Category: News

Nick Epifano’s first goal in Friday night’s FFA Cup match against Melbourne Knights is one that will live long in the memory of all South Melbourne supporters.

Having trailed for the entire night, Epifano’s looping, dipping shot that found the top right hand corner put South ahead with seven minutes remaining, and was the sort of magical moment the FFA Cup is becoming
renowned for.

Epifano produced the best performance of his South career to date against the club’s great rivals, scoring a late brace to lift South to a sensational 3-1 victory.

The win exorcized demons of the corresponding fixture last season, where Knights upset a highly fancied South side to advance to the FFA Cup finals.

Stand in captain Brad Norton hailed the enigmatic 20 year old’s performance, reserving special praise for THAT goal.

“Once you saw him pick it up you thought he was going to score it.” Norton told SMFC TV post match. He cut down the wing and when he hit it, man I was having heart palpitations. Epa has worked hard the last few weeks on and off the park, he’s been scoring goals for us lately. Tonight was a big game for him, and a big game for the club, and he stepped up for us.”

After a rocky start to the season, both individual and team seem to have clicked in recent weeks.

Head coach Chris Taylor, a close mentor of Epifano, applauded both the goal and the player.

“It was one of those ones that hung there for a while, but it went in and it was a great goal to win the game on. Full credit to the boy. He’s been a match-winner tonight and since some well publicised problems at the start of the year it is extremely pleasing to see the work he is putting in is starting to be rewarded”

The man himself, Nick Epifano was also quite pleased with the effort, the win and the progress he has made on and of the park since the start of the season. “The start of the year was quite tough for me personally and i’m sorry about how some things happened. While I can’t change that, i can work hard to make sure I play well for the team and for the supporters. Its great that the boys got the win and for me to finally hit the back of the net. I want to be scoring more and giving the everyone at the club more to get excited about, so i’m very happy tonight and can’t wait to our next match against Dandy”.

The draw for the next round of the FFA Cup will be held on Tuesday.

South Melbourne vice-captain Brad Norton has hailed the atmosphere at Lakeside Stadium in the aftermath of the club’s epic 3-1 FFA Cup victory over Melbourne Knights.

South came from behind to win agains their rivals for the third time this season, with Norton visibly ecstatic with the victory.

“In the four years I’ve been at this club I don’t reckon I’ve played in a game like this.” Norton told SMFC TV after the game.

“The atmosphere, with the crowd getting involved, I was saying to one of the boys, it was almost like the old NSL days. We can’t ask for any more. It’s what got us over the line, being at home and having our 12^th man. I’m a bit speechless at the moment, it was crazy. We have the best fans in the country by a mile”

Milos Lujic converted a penalty to draw South level with 10 minutes to play in the match, before a late brace to Nick Epifano sealed a memorable win.

The victory moves South to within one game of qualification for the lucrative FFA Cup finals, where the boys from Lakeside would once again grace the national stage against the likes of Melbourne Victory should they progress.

Brad Norton took the captain’s armband on the night in the absence of regular skipper Michael Eagar, and was also given the daunting task of filling in at Eagar’s regular position in the heart of defence.

Norton was typically understated when asked about his role on the night.

“Look I enjoy the challenge, but at the same time we’d love to have Michael Eagar back in there. But I knew I had to do a role for the team tonight. Everyone had a job tonight and we knew that if everyone stepped up and did theirs, we’d get over the line and that’s what we did.”

Three late goals has given South Melbourne an unforgettable victory over the Melbourne Knights in Friday night’s FFA Cup match at Lakeside Stadium.

After going behind early in the second half, Milos Lujic calmly slotted a penalty with 10 minutes remaining to level the scores, before Nick Epifano scored two memorable goals as South clinched a famous victory against their greatest rivals.

The win also ended Andy Brennan’s time at the club on a high, with the Tasmanian playing a key role in his final game with South before he joins Newcastle Jets in the A-League.

Chris Taylor’s men were keen to ensure there was no repeat of last year’s corresponding fixture, where Knights caused a major upset at Lakeside to knock South of the running for the FFA Cup finals.

