Category: News

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

e.l.f. cosmetics Australia joins the South Melbourne Football Club Family as our new Principal Partner for the 2015 National Premier League season – use code SMFC01* for 30% off all orders over $30 at www.elfcosmetics.com.au!

Available online through their website and in all Kmart stores throughout Australia and New Zealand, elf cosmetics is one of the fastest growing cosmetic brands in Australia!

e.l.f. are working their magic to have everyone looking absolutely gorgeous without sacrificing budget. e.l.f. believes that quality, innovation and style shouldn’t be limited to prestige brands. Every woman at every age should have the opportunity to enjoy luxury products without burning a hole in her pocket.

With hundreds of products across three brands, e.l.f. Cosmetics offers something for everyone and is the secret weapon for the savvy beauty enthusiast.

e.l.f. believe that beauty comes from feeling and being your best and inner confidence that translates to the outer world as attractiveness. They want every woman, from teen to mature to look and feel her personal best with their luxurious and affordable cosmetics – which start at just $3.00.

e.l.f. products are available at Kmart Australia & New Zealand, Advantage Pharmacies and Chemist Discount Centres and online at www.elfcosmetics.com.au.

SMFC01* for 30% off all orders over $30, not including shipping, valid until Midnight AEST 31 March 2015

South Melbourne FC is pleased to announce that Bank of Sydney has joined the Club as a Principal Partner and as the Club’s official Bank Sponsor for the 2015 National Premier League Victoria season. The Bank of Sydney Logo will also appear on the back of the South Melbourne FC shirt.

President Leo Athanasakis thanked Bank of Sydney for supporting the South Melbourne FC, highlighting the Bank’s numerous initiatives and commitment to various community groups in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide.

“We share a similar heritage and history,” said Athanasakis, “we are proud to place the Bank of Sydney name on the South Melbourne jersey.”

Ms Julie Elliott, CEO of Bank of Sydney said, “We are very proud to be the Principal Partner of South Melbourne FC for the 2015 season. The Club, with a remarkable record of accomplishments over 55 years, has a large number of supporters especially from the Australian-Greek community, which is part of the heritage and culture of our Bank.”

Elliott added, “It gives us a great pleasure to contribute and support sport activities that bring people together and promote harmony in our society.”

“We wish the South Melbourne FC a successful year and we look forward to building a long term partnership with the Club,” concluded Elliott.

Bank of Sydney with local branches in Spring Street, Oakleigh, Northcote, Brunswick as well as Doncaster, aims to offer its customers true and personal relationship banking as well as competitive products and services to help them reach their financial goals.

South Melbourne FC is excited to announce the return of the 2015 SMFC PS4 NPL Tipping Competition.

Prizes for the top three lucky winners include:

First Prize:
SMFC soccer ball signed by the 2015 Senior Squad

Second Prize:
2016 Adult Membership

Third Prize:
2 tickets to the 2016 SMFC Jersey Presentation Night

Its easy to enter, and lots of fun. In each round you will tip for a home win, draw, or away win. You will get 1 point for a correct win or 1 point for a correct draw. The current round will close 1 hour before the first game of each round is to be played. If you forget to submit your tips in for a round, you will get the lowest score of the round minus 1 point. If you start late, you will be allocated the average points of the competition.

To enter the tipping competition, please go to http://tipping.smfc.com.au/

South Melbourne FC is pleased to welcome The Water Rat Hotel as the Club’s Official Local Hotel in 2015.

The Water Rat Hotel has recently been refurbished and now boasts several eating and drinking areas, with a function area that can be configured to suit anything from a small gathering to a cocktail party for up to 250 people. The Water Rat Hotel also has range of menu options on offer and can be tailored to suit the individual needs of its customers.

The Water Rat Hotel will provide drinks for the President’s Room during 2015 and is also providing the following offers to South Melbourne FC members ahead of this Thursday night’s match against Oakleigh:

1. Happy Hour (between 5pm-7pm) – $5 pints excluding Peroni beer.
2. $15 burger with hand cut chips and aioli.
3. $15 linguine puttanesca.

