Category: News

South Melbourne FC face State League 3 North West side Whittlesea United tomorrow in the Fourth Round of the 2015 Dockerty Cup / Westfield FFA Cup qualifying. In order to qualify for the FFA Cup Round of 32, South needs to win four matches against a variety of NPL and State League clubs, beginning with Whittlesea United tomorrow.

Last year saw South knocked out at the final stage of FFA Cup qualifying (the quarter final stage of the Dockerty Cup), following a 0-2 home loss against the Melbourne Knights. Chris Taylor’s men will be eager to ensure there is no complacency this weekend against a side that competes in the fifth tier of Victorian football.

Whittlesea United are captained by former South Melbourne player Tansel Baser, who is a member of the South Melbourne Hall of Fame and played a total of 106 matches across seven seasons for the Club. He played in the Club’s 1998 National Soccer League Championship as well as the 2006 Victorian Premier League Championship. His current side qualified to play against South on the back of a sensational 3-2 upset against FC Clifton Hill last Saturday.

South are coming off a bruising encounter with Werribee City last Sunday and will likely be forced into a number of changes for tomorrow’s match. Despite recording a 1-2 victory, there were injuries to Tim Mala (rolled ankle), Kristian Konstantinidis (ankle) and Nick Epifano (a minor knock), whilst 16 year old Andy Kecojevic succumbed to severe cramp late in the game with no substitutions left. Mala and Konstantinidis will miss this weekend’s match, whilst Epifano is likely to feature as a substitute.

Captain Michael Eagar could slot back into defence as he did last weekend, however there is the possibility that Ioannis Avramidis could be promoted from the Under 20s to fill in at the centre-half position. Kecojevic was tremendous in the first half against Werribee, delighting the South fans with several classy touches and a brilliant pass in the lead up to Epifano’s goal. The youngster could also feature in midfield if he is fit.

Saturday’s match kicks off at 3pm at Thomas Street Reserve in Thomastown. 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 hashtag #FFACUP.

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce that Fix Hellas Beer will continue as a Corporate Partner during the 2015 PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria season.

Fix Hellas Beer is exclusively imported by Agora Merchandising Group and is the first and most historical Greek-owned beer. Fix Hellas Beer is exported to twenty countries and is the Greek Beer Ambassador internationally.

The partnership between Fix Hellas Beer and South Melbourne FC began in 2014 and Chairman of the Agora Merchandising Group, George Iliopoulos, was very pleased to continue the relationship in 2015. “South Melbourne is a big club with a great history. We were very happy being involved last season when South won the NPL Victoria title and we look forward to continuing a long-term relationship with the club and seeing it grow both on and off the field.”

South Melbourne FC Director of Corporate Sales Nick Maikousis was equally pleased. “We are delighted that the Agora Merchandising Group and Fix Hellas Beer have re-committed as the Club’s official beverage supplier. We will continue to work closely with George Iliopoulos to establish a long-term partnership between Fix Hellas Beer and South Melbourne FC.”

South Melbourne FC continued its perfect start to the 2015 PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria season, surviving a late onslaught to defeat Werribee City 2-1 at Galvin Park on Sunday afternoon.

Chris Taylor was forced into an early change when Tim Mala was substituted just four minutes into the match, having rolled his ankle in a contest. Mala was replaced by 16 year old Andy Kecojevic, who made his first appearance for South Melbourne in 2015.

Despite the change, South looked in control for most of the first half and took the lead after 14 minutes. David Stirton quickly played a short corner to Iqi Jawadi, who curled a shot into the back of the net for his first League goal for South Melbourne in a competitive match.

Kecojevic then set up South’s second goal of the afternoon with a superb through-ball that was finished perfectly by Epifano. Kecojevic showed several brilliant touches in a superb first half performance, delighting the large contingent of away fans that had travelled to Galvin Park for the match.

At half-time, South held a resounding two goal lead and most at the ground were predicting a runaway victory for the reigning NPL Victoria Champions. However, a first half knock meant that Kristian Konstantinidis did not return after the break, leaving Chris Taylor down two key defenders for the second half due to injury.