Knights were the first team to settle and looked likely to score throughout the first half, with a sensational double block from Thomas Lakic enough to prevent Chris Talajic from scoring.

Andy Brennan later had an opportunity to score after a great ball from Epifano, however the Knights’ Chris May made a smart save to deny the departing Tasmanian.

The game started to heat up when Tim Mala and Stipo Anrdijasevic each received a yellow after an alteraction on the far side of the ground.

Lakic then made his second contribution of the night when he cleared a shot off the line from Andrew Barisic’s goal bound shot.

Knights piled on the pressure after the restart and always looked like scoring, and their pressure paid off after 53 minutes, with Nikola Roganovic unable to keep out Tomislav Uskok’s powerful header.

South looked more likely to equalise after Chris Taylor brought on Leigh Minopoulos and Andy Kecojevic, however after Milos Lujic’s goal was disallowed, South still trailed 1-0 with 10 minutes remaining.

However, a handball in the box gave South a lifeline, with the ever dependable Milos Lujic calmly converting the resulting penalty to draw scores level after 82 minutes.

Less than 60 seconds later, Nick Epifano scored one of the most memorable goals in recent times. The unpredictable winger sprinted down the left hand side, before cutting inside and placing a looping shot into the top right hand corner, sending the South supporters into raptures.

It was chaos at the ground when Brennan broke on the counter in injury time and centred unselfishly for Epifano, who tapped in his second of the game to praise put the result beyond doubt.

In the dying minutes, both Tomislav Uskok and Nikola Roganovic received red cards for their part in an all in scuffle.

Nevertheless, the game finished 3-1, keeping South in the running for the FFA Cup finals and gicing Andy Brennan the perfect send off.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 3-1 MELBOURNE KNIGHTS (HT: 0-0)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Tomislav Uskok (53′)
1-1: Milos Lujic (83’p)
2-1: Nick Epifano (84′)
3-1: Nick Epifano (90+1′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK) (sent off 90+2′), 2. Tim MALA, 5. Luke ADAMS, 6. Tom LAKIC (23. Andy KECOJEVIC 81′), 7. Nick EPIFANO, 8. Matthew THEODORE, 9. Milos LUJIC, 11. Brad NORTON (C), 12. Iqi JAWADI, 17. Andy BRENNAN (22. Fraser MacLAREN [GK] 90+3’), 21. Jake BARKER-DAISH (27. Leigh MINOPOULOS 57’).

Unused subs: 19. Massimo PESCE, 20 Nick MORTON.

Melbourne Knights:
1. Chris MAY (GK), 4. Ben SUREY, 5. Milan BATUR, 6. Tomislav USKOK (C) (sent off 90+2′), 7. Chris TALAJIC (10. Marian CVITKOVIC 62′), 8. James McGARRY, 11. Jacob COLOSIMO, 12. Ivan GRGIC, 18. Josh BREKALO, 21. Stipo ANDRIJASEVIC, 27. Andrew BARISIC.

Unused subs: 2. Luke JURCIC, 14. Rodrigo COVARRUBIAS, 25. Michael O’FARRELL.

South Melbourne will be out to exact some revenge when it takes on Melbourne Knights in a huge FFA Cup clash tonight at Lakeside Stadium.

South are two wins away from qualifying for the FFA Cup finals, however it was the Knights that knocked the club out of the running for the Cup finals at the final stage of qualifying last season.

That match, also at the Lakeside, was possibly the upset of the season in Victorian football in 2014, given South’s dominance of the league up until that point.

This time around it has been a similar story, with South sitting second on the table on goal difference, while Knights have also been impressive and sit in fourth position. However, ladder positions are often irrelevant when these two sides meet.

The two sides have met twice already this season, producing two very similar tales on each occasion. A come from behind 2-1 victory at Somers street, in torrential rain, in the FFV Community Shield served as the perfect start to South’s 2015 campaign.

Then, in March, Andy Brennan netted the winner in a dominant display as South again overcame an early deficit to triumph 2-1 in the league.

