. Both players have actually been ill this week – Yianni with the winter blues and Dominic with a football injury – however both have been regularly keeping contact and are good friends now, proving that something negative can be turned into a positive.

We congratulate both boys on their maturity and sportsmanship and hope that our Under 13s can win the title this year!

(Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC remained in second place on the 2016 NPL Victoria ladder thanks to a 4-1 win over Pascoe Vale at CB Smith Reserve on Friday night.

Matthew Lazarides opened the scoring for the home side after getting behind the South defence and scoring one-on-one past Nikola Roganovic. South’s goalkeeper was called upon to keep his side from going 2-0 down when he saved another one-on-one opportunity shortly afterwards.

The match turned on its head after 38 minutes when Adam Nakic brought Leigh Minopoulos down in the penalty area to concede a penalty and get himself sent off for denying a goal scoring opportunity. Goalkeeper Alexander Pavlidis saved Milos Lujic’s initial penalty but could not stop South’s centre-forward from scoring on the rebound. Three minutes later, Minopoulos split the Pascoe Vale defence open with a superb through-ball for Lujic to run onto and flick past the advancing Pavlidis to put South 1-2 ahead.

The match was well and truly over just before the hour mark when Pavlidis brought Lujic down in the area after South’s No9 dribbled past him, getting himself sent off and giving away a second penalty in the process. To add to the chaos, Pascoe Vale coach Vitale Ferrante was also given his marching orders by the referee, leaving the home side down to nine men on the park and without their senior coach on the bench for the remainder of the game.

Reserve goalkeeper Dennys Martin was brought on to replace Lazarides but was sent the wrong way from the penalty spot as Lujic completed his hattrick and scored his 23rd league goal of 2016. Incredibly, Pascoe Vale conceded a third penalty just minutes later but in a rare victory for the home side, Martin guessed the right way and tipped Nick Epifano’s effort onto the post.

With such a comfortable lead and a two-man advantage, South created but wasted numerous chances to extend their lead. After missing an absolute sitter just minutes earlier, Marcus Schroen scored arguably the best individual goal of the night in injury time, hitting a low drive from the left side of the area that flew across Martin and into the far corner of the net.

There was further good news in the Under 20s as South Melbourne came from 2-1 down to defeat Pascoe Vale 4-3. Giordano Marafioti scored a double, with South’s other goals coming from Nashir Hussainy and a Pascoe Vale own goal.

South can wrap up second spot on the NPL Victoria ladder with a draw against Green Gully in its final home & away match of 2016 at Lakeside Stadium next Sunday.

FINAL SCORE: PASCOE VALE 1-4 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 1-2)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Matthew Lazarides (19′)
1-1: Milos Lujic (39′)
1-2: Milos Lujic (42′)
1-3: Milos Lujic (62’p)
1-4: Marcus Schroen (90+2′)

Pascoe Vale FC:
35. Alexander PAVLIDIS (GK – sent off 58′), 2. Adrian TALARICO, 3. Gonzalo MUNOZ, 4. Adam NAKIC (sent off 38′), 8. Joseph YOUSSEF (C), 10. Davey VAN’T SCHIP (15. Mark PISTININZI 42′), 13. Matthew LAZARIDES (1. Dennys MARTIN 59′), 16. Tomislav MILARDOVIC, 21. Michael FERRANTE (17. Aaron TURNER 55′), 24. Mustapha QUANYNOR, 25. Marinos GASPARIS.
Unused Subs: 7. Luca SANTILLI, 20. Luka PRELEVIC.

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK) / 2. Tim MALA, 3. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 5. Luke ADAMS, 11. Brad NORTON (C) / 77. Stephen HATZIKOSTAS (4. Michael EAGAR 80′), 18. Matthew MILLAR / 27. Leigh MINOPOULOS, 17. Marcus SCHROEN, 7. Nick EPIFANO (22. Andy KECOJEVIC 73′) / 9. Milos LUJIC (14. Chris IRWIN 85′).
Unused Subs: 12. Amadu KOROMA, 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK).

SMFC Melbourne City Toyota Man of the Match: Leigh Minopoulos
Venue: CB Smith Reserve
Date: Friday 12 August 2016