Nice, South in the A-league is inevitable.

South Melbourne FC hosts the Oakleigh Cannons at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening in what is a must-win game for the Club.
Peter Tsolakis’ men go into the game having suffered a 3-2 defeat against Hume City at Broadmeadows Valley Park last Sunday afternoon. Two quick goals from Turhan Sumbul and Atilla Ofli gave Hume an early 2-0 lead in the first half, however a first half injury time penalty by Dimi Hatzimouratis and a powerful header by centre-half Shaun Kelly on the hour mark drew South level, before substitute Sean Canham gave Hume the three points with a goal nine minutes from time. It was South’s second away defeat in a row. Oakleigh Cannons also head into Sunday’s match on the back of a defeat, having lost 0-1 against Dandenong Thunder at Jack Edwards Reserve last Friday night.
A major positive for South last week was the return of centre-forward Trent Rixon, who managed to play out the full game and win the penalty that got South back into the contest. Rixon had not played for the Club since coming on as a substitute in the final game of last season against Heidelberg United on Sunday 16 September 2012. Right-back Tom Matthews also appeared in the Senior side for the first time since that Heidelberg match, coming on as a substitute after 82 minutes last Sunday. South is sorely missing the services of Alan Kearney, who has not played since picking up an injury against Southern Stars on 13 April but there is a chance that he will play on Sunday. Dimi Tsiaras copped a few nasty challenges against Hume but is expected to be available for the Oakleigh match on Sunday, as will Renco Van Eeken, who came off the bench against Hume having pulled up sore from the Richmond game on 12 May.
Sunday evening’s match gives South an excellent opportunity to win its second home match in the Victorian Premier League this season as Oakleigh are currently struggling in ninth spot on the ladder. However new coach Miron Bleiberg has plenty of players capable of defeating South, with the likes of Lewis Italiano in goal as well as former South players Ricky Diaco, Goran Zoric and Jesse Krncevic. Italiano in particular has been outstanding since returning to the Victorian Premier League and will prove very difficult to get past on Sunday. In the 17 matches that the two sides have played against each other in the Victorian Premier League, South has won eight, Oakleigh has won six and there have been three draws. In the corresponding fixture at Lakeside Stadium last season on Sunday 8 July 2012, a superb Glen Trifiro free kick (13’) and a Tsiaras back post tap-in from Trifiro’s corner (62’) gave South a two goal lead before Diaco’s late free kick (89’) gave the home side a brief scare before it held on to deservedly win 2-1.
Sunday’s match kicks off at 5PM at Lakeside Stadium. Memberships and merchandise will be available for collection and purchase.

The game of the round by anyone's standards. Oakleigh continues to sign HAL hacks, the latest being some dude from New Zealand LOL. When will they ever breed some of their own talent I ask? Then again talent down at Oakleigh is slim. This game should be a cracker on and off the park. The question remains however, is will Oakleigh rock up? There are three saints celebrating on Sunday, and with Oakleigh being all religious, I expect a forfeit. If they manage to rock up and play, well won’t that be a mistake they will rue for a while. South on the other hand are pagans. We would even play on Christmas Day if we had to, because football is our religion! We are coming off an MMA fight with Hume last weekend, and I'm not sure of the injury count, but some of the tackles last weekend were terrible. A decent ref would not have lost control of the game. Which brings me to question the refs assigned to certain fixtures. Knowing our luck, we will have some kid in the middle and two chicks on the lines. Not that there’s anything wrong with women officials, but please not in the VPL. Stick them down in the lower leagues to gain a bit more experience. Anyhoo, about this weekend. South should beat Oakleigh. Oakleigh have been very poor this season, and I can’t see Miron Bleiberg turning things around anytime too soon. Last weekend we witnessed poor coaching from Gus. I’ve waffled on forums about it, and I'm not going to waffle on anymore. I just hope he's learned from his mistakes. South Melbourne 3 – Oakleigh Cannons 0 (1 for every saint).

FT: South Melbourne 2-1 Oakleigh

Was Smith playing yet or no?