Tonight’s match will be Brennan’s last in a South shirt this season, with the rangy winger on his way to A-League side Newcastle Jets. Brennan will no doubt be keen to end his time at South on a high, and given he has scored on both occasions against South’s old rivals this season, it is a brave person that would back the Tasmanian scoring again tonight.

South regain Golden Boot winner Milos Lujic for the match, after he missed a match for picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Oakleigh a fortnight ago.

Who Chris Taylor will drop for the razor sharp marksman is the subject of much debate. Leigh Minopoulos filled in as striker in the 7-1 victory over North Geelong Warriors last Friday, scoring a double in the process.

Andy Kecojevic, Chris Irwin, Iqi Jawadi and Brennan himself also scored in that match, making selection for this game very difficult.

One man who won’t be under consideration is Captain Michael Eagar, who will miss again through suspension following his red card against Oakleigh.

South have defeated Whittlesea Ranges and North Sunshine FC to get to this round of the Cup, scoring a total of 13 goals in those two matches. Knights progressed on the back of victories against Melton Phoenix and Sunbury United.

A large crowd is expected for what is always a passionate affair.

The clash between South Melbourne and Melbourne Knights kicks off at 7.30pm at Lakeside Stadium, Albert Park. Those unable to make the match can follow proceedings on the club’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, using the handles #SMFC and #FFACup.

This Friday night’s FFA Cup match against Melbourne Knights will be Andy Brennan’s 16^th and final appearance for South Melbourne this season. While there have been many to have played more games in the club’s famous blue and white jersey, few have made as much of an immediate impact as Brennan has.

Following Friday night’s game, the Tasmanian will travel north to join up with the club he signed for in April, A-League side Newcastle Jets.

Brennan joined South Melbourne from PS4 Victory League side South Hobart last November. During his time at Lakeside Stadium, the rangy winger has constantly wowed the supporters with his blistering pace and power.

The 21 year old has scored seven goals for South at time of print, although this total is a very real possibility of being added to on Friday night given Brennan’s penchant for scoring against Melbourne Knights.

He memorably scored with his first touch as a South player against South’s old rivals, equalizing in torrential conditions in the 2-1 Community Shield victory at Somers Street back in February.

A goal and man-of-the-match display in the 2-1 league victory over Knights in April was enough to convince the Jets officials in attendance at that game of Brennan’s worth.

A quietly spoken character, Brennan highlighted the two previous Knights games as favourites of his time at South, whilst also noting his improvement under head coach Chris Taylor.

“CT’s been such a massive help, and had such an impact on me in a short period of time” Brennan said ahead of his final game.

“I’ve looked of videos of myself, and I’ve seen a really big improvement. Before in my crossing, I never used to look to get the ball in the box that much and now, that’s pretty much my first thought, how I can get the ball into a dangerous area. That’s pretty much all down to Chris. He had a chat to me and I started doing what he said, and I can remember the training where it all initially clicked. He’s certainly someone I’ll keep looking back to if I need any guidance.”

Along with South striker Milos Lujic, Brennan has formed one of the deadliest partnerships seen at South Melbourne in recent years.

On countless occasions this season, Lujic has found the back of the net following a pinpoint cross from Brennan, with the pair developing a unique and prolific understanding.

While Lujic will no doubt miss his partner in crime, Brennan says he is just as disappointed he won’t have the big striker with him at Newcastle.

“I suppose training together you learn the way each other moves, and Milos knows when I’m going to put the ball in the box. He’s a pretty good target to hit, you know he’s going to finish most of the time when you put one in. I think I I’ll be just as disappointed to lose him, where if we stayed together longer we’d probably only get better, but unfortunately that’s the way football is sometimes.”

Given the importance of the FFA Cup clash with the Knights, head coach Taylor demanded a stipulation of Brennan’s move to Newcastle be that he still remained available for this fixture.

Whereas one might expect a player’s form to decrease after joining a club at a higher level, it must be said that Brennan’s form has only gone from strength to strength since he signed with the Jets.

