Category: News

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce the transfer window signing of Nick Morton, who arrives at Lakeside Stadium from Melbourne City.

Morton is the son of South Hobart’s legendary coach Ken Morton and he joined Melbourne City at the beginning of the NPL 1 (West) season this year. Prior to Melbourne City, Nick grew up playing his football at South Hobart and spent several Championship winning seasons playing alongside current SMFC player Andy Brennan in Tasmania.

Alongside Brennan, Nick featured heavily in South Hobart’s Tasmanian League and Cup winning double in 2014. He played against South Melbourne last year when the two sides met in the PlayStation 4 NPL Playoffs at the South Hobart Ground on Saturday 20 September 2014, with Jamie Reed’s early goal being enough for SMFC to record a 0-1 win.

The 19 year old attacking midfielder likes playing as a number 10 and has made eight appearances for Melbourne City this season, scoring one goal against Box Hill on Saturday 2 May.

Speaking with smfc.com.au, Nick said that “I am very pleased to be joining such an iconic club in South Melbourne FC. Playing for the defending NPL Victoria champions is a step up from playing at NPL 1 level but it is an opportunity for me to show what I can do.”

SMFC Football Director Nicholas Maikousis was also very pleased with Morton signing for the Club. “Nick impressed us last season when we played South Hobart down in Tasmania. We have been monitoring him for a while now and it’s good to finally have him sign with us. Being good friends with Andy Brennan will help Nick settle in quickly with the squad and I look forward to him showing his potential on the field.”

South Melbourne FC welcomes Nick Morton to Lakeside Stadium and looks forward to seeing him on the park shortly.

South Melbourne FC can further cement its position at the top of the PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria table should it defeat Northcote City at John Cain Reserve on Saturday afternoon.

South will go into the game on the back of two home wins at Lakeside Stadium in the last week, starting with a 1-0 win over Avondale FC 1-0 last Friday 8 May and ending with a 5-0 belting of Dandenong Thunder on Tuesday 12 May. Chris Taylor’s side now enjoy a three point lead over the Bentleigh Greens and Heidelberg United at the top of the PS4 NPL Victoria ladder, however Bentleigh has a game in hand.

Northcote are currently in ninth spot on the ladder with four wins from their opening 12 League matches. Goran Lozanovski’s side have enjoyed relatively good form at John Cain Reserve in recent times, with their most recent home result being a 2-0 win against Werribee City on Saturday 2 May. Last weekend they travelled to Bentleigh Greens and suffered a 4-0 defeat.

Although South will go into this game as favourites to win, Northcote has been somewhat of a bogey team for them ever since Northcote returned to the old Victorian Premier League in 2010. In the 11 League meetings between the teams, Northcote have won five games, South have won only two games and there have been four draws.

Northcote has twice defeated South 5-0 (in 2011 and 2013), though South won the most recent meeting between the teams (2-1) at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 24 August 2014. In the corresponding match last season at John Cain Reserve played on Saturday 26 July 2014, the teams played out a 1-1 draw.

Saturday’s match kicks off at 3pm at John Cain Reserve.

Why does a 40 year-old Geordie bloke living in Newcastle upon Tyne, England love South Melbourne?

Growing up in Newcastle in the 1980s following my beloved Newcastle United FC was a rite of passage. I went to my first game in 1982 as an 8 year-old and from 1992 to 2005 I had a season ticket in the Gallowgate End of St James’ Park.

When my girlfriend (now wife) and I moved to Melbourne in 2005, one of my biggest fears was missing the thrill of watching live football.

Confession time now. In 2006 I actually went to two Melbourne Victory games at the old Olympic Park. At the time I knew that franchise was only a year old, however there was something not right about it, it didn’t seem real and I didn’t really enjoy it that much so I lost interest in going.

In 2007 I went to my first South Melbourne game. I remember that it was a Friday night match at Bob Jane Stadium and that we unfortunately lost (0-1 against Richmond Eagles on 29 June 2007). The only things memorable about that first experience was that I really enjoyed the social club (perhaps a bit too much!) and that I liked Bob Jane Stadium (now Lakeside Stadium).