-PB

South Melbourne FC is delighted to advise that Lakeside Stadium will host the Socceroos in their preparation for the upcoming crucial World Cup qualifying match against Jordan.
An open training session will be held for football fans. To meet your Socceroo heroes, simply register by clicking here.
Lakeside Stadium has hosted the Socceroos on many occasions, as well being the base for touring nations such as former European Champions Greece.
Throughout the Club's history, over 50 South Melbourne FC players have represented Australia.
Stay tuned to the Club's social media as we cover the Socceroos training at Lakeside Stadium.

http://www.smfc.com.au/news/1309/socceroos-to-train-at-lakeside-stadium/

South Melbourne FC defeated the Oakleigh Cannons 2-1 at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday evening to continue its 100% winning record at home in 2013. A first half double from Dimi Hatzimouratis was enough for a dominant South side to win the three points, despite a late scare when Oakleigh substitute Alex Smith scored a consolation goal in injury time.
South came into the match on the back of a disappointing 3-2 away loss against Hume City the previous Sunday, with some slack defending costing the Blues dearly. Oakleigh arrived at Lakeside Stadium in losing form as well, with Miron Bleiberg’s side having lost against Dandenong Thunder 0-1 at home the previous Friday. Right-back Tom Matthews started for the first time in 2013 for South as Renco Van Eeken missed the match due to soreness. With Matthews at right-back, Hatzimouratis was pushed further up the field, in a telling pre-game move by coach Peter Tsolakis.
Both sides started the match slowly, however, South eventually began to take control of proceedings as centre-forward Trent Rixon won everything in the air up front and Tyson Holmes ran amock. Oakleigh goalkeeper Lewis Italiano was kept busy trying to keep a clean sheet as South came close to scoring on numerous occassions. Hatzimouratis eventually opened the scoring after 24 minutes when he let fly with a vicious shot from 30 yards that had Italiano rooted to the spot.
The home side continued putting enormous pressure on the Oakleigh defence and eventually got a second goal when some good lead-up play from the left side saw Marinos Gasparis’ low centering ball in the six yard box flicked home by Hatzimouratis for his second of the night and third goal in two games. Oakleigh’s best chance of the half came when Hayden Doyle was put through on goal but Peter Gavalas made an excellent one-on-one save to deny the Cannons.
South had many chances to triple their lead in the second half but could not convert any of their opportunities. Hatzimouratis missed a golden opportunity to score a hat-trick when he found himself unmarked in the six yard box but headed Matthews’ cross over Italiano’s crossbar. The home side should have been at least three goals ahead but instead were left fearing the worst when Smith fired home in the second minute of injury time, however despite five minutes of injury time being played, South held on and recorded a well deserved victory. The result moves South to 15 points and back into third spot on the Victorian Premier League table. Oakleigh remain in tenth position with just five points.
South next travels to Hosken Reserve to play promoted side Pascoe Vale. Kick-off is next Saturday evening (1 June) at 7PM.
In the Under 21s match, an Anthony Giannopoulos penalty after 88 minutes gave South a 1-1 draw against Oakleigh.
FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 2-1 OAKLEIGH CANNONS (HT: 2-0)
Goal Scorers:
1-0: Dimi Hatzimouratis (24')
2-0: Dimi Hatzimouratis (35')
2-1: Alex Smith (90+2')

Key Stats (provided by Steven Orchard):
Total shots: South Melbourne (19) - Oakleigh (9)
Shots on target: South Melbourne (8) - Oakleigh (5)
Corners: South Melbourne (4) - Oakleigh (5)
Saves made: South Melbourne (4) - Oakleigh (6)
Balls into the area: South Melbourne (42) - Oakleigh (21)
Shots blocked: South Melbourne (6) - Oakleigh (1)

South Melbourne FC:
1. Peter GAVALAS (GK), 2. Tom MATTHEWS, 7. Joe KEENAN, 9. Trent RIXON, 10. Tyson HOLMES, 11. Brad NORTON, 12. Rhys MEREDITH, 13. Luke BYLES (C), 15. Dimi HATZIMOURATIS, 18. Marinos GASPARIS (5. Phil PETRESKI 74'), 19. Shaun KELLY

Oakleigh Cannons:
1. Lewis ITALIANO (GK), 2. James CUMMING, 3. Michail BOXALL, 5. Casper ANDERSEN, 10. Ricky DIACO (Alex SMITH 38'), 11. Jesse KRNCEVIC, 17. Reece VITTIGLIA, 18. Steven GRAY, 19. Goran ZORIC (16. Frankie LAGANA 86'), 20. Ari DRAKOS (8. Dusan BOSNJAK 74'), 21. Hayden DOYLE

SMFC Man of the Match: Dimi Hatzimouratis
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Date: Sunday 26 May 2013
http://www.smfc.com.au/news/1308/dominant-south-diffuse-cannons/

was actually 0-0 not 2-2

2-2 against Pascoe Vale on sat night. PV down to ten men after only ten mins. Should have done better.

