Category: News

An outstanding defensive display helped South Melbourne FC defeat Hume City 0-1 at ABD Stadium on Saturday night.
On a treacherous night in Broadmeadows, Milos Lujic’s first half header was enough to secure the points in a game that was far from pretty but considerably entertaining nonetheless.

The win extended South’s unbeaten start to the season to eight games in the PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria and ten games across all competitions. South won the first eleven League matches of the 2014 season before going on to win the title.

It might have been a different story had Hume City captain Nick Hegarty found the back of the net in the eighth minute of the game. Hegarty’s header struck the underside of the crossbar, bouncing back out into the field of play before eventually being cleared by Brad Norton.

South was forced to withstand some heavy pressure from the home side early in the match, before Lujic’s ninth goal of the season gave the defending NPL Victoria Champions the lead after 26 minutes. Nick Epifano delivered a delightful ball to the near post, with Lujic finding the back of the net with a characteristically powerful header.

The lead gave Chris Taylor’s men more control over proceedings, with Epifano and Andy Brennan constantly threatening on each flank.

Just before half-time a surging run from Brennan resulted in a free-kick on the edge of the area. After initially slipping in his run-up, Dane Milovanovic drove a powerful shot underneath the wall which forced Hume goalkeeper Chris Oldfield into a terrific diving save.

A combination of shocking conditions and some excellent defending from both sides meant that chances were few and far between in the second half.

Tim Mala was particularly outstanding at the right side of defence, nailing a series of important slide tackles and successfully nullifying star Hume attacker Jai Ingham.

The game came to life in the final ten minutes when Hume had a big chance to level the scores, only for Calvin Mbarga’s header to sail over the crossbar.

Moments later Andy Brennan skipped down the field after a slip from a Hume defender, however the big Tasmanian’s shot went just wide of the post. It mattered little, with the final whistle sounding a few moments later to give South a sixth League win in 2015 with Taylor’s side still unbeaten in ten matches across all competitions this season.

Captain Michael Eagar commended the resilience of his squad after three wins in seven days during the past week. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy tonight but we knuckled down, did the hard yards and got the deserved three points. We had a tough derby match last Saturday, then the midweek Cup game and then another tough game tonight. It’s been a great effort by everyone in the squad. Everyone has done their job when called upon.”

Fix Hellas Beer Man of the Match Tim Mala was also quick to sing the praises of the defence and striker Milos Lujic. “Millsy is the sort of guy that if you give him half a metre he’s so dangerous that he makes you pay and that’s what he did tonight. It was a good effort by everyone really, we had to grind it out but we got the win and you can see that we’re buzzing now.”

There was further good news in the Under 20s as Nashir Hussainy’s second half goal gave South Melbourne a 0-1 win over Hume City.

South Melbourne FC’s next match is at home against Pascoe Vale at Lakeside Stadium on Friday 24 April. Kick-off is at 8:15pm.

FINAL SCORE: HUME CITY 0-1 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-1)

Goal Scorer:
0-1: Milos Lujic (26′)

Hume City:
1. Chris OLDFIELD (GK), 2. Dean TOMESKI, 3. Shaun TIMMINS, 4. Issy ERDOGAN, 5. Petar FRANJIC, 7. Jai INGHAM, 9. Deng AGUEK, 10. Joey FRANJIC, 13. Shane REXHEPI, 17. Marcus SCHROEN, 39. Nick HEGARTY (C).
Substitutes: 8. Calvin Mbarga, 11. Ivan Pavlak, 14. Aaron Turner, 16. Matt Hennessy, 30. Ayrin Sayan.

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 5. Luke ADAMS, 7. Nick EPIFANO (21. Jake BARKER-DAISH 82′), 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. David STIRTON (8. Mathew THEODORE 50′), 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Iqi JAWADI, 13. Dane MILOVANOVIC, 17. Andy BRENNAN.

Fix Hellas Beer Man of the Match: Tim Mala
Venue: ABD Stadium
Date: Saturday 18 April 2015

South Melbourne FC will be looking to extend its unbeaten start to the PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria season when it takes on the dangerous Hume City at ABD Stadium on Saturday night.

