Category: News

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce that Matthew Millar has extended his playing contract at the club and will remain at Lakeside Stadium until the conclusion of the 2017 NPL Victoria season.

The midfielder was signed from Melbourne City on the final day of the NPL transfer window back in February and became an instant hit with SMFC fans with a fine performance in the 6-0 home win against Heidelberg United in the opening round of 2016. He scored his first two goals for the club in the 10-0 win against Keysborough in the FFA Cup Fourth Round in March before scoring his first two league goals in the 2-1 win against Hume City in early April.

A former Australian youth international, Millar has been used by Coach Chris Taylor in both central midfield and on the right wing so far this season. Using his quick pace to get behind defenders, he has so far scored seven goals in 14 appearances across all competitions, with five league goals from the opening 12 rounds.

SMFC Football Director Nicholas Maikousis spoke with smfc.com.au about Millar’s contract extension. “We have been intending to keep Matthew at the club and we are very pleased that we have managed to do so. With Milos Lujic also extending his contract last week, our intention is always to lock down our important players at the club in order to have the best chance of continued success.”

The South Women walked on to Lakeside Stadium last Sunday looking to secure a full three points and maintain a perfect winning start to 2016. With five starters missing from the line-up and Lara United sitting one place back in third on the ladder, a competitive fixture was expected.

A vocal supporter group from Lara United graced the grandstand and they were rewarded in the twelfth minute when Izzy Wilkinson fired a rocket from forty yards out that flew into the bottom left of the net, giving the visitors an early lead. South responded in the best way possible and just a few minutes later had equalised when Natalie Martineau set up Eliza Gleadell to easily find the back of the net.

The value of the large Lakeside pitch provided the South girls with the advantage as they used width and pace to attack deep into the final third. Those attacks were rewarded when Sara Alberici scored her seventh goal for the season by chipping the keeper from the edge of the area to put South in front.

Lara United again found the net with another long range shot by Rachel Bennett to make it 2-2.

In the final five minutes of the match, South had multiple shots on goal, coming agonisingly close and even hitting the upright. A free kick awarded some forty yards from goal saw defensive midfielder Stella Rebholz step up for her trademark long-range shot. With the Lakeside scoreboard showing just eight seconds left in regulation time, Stella’s shot flew over the head of every player in the area, including the Lara goalkeeper and into the net triggering screams of delight, high fives and celebrations from the pitch to the grandstand. It was a vital three points for the South squad.

Stella spoke to smfc.com.au after the match, adding that “it was really amazing and frustrating. I was there as centre back working my backside off – let’s put it that way – and we had so many chances but couldn’t get the ball in. I got the free kick at the end and was like ‘ok, all in’. I don’t know how I got it, I just smashed it somehow into the goal. It was an amazing finish.”

“Overall it was really hard to get into the game. We had many players that couldn’t play so we don’t know each other that well, so it was hard. Lara were on us all the time and really aggressive always trying to be the first to the ball. We couldn’t get into our game which we usually play. We have a lot of work to do before the cup game but we’ll be ready. It’s been a positive start to the season but there is a lot more potential to get better.”

Forward Caitlin Greiser and defender Deryl Aziz added that “it was a very intense game, Lara were third on the ladder and we were just above them so we really wanted to go out there and win, get the three points and remain near the top of the ladder. Stella played really well playing in the back line and in the midfield. She kept it together and scored the winning goal. Lara were a pretty good team, very physical and they had a few really fast players up front.”

The Women’s team are back in action on Friday night at BT Connor Reserve against Preston Lions, kicking off at 8:30pm.

South Melbourne FC will be seeking an immediate return to winning ways when it travels to Green Gully Reserve to face Green Gully on Saturday afternoon.

Chris Taylor’s side suffered only its second league defeat of the season last Friday night with a very disappointing home loss (0-1) against Pascoe Vale at Lakeside Stadium. Despite the poor result, South still remains on top of the PS4 NPL Victoria ladder and will stay there should they win Saturday’s match.

