Announcement:




South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce two new signings in Kliment Taseski and Kamal Ibrahim for the 2011 Victorian Premier League season. Both players arrive from A-League team Melbourne Heart.

Taseski played only four matches for Heart in the 2010/11 A-League season, however is rated as an exciting young player, with the 19 year old starring in Altona Magic's 2009 Premier League Championship and winning the Jimmy Rooney Medal as the best player on the field during the Grand Final. The attacking player has also featured heavily in the National Youth set-up and was in the squad for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-19 Championship before also being selected for the Young Socceroos. He is also a former SMFC Junior.

Dazzling forward Ibrahim is also an exciting signing, with the 18 year old having represented the Young Socceroos and the Joeys as well as making a name for himself at the Victorian and Australian Institutes of Sport. He made three appearances for Heart and is another young player with a bright future ahead of him.

Speaking to smfc.com.au, Director of Football Ange Dallas was delighted with the new signings and mentioned how “we are very pleased and excited to have both Kliment and Kamal in our squad for the 2011 season. Both have experience at national and international levels and we hope that they can produce some fantastic football in the South Melbourne FC shirt”.

South Melbourne FC welcomes Kliment Taseski and Kamal Ibrahim to the Club and wishes both players the best in the 2011 Premier League season.




http://www.smfc.com.au/news/1016/young-socceroos-sign-with-south/

Announcement

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC enters the unknown tonight when the team travels to the Serbian Sports Centre to face newly-promoted Springvale White Eagles.

Springvale enjoyed last season in State League 1 and spent the majority of 2010 on top of the ladder before St Albans won the State League Championship on goal difference following the final day of the season. Nevertheless, the White Eagles finished in second position on the ladder and were promoted into the Premier League along with their big rivals St Albans. This is the first season back in the Premier League for Springvale since their disastrous 2007 season, which saw them win only five points from 26 Premier League matches and get relegated with an enormous goal difference of -60.

South has not played Springvale at the Serbian Sports Centre in League competition as the two sides have only had one previous meeting against each other, with that match played at Lakeside Stadium. On that occasion (played on Sunday 13 May 2007), South destroyed Springvale 6-0 thanks to a double from Nathan Caldwell (9', 59'), and goals from Fernando De Moraes (24'), Yusuf Yusuf (25'), Ricky Diaco (73') and substitute Gianni De Nittis (85').

South will go into tonight's match confident of getting three points following a solid opening round performance against reigning League Champions Green Gully last Sunday. Whilst the match finished in a 1-1 draw, South were superior to Gully for the majority of the 90 minutes but ultimately failed in turning this dominance into goals. Coach Eddie Krncevic will be expecting a much tighter defensive performance against the White Eagles and for more of the chances created in the attacking area to be put away. The away side will also be boosted significantly with the signings of Kliment Taseski and Kamal Ibrahim overnight. Both players arrive from A-League team Melbourne Heart and will add more depth to an already talented team. It is expected that both players will make their South Melbourne FC debuts against Springvale tonight.

Springvale should not be treated lightly however, as the home side will no doubt make the venue a tough place for South's players to win in. Despite losing their opening two matches of the season, Springvale will be keen on defeating one of the bigger clubs in the League in order to kick-start their own season and ensure that their first Premier League season in 3 years doesn't end like it did in 2007.

The match kicks off tonight at 20:30 tonight at the Serbian Sports Centre.

The annual SMFC Family Day is to be held on Sunday 6th March.

Last year saw hundreds turn out to partake in the SMFC Family Day at Bob Jane Stadium. The picturesque setting provided an ideal backdrop for what was a fantastic day had by all with the local fire brigade, face painting and small sided games all part of the many attractions.

This year due to the Bob Jane Stadium redevelopment, we will host the event at our home away from home in John Cain Memorial Park in Northcote. The day will commence at 10am and will be held before the Round 3 derby clash between South Melbourne FC and Bentleigh Greens.