It says much about the character of the man, who described his time at South as ‘amazing’.

“Overall it’s been really enjoyable. It’s a pretty formidable club. Everything from the players at the club, the training facilities, coaching staff, the people behind the scenes, guys like (team manager) Frank Piccone, Nick Maikousis, CT, the media people. The whole experience has been amazing and its one that I definitely won’t forget.”

South Melbourne would like to thank Andy Brennan for his service to the club this season, and wishes him all the best for the rest of his career, where one day we hope to see him wearing our famous shirt again.

 

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce that Worrells have joined the South family as a Corporate Partner for the 2015 National Premier League Victoria season.

Worrells are a firm dedicated to solvency management, insolvency administration and forensic investigation. Worrells’ record in insolvency dates back over four decades and their unique systems and resources means that they can leverage more experience and skill to achieve the best commercial outcome to anyone facing insolvency.

Worrells’ proprietary technology is unrivalled in their particular profession. They provide twice daily website updates with relevant and comprehensive file information in real time. This coupled with communication direct with partners and team members – obtaining information and advice has never been easier. The Worrells website provides access to various resources including monthly Worrells – On the Pulse newsletter, Seminar Series, Worrells Workshops and Corporate and Personal Guides to Insolvency. You can view this at – worrells.net.au.

Worrells have Victorian offices are located in the Melbourne CBD, Frankston, Ringwood, Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo.

Con Kokkinos, Partner of Worrells said, “Our point of difference is our personal touch. Like South Melbourne FC, we have built our reputation and foundation from a grassroots level, which is evident in our commitment to suburban and regional areas of Victoria . We are happy to be on board with the club and look forward to supporting them and their members in 2015”.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC President Leo Athanasakis was excited about the partnership. “I am very pleased to welcome Con Kokkinos and the team at Worrells on board for the 2015 NPL Season. Con has been a long time supporter of the club and having the Worrells team now a part of the South family in a more formal manner is fantastic.”

South Melbourne officially welcomes Worrells on board and looks forward to a great partnership between both organisations.

A sensational second half performance has seen South Melbourne run away with a commanding 7-1 victory over North Geelong Warriors at Lakeside Stadium on Friday night.

South scored six goals after the break, with Leigh Minopoulos (two), Andy Brennan, Andy Kecojevic, Chris Irwin and Iqi Jawadi all netting after half-time to give South the perfect response to last weekend’s loss to Oakleigh Cannons.

South’ Nick Epifano gave the home side the perfect start when his shot took a wicked deflection off Warriors defender Michael Grgic, and trickled into the back of the net in just the third minute of play.

Despite missing stars Milos Lujic and Michael Eagar through suspension, South looked comfortable on the ball and were dominant in the game from the outset. Teenage defender Thomas Lakic made a promising debut for the club, proving he may be another shrewd Chris Taylor acquisition after joining South on deadline day.

Nikola Roganovic made a smart save to deny North Geelong’s Yusuf Yusuf after half an hour, however the 1-0 halftime score-line flattered the Warriors, given South’s dominance in possession.

Not long after the break, Leigh Minopoulos capitalised on a rare berth in the starting line-up when he finished neatly from Nick Epifano’s cross.

Minutes later, South had a third when Andy Brennan drove home from the edge of the box after he was played through by Epifano.

Substitute Andy Kecojevic scored straight away after coming onto the ground. The seventeen year-old lobbed the ball over the North Geelong keeper, before using a second touch to put the ball into the back of the net.

It was raining goals at the Lakeside, with North Geelong unable to halt South’s attacking play. Chris Irwin scored his first goal for the club with a sensational run and finish down the right hand side.

Leigh Minopoulos scored his second for the night in the 86^th minute, giving South five goals in 40 minutes of play.

Matthew Townley converted a penalty to pull one back for the visitors, however it was merely a consolation goal.

Iqi Jawadi rounded off a tremendous night with a goal in injury time, to make the final score 7-1.

Coach Chris Tayor was pleased with how a relatively new side gelled together on the night.