Centre-half Luke Adams will be missing for the next 4-5 weeks after being called up to represent the New Zealand National Team. South will be forced to reshuffle the defence, with Adams’ natural replacement at centre-half, Kristian Konstantinidis, not available as he continues to recover from a minor injury sustained in the 2-0 win against Avondale. Right-back Tim Mala has also been missing from the squad for the last few weeks as he also recovers from injury and is a 50-50 proposition for the Gully match. Matthew Foschini may be forced to take up a defensive position should Mala not play on Saturday.

Arthur Papas’ Green Gully side started with mixed results in their opening six league matches of the season but in traditional and typical Green Gully style, they have hit mid-season form and currently sit in third place on the ladder. Gully have won five of their last six league matches and are also just one win away from qualifying for the Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32 thanks to a 2-0 win against Heidelberg United in their Sixth Round tie on Tuesday night.

Should Gully win on Saturday, it will bring them to within two points of South on the league table, proving what a crucial match Saturday is shaping up to be for both sides.

Saturday’s match at Green Gully Reserve kicks off at 3pm. 

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

Matches Played: 31
Wins (SMFC): 15
Wins (GGFC): 11
Draws: 5

First match: Green Gully 0-2 South Melbourne (11 March 1984, Green Gully Reserve)
Last match: South Melbourne 3-2 Green Gully (7 July 2015, Lakeside Stadium)

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)

Birmingham City Football Club are one of the 92 teams in the English Football League (Premier League down to League Two) all participating in an end-of-season charity cycling event from London to Amsterdam.

Starting at West Ham United’s new stadium and ending at Dutch Giants Ajax Amsterdam, the event comprises teams from each of the English clubs. Birmingham City will be represented by long-time South Melbourne FC Corporate Partner Brendon Davis of AIS Insurance.

Managers, executives, players and past champions are representing their clubs in this iconic event. Former England captain Terry Butcher, and his former England team mate Viv Anderson are two of many high profile football identities cycling for an excellent cause.

It’s not a race but a fundraiser for an excellent cause, Brendon explained, before adding “we obviously have to beat Aston Villa and Wolverhampton!”

The event is a 230 kilometre cycle that leaves London on 3 June and crosses the North Sea overnight using the Harwich ferry. Brendon is already making plans on how to best follow SMFC during his overseas trip.

AIS are into their 20th consecutive season as an SMFC Corporate Partner.

Male NPL Teams (U12-Seniors)

Seniors: SMFC 0-1 Pascoe Vale
U20s: SMFC 3-0 Pascoe Vale (Layton 28′, Martindale 56′, Iradukunda 73′)
U18s: SMFC 2-1 Murray United (Marafioti, Crisp)
U16s: SMFC 2-0 Murray United (Kolaj, Ahmeti)
U15s: SMFC 6-0 Murray United (Barforosh x2, Chinnama, Papazisis, Andreadis, Garrow)
U14s: SMFC 7-0 Murray United (Abdou x3, Baker, Giannakarios, Lewis-Hanafin, Rosenzweig)
U13s: SMFC 7-1 Murray United (Polymenopoulos x4, Panakos x2, Khan)
U12s: SMFC 5-1 Murray United (Durso x2, Markovski x2, Sdregas)

Female State League Teams (U12-Seniors)

SL1 (Seniors): SMFC 3-2 Lara United (Gleadell 16′, Alberici 25′, Rebholz 90′)
SL1 (Reserves): SMFC 2-1 Lara United (Singleton 70′, Cachia 83′)
SL2: SMFC 1-1 Monash University (Scorer TBC)
SL3: SMFC 2-0 Casey Panthers (Farmer, Moloney)
SL4: SMFC 1-2 Elwood City (Vrljic)
U16s: SMFC 5-1 Monbulk Rangers (Shata x2, Trease-Hemming x2, Karp)
U14s: SMFC 8-1 Keilor Park (Nickolaus x3, Louloudis x3, Marsh, Stefanos)
U12s: SMFC 3-0 Dandenong City (Scorers TBC)

Pascoe Vale defeated South Melbourne FC in league competition for the first time following a fighting 0-1 victory and despite playing the majority of the game with only ten men. Former South man Joseph Youssef’s goal just after the hour mark settled a match that South can only blame themselves for throwing away.

Goalkeeper Nikola Roganovic has been one of South’s best players in 2016 and he denied Vitale Ferrante’s side from opening the scoring in the first half when he made a near-post save from Davey Van’t Schip’s shot.