Chris Taylor’s side has not lost an NPL Victoria match since the 2-1 loss away at the Bentleigh Greens on Wednesday 6 August 2014. South has been unbeaten in 13 League matches since then, including the first seven League matches of the 2015 campaign.

South currently sit in third position on the NPL Victoria ladder just behind Heidelberg United and the Bentleigh Greens, however Chris Taylor’s men have a game in hand over each of those sides.

South will go into the contest against Hume City with plenty of confidence, following two tremendous wins during the week. Firstly there was the gritty come-from-behind 2-1 victory against rivals the Melbourne Knights at Lakeside Stadium last Saturday. This was followed up by an imperious display of football in the 8-0 Westfield FFA Cup triumph over State League 1 side North Sunshine Eagles FC at Lakeside Stadium on Wednesday night.

Andy Brennan was the star of the show in the Knights derby match by scoring the winning goal and causing all sorts of headaches for the Knights defenders. He also got on the scoresheet fifteen minutes into the match against North Sunshine before being substituted early as a precautionary measure ahead of the Hume City match. David Stirton scored a hat-trick in the FFA Cup victory, including a sensational curling free-kick, whilst the talismanic Milos Lujic scored in both fixtures to take his season tally to a very impressive eight goals across all competitions.

The fast pitch at the newly refurbished ABD Stadium is expected to suit South’s slick passing game, however the defending NPL Victoria Champions will need to be at the top of their game against a side that looked like a title contender after posting four successive wins in March.

Hume City have dropped points in recent weeks, drawing away to Werribee City and suffering a 1-0 defeat against the Bentleigh Greens last weekend. They bounced back to winning ways in mid-week with a resounding 4-0 victory over Geelong Soccer Club in the FFA Cup.

Hume City has one of the stars of the competition at their disposal in striker Jai Ingham. The former Brisbane Roar man has scored five goals in the League so far in 2015 and shapes as the most dangerous threat to South’s defence in this contest.

South Melbourne and Hume City have been playing each other in League competition since Hume (then known as Coburg United) was promoted into the old Victorian Premier League in 2008. Since then, the two sides have met fifteen times, with South recording nine wins, Hume City five wins and with one draw.

South won both meetings between the two sides in 2014, winning 0-3 at ABD Stadium on Sunday 13 April before triumphing again 2-0 at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday 13 July.

The match against Hume City kicks off at 7pm on Saturday evening at ABD Stadium, Westmeadows. Those who are unable to make the match can follow proceedings on the Club’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, using the handles #SMFC and #NPLVIC.

South Melbourne FC is within two games of qualifying for the Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32, following a clinical 8-0 victory against ten-man North Sunshine FC at Lakeside Stadium last night.

David Stirton was the star of the show for the home side after hitting a superb hat-trick, as Milos Lujic, Andy Brennan, Nick Epifano, Leigh Minopoulos and Jake Barker-Daish scored a goal each.

A strong contingent of North Sunshine fans made the journey to Lakeside Stadium in the hope that their side could cause another upset, after the State League 1 side sensationally drew 6-6 before winning on penalties against Sunshine George Cross in the previous round of the Cup in March.

Unfortunately for the travelling supporters, South Melbourne effectively won the game in the opening 21 minutes with three goals. After only five minutes, Lujic met Brennan’s cross and he tapped in the opening goal of the evening.

Brennan had been outstanding in the derby victory against the Melbourne Knights four days earlier and he continued his good form by doubling the home side’s lead ten minutes later by finishing off a tremendously slick team move.

The big Tasmanian was at the centre of a contentious decision a few minutes later, when the referee elected not to pay the advantage rule despite Brennan putting the ball in the back of the net. It mattered little, with Stirton scoring the first of his three goals from the resulting free kick.

Coach Chris Taylor made two first half substitutions, taking off Lujic and Brennan with Saturday’s League match at Hume City in mind. Minopoulos and Andy Kecojevic replaced the pair respectively.

Stirton continued the rout with his second goal of the evening six minutes before the halftime break. On 41 minutes, North Sunshine defender Besnik Kutleshi received a second yellow for hauling down Epifano in the box and was subsequently sent off. Epifano sent goalkeeper Daniel Kirkbride the wrong way as South went into the halftime break 5-0 ahead and with the extra man on the park.