Epifano also limped off early in the second half and Werribee City pulled a goal back when Julian Cassano tapped into an open net with 25 minutes to go. South was forced to endure wave after wave of attack from Werribee, who looked a different side after the break and after their goal. Kecojevic became the fourth South player to injure himself, however he was forced to continue playing in the dying stages as South had used up all its substitutions earlier in the match due to other injuries.

With the second half into the fourth minute of injury time, Steven Cudrig’s flying header beat Nikola Roganovic but not the crossbar, with the ball bouncing off the bar before being cleared by the South defence. The final whistle sounded moments later, much to the relief of a South side that had been forced to re-organise itself following injuries to several key players.

Captain Michael Eagar, filling in at the centre of defence in Konstantinidis’ second half absence, made several crucial interceptions and clearances to ensure victory. The skipper said that his side was keen to move on to next week. “We made it a lot more difficult for ourselves than we should have in the second half. We were unlucky with injuries but then maybe we got a bit of luck also go our way at the end with the header hitting the crossbar, so at the end of the day we’ll take the three points and move on.”

Coach Chris Taylor highlighted the importance of squad depth in the victory, singling out Kecojevic’s performance in particular. “We were forced into three changes which happens once in a blue moon but all the guys who came on did a good job. Andy Kecojevic came on and gave us a new dimension and created things, he was great. It shows that we’ve got good depth in the squad.”

Next Saturday afternoon, South Melbourne face Whittlesea United in the Fourth Round of the Dockerty Cup / Westfield FFA Cup qualifying. The match kicks off at 3pm at Thomas Street Reserve in Thomastown.

Final Score: Werribee City 1-2 South Melbourne (HT: 0-2)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Iqi Jawadi (14′)
0-2: Nick Epifano (34′)
1-2: Julian Cassano (65′)

Werribee City:
1. Frano SARIC (GK), 3. Ryan FILIPOVIC, 4. Simon COLOSIMO, 6. Anthony RAGUSA, 7. Simon ZAPPIA, 10. Chris CRISTALDO, 11. Bobby VIDANOVSKI (8. Daniel CHAABANI 46’), 13. Milan SAVIC (C) (5. Aturo YMERI 83’),  15. Nicola CAROFIGLIO (14. Julian CASSANO 60’), 19. Rob NAUMOVSKI, 23. Steven CUDRIG.

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK), 2. Tim MALA (23. Andy KECOJEVIC 4’), 3. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS (13. Dane MILOVANOVIC 46’), 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 5. Luke ADAMS, 6. Bonel OBRADOVIC, 7. Nick EPIFANO, (17. Leigh MINOPOULOS 68’) 9. Milos LUJIC, 10. David STIRTON, 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Iqi JAWADI.

Fix Hellas Man of the Match: Michael Eagar
Venue: Galvin Park
Date: Sunday 8 March 2015

South Melbourne FC will be confident of picking up all three points when it travels to Galvin Park to face Werribee City on Sunday afternoon.

Chris Taylor’s side put in a strong performance to defeat North Geelong Warriors 3-0 last Saturday, in the first of a number of early season road trips. That result becomes even more impressive considering the Warriors thrashed perennial contenders Green Gully 6-1 just four days later.

David Stirton was the star of the show for South last Saturday, scoring his first goal for the Club before turning provider and setting up Milos Lujic to set up the win before half-time. Andy Brennan added a third late in the game after coming on as a substitute, further confirming his reputation as the Club’s new ‘super-sub’.

Since crossing over from the Bentleigh Greens in the off-season, Stirton has added another element to a line-up already brimming with firepower. The attacker was South Melbourne’s Fix Hellas Beer Man of the Match and was also named in The Corner Flag’s ‘NPL Team of the Week’, along with holding midfielder and skipper Michael Eagar.

Having opened his 2015 account last week, Golden Boot winner Lujic will be aiming to get on the score sheet again this week as he looks to get his season up and running. Lujic, who signed a two year contract extension in the off-season, scored 23 goals in last season’s Championship.

The away form of Chris Taylor’s men will be crucial in the early part of the season, with trips to Heidelberg, Green Gully and Bentleigh Greens all coming up in the next month of football.

Taylor isn’t expected to make many changes to the line-up that defeated the Warriors, with a predominantly fit squad barring the long-term injuries to Peter Gavalas and Stephen Hatzikostas.