Fans will have the opportunity of purchasing their 2011 membership and new range of Adidas merchandise as well. The players and coaching staff will be in attendance, and will provide a great opportunity for fans and players alike to chat about the upcoming game.

Was the guy in the pic the one on Football Superstar 2 years ago? If its not, it looks identical :)

Thought he was at GCU at one point.

I must say that SMFC should be given credit for their community events. Lots of things to see and do, and a great inititive.

And a 6-4 win against Springvale tonight. Ridiculous score line.

Damn, that sure sounds like some entertaining play. Defense of both teams may need some seriious work by the sounds of it though :(

Game changed when Taseski moved to right back and Ibrahim came on to the right wing, they absolutely murdered us down that side in the 1st half and the youngsters moved into those positions and murdered them in the 2nd.

Taseski scored a cracker left foot outside the box into top corner and Ibrahim also pounced on a keeping error to score, ruthless performance from South in 2nd half, scored 6 but really should have been 10....we made it hard for ourselves though.

2-0 down at half time. Shocking half and extremely lethargic by the boys
Goran Zoric to his credit score crackers for the home team

Krincevic lost it at half time and delivered an absolute spray. Dressing room was a scary place at half time

Game of 2 halves. Second half scoreline was 6-2

South basically threw the gauntlet and attacked at all costs which left our defense really thin which allowed Springdale 2 goals against the run of play - south could have scored 10 in 1 half........amazing turnaround

Some quality goals by both sides

Smfc tv will be entertaining viewing on wed night atleast

Bobby Russell our next signing from GCU

Should fit in nicely

Zoric a brace and a missed penalty in the first half? Or did someone else miss the penalty?

Smart move by Krncevic to move Taseski to right back to contain Zoric. Very similar players.

Defensive performances, from all reports, need to improve to keep up with the top sides. (cc: Oakleigh 1-0 over Gully)

Agree pairing up Taseski and Ibrahim on the right side was a game changer
The 2 claerly understood each other and with Taseski containig Zoric it allowed Ibrahim to counter on the right side. He really is a spark up front. Perhaps one touch too many on occasions but hoPefully once an understanding with the squad is gained he will look up earlier, but a classy player.

I agree. We need to tighten uP in the back. We looked really thin against a fast team.

Joe keenan would have been suitable on Zoric but is a few weeks away ATM. Another one we miss is vasilevski who should be back next week.

But after 2 rounds if I were a coach, I'd be thinking to myself that it is much easier to tighten up a defense than creating chances. South this season is creating heaps of chances, even lastvweek against gully. I am confident the defense will be tightened up as the season advances

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To the few who claim that the Serbian Sports Centre is not in the middle of nowhere, please be quiet and/or go away. When they switch the lights on at the MCG, you can see them from Northcote's grandstand; out at Keysborough, all you can see are horses and people on the other side of the fence who were too tight to pay to get in. Now to the game.

Our first half was beyond atrocious. White Eagles dominated every facet of the game. Former South forward Goran Zoric did most of the damage, playing wide on the left. Time and again he destroyed Sebastian Petrovich who was stationed at right back.

Petrovich looked slow and out of place. Even when attempting to establish attacks, he was being harried relentlessly by Zoric, who exploited the pace advantage with merciless zeal. Petrovich first received a yellow card for a clumsy and frustrated tackle on Zoric, and then a penalty after bringing down Zoric. Luckily for South, Zoric smashed the ensuing penalty against the bar, but South wasn't able to rally from that piece of fortune.

Zoric went on to score two goals in the first half, almost identical in their execution. Running around Petrovich and across the face of the 18 yard box past Topalovic, he blasted both his goals into the bottom corner, which made one wonder where this form had come from. At South - though admittedly he wasn't the only one - he would struggle to bury chances from the six yard box, and his defensive efforts were mostly negligible.