Shortly afterwards, Pascoe Vale goalkeeper Alexander Pavlidis collected the ball, with the last touch coming from his defender Mark Pistininzi and the referee blew the whistle for an indirect free kick against Pascoe Vale amid fierce protest from their players. Chaos ensued from the free kick, when Nick Epifano’s initial shot hit the post and then Matthew Millar’s follow-up shot was cleared off the line. The ball then fell back to Epifano and his goal-bound shot was handled on the goal line by Tomi Milardovic, with the player shown a straight red card by the referee and South awarded with a penalty kick.

Milardovic’s decision to handball on the line was justified when Pavlidis guessed the right way and denied Epifano from the penalty spot for the first time in his South career. That entire incident seemed to galvanise ten-man Pascoe Vale as they continued to create opportunities despite playing with a man less. Roganovic again denied Van’t Schip, this time from a header, whilst at the other end of the field Pavlidis saved a Luke Adams header on target.

Pavlidis made another save to deny a long-range Matthew Theodore effort at the start of the second half before his side took the lead with what ultimately was the winning goal. Luca Santilli found space down the right side and hit a low cross initially intended for Van’t Schip, however the big striker cleverly dummied a shot and the incoming Youssef timed his run perfectly to beat Amadu Koroma to the ball and score past Roganovic.

South missed a great opportunity to level when Brad Norton fired a near-post shot well over the crossbar after Pavlidis had initially spilled Epifano’s shot into his path. South went close again shortly after but Peter Deng cleared Millar’s shot off the goal line and away from danger.

As South threw more men forward, Pascoe Vale searched for a second goal to completely kill the game off. Roganovic was on hand to block Santilli’s shot before making an incredible double-save to firstly deny substitute Luke Prelevic from point-blank range and then the follow-up shot from Michael Ferrante.

South had one final chance to salvage a point but Millar’s weak attempt was easily saved by Pavlidis as Pascoe Vale defeated South for the first time in eight league attempts.

The news was better in the Under 20s as South Melbourne defeated Pascoe Vale 3-0 thanks to goals from Charly Layton (28′), Cody Martindale (56′) and substitute Thierry Iradukunda (73′).

South must re-group before getting back on the road to face another tough test away at Green Gully next Saturday. Kick-off is at 3pm at Green Gully Reserve.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 0-1 PASCOE VALE (HT: 0-0)

Goal Scorer:
0-1: Joseph Youssef (63′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK) / 12. Amadu KOROMA (14. Chris IRWIN 88′), 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 5. Luke ADAMS, 11. Brad NORTON / 23. Matthew FOSCHINI, 8. Mathew THEODORE (27. Leigh MINOPOULOS 61′) / 17. Marcus SCHROEN (99. Iqi JAWADI 70′), 18. Matthew MILLAR, 7. Nick EPIFANO / 9. Milos LUJIC.

Pascoe Vale FC:
1. Alexander PAVLIDIS (GK), 2. Adrian TALARICO, 4. Adam NAKIC, 7. Luca SANTILLI (20. Luka PRELEVIC 84′), 8. Joseph YOUSSEF (C), 10. Davey VAN’T SCHIP, 13. Matthew LAZARIDES (22. Yusei KITADE 79′), 15. Mark PISTININZI (18. Andrew MIANO 74′), 16. Tomislav MILARDOVIC (sent off 19′), 21. Michael FERRANTE, 23. Peter DENG.

SMFC Melbourne City Toyota Man of the Match: Nikola Roganovic
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Friday 13 May 2016

South Melbourne FC will be aiming for eight straight wins across all competitions when it hosts Pascoe Vale at Lakeside Stadium on Friday night.

South goes into the game confident following a big 5-2 win against the Melbourne Knights at Knights Stadium last Friday. Striker Milos Lujic scored two goals and celebrated further with news of a two-year contract extension during this week, keeping him at Lakeside Stadium until the end of the 2018 season.

Pascoe Vale won their opening two PS4 NPL Victoria matches but have not won a league match since 27 February. Since then, Vitale Ferrante’s side have only picked up three points and sit third-last on the ladder. Their most recent result was a 3-1 home loss against Melbourne Victory’s NPL side last Friday night.