South Melbourne will have to be wary of the threat posed by Werribee City, who drew with Bentleigh during the week. Nino Ragusa’s men were unlucky not to gain a point in either of their first two matches this season, before Christopher Cristaldo’s strike on Wednesday night was enough for the Bees to open their account for season 2015. Cristaldo is a new arrival at Galvin Park, along with former Socceroo and South Melbourne player Simon Colosimo.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 3pm at Galvin Park in Werribee. 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 #PS4NPLVIC and #WCvSM.

In participating, the campers will each receive a Sports Camp Australia Nike Football T-Shirt, a camp certificate, daily evaluation tips, prizes and a South Melbourne membership that will give you access to all of our home matches in 2015.

Click here to register now 

South Melbourne FC will be looking for its second win of the PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria season when it travels over the Westgate Bridge to play the North Geelong Warriors at Elcho Park on Saturday afternoon.

Chris Taylor’s men will be well rested heading into the clash, having had a nine day break since triumphing 1-0 against Oakleigh in last Thursday night’s season opener.

The win against the Cannons was a less than convincing one, secured only via an own goal, albeit against strong opposition. South will be looking for a more complete performance this week against the newly promoted North Geelong.

Nikola Roganovic was sensational in his return to football last week, making several vital saves in the dying minutes to ensure a victory in his first game for South Melbourne. Iqi Jawadi and Kristian Konstantinidis were also strong contributors in the contest. Roganovic was a somewhat late inclusion into the first eleven, replacing the injured Peter Gavalas, who was between the sticks for South Melbourne’s Community Shield win against the Melbourne Knights a fortnight ago. Gavalas injured his back at training in the lead up to round one and is expected to miss five to six weeks.

Other than Gavalas, the side has no news in terms of injuries or suspensions, with a full squad available for the clash. It will be interesting to see whether coach Chris Taylor shuffles his pack for the match against North Geelong. The likes of Andy Brennan, Dane Milovanovic and Bonel Obradovic all started on the bench against Oakleigh, with Milovanovic coming on to make a crucial goal-line clearance in injury time.

North Geelong has faced a tough start to life in Victoria’s top flight, having gone down 2-0 to perennial contenders Bentleigh Greens last weekend, before South’s visit this Saturday. Mark Paleka will be the man the South defence must be most wary of, with the speedy striker contributing ten goals for North Geelong in NPL 1 last season.

The match kicks off at 5pm at Elcho Park in Lara. 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 #NGWvSM.

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce that SMFC TV will be screened on Foxtel’s Aurora Channel (Channel 183) throughout the 2015 season.

Commencing tonight (26 February), SMFC TV will be screened every Thursday evening at 8PM and is proudly sponsored by both Bob Jane T-Marts and the Bank of Sydney.

Tonight’s show will feature highlights of last Thursday night’s NPL Victoria opening round victory against the Oakleigh Cannons at Lakeside Stadium. Also featured on the show will be post-match interviews with players and Head Coach Chris Taylor in what was a great night for the Club in front of 3523 fans.

Tonight’s episode also profiles all of the new players in the 2015 Senior Squad, allowing all South Melbourne fans the chance to get to know them.

If you have any feedback and suggestions, please email the media team on multimedia@smfc.com.au.

South Melbourne FC is invite all youngsters to join the South Melbourne FC Skills Acquisition Program for the 2015 season.

Open to boys who were born in 2004 and 2005, the trials will be held on the following dates, with players expected to attend all three sessions:

1st March
8th March
17th March

Trials will be held on each of these days at Princes Park in Caulfield commencing at 6pm and concluding at 7.15pm. Those in attendance however will be asked to register by 5.30pm.

To register your interest please visit
http://form.jotform.co/form/50458330885864

Photo by Anita Milas

South Melbourne FC made a winning start to its National Premier League Victoria title defence after narrowly defeating the Oakleigh Cannons 1-0 at Lakeside Stadium last Thursday night. An own goal from Oakleigh defender Adam Le Cornu in the first half was enough to secure the points for South in a hard-fought match played in front of 3523 spectators.

In the NPL Victoria’s opening match for 2015, the two top sides of the 2014 campaign battled hard to create chances in a game where no player was easily afforded time on the ball.

Dean Piemonte had a chance to put Oakleigh ahead early in the match, however he hit his shot tamely into the arms of new South goalkeeper Nikola Roganovic.