White Eagles were helped further in the first half by South's tactical shortcomings. Springvale played very high up the field, and yet South refused to move the ball quickly, preferring to mess around with aimless short passes, which would almost inevitably gift the ball back to the home team. The home side's high tempo also saw South unable to win much in the middle of the field - the only saving grace was that Springvale weren't able to create any more clear cut chances, and that South wasn't down by further.

Not seeing any immediate way out of the predicament we were in, one was left hoping for damage limitation. In the second half drastic changes were brought about. De Nittis and Petrovich off, the new Heart loan signing Kamal Ibrahim on as well as Kyle Joryeff and much to my surprise, the game swung almost immediately. Ibrahim's fellow Heart teammate Kliment Taseski wss moved to right back, and shut Zoric out of the game.

Within 13 minutes South was in front. Fernando scored first with a long range effort, before a dreadful error by Springvale's goalkeeper gifted Ibrahim a goal on debut. Coming out for a ball over the top, the keeper collected the ball, which was then accidentally dislodged by a collision with one of his defenders - the ball fell to Ibrahim, who stroked the ball home to level the scores. A minute later Taseski hit another long range effort to put the visitors ahead.

Celebrations were shortlived after O'Dor gave away a penalty, and this time Springvale didn't waste their chance. 3-3 and still half an hour to play. Carl Recchia put South back in front after Fernando's shot hit the bar, and Jesse Krncevic made it 5-3 and seemingly out of the reach of Springvale, but the home side managed to pull it back to 5-4 after a parried shot was tucked away. Krncevic made it 6-4 moments later, and that was how it stayed, somehow, for the rest of the game.

While many were happy with the win and in particular the fightback, there were many obvious concerns to come out of the game. Fernando De Moraes undoubtedly gave South the spark we needed in the 2nd half, but as with last week against Green Gully was obviously not 100% right, and a bad tackle on him late on the game when he should have been subbed off, may have made things worse.

While the half time tactical reshuffle worked, it should have come far earlier. The manner of our first half capitulation required far earlier intervention - against a better side, we might well have been down further than what turned out to be a measly two goals. In addition, while we could even have scored 10 goals in the second half - Krncevic's overhead kick and some close offside calls will be interesting to see on the replay - it was done against a defence which had already leaked seven goals in its first two games, and will almost certainly concede many more by year's end.

Indeed all the positives - the stellar efforts of the new signings, the fightback, the scintillating attacking play of the second half and the general buzz after such a win could well be negated by the eventual inferiority of the opponent. White Eagles were unable to shut up shop or adjust tactically, and I believe that as with their previous stints in the VPL, they will struggle to survive the fight against relegation.

For us, once again we looked magnificent going forward once we got going, but against better opponents, and especially against sides which are able to grind out results, we'll need massive improvement across the board. Next week with games against the VTC and Bentleigh Greens, we'll see if we're able to show the requisite improvement. Two grinding 1-0 wins might be the order of the day after the two opening rounds defensive efforts.


http://southmelbournefc.blogspot.com/2011/02/exhausting-and-ridiculous-white-eagles.html

Game, Set and Match for Hellas!

Featured
Written by  John Kyrou




Photos: CINDY NITSOS


It was a tennis scoreline at the Serbian Sports Centre on Friday night as South Melbourne Hellas defeated the Springvale White Eagles 6-4, in what will surely be one of the more remarkable Victorian Premier League matches of 2011.

In a match that saw an astonishing eight goals scored in the second half, South scored all six of its goals in the final 45 minutes to complete the comeback following a 2-0 deficit at the half time break.
Springvale began the game determined to win its first points for 2011 following consecutive defeats in their opening two Premier League matches. Former South forward Goran Zoric played his first match for the White Eagles this season and it was his inclusion in the home side's starting eleven that caused South all sorts of problems in the first half. It was Zoric who won a penalty for the home side in the 24th minute after being fouled in the area by Sebastian Petrovic, however luckily for South the resulting penalty was blasted into the crossbar by Gordan Mrdic. South's luck ran out only minutes later when Zoric opened the scoring and then doubled the home side's lead with two excellently taken goals. His first was scored with a 25 yard effort that beat Stefaan Sardelic, with his second scored by cutting in from the left and beating two defenders before rifling a shot into the bottom left corner.