Despite the difference between the two sides in league positions, South will need to be wary of a Pascoe Vale side that have always been very tough to overcome since they joined Victoria’s top flight in 2013. In the last meeting between the two side in 2015, South came back from a 1-2 deficit in extra time to overcome Pascoe Vale 3-2 in an epic NPL Victoria semi final. Will there be another classic on Friday night?

Friday night’s match at Lakeside Stadium kicks off at 8:30pm. 

SMFC v Pascoe Vale – Head to Head (League & Finals)

Matches Played: 7
Wins (SMFC): 5
Wins (PVFC): 0
Draws: 2

First match: Pascoe Vale 0-0 South Melbourne (1 June 2013, Hosken Reserve)
Last match: South Melbourne 3-2 Pascoe Vale (4 September 2015, Lakeside Stadium)

Biggest Winning Margin (SMFC): 3-0 (1 August 2014, Hosken Reserve)
Biggest Winning Margin (PVFC): None

Most Goals in a Match (SMFC): 3 (3-0 win) – (1 August 2014, Hosken Reserve)
Most Goals in a Match (PVFC): 2 (2-3 loss) – (25 Aug 2013 / 4 Sep 2015, Lakeside Stadium)

Biggest Finals Win (SMFC): 3-2 (4 September 2015, Lakeside Stadium)
Biggest Finals Win (PVFC): None

South Melbourne FC is thrilled to announce that Milos Lujic has signed a tw0-year extension to his contract, with the big striker to remain at the club until the conclusion of the 2018 season.

Lujic first arrived at Lakeside Stadium from Northcote City at the end of 2013, having scored 21 goals in the Victorian Premier League (including finals) that season. He made his SMFC debut on Thursday 13 March 2014 at the Olympic Village against Heidelberg United and scored his first goal for the club after only 21 minutes as South won 3-0.

From his first SMFC game, Lujic has been a goal-scoring champion and has scored a staggering 55 goals in 67 league matches, with 69 goals in 81 total appearances across all competitions. This includes 24 total goals in 2014, 31 in 2015 and 14 so far in 2016.

Lujic’s 55 league goals puts him outright ninth on South’s all-time leading league goal scorers and his goals played a big role in South’s NPL Victoria Championship in 2014, plus winning both the Dockerty Cup and the Premier’s Plate (finishing first) in 2015.

His impressive list of individual achievements whilst with SMFC include the following:
FFV Gold Medal Winner 2014
FFV Players’ Player of the Year 2014
FFV Golden Boot Winner 2014, 2015
SMFC Golden Boot Winner 2014, 2015
SMFC Media Best Player 2014, 2015
SMFC Hall of Fame Member 2014 (Championship winner)

Lujic spoke with smfc.com.au about the new contract extension. “To be quite honest I was never going anywhere else and can see myself retiring at this club. I absolutely love it here at South Melbourne and I want to help get this club back playing in the national league. I know how much our fans love their club and every time I play I try my best to score as many goals as possible for them. Hopefully there are many more goals to come over the next few seasons.”

SMFC Football Director Nicholas Maikousis also spoke to smfc.com.au. “Milos is a proven performer and a club man who is loved by all at South Melbourne. We are excited to have him back on board for the next two seasons, as we try to achieve our goals”.

Focus Financial Partners (‘Focus’), the leading international partnership of independent, fiduciary wealth management firms, today announced that MW Lomax Group (‘MW Lomax’), an integrated financial services company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, has joined the Focus network of independent wealth management firms.

The MW Lomax relationship represents Focus’ entry into Australia, the largest funds management market in Asia Pacific 1, and will accelerate MW Lomax’s growth strategy by affording access to Focus’ capital strength and value-added resources allowing it to better serve clients’ needs. With almost 2 million Australians stating they are looking for a financial adviser 2, there is enormous growth potential in the region and this relationship will provide the platform for MW Lomax to capitalise on increasing consumer demand for truly independent financial planning advice which is being intensified by ongoing regulatory reform in the sector.