South goalkeeper Nikola Roganovic made a couple of good saves early in the second half as the Eagles threatened the South goal on a few occasions, however the result never looked in doubt.

Leigh Minopoulos struck on the hour to reaffirm South’s dominance, before Stirton completed his hat-trick a short time later with a nice shot from long range. Barker-Daish scored his first goal for the club with a brilliant strike in injury time to cap off an impressive team effort.

Post-match, Stirton was stoked to have scored his first goals in front of the home fans at Lakeside Stadium, whilst also noting the ruthlessness of the team’s performance. “I’m pretty proud. It’s great (for me) to get a few goals away, especially for the first time at a home game. They (North Sunshine) have done well to get to this point but I think we played good football tonight, took our chances and put in a really good performance.”

The draw for the next round of the Westfield FFA Cup is this Friday at 12pm.

South Melbourne FC returns to PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria action on the weekend, with a trip to ABD Stadium in Broadmeadows on Saturday evening to play Hume City. Kick-off is at 7pm.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 8-0 NORTH SUNSHINE EAGLES (HT: 5-0)

Goal Scorers:
1-0: Milos Lujic (5’)
2-0: Andy Brennan (15’)
3-0: David Stirton (21’)
4-0: David Stirton (39’)
5-0: Nick Epifano (41’p)
6-0: Leigh Minopoulos (60’)
7-0: David Stirton (66’)
8-0: Jake Barker-Daish (90’)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK), 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 5. Luke ADAMS, 6. Bonel Obradovic, 7. Nick EPIFANO, 9. Milos LUJIC (27. Leigh MINOPOULOS 21’), 10. David STIRTON, 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Iqi JAWADI, 17. Andy BRENNAN (23. Andy KECOJEVIC 41’), 21. Jake BARKER-DAISH.

Unused subs: 28. Rory BRIAN, 8. Mathew THEODORE, 13. Dane MILOVANOVIC.

North Sunshine Eagles:
30. Daniel KIRKBRIDE (GK) (1. Amet MUSOSKI 46’), 2. Raul ISAC (6. Saul MEMISHI 46’), 3. Besnik KUTLESHI, 4. Miles SHANNON, 5. Feta MEMISHI (C), 7. Adriyan BEKTASH (9. Paul DICKIE 46’), 8. Daniel DRAGOVIC, 11. Diellon MEMISHI, 12. Lewis SHANNON, 14. Arben ISAI, 16. Fitim FERZULLA.

Unused Subs: 10. David DUDAJ, 15. Frankie BARILLA.

Fix Hellas Beer Man of the Match: David Stirton
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Wednesday 15 April 2015

Photo by Cindy Nitsos

South Melbourne FC hosts the North Sunshine Eagles in their Westfield FFA Cup Fifth Round meeting at Lakeside Stadium this Wednesday night.

In the Fourth Round, South travelled to Whittlesea United on Saturday 14 March and triumphed 0-5. On the same afternoon, North Sunshine booked its passage into the next round – and set up a date with the NPL Victoria Champions – following an astonishing 6-6 (4-2 on penalties) victory against NPL 1 side Sunshine George Cross.

As this Cup fixture is sandwiched between tough League matches against the Melbourne Knights (last Saturday) and Hume City (this upcoming Saturday), Head Coach Chris Taylor is likely to shuffle his South Melbourne side for the match against North Sunshine, who are currently on top of the State League 1 North-West division.

Full-back Tim Mala, who received a red card in the League match against Green Gully on Saturday 4 April, will serve the second of his two match suspension against North Sunshine on Wednesday night and will be available for the Hume City match this upcoming Saturday evening.

It will be interesting to see what attacking line-up Taylor decides to play on Wednesday night. Centre-forward Milos Lujic has started every game in 2015 and has scored seven goals across all competitions this season, with the latest being from the penalty spot against the Melbourne Knights last Saturday.

South Hobart signing Andy Brennan was tremendous in the derby victory, displaying scintillating pace, power and skill in a performance that was capped off with him scoring the match-winning goal just after half-time.

Wednesday night’s meeting with North Sunshine may be an opportunity for Jake Barker-Daish to make his first start for the Club. The former Adelaide United midfielder made his first appearance for South when he came off the bench against the Knights last weekend, following a knee injury that had kept him out of action in the early stages of 2015.