South coach Eddie Krncevic immediately made changes during the halftime period and substituted both Gianni De Nittis and Petrovic with Kamal Ibrahim and Kyle Joryeff respectively. An early goal was desperately needed and it was Fernando De Moraes who stepped up for the away side five minutes into the half, when he turned his marker and scored from the edge of the area with a left footed shot that beat goalkeeper Scott Agustin at his near post. The goal was De Moraes' 49th Premier League goal for the Club, putting the midfielder in outright eighth position (overtaking Doug Brown) in South's all-time highest goal scorers in National/State/Premier League competition.

All of a sudden South were back in the contest and Springvale's momentum and confidence had been clearly dented. South continued to attack in numbers and equalised eight minutes later when Agustin spilt the ball after going outside his goal area. This allowed the debuting Ibrahim the simple task of passing the ball into the empty net to score his first goal for the away side. Kliment Taseski, also making his South debut on the night, then completed South's amazing turnaround by scoring a sensational left-footed goal from outside the area. The two boys had made an immediate impact after arriving at the Club on loan from A-League side Melbourne Heart.

The away side clearly now had all the run and continued to attack, trying to score a fourth goal to wrap up the three points. However South's defensive frailties were exposed again, when against the run of play Springvale were awarded a penalty following a shirt pull by captain Steven O'Dor on Milos Lujic in the area. Sardelic went the right way but couldn't get enough of his hand on the ball to keep it out of the net as Zoran Vukas converted Springvale's spot-kick to make the score 3-3. However amazingly, South regained the lead only a short time later, when a stinging shot from outside the area by De Moraes rattled the crossbar before falling nicely for Carl Recchia to head into the empty net. Marinos Gasparis then played Jesse Krncevic a wonderful through-ball that the forward finished after rounding Agustin before rolling the ball into the empty goal.

With a 5-3 lead and with time running out, it seemed like South had the three points in the bag. However to Springvale's credit, the home side continued fighting right until the end and scored again after 87 minutes. A cut-back from the right was parried into Tome Racunica's path and the White Eagles player smashed the ball home to make the score 5-4 and send nerves around the Serbian Sports Centre. However Krncevic made absolutely sure of the three points by chipping Agustin after De Moraes put him through one-on-one with the White Eagles goalkeeper. De Moraes had enjoyed an outstanding match but disappointingly hobbled off the ground with an injury following a bad tackle from Lujic that saw the Springvale player only cautioned when on another day the card may have been another colour. The full-time whistle moments later completed a remarkably entertaining match for neutral spectators and, in the end, for South supporters as well.

South Melbourne's next match is against the Victorian Training Centre (VTC) on Wednesday 2 March at Port Melbourne's SS Anderson Reserve, with kick-off at 20:30. Spectators are reminded that the mid-week matches against the VTC this season count for competition points and as a result should be treated like any normal Premier League fixture. Next Friday 4 March, Springvale travel to Jack Edwards Reserve to face the Oakleigh Cannons, with that match also kicking off at 20:30.