The founding partners, Nick Maikousis and Jon White, with a combined 54 years of experience, held senior management roles within the financial planning and insurance advisory sectors before establishing MW Lomax. Over the past 14 years, they have continued to grow the business steadily through a combination of strategic transactions and organic growth. With offices in Melbourne and Sydney, MW Lomax currently has a staff of 55 full-time employees, comprised of numerous experienced CPAs, tax specialists and other advanced degrees and designations.

“We are excited to be the first Australian firm to join the ranks of the high calibre wealth management firms currently in the Focus partnership. Having seen various firms tapping into Focus’ capital and resources to achieve the next stage of growth while maintaining their independence and local characteristics, we are confident that we will be able to do the same here in Australia,” said Mr White, Group Managing Director at MW Lomax. “In addition to the M&A expertise, we look forward to utilising Focus’ value-add programs in operations, technology, compliance and marketing.”

“MW Lomax represents a significant step forward in our international growth strategy. Our founding mission is to support entrepreneurial wealth management firms to provide independent financial advice to individuals, families, and institutions. We are excited to bring our model and resources to the Australian financial market today,” said Rajini Kodialam, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Focus.

“MW Lomax’s strong desire to grow and their client-centric model make it a natural fit for Focus. With the firm’s scale of business and their holistic financial planning services, we believe that MW Lomax will act as an attractive platform to consolidate the fragmented planning and accounting space in its local regions.”

MW Lomax is the third international firm to join Focus, following Canada-based Dorchester Wealth Management and the U.K.-based Greystone Financial Services.

Focus was advised by Minter Ellison, and MW Lomax was advised by Mills Oakley and Chase Corporate Advisory.

About Focus Financial Partners
Focus Financial Partners is the leading international partnership of independent, fiduciary wealth management firms. Focus provides unrivaled access to best practices, resources, and continuity planning for its partner firms who serve individuals, families, employers and institutions with wealth management, benefit and investment consulting services. Focus partner firms maintain their operational independence, while they benefit from the synergies, scale, economics and best practices of the market leader to achieve their business objectives. For more information about Focus Financial Partners, please visit www.focusfinancialpartners.com.

About MW Lomax
Founded in 2002, MW Lomax offers financial expertise across the areas of wealth management, accounting & tax, insurance and business advisory services. The firm provides clients across the greater Melbourne and Sydney regions with independent advice and a holistic service offering. MW Lomax utilises a planning process approach that incorporates wealth accumulation, preservation and diversification while managing risks through appropriate financial protection. For more information about MW Lomax, please visit www.mwlomax.com.au.

Male NPL Teams (U12-Seniors)

Seniors: SMFC 5-2 Melbourne Knights (Lujic 8′, 43′, Millar 11′, 80′, Adams 79′)
U20s: SMFC 1-1 Melbourne Knights (Layton 7′)
U18s: SMFC 4-1 Nunawading City (Marafioti x3, Egan)
U16s: SMFC 2-1 Nunawading City (Johnson, Kolaj)
U15s: SMFC 5-1 Nunawading City (Chinnama x2, Singh x2, Hird)
U14s: SMFC 2-1 Nunawading City (Cevik, Lupancu)
U13s: SMFC 3-0 Nunawading City (Panakos x2, Chong)
U12s: SMFC 3-1 Nunawading City (Asani, Athanasakis, Markovski)

Female State League Teams (U12-Seniors)

SL1 (Seniors): SMFC 2-1 Bundoora United (Laszczak 39′, Greiser 60′)
SL1 (Reserves): SMFC 5-0 Bundoora United (Delorenzis 11′, 12′, 75′, Sotiropoulos 31′, Taliadoros 43′)
SL2: SMFC 0-0 South Springvale
SL3: SMFC 5-0 Dandenong City (Belanger, Maynard, Moloney, Van Den Bulk, Weller)
SL4: SMFC 1-1 Bayside Argonauts (Scorer TBC)
U16s: SMFC 13-1 Peninsula Strikers (Trease-Hemming x5, Shata x2, Karp x2, Trajkovska x2, Stoic)
U14s: SMFC 8-2 Kensington (Nickolaus x2, Louloudis x2, Marsh, Wicks, Own Goal)
U12s: SMFC 3-1 Boroondara Eagles (Scorers TBC)