South took the lead in the 23^rd minute after Milos Lujic’s shot was saved by John Honos before ricocheting off Le Cornu and into the back of the net.

Following the goal, Chris Taylor’s men were forced onto the back foot for large periods of the game. Playing the only side they failed to beat in the League in 2014, South was resolute in defence against an Oakleigh side that was applying plenty of pressure.

Milos Lujic had a difficult chance to put the game beyond doubt in the 75^th minute, when the star striker attempted a difficult bicycle kick that was saved by Honos in goal.

Roganovic was instrumental in keeping the three points safe for the home side. In stoppage time, the goalkeeper firstly made an acrobatic save to deny the Cannons from a free kick and then made a sensational reflex save from the resulting corner. Kristian Konstantinidis cleared another shot off the line to ensure that the three points remained at Lakeside Stadium.

South Melbourne FC travel to Geelong this weekend to play the newly-promoted North Geelong Warriors. The match kicks off at 5PM on Saturday 28 February.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 1-0 OAKLEIGH CANNONS (HT: 1-0)

Goal Scorer: Le Cornu Own Goal (23’)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Nikola ROGANOVIC (GK), 2. Tim MALA, 3. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 4. Michael EAGAR (C), 5. Luke ADAMS, 7. Nick EPIFANO, 9. Milos LUJIC, 11. Brad NORTON, 20. David STIRTON (13. Dane MILOVANOVIC 59’), 22. Iqi JAWADI, 27. Leigh MINOPOULOS (17. Andy BRENNAN 73’).

Oakleigh Cannons:
76. John HONOS (GK), 2. Adrian CHIAPETTA, 4. Brian VANEGA (8. Dusan BOSNJAK 50’), 6. Steve PANTELIDIS, 7. Ben CLARKE, 10. Dean PIEMONTE (15. Jake McLEAN 70’), 11. Evan CHRISTODOULOU (C) (12. Tremayne SADLER 80’), 18. Adam LE CORNU, 19. Goran ZORIC, 23. Dominic D’ANGELO, 26. Lambros HONOS.

SMFC Man of the Match: Nikola Roganovic
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Thursday 19 February 2015

Lakeside Stadium plays host to a mouth-watering clash on Thursday night, with South Melbourne kicking off its 2015 campaign against Oakleigh Cannons in a match befitting of its status as the PS4 National Premier Leagues season opener.

Less than a week after securing the FFV Community Shield in dramatic fashion, South will be aiming to get their season off to the best possible start with a victory at home.

The clash features the top two sides from last year’s league season, in which South finished seven points clear of second placed Oakleigh at the top.

The Cannons were the only side Chris Taylor’s men failed to defeat all season, with a 2-2 draw on the penultimate day of the season precluded by a 3-0 away defeat at Jack Edwards’ Reserve.

In the 17 games between the two sides since 2007 South have held the ascendency, having triumphed nine times, with four losses and four draws.

Over the summer head coach Chris Taylor has added even more depth to a squad already brimming with talent, with former Northcote defender Kristian Konstantinidis perhaps the biggest of the new inclusions. Former Adelaide United midfielder Jake Barker-Daish is another big name to join the club, whilst Peter Gavalas has returned after a year’s hiatus.

South Hobart product Andy Brennan has impressed in several pre-season fixtures, while Dane Milovanovic (Maldives), David Stirton (Bentleigh), Luke Adams (Waitakere United), Cody Martindale (Noble Park), Bonel Obradovic (Oakleigh) and Nikola Roganovic will all be new faces to Lakeside in 2015.

There is some conjecture about which 11 players Chris Taylor will put out on the park, with only a few players guaranteed of their spots. One of those is captain Michael Eagar, who played in a holding midfield role last Friday night.

Golden Boot winner Milos Lujic also looks certain to start, whilst it is hard to overlook Andy Brennan given his form in the lead up to the season.

Oakleigh will be striving to prove its credentials as a title contender, having twice finished runner-up in the past three seasons.

Despite losing top goal scorer Nate Foster, the Cannons have an enviable attacking line-up that has the talent to trouble any defence.

The match is likely to be an attractive spectacle, with both sides favouring slick ball movement as their mode to goal.

A large crowd is expected for the match, which kicks off at 8.15pm. Tickets can be found here https://www.smfc.com.au/promo