“The pleasing part for me was having so many new faces out there, and putting in a good performance.

“It’s a massive disruption when you lose four players from the week before.

“I thought the four at the back acquitted themselves well, Tom Lakic had outstanding game at full-back for his debut.

“I’ve said all along we’ve got a great dressing room here, the boys really believe in themselves, tonight was just a question of whether we’d adapt to the changes and we did.”

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 7-1 NORTH GEELONG (HT: 1-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Michael Grgic OG (3’)
2-0: Leigh Minopoulos (52’)
3-0: Andy Brennan (58’)
4-0: Andy Kecojevic (62’)
5-0: Chris Irwin (77’)
6-0: Leigh Minopoulos (86’)
6-1: Matthew Townley (88’p)
7-1: Iqi Jawadi (90+2′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 6. Tom LAKIC, 5. Luke ADAMS, 7. Nick EPIFANO, 8. Mathew THEODORE (23. Andy KECOJEVIC 60′), 11. Brad NORTON (C), 12. Iqi JAWADI, 17. Andy BRENNAN (14. Chris IRWIN 59′), 21. Jake BARKER-DAISH (20. Nick MORTON 72′), 27. Leigh MINOPOULOS.

Unused Substitutes: 19. Massimo PESCE, 22. Fraser MacLAREN (GK).

North Geelong Warriors:
1. Daniel ZILIC (GK), 2. Darren LEWIS, 3. Matthew TOWNLEY, 7. Ridvan SAGLAM (14. Gareth RICHARDS 59’), 8. Vito CICHELLO, 10. Yusuf YUSUF, 11. Juso JULARDZUA, 16. Michael GRGIC (6. Josh PUGH 80’), 17. Nicholas JURCIC, 18. Stipe TRBUHOVIC (7. Reardo LUKA 80’), 23. Michael ANDERSON.

Unused Substitutes: 5. Anthony BANOVAC, 31. Hamish FLAVELL.

SMFC Fix Hellas Beer Man of the Match: Nick Epifano
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Friday 29 May 2015

South Melbourne returns to the Lakeside on Friday night for what shapes as a vital home clash against North Geelong Warriors.

SMFC lost their first game of the season last Friday night against Oakleigh Cannons. The 2-0 defeat at Oakleigh’s Jack Edwards Reserve ended an incredible 19 game unbeaten run in the league.

The loss was further soured by a serious knee injury to midfielder Dane Milovanovic, and suspensions to leading goal scorer Milos Lujic and captain Michael Eagar. Lujic picked up his fifth yellow card of the season, meaning he will miss only this clash, however Eagar’s red card means he will serve at least a two game suspension.

South added three signings to their squad on the final day of the NPL transfer window in the shape of midfielder Thomas Lakic from Melbourne Victory’s NPL1 side and goalkeeper Fraser McLaren from Kingston City. The duo join Chris Irwin (pictured), Andy Bevin and Nick Morton as the club’s mid-season additions.

In Lujic’s absence, it is expected that Tasmanian Andy Brennan will start his game as the side’s frontline striker, with Leigh Minopoulos or David Stirton likely to receive a call-up to the side’s starting line-up.

Despite the setbacks, Chris Taylor’s men will be confident of getting back on track against the bottom-placed Warriors, who have struggled to adapt to life in Victoria’s top flight after being promoted last season.

North Geelong have picked up just five points in the first half of this campaign, with their only win coming in the form of an astonishing 6-1 dismantling of Green Gully earlier in the season.

The Warriors have lost star winger Robbie Zadworny to Melbourne Knights in the transfer window, however have picked up a trio of players from NPL1 in Yusuf Yusuf (St. Albans) Ridvan Saglam (Whittlesea Ranges) Gareth Richards (Moreland City).

The last time these two sides met, South took the points in a 3-0 victory at Elcho Park, with goals to David Stirton, Milos Lujic and Andy Brennan.