SOUTH LOOKING FORWARD TO QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY SHOWDOWN AGAINST NORTHCOTE

Cup football returns to Lakeside Stadium as South Melbourne FC host Northcote City in the fifth round of the State Knockout Cup on Queen's Birthday Monday.
As the Victorian Premier League sides entered the competition in the previous round, both sides have only registered one victory in the Cup this season. South received a free ride through to the fifth round with a 3-0 victory after the Oakleigh Cannons forfeited the match scheduled at Lakeside Stadium on Saturday 4 May. On the same day, Northcote defeated State League 1 side Moreland Zebras 2-1 at Reddish Reserve to set up Monday’s clash.
Goran Lozanovski’s Northcote is undoubtedly the best side in the Victorian Premier League so far in 2013, having registered seven wins and a draw from their first eight matches to sit outright first on the VPL ladder. South is currently in third place with five wins, a draw and two losses from its first eight matches. Something has to give at Lakeside Stadium on Monday, as South has won all three of their home matches in the League and Cup this season whilst Northcote have won all away matches they have played. In the last two seasons of the FFV State Knockout Cup, South has been bundled out in the fifth round of the competition both times by Port Melbourne (then in State League 1) by the same score line of 2-1. South will want overcome this negative statistic and progress past Northcote to the sixth round, with that round scheduled by Football Federation Victoria to be played either on Wednesday 26 June or Thursday 4 July.
South coach Peter Tsolakis hinted at making some changes to the side that could only draw 0-0 with Pascoe Vale in the Victorian Premier League last Saturday night. Alan Kearney came off the bench to make his first senior appearance since sustaining an injury against Southern Stars on 13 April and may be given a starting berth on Monday to help regain match fitness. Other players that may make an appearance on Monday could include Andy Vlahos (on as a sub against Pascoe Vale), Dimi Tsiaras (unused sub against Pascoe Vale), Rhodri Payne, Fernando De Moraes and Renco Van Eeken. There is also the potential for the reserve goalkeeper Sebastian Mattei to make his debut or for youngsters Phil Petreski, Andrew Cartanos, James Karvelis, Matko Budimir, Baggio Yousif and Anthony Giannopoulos to make the squad for Monday’s match.
The match kicks off at 3pm on Monday 10 June at Lakeside Stadium. South Melbourne FC members are entitled to free entry to the match.

Looking forward to tomorrow very much

Exciting Dutchman signs with South

South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce Dutchman Nick Soolsma has been signed by the Club for the rest of the 2013 Victorian Premier League season. The 25 year old forward arrives at Lakeside Stadium after playing at Major League Soccer (MLS) side Toronto FC and most recently Eerste Divisie (Dutch second division) side Excelsior. His last match for Exelsior was only a few weeks ago, and has been quite sharp in training.
Soolsma began his career in the lower Dutch leagues and featured for FC Volendam, FC Haarlem, FC Chabab and VV Young Boys. In January 2011, Soolsma had a trial with Toronto FC and was signed by the Canadian side in March of that year. He made his debut on 19 March 2011 against Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the first all-Canadian game in the MLS and he scored his first MLS goal from the penalty spot on 29 June 2011 against the same opponents. After leaving Toronto FC in July 2012, Soolsma returned to the Netherlands and signed with Excelsior for the 2012/13 Eerste Divisie season. Excelsior has had many notable players represent them, including Michel Bastos, Salomon Kalou, and Robin Van Persie.
South Melbourne FC General Manager Peter Kokotis speaking to smfc.com.au added that "we are excited to secure the playing services of a very talented individual who has played in the MLS against the likes of David Beckham and Thierry Henry. He will add another dimension to our attacking options and look forward to his creativity that will unlock opposition defences".
South Melbourne FC welcomes Nick Soolsma to the Club and wishes him the very best for the season.

South Melbourne FC vs Dandenong Thunder Match Preview



South Melbourne FC take on Dandenong Thunder this Sunday in what is expected to be an intriguing affair between both sides sitting just outside of the top five.
Both sides are coming off relatively unconvincing wins in the FFV State Knockout Cup midweek, with a very sluggish South coming from two goals down to defeat Preston 4-2 at Lakeside Stadium, while Dandenong were also tested by lower opposition, winning their fixture on penalties against Werribee.
South will go into the match without suspended pair Peter Gavalas and former Dandenong midfielder Iqi Jawadi, both of whom were sent off in last Sunday's defeat at home to Bentleigh. However in more positive news South will have new signings Luke Hopper, Jonathan Munoz and Christian Maynard available, with the latter certain to replace the suspended Gavlas in goals.
South is also expected to have Shaun Kelly return from a hamstring injury, joining Brad Norton and former Dandenong duo Bryan Bran and Tim Mala in a formidable back four.
In the only meeting between the club's this season, South Melbourne were soundly defeated at George Andrews Reserve by 3 goals to nil, with new South signing Luke Hopper finding the back of the net for Dandenong.
Kick-off at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday July 28th is at 3pm.