By the time I left Melbourne to return home to Newcastle in November 2013, I’d been a South Melbourne member for 3 seasons, had a child, got married and had even moved to live in South Melbourne. I was officially hooked as a South fan. I’d met some great people at the games who had a genuine passion for football and an obvious love for South that I could relate to with how I felt about Newcastle United.

With it being relatively easy to go to home and away games in the Victorian Premier League, it meant that I started to go and see South regularly play away from home. I went to Northcote (when it was our ‘home’ as well obviously!), Heidelberg, Bentleigh, Richmond, Melbourne Knights, Port Melbourne and Oakleigh.

I loved the Friday night games at Bentleigh for example, where a few hundred South fans could stand together under the roof on the terrace opposite the main stand and generate a very loud noise. A spectacular Fernando De Moraes goal I remember being a particular highlight (1-0 win at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex on Friday 11 June 2010), even more than the fantastic souvlaki I ate there that night!

By far my favourite South memory was being at the 1-0 away finals victory against Melbourne Knights (at Knights Stadium on Friday 4 October 2013). What an atmosphere and what a performance by the lads. This gave me a small glimpse into what the NSL must have been like with a crowd of 5,000 there that night.

The fact that I missed the 2006 VPL Championship and that I had moved away from Melbourne for the 2014 NPL title win isn’t lost on me. Perhaps I’m a jinx and maybe you lot need to start to pay me to stay away! But the one thing I do know is that the eight and a half years I spent living in Melbourne was without doubt enhanced by being an active South Melbourne supporter.

I am proud to say I’m a South Melbourne fan and I really miss going to the games. Following the games live on Twitter and on football score apps here in England these days just isn’t the same. It’s funny because I was so fearful of missing watching Newcastle United live back in 2005, however given the current shambles that Newcastle is in, I’d rather be watching South Melbourne!

South Melbourne Ole, or as I say in Geordieland, Howay The South!!!

Kind Regards.
Andrew McTernan – Twitter @AndrewMcTernan

South Melbourne FC head into Tuesday night’s catch-up fixture with Dandenong Thunder knowing that anything other than a defeat will be enough to take top spot on the PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria table.

South are currently level on 27 points with both the Bentleigh Greens and Heidelberg United, however Bentleigh will still have a game in hand over both South and the Bergers after Tuesday night.

Chris Taylor’s side goes into the Dandenong game with plenty of confidence, after Milos Lujic’s eleventh goal across all competitions in 2015 was enough to see off Avondale FC on Friday night. The 1-0 victory was the fourth time South have won by that scoreline in the League this season, with goals from Lujic contributing to three of those victories. In what was another outstanding defensive display, South’s clean sheet was their fourth in five matches. Despite the ongoing absence of the injured Kristian Konstantinidis, South have the second best defensive record in the League, having conceded only seven goals in eleven games.

By contrast, Dandenong have leaked 25 goals so far this campaign and sit only two points clear of the relegation zone (in twelfth position) after a 1-1 draw with North Geelong on the weekend. Despite their defensive issues, the Thunder have had no trouble finding the net, having put six past Northcote a few weeks back. Seventeen year old Yusuf Ahmed has been a shining light for Dandenong, scoring six goals in an outstanding debut season in the PS4 NPL Victoria. Experienced forward Veton Kocari also knows how to find the back of the net, with the duo shaping as the men South’s back four will need to be most wary of on Tuesday night.

The starting line-up Chris Taylor chooses is likely to depend on the fitness of several players following Friday night’s victory. It is possible that there could be several changes to the team that took the field against Avondale, given the short three day break between fixtures. David Stirton may possibly return to the squad for the first time since injuring himself against Hume City on Saturday 18 April.

Since 2009, South have triumphed against Dandenong Thunder on five occasions, drawn four times and suffered three defeats. Last season South won all three contests (two League and one Dockerty Cup meeting), including a memorable 5-0 victory at Lakeside on Sunday 1 June 2014.