FINAL SCORE: SPRINGVALE WHITE EAGLES 4-6 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 2-0)

Springvale White Eagles
2 - Adam Ewin; 7 - Tome Racunica; 8 - Gordan Mrdic; 9 - Milos Lujic; 10 - Dejan Radojicic; 12 - Dushan Nikolic (4 - Boris Bajic 75'); 16 - Dominic D'Angelo; 17 - Zoran Vukas (24 - Lewis Karanicolas 80'); 18 - Nikolas Veljovic (11 - Rados Tomic 75'); 19 - Goran Zoric; 23 - Scott Agustin
(Scorers: Goran Zoric 28', 33', Zoran Vukas 65'pk, Tome Racunica 87')

South Melbourne Hellas
1 - Stefaan Sardelic; 3 - Rhodri Payne; 4 - Steven O'Dor; 6 - Steven Topalovic; 8 - Carl Recchia; 9 - Gianni De Nittis (14 - Kamal Ibrahim 46'); 10 - Kliment Taseski; 11 - Jesse Krncevic; 15 - Fernando De Moraes (24 - Nick Jacobs 89'); 18 - Marinos Gasparis; 23 - Sebastian Petrovic (25 - Kyle Joryeff 46')
(Scorers: De Moraes 50', Ibrahim 58', Taseski 66', Recchia 79', Krncevic 87', 89')


Man of the Match: Fernando De Moraes (South Melbourne)
Venue: Serbian Sports Centre (White Eagles Stadium)
Date: Friday 25 February 2011
Crowd: 1,000

http://www.goalweekly.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1592:game-set-and-match-for-hellas&Itemid=129




Edited by chris: 26/2/2011 10:32:02 PM

Edited by chris: 28/2/2011 04:41:41 PM

My boy Kamal =d>

Melbourne Hearts future boys are shining in the VPL
loving it

very much lol at

:

so true man, so true!

good comeback by the south boy's though. would've been humiliating to draw/lose against Springvale.

and great effort by Kamal and Kliment aswell.

looking forward to round 10.

When did you claim ownership? :) jk

Sounds like a good effort by both of them. Overall, these kinds of loan deals only serve to strengthen both levels of the game, which is a great thing to see.

2011 smfcTV (R1) :: South Melbourne v Green Gully

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbBXvarSc1A&feature=player_embedded



Edited by chris: 28/2/2011 04:51:08 PM

By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC's Victorian Premier League season continues on Wednesday night when the team faces the Victorian Training Centre (VTC) at Port Melbourne's SS Anderson Reserve at 8.30pm.

All Victorian Premier League sides played two mid-week matches against the VTC last season but the matches were effectively friendlies, with no competition points played for. However in 2011, all matches against the VTC are being played for competition points - as a result there are 24 Victorian Premier League fixtures this season, as the VTC is effectively a 13th team in the Victorian Premier League despite the fact they cannot participate in the finals series or be relegated.

South will go into Wednesday night keen on winning a second consecutive match following the thrilling 6-4 win away at Springvale White Eagles last Friday night. With difficult matches in the coming weeks, it is essential that South picks up as many points as possible early in the campaign, with the VTC match being no exception. One thing Eddie Krncevic's side needs to fix up is its defensive problems, with five goals being conceded in two matches, including four against the White Eagles. With Jesse Krncevic on fire at the other end of the field (3 goals in two Victorian Premier League matches) and with Fernando De Moraes, Kamal Ibrahim, Kliment Taseski and Carl Recchia all scoring already this season, the coaching staff will be expecting that good form to continue.

De Moraes limped off with what looked to be a nasty ankle injury against Springvale, however the early signs are that the midfielder is recovering well and may even be able to line up against the VTC on Wednesday night. Otherwise it is expected that he will be back in the match against Bentleigh on Sunday afternoon. South fans will be hoping that De Moraes is back as soon as possible, as he currently sits on 49 Victorian Premier League goals for the Club and will be hoping to become only the eighth player in the Club's history to score 50 League goals. Daniel Vasilevski will also be hoping to play in the coming few games, following his injury against Heidelberg in the recent Hellenic Cup final.