The clash between South Melbourne and North Geelong Warriors kicks off at 8.30pm at Lakeside Stadium, Albert Park. Those unable to make the match can follow proceedings on the club’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, using the handles #SMFC and #PS4NPLVIC.

 

 

 

South Melbourne FC is in mourning after learning of the recent passing of long time member and club volunteer Nick Spanos.

Mr. Spanos (pictured left) or “Mr Fix it” as he called himself, would be known by many at the club for his commitment to the football club that he loved, having volunteered at SMFC for over 50 years. Despite his health issues in the latter years, the loyalty of Mr. Spanos saw him assist around the club throughout the post NSL period, as well as proving to be a mentor for many young volunteers of the club at the time.

As a tribute to Mr Spanos, the playing squad will wear black arm bands for tonight’s match against North Geelong, as well as observing a minute’s silence before the match.

SMFC President Leo Athanasakis added that “on behalf of everyone at SMFC, we extend our condolences to the Spanos family on the recent passing of Mr Nick Spanos. For many of us involved over a number of years we have all had to work with and enjoy great times with such a special man who truly loved all things South Melbourne. We will miss seeing his face around our club and his willingness to help all involved whether it was related to the club or not. We mourn his loss.”

Our thoughts are with his family at this very tough time.

The structure of the NPL in 2015 at a Youth level provides a significant increase in the amount of football being played throughout the season. This is seen as a positive by the club and our coaches in delivering greater opportunities for our players to advance their individual techniques and team match play.

A long thirty four round season is now approaching the half way mark and already our players are performing on the pitch both as teams and individuals. Looking purely at the results our six teams from Under 12s to Under 18s have amassed forty six wins, eleven draws and twenty losses whilst scoring two hundred and fifteen goals and conceding eighty five. Whilst these are all but numbers on the page, the focus has been entirely on player development and progression.

The success of our Under 20s under coach Sasa Kolman has seen four of our players recruited into senior NPL/NPL1 clubs during the mid-season transfer window. This has in turn created vacancies in the squad and the club has strongly prioritised using our own Under 16 and Under 18 youth players to fill these spots rather than bringing in external players.

This player progression approach extended through all of the age groups and we now have multiple players advancing to the next age group. Matthew Borowicz is the club’s Youth Coordinator and he spoke to smfc.com.au about the success of the program this year saying “I am very happy how our program is going this year. We have experienced and talented coaches guiding our teams and providing each of our players with an individual football pathway. This enables us to closely monitor player progress to ensure we are continually challenging them”.

Borowicz explained one aspect of the pathway saying “we assess the suitability of our boys as they develop and look to provide opportunities at different levels. This could mean exposure to different coaches, specialist sessions or advancement to the next age group. Once the boys reach the Under 15s we are looking to position them to be ready for the Under 20s as early as possible. We map their individual playing style, technique and capability to identify the best development opportunity for them.”

The clubs partnership with Keiser Training is another avenue for player development. At an appropriate age, players may access the experience and professionalism of Keiser Training to help them with their physical fitness and strength conditioning.

Personal Development off the pitch is as important as on the pitch. Leadership training on an individual basis comes through a variety of avenues and the strength of our media team is just one example of this. Providing our youth players with regular media engagement helps prepare them for the future in their football activities but also assists them with self confidence and public speaking. “Standing in front of a microphone and video camera often seems like a great fun thing to do when asked however once the boys are standing there being asked questions, the attitude suddenly changes. ‘What do i say’ is usually the first response but once the boys have been interviewed a few times, it’s amazing to see their confidence grow” says SMFC Marketing Manager George Kouramalis.

Under 20s coach Sasa Kolman reflecting on the progress of his players told smfc.com.au “the last twelve months has been very encouraging for us. Some of our Under 20s players have progressed to the National Youth League, NPL and NPL1 seniors. Our squad is constantly changing with our players in demand, especially around the time of the transfer window. We now have a very young Under 20s squad where the average age is under 17 and we have three players training with Chris Taylors and the Seniors squad. Whilst we are sitting two games behind the league leaders with two games in hand, my focus is getting boys into our senior squad.”