The match kicks off at 8:30pm at Lakeside Stadium. 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 founding member and club volunteer Fotios Antipas.

Mr. Antipas played for Hellenic in the 1950s, with history showing that Hellenic merged with Yarra Park and South Melbourne United to form South Melbourne Hellas in 1959.

When his playing days were complete, Mr Antipas volunteered at South Melbourne FC and was a very proud supporter and life member.

SMFC President Leo Athanasakis added that “on behalf of everyone at SMFC, we extend our condolences to the Antipas family on the recent passing of Mr Fotios Antipas, a man who has been involved at our great Club ever since it was formed over 55 years ago. We have also lost a link to our history as well, with Mr Antipas being involved with one of the three pre-merger clubs in Hellenic. We mourn his loss.”

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

South Melbourne FC returned to winning form by defeating Avondale FC 1-0 at Lakeside Stadium on Friday night. A first half goal from Milos Lujic was the difference between the two sides in a match that had limited goal scoring opportunities.

Chris Taylor’s side came into the game with a 100% winning record at Lakeside Stadium across all competitions in 2015 and were keen to preserve that statistic. In their way was an Avondale side that had made a solid start to the 2015 campaign following their promotion into the PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria at the end of 2014.

To mark the Mothers Day weekend and to also raise public awareness and funding for Breast Cancer research, South’s players shelved their usual blue socks and wore pink socks on the night. The match was sponsored by Principal Partner e.l.f. Cosmetics and all women involved at the Club, including the South Melbourne Womens team, were invited to enjoy the match in the Corporate area.

The home side threatened to open the scoring in the first fifteen minutes, with Lujic on a couple of occasions just failing to get on the end of low crosses from Brennan from the right flank. Those two players eventually combined to score the winning goal in the nineteenth minute, with Brennan’s perfect cross from the right side met by Lujic on the volley and he made no mistake scoring past Frazer Siddall.

The centre-forward continues his fantastic goal scoring record this season of nine goals in 11 League matches and eleven goals in 13 matches across all competitions. His League record with South now stands at a remarkable 32 goals from 39 matches. Including Cup matches, his record is 35 goals in 45 matches.

Avondale had two chances in the second half to level proceedings. Chris Irwin had a goal disallowed for offside before Alex Khrapko hit a stinging drive that South goalkeeper Nikola Roganovic did very well to get a finger onto the ball and deflect it onto the crossbar.

With the exception of those two opportunities for the away side, South seemed in control and closed out the match to continue its 100% winning run at Lakeside Stadium. Roganovic notched his sixth clean sheet in eleven League matches as South won by a single goal margin for the sixth time in the League this season.

Friday night’s game also marked Iqi Jawadi’s 50th League match for South Melbourne, with the player having joined South midway through the 2013 season.

South’s next match is a catch-up match against Dandenong Thunder on Tuesday 12 May at Lakeside Stadium, with kick-off at 8:30pm. If selected, both Tim Mala and Nick Epifano will join Jawadi in reaching fifty League matches for the Club.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 1-0 AVONDALE FC (HT: 1-0)

Goal Scorer:
1-0: Milos Lujic (19′)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 5. Luke ADAMS, 7. Nick EPIFANO, 8. Mathew THEODORE (23. Andy KECOJEVIC 68′), 9. Milos LUJIC, 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Iqi JAWADI, 13. Dane MILOVANOVIC, 17. Andy BRENNAN (21. Jake BARKER-DAISH 83′).

Avondale FC:
20. Frazer SIDDALL (GK), 4. Chris IRWIN, 5. Jeffrey FLEMING, 9. Alex KHRAPKO, 10. Burakhan KOCA, 13. Michele CRAZIA, 15. Zoran PAJIC, 16. Jungho KIM (8. Simon TOLLI 75′), 17. Phil RICCOBENE, 18. Jonathan MUNOZ (31. Omar AMMACHE 60′), 19. Jason PRINCIPATO.

SMFC Fix Hellas Beer Man of the Match: Milos Lujic
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Friday 8 May 2015

South Melbourne FC will be looking to get back on the winners list tonight when they host PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria newcomers Avondale FC at Lakeside Stadium.