Taylor and his charges must be wary of the threat posed by North Sunshine, given the Eagles’ form in recent times. They were promoted to State League 1 on the back of a Championship winning season in 2014 in which they lost only three matches. North Sunshine has continued their good form by starting 2015 with two wins from their first three League fixtures, with Raul Isac netting four times thus far.

The incredible match with Sunshine George Cross in the previous Cup round saw the Eagles initially take a 4-1 lead, before the Georgies fought back to level the scores at 4-4 to take the match into extra time. Paul Connelly’s men looked certain to be knocked out when they conceded two more goals, whilst two red cards left them with nine men and trailing 4-6. Amazingly, they scored twice with two late goals to level the match before eventually winning an epic clash on penalties.

Each club that has made it to this current phase of the Westfield FFA Cup requires three more wins to progress to the Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32. Whilst South would appear strong favourites for this fixture, the magic of Cup competitions means that the result is never certain until the final whistle.

The match against the North Sunshine Eagles kicks off at 7:30pm at Lakeside Stadium on Wednesday night. All South Melbourne members (except online members) have free entry into the ground provided that they show their membership at the gate. Those who are unable to make the match can follow proceedings on the Club’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, using the handles #SMFC and #FFACUP.

South Melbourne FC advises that the FFA Cup Fifth Round clash against North Sunshine Eagles at Lakeside Stadium this Wednesday night will now be a ticketed event.

Tickets will be available only at the gate and cannot be purchased online.

The ticket prices will be as follows:
$10 adult
$7 concession

All 2015 South Melbourne members (except online members) have free entry to the match provided they show their membership at the gate upon entry.

South Melbourne FC apologises for the late change of notice and looks forward to seeing everyone at the game on Wednesday.

South Melbourne FC enjoyed derby success for the second time in 2015 with a come from behind win against the Melbourne Knights at Lakeside Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from Milos Lujic and Andy Brennan were enough to record a 2-1 victory that lifted South above their old rivals and into third position on the PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria ladder, with a game in hand over the top two teams Heidelberg and Bentleigh.

On a magnificent Melbourne afternoon, the Knights took an early lead through their former captain Ben Surey, who had the ball in the back of the net despite an attempted clearance off the line from a South defender.

Despite the early setback, South had looked dangerous from the offset, especially down the right flank where Andy Brennan was giving his opposite number a torrid time. Time and again the big Tasmanian beat his opponent down the wing and delivered excellent crosses, however in-form striker Milos Lujic was unable to get on the end of the crosses to turn South’s dominance into goals.

Filling in for the suspended Tim Mala at right back, Bonel Obradovic nearly scored an astonishing goal when his volleyed cross-come-shot smacked the crossbar.

It seemed as though South would head into the break with a 0-1 deficit, with the defending NPL Victoria Champions unable to translate their dominance of the game on the scoreboard.

On the stroke of half time, the game really kicked into gear when Iqi Jawadi went down in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Lujic coolly converted the penalty with the last kick of the first half, with the goal leading to a scuffle between the two sides en route to the change rooms.

South picked up where they left off in the second half and it wasn’t long before Andy Brennan calmly slotted home the winner after finding himself one-on-one with Knights goalkeeper Chris May. Brennan is making a habit of scoring in the derby, having also scored against Knights in the FFV Community Shield clash in February.

South could have put the game beyond doubt when first Lujic and then David Stirton were denied by some tremendous goalkeeping from May that kept the score at 2-1.

The last twenty minutes gave supporters their first glimpse at star signing Jake Barker-Daish, who got through his first run for South Melbourne without issue.

Despite having to endure some pressure from Knights in the final few minutes, South’s defence held firm to record a second derby victory in 2015.

It was further good news in the Under 20s, as Nashir Hussainey’s goal gave South Melbourne a 1-0 win against the Melbourne Knights.