Speaking with smfc.com.au, South Melbourne FC Marketing Manager George Kouroumalis was very excited about the new partnership. “The Water Rat Hotel has undergone a refurbishment and looks fantastic. I have no doubt that South fans will enjoy having a pint and something to eat there before going to watch the team play at Lakeside Stadium.”

South Melbourne FC looks forward to a successful partnership with The Water Rat Hotel.

South Melbourne FC is extremely pleased to announce the renewal of its partnership with Beachcomber Cafe for another season. The Beachcomber logo will feature on the back of the playing shirt for the 2015 National Premier League Victoria season in what marks the fourth year of the partnership between Beachcomber Cafe and South Melbourne FC.

Located at the St Kilda Sea Baths, Beachcomber goes beyond the usual expectations of a casual cafe experience. Spectacular beach side views, a sprawling outdoor dining area and a gourmet menu means that Beachcomber Cafe showcases St Kilda’s food culture at its best. Delicious meals are served with a touch of the Mediterranean and is set in the perfect location with its uninterrupted view of Port Phillip Bay. In addition, Beachcomber Cafe is open from morning until late in the evening and is perfect for a morning pit stop, a lazy afternoon or to watch the sun set over the water.

Beachcomber Cafe has hosted many South Melbourne FC events such as the Jersey Presentation Night, the Most Valuable Player Award, Junior Presentation events as well as hosting live broadcasts of both World Cup qualifiers.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, SMFC President Leo Athanasakis commented that “we are proud to go into a commercial partnership for a fourth year with Beachcomber Café. The Paraskevas brothers have been iconic
St Kilda operators for up to forty years and are strong supporters of South Melbourne FC. I implore all our fellow sponsors, supporters and stakeholders of the Club to support Beachcomber Cafe as we look to defend our Championship in 2015.”

The 2015 SMFC Jersey Presentation event will be held at Beachcomber Cafe on March 27th, with more details about this event to be released at a later date.

South Melbourne FC is very pleased to announce a new partnership with Mad Mex South Melbourne for the 2015 National Premier League season.

Mad Mex is a quick service restaurant that prides itself on producing fresh, fast and delicious inspired Mexican food for its customers. With over 50 stores across Australia and New Zealand, Mad Mex has big plans to continue growth in 2015, including within Victoria where they already have nine stores, including one of the latest to the portfolio, South Melbourne located at 261 Clarendon Street.

Mad Mex South Melbourne has signed on to provide catering in the President’s Room for several of South Melbourne FC’s home matches throughout the 2015 season as well as donate the Club’s Junior’s with weekly free Mad Mex vouchers. Mad Mex South Melbourne will also sponsor the “SMFC Fan of the Week”, where one lucky fan will receive a free Mad Mex voucher in return for their support. Not to mention each South Melbourne member receiving a 10% discount on all purchases in the South Melbourne store throughout the season.

Speaking with smfc.com.au, South Melbourne FC Marketing Manager George Kouroumalis was very excited about the new partnership. “It is fantastic to have secured Mad Mex South Melbourne as one of the catering partners in 2015. More significantly, Mad Mex provides us with some excellent local area marketing opportunities, which means greater exposure and spread of the Club’s brand throughout the local community, as well as providing anyone around South Melbourne with a place to enjoy a meal with their family and friends”

South Melbourne FC looks forward to a successful partnership with Mad Mex South Melbourne in 2015.

Photo by Skip Fulton

South Melbourne FC won the inaugural FFV Community Shield when it came back from 1-0 down to record a thrilling 1-2 victory over old rivals Melbourne Knights last Friday night.

With less than ten minutes to play, substitute Andy Brennan scored a goal with his first competitive touch for the Club to level the scores at 1-1, before Leigh Minopoulos found the back of the net deep into injury time to give South their first trophy of the 2015 season.

In treacherous conditions at Knights Stadium, it was the home side that opened the scoring after ten minutes when David Stirton couldn’t clear Stipo Andrijasevic’s powerful header off the line.

Despite the goal, Chris Taylor’s side looked settled early and should have equalised five minutes later, when Milos Lujic spurned a golden chance following a brilliant pass from Nick Epifano.