South left it late to draw 2-2 with Port Melbourne in their previous outing, scoring deep into injury time to salvage a point that had seemed unlikely. Brad Norton was the scorer of that goal, while centre-half Luke Adams also got on the score sheet to complete an unlikely goal scoring duo.

Chris Taylor’s side are two points off the top of the NPL Victoria table. South is equal on points with the Bentleigh Greens and are just behind League leaders Heidelberg, who missed the opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the ladder when they drew 0-0 with bottom placed North Geelong last Saturday. South still hold a game in hand over the Bergers, with their catch-up game against Dandenong Thunder scheduled to take place next Tuesday.

Dynamic forward David Stirton trained strongly during the week and may be available for the clash, having missed the last two matches with a groin injury. Mathew Theodore missed the Port Melbourne game with soreness but will be in contention to return to the team tonight.

South remain undefeated across all competitions in 2015, with seven wins and three draws to show in the League thus far. Whilst not on par with their incredible eleven game winning run to start the 2014 season, Chris Taylor’s men have shown the ability to win ugly so far this campaign, a trait shared by many Championship winning teams. Five of South’s seven victories in the League have been by a margin of one goal, with three 1-0 wins.

This is the type of score Avondale became famous for last season. The 2014 NPL1 Champions were promoted to Victoria’s top flight on the back of an outstanding defensive season in which they kept eleven clean sheets.
Avondale are currently in eighth position on the table but come into this clash on the back of a 2-0 defeat by Bentleigh last weekend.

Oleksiy Khrapko has scored almost half of Avondale’s goals in the League this year, including a stunning hat-trick against Dandenong Thunder a few weeks back. The Ukrainian born striker looms as the danger man for the visitors, which will include multiple VPL title winner Jeff Fleming in its line-up.

Tonight’s match will be the first ever meeting between South Melbourne and Avondale FC.

The match kicks off at 8:15pm at Lakeside Stadium, with the Under 20s match postponed until a later date to allow for the pitch to recover. 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 welcomes Football Federation Australia opening up the dialogue about Australia’s football future with the ‘Whole of Football Plan’ released on 5 May 2015.

However, the current FFA Plan spells the possible end for aspirational football in this country.

The proposed Plan currently provides no obvious club pathway that allows any club that aspires to develop and improve their process, systems and connection with their communities – or more importantly succeeds on the field – to be promoted as occurs throughout the football world.

We are also disappointed that the FFA does not detail plans for further development of a second tier of Australian football, to facilitate the intended expansion of the Hyundai A-League and ultimately the implementation of a viable promotion and relegation system.

Promotion and relegation would assist the improvement of the quality of our top division and provide a breeding ground for players, coaches, officials and aspiring clubs.

More generally, a key component of all successful ‘plans’ is ‘implementation detail.’ We are keen to review that detail when it gets released.

The FFA has certainly made great in-roads for our code’s development (for example football broadcasting and the launching of the Westfield FFA Cup), however we are mindful that strategic errors have also been made in the past.

As a key stakeholder of football in Australia, we will be contacting the FFA to understand and obtain greater detail about their planning processes and to ensure the long term viability and growth of our club.

Leo Athanasakis, SMFC President
Tom Kalas, SMFC Director

South Melbourne FC is happy to advise that the Avondale FC match at Lakeside Stadium this Friday 8 May is FREE for all women ahead of Mothers Day this Sunday.

People entering the ground are encouraged to provide a gold coin donation, with all monies raised going towards the National Breast Cancer Research Centre, as chosen by the Pink Cocktail Group charity that the Club has invited as guests to the game. To donate online please visit http://www.nbcf.org.au/support-us.

In keeping with the theme of the night, the senior team will switch colours and play in pink socks that night.

The Match Day Sponsor for the match is e.l.f. Cosmetics, who will have an all-female halftime penalty shootout competition, with several prizes on offer including e.l.f. products and cash! They will also have girls getting signups plus handing out e.l.f. samples and information.