The VTC has experienced a mixed start to its 2011 season, with a 4-1 thumping of Springvale followed by a 1-0 loss against Bentleigh. It is expected that the VTC will be an extremely quick side due to the large amount of youth players in their team, and the 4-1 result against Springvale has proven that they are more than capable of scoring and winning against Victorian Premier League teams. South's defence will need to be as alert as ever in order to put a stop to the amount of goals conceded in the opening two weekends of the new season. One player South will know about is former Under 21's player Jason Riccuiti, who made five substitute appearances for Vaughan Coveny's side last season. Another former South junior in Damir Lokvancic will also most likely feature for the VTC.

Wednesday night's match kicks off at 8.30pm at SS Anderson Reserve in Port Melbourne. The match is a home game for South Melbourne FC and as a result all 2011 South Melbourne FC members will be entitled to free admission into the venue. The Club encourages all supporters to attend the match and lend their support to the team as it strives for back-to-back Victorian Premier League wins.

http://www.smfc.com.au/news/1022/wednesday-night-football-smfc-to-take-on-the-vtc/

Hell yeah, I'll be going to this game tonight.

What happened against the VTC, boys? Any news on when Ljubo will get his start for you guys?
The amount of goals you have copped lately, he is just what you need.

South Lost 3-2
Ljubo to play on sunday

2011 smfcTV Online (R2) :: Springvale WE v South Melbourne


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agA8HHh7hoY&feature=player_embedded#at=552

Edited by chris: 4/3/2011 01:53:44 PM

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South Melbourne FC is delighted to announce the signing of Ljubo Miličević on a short-term deal. Miličević becomes the 50th player to have played for both the Socceroos and South Melbourne FC.

There is no doubt that Miličević is a true character of Australian football, but more importantly an excellent defender with plenty of domestic and European football experience behind him. Miličević began his professional career with Melbourne Croatia in the National Soccer League before playing and scoring in Perth Glory's losing 1999/00 Grand Final side. In the early 2000s, Miličević left for Europe and playing for FC Zurich, FC Basel, FC Thun and Young Boys in Switzerland, captaining Thun and Young Boys. In the 2005-06 European season, Miličević represented Thun in five group stage matches of the UEFA Champions League against world-class opposition such as Arsenal and Ajax.

In 2007, Miličević returned to Australia for four seasons before heading back to Europe to attempt to sign for a European club. After trials with FC Basel in the Swiss Super League and Bundesliga 2 club Arminia Bielefeld, Miličević decided it was best to return to Australia and play short-term in the Victorian Premier League with South Melbourne FC to maintain peak match fitness before heading back to Europe halfway through the year for the beginning of the 2011/12 season. It is expected that he will make his debut against the Bentleigh Greens on Sunday evening at John Cain Memorial Park.

South Melbourne FC Football Director Ange Dallas was delighted to welcome Miličević to the Club, saying that "we are excited to announce the signing of one of the best defenders in the country at the moment. His experience and skills will further strengthen the playing squad, and we look forward to his first match in a South shirt".

South Melbourne FC welcomes Ljubo Miličević to the Club and is very much looking forward to seeing him representing the Club in 2011.

http://www.smfc.com.au/news/1024/ljubo-milievi-signs-with-south/

4 March 2011 1:29 PM

South Melbourne FC hosts the Bentleigh Greens in the third round of the Victorian Premier League on Sunday afternoon at John Cain Memorial Park. South will be keen on avenging the mid-week defeat to the Victorian Training Centre, whilst at the same time overcome the current Victiorian Premier League leaders and narrow the gap between the two sides at the top of the ladder.

South may rush short-term signing Ljubo Milicevic straight into the starting line-up for Sunday’s match, after the former Socceroo signed for the Club during the week. Milicevic may well be the missing ingredient in a South side that has disappointingly conceded eight goals from its opening three Victorian Premier League matches. The most recent effort was conceding two second half goals to lose 2-3 against the VTC on Wednesday night. Sebastian Petrovic, Daniel Vasilevski and Fernando De Moraes all missed the VTC match through injury; however it is hoped that they will all be pushing for inclusion in the team for Sunday’s match. If Milicevic does indeed start, coach Eddie Krncevic may opt to switch Steven Topalovic to right back in order to accommodate Milicevic next to captain Steven O’Dor at centre-half.