Epifano was involved in the majority of South’s attacks for the night and came close to scoring himself just before the half-time break, shooting just wide after Iqi Jawadi played a nice ball to him.

Plenty of eyes were on the former Northcote City defender Kristian Konstantinidis in his first game for the Club and the title winning defender justified his credentials with a timely clearance off the line just after the restart to prevent a certain goal.

Not long afterwards, Peter Gavalas made an excellent save to deny Andrijasevic from a long-range free kick as the Knights looked to seal the game.

South had looked likely to score throughout the match and finally found the back of the net when new recruit Brennan tapped home at the back post with his first touch in a competitive fixture for the Club.

With penalties looming, Lujic headed back across goal for Minopoulos to side-foot past Chris May and into the back of the net to claim a remarkable late victory.

Head Coach Chris Taylor was somewhat dissatisfied with his team’s performance but was happy to claim a piece of silverware so early in the season. “I was disappointed with how we played at times, particularly in the first half, but we still created enough chances to win the game and that’s what it’s all about. It’s silverware, it’s another trophy in the cabinet and that is good for everyone involved.”

South Melbourne FC President Leo Athanasakis echoed Taylor’s sentiments. “Obviously you have to win the previous season’s Championship to qualify for this game, so this is a culmination of all of last year’s hard work. We take a lot of pride in winning this trophy, because you don’t get the chance to win these that often. It’s really a bit of icing on the cake for the Club and all of the supporters.”

South Melbourne FC take on the Oakleigh Cannons at Lakeside Stadium this Thursday night in a season opening blockbuster. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.smfc.com.au/promo.

When South Melbourne and Melbourne Knights take the field in Friday night’s FFV Community Shield, another chapter will be added to one of Australian football’s greatest rivalries.

While the ‘original’ Melbourne Derby may not hold the intensity it once did when both clubs were competing for national titles in the early 1990s, there is no doubt that this match is no ordinary football fixture.
There is nothing like a derby in football. They are matches which hold a greater significance than regular games, for intangible reasons, irrespective of where each team is on the table, or whether the game is even for points.

The two sides first met in 1960, a match South ran away 2-0 winners over a Melbourne Knights side that then went by the name ‘Preston Croatia’.

Both clubs enjoy a rich history, and have been bound together by both success and the changing landscape of football in this country.

Both have tasted the success of being national champions, whilst both have suffered the pitfalls of relegation back to the state leagues. It can also be said, that both sides harbour ambitions to compete again at the top level.

In 1984, the two sides met for the first time in the National Soccer League (NSL). South Melbourne enjoyed the majority of the success in the national league, with 54 matches against the Knights resulting in 25 victories, 16 draws and 13 defeats. However, five of these losses came in finals.

During the late eighties and early nineties, the sides clashed ten times in NSL finals matches. Many of these finals matches went to extra-time or penalties, and gave the fixture an added reputation.

There was the 1990/91 NSL Grand Final, where South Melbourne lifted the trophy after a 5-4 victory on penalties. Earlier, Joe Palatsides had equalised for South Melbourne with only seconds remaining in regular time.

The 1994/95 preliminary final will be remembered as the match which thrust Mark Viduka into the national spotlight, with the teenager scoring a hat-trick in a 3-2 victory to put Knights into the Grand Final at the expense of their rivals.

More recently, A Trent Rixon goal saw South upset the odds in 2012/13 with a 1-0 victory in the VPL semi-
final, after Melbourne Knights had gone into the game as firm favourites. The clash drew almost 5000 people through the gates.

Last season saw a mixture of emotions for South fans, with the Hellas winning both league clashes, but falling to Knights in the Dockerty Cup, missing qualification to the FFA Cup as a result.

The match will be the first time these famous clubs have clashed for silverware since the 1990/91 Grand Final. While the match is not for points, both sides will settle for nothing less than a victory.

Friday’s match kicks off at 7.30PM at Knights Stadium. Those who are unable to attend the match can follow live updates on the official South Melbourne FC Facebook page or alternatively through Twitter (@smfc, #MKvSM, #NPLVIC).