South next hosts North Sunshine Eagles in the fifth round FFA Cup match, with kick-off at 7:30pm at Lakeside Stadium on Wednesday night.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 2-1 MELBOURNE KNIGHTS (HT: 1-1)

Goal scorers:
0-1: Ben Surey (13’)
1-1: Milos Lujic (45’p)
2-1: Andy Brennan (54’)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK), 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 5. Luke ADAMS, 6. Bonel OBRADOVIC, 8. Mathew THEODORE (21. Jake BARKER-DAISH 60’), 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. David STIRTON, 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Iqi JAWADI, 13. Dane MILOVANOVIC, 17. Andy BRENNAN (27. Leigh MINOPOULOS 86’).

Melbourne Knights:
1. Chris MAY (GK), 4. Ben SUREY, 5. Milan BATUR, 6. Tomislav USKOK (C), 11. Anthony COLOSIMO (9. Jacob COLOSIMO 78’), 12. Ivan GRGIC, 15. Alex DAO, 18. Josh BREKALO, 21. Stipo ANDRIJASEVIC, 23. Adrian ZAHRA (7. Christopher TALAJIC 60’), 27. Andrew BARISIC.

SMFC Fix Hellas Beer Man of the Match: Andy Brennan
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Saturday 11 April 2015

Following a thorough consultative process that has included all key stakeholders of the Club, South Melbourne FC confirms that it will continue to work with and support Senior player Nicholas Epifano.

Epifano breached the South Melbourne FC Player Code of Conduct following an inappropriate comment on social media and was then involved in an incident at the match at Green Gully last Saturday.

Following a review, the Club has chosen to continue to support Nicholas off the field but at the same time tighten up the Club’s Code of Conduct as a means to prevent similar incidents happening again in the future.

Over the past week since the Green Gully incident, Nicholas has shown extreme remorse at what happened. He is also seeking to repair the damaged relationships with those internally as well as elements of the South Melbourne supporter base.

The Football Department, headed by Football Director Nicholas Maikousis and Head Coach Chris Taylor, will ensure that the right form of support is afforded to Nicholas as the Club tries to assist him through this period. Other key members of the SMFC staff will also be on hand to assist and mentor Nicholas along the way, most notably the SMFC Senior Leadership Group, headed by Captain Michael Eagar who is in full support of this decision.

In the short term, Nicholas will be disciplined by the Club for his actions. He will not feature in the starting line-up for the match against the Melbourne Knights tomorrow and will also face further Club imposed sanctions.

Moving forward, South Melbourne FC has banned all Senior Squad players from commenting on official South Melbourne FC social media platforms as well as any other social media platforms concerning the Club, until such time as the Club’s Social Media policy is implemented.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Football Director Nicholas Maikousis was adamant that the Club as a whole needed to support Nicholas. “We have made it clear to the members at our AGM that we want a football club and playing group with a strong culture and with quality individuals. Our opinion on this has not changed and despite the outbursts over the past few weeks, we want to look after Nicholas & his welfare more than anything and guide him through this process rather than abandoning him.”

Head of Football & Senior Coach Chris Taylor added “Whilst not condoning the regrettable incidents that have taken place, we as a group (coaching staff & players) feel it is our duty of care to help and assist Nick by guiding and mentoring him through these issues. Nick is a very talented young footballer who will develop as a player & as a person. It is our responsibility as a club to support him through these issues, through good leadership, strong culture and management.”

South Melbourne FC thanks all stakeholders for their invaluable input over this past week and looks forward to seeing everyone at Lakeside Stadium for tomorrow’s big game against the Melbourne Knights

South Melbourne FC returns home this Saturday afternoon when they take on old foes the Melbourne Knights in a huge derby clash at Lakeside Stadium.

The match is a top of the table affair, with the Knights currently occupying second position on the PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria ladder behind Heidelberg United on goal difference. South enter this weekend two points off the pace in fourth, albeit with a game in hand over the rest of the competition. A victory on Saturday will see the defending Champions leapfrog the Knights on the table and possibly even end the round on top of the ladder.

Green Gully was the scene of South’s 2-0 victory last weekend, an explosive match that saw Tim Mala sent off following an incident in the dying minutes. Mala will miss this week’s clash with suspension, with Bonel Obradovic his most likely replacement at the right side of defence.

The loss of Mala is somewhat compensated by the return to fitness of star signing Jake Barker-Daish, who has been kept out of action in the first part of the season with a persistent knee injury. The former Adelaide United midfielder, who signed for the Club with much fanfare in February, has been in full training for some weeks and looks certain to play some part in Saturday’s match.