Due to the nature of the night, entry is open to women only, please register at http://www.elfcosmetics.com.au/pages/elf-and-south-melbourne-football-club  or on the night at the elf info table – Name and email address required. You must be present and participate to be in with a chance.

South Melbourne FC encourages all women to attend Friday’s match, meet and greet the e.l.f. Cosmetics team and raise as much money as possible for the National Breast Cancer Research Centre!

Image courtesy of Michalis Romas

Following the tough 1-0 win against Pascoe Vale last Friday night, a few members of the South Melbourne FC Under 20s squad joined the senior side for training on Monday night.

Seventeen-year-old Nashir Hussainy was one of those players and he looked at home with the senior playing group, joking and laughing with current Theo Marmaras medalist and star midfielder Iqi Jawadi. As training got underway, Jawadi looked over at Hussainy and nodded his head before shouting “good luck bro” to the youngster. 



Remarkably, Jawadi and Hussainy have faced similar challenges and obstacles in order to be on the park together. Both were born in the 1990s in the heart of war-torn Afghanistan, a world that most Australians could not imagine. Along with their families, the boys faced life in a new Afghanistan under political and military turmoil.

The Jawadi family was the first to seek refuge in 1995, when Iqi’s mother forced her children to flee to neighboring India.

Speaking to smfc.com.au Iqi recounted his family’s journey. “It was tough… although I was only four months old when we fled Afghanistan, I couldn’t begin to imagine how hard it would have been for my mother to make that decision to move. We stayed in India for seven very tough years and then made another huge decision to come to this country and to a new life, which I am very thankful for.”

Nashir’s journey was not too dissimilar, however the Hussainy family and Nashir himself would endure five extremely tough years in Afganistan before also finding a way to a new life in Melbourne. “It was really hard for my family to come across. In Kabul, we had to leave behind our old lives and many family members as we sought a new life and new opportunities. I loved to hang out with my cousins and kick a football around back home but it was just too unsafe and we didn’t know what was going to happen next over there. The decision to move was the right choice.”

Jawadi initially did not play the world game but soon developed an appetite for it. “I didn’t really know what soccer (football) was at first but when my brother brought a ball home and we started kicking it around, I noticed that I was pretty good at playing. As I grew older and I played more, I got better and better.”

Jawadi was eventually identified by current SMFC Senior Coach Chris Taylor, who at the time was coaching the Under 15 Victorian State Team. “Before I knew it, I was playing for the NTC and the State Team under Chris Taylor,” he added with a smile on his face. “I have played under Chris ever since, firstly at Dandenong Thunder and now at South Melbourne. I am thankful for the opportunity and guidance that he has given me in my life so far. He’s an amazing guy and I don’t think enough people see this.”

Hussainy started his football journey in Melbourne joining the South Melbourne Youth program four years ago. In 2015, under the watchful eye of Under 20s coach and mentor Sasa Kolman, Hussainy has taken his game to another level. He has scored six goals in the Under 20s and become one of the key players in the team.

Chris Taylor has recognised Hussainy’s achievements and hard work so far this season by inviting him to join the senior squad at training. The hope is that Nashir will further enhance his game by training with the current PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria Champions and break into the first team squad at some stage during the second half of the season.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Taylor was very proud seeing both Jawadi and Hussainy training together at Lakeside Stadium. “Sometimes we get too caught up in the game to actually appreciate the stories behind some of the players. Look at these two guys that have overcome adversity and are able to enjoy themselves on the pitch; to laugh, smile and enjoy the friendships made in the game. I’ve always been a coach that gives younger players a chance. I also like to assist these guys through life, so I’m elated to see both Iqi and Nashir on the pitch training and playing for a club that encourages such things to happen.”

The common theme from both players when speaking with them was the love and appreciation that they had for their families and for their decision to bring them to Australia.

When asked about their future aims and goals, both said that they wanted to play football professionally, with the main reason being to support their families and continue to make them proud.

South Melbourne FC is looking forward to the day when both Iqi Jawadi and Nashir Hussainy represent the Club in a senior match and potentially their country at some point.