Dane Milovanovic, Andy Brennan and Milos Lujic were the stars of last weekend’s win, with Lujic scoring a late brace to take his season’s tally to six goals in all competitions in 2015. Milovanovic took full advantage of his promotion to the starting line-up with a commanding display in midfield, while Brennan was also impressive after coming on as a substitute.

The Melbourne Knights were the form team in the first few months of the NPL Victoria season, with five wins from their first five games leading some to label them as title contenders. Last weekend, Andrew Marth’s men dropped their first points in a 3-0 home loss against the Bentleigh Greens and then gave up a two goal lead to draw 2-2 at home to the struggling Oakleigh Cannons on Tuesday night.
In the inaugural FFV Community Shield in early February at Knights Stadium, South came from a goal down to defeat the Knights 2-1 thanks to late goals from Brennan and Leigh Minopoulos. South fans will be hoping for more heroics from their men, in a match that was once considered the biggest game in Australian football. 

A large crowd is expected for the match, which kicks off at 3pm on Saturday afternoon at Lakeside Stadium. Those unable to make the game can follow it with live updates on the South Melbourne FC Facebook page and on the Club’s official Twitter @smfc with the hashtags #PS4NPL and #SMFC.

South Melbourne FC wishes to advise some changes to its 2015 fixture list.

The Westfield FFA Cup Round 5 Qualifying match against North Sunshine Eagles will be played at Lakeside Stadium on Wednesday 15 April, with kick-off scheduled for 7:30pm. The match will be FREE entry for all 2015 members.

The Round 3 PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria match against Dandenong Thunder – initially scheduled to be played on Wednesday 15 April – will now be played on Tuesday 12 May at Lakeside Stadium. The Under 20s will kick off at 6:15pm and the Seniors will kick-off at 8:30pm.

FFA Cup Round 5

South Melbourne FC vs North Sunshine Eagles
Wednesday 15 April
Kick off 7.30pm
Lakeside Stadium

PS4 NPL Fixture Change

South Melbourne FC vs Dandenong Thunder
Tuesday 12 May
Senior Kick off – 8.30pm (Under 20 Kick-off 6.15pm)
Lakeside Stadium

South Melbourne FC clash with Green Gully on Saturday afternoon in a match that pits two teams side by side on the PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria table against each other.

The clash will be the sixth consecutive match South have played away from Lakeside Stadium, with the stretch netting two League wins, two League draws and an FFA Cup victory over Whittlesea United.

Those draws have come in the previous two matches, with last week’s 1-1 derby draw preceding the pulsating match 2-2 fixture against the Bentleigh Greens a fortnight ago. Whilst not picking up maximum points in either of these fixtures, South’s ability to remain undefeated and come away with a draw against arguably two NPL Victoria Championship contenders in 2015 could be vital come the end of the season.

Chris Taylor’s men are currently four points off the pace in fourth position, however a win this weekend could see that margin trimmed to one point following Melbourne Knights’ loss to Bentleigh on Thursday night.

South have won the past three encounters against Green Gully. Last season’s corresponding fixture produced one of the games of the season, with South winning 3-5 in a match Gully finished with nine men on the park. Milos Lujic scored a hat-trick and South fans will be hoping for a similar performance in this week’s crucial clash. The powerful marksman has found the back of the net in each of the past two games and looks to be getting close to top form.

Another man who has been extremely impressive so far this season is Nikola Roganovic. After two years out of the game, the shot-stopper has made a number of important saves at crucial times for South, playing a pivotal role in South’s unbeaten start to the season. Roganovic is no stranger at Green Gully Reserve either, having been between the sticks during Gully’s VPL Championship winning seasons of 2010 and 2011.

The squad continues to be impacted by injuries following last weekend’s taxing derby. Cody Martindale will miss after limping off in the opening few minutes with a knee injury. Tim Mala also came off with a knock but is expected to be fit to take his place in the side against Green Gully.

The clash kicks off at 3pm at Green Guly Reserve, Keilor Downs. Those unable to make the game can follow it with live updates on the South Melbourne FC Facebook page and on the Club’s official Twitter @smfc with the hashtags #PS4NPL and #SMFC.