Victorian Premier League leaders Bentleigh have started 2011 well, winning two of their opening three games. The Greens would have had three wins from three but for Heidelberg’s 97th minute equaliser at the Olympic Village last Sunday, breaking Bentleigh’s 100% winning record this season. Nevertheless, Andy O’Dell’s side has 7 points from a possible nine and it will take a big effort from South to win Sunday’s match. However South has already proven in 2011 that it can beat Bentleigh, comfortably defeating the Greens 2-0 at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex in their Hellenic Cup semi final match.

Prior to the Bentleigh Greens match, the annual SMFC Family Day will be held, with many activities for all ages to kept entertained.

Sunday’s match kicks off at 5pm at John Cain Memorial Park.

Cheers for the updates Chris!

im hearing a large crowd for sunday family day good luck south

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South Melbourne FC has won its second match of the 2011 Victorian Premier League season after defeating leaders Bentleigh Greens 2-1 at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon. The win was thoroughly deserved as South was clearly the better team on the day, even with one less man on the field for most of the second half following the dismissal of Kliment Taseski.

On what was an extremely warm afternoon at John Cain Memorial Park, South opened the scoring after just two minutes of play. Jesse Krncevic's deflected shot went wide for a corner that Taseski took and sent a wonderful outswinging corner to the penalty spot that Sebastian Petrovic got his head to and flicked the ball into the far corner of the net.

South continued to enjoy large amounts of possession but was unable to find another avenue through to goal in order to double its slender lead. On the half-hour mark, they were made to pay by Bentleigh, after a set piece from the right flank following a free kick was headed home by Sean McIlroy.

The home side did not have to wait long to regain the lead though, following a wild goal by Kyle Joryeff shortly before halftime. A switch from the right side was well trapped by Joryeff before he fired a shot across his body that went into the goal after bouncing off the far post. It was nothing less than South deserved and ultimately proved to be the winning goal for the afternoon.

In the second half, South were dealt a severe blow when Taseski was controversially shown a straight red card following a late challenge. This meant the home side needed to battle the rest of the match with only ten men, which the team did admirably. Stefaan Sardelic was called upon to make a few interventions but apart from this Bentleigh hardly created many clear-cut chances to level. At the other end, South wasted several opportunities to score a third and end the match as a contest but was unable to do so. In the end, the home side did enough to earn a vital three points ahead of the derby against Heidelberg United next weekend.

South travels to Olympic VIllage next Sunday knowing it will take a huge effort to get at least a point from a venue that it has not won since the opening round of the 2006 VIctorian Premier League season. The match kicks off at 18:00.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 2-1 BENTLEIGH GREENS (HT: 2-1)

Goals:
1-0: Sebastian Petrovic (2')
1-1: Sean McIlroy (30')
2-1: Kyle Joryeff (39')

South Melbourne FC
1. Stefaan SARDELLIC; 3. Rhodri PAYNE; 4. Steven O'DOR; 6. Steven TOPALOVIC; 8. Carl RECCHIA; 10. Kliment TASESKI (sent off 57'); 11. Jesse KRNCEVIC; 15. Fernando DE MORAES; 18. Marinos GASPARIS; 23. Sebastian PETROVIC; 25. Kyle JORYEFF
Subs: 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI; 9. Gianni DE NITTIS; 14. Kamal IBRAHIM; 21. Zaim ZENELLI; 30. Jake VANDERMEY

Bentleigh Greens
1. Kile KENNEDY; 3. Thomas MATHEWS; 5. Steve LAURIE; 6. Stephen DOWNES; 8. Wayne WALLACE; 9. Sean McLLROY; 10. Hayden DOYLE; 11. Scott BULLOCK; 14. Aron WILFORD; 16. Ryan DAVIDSON; 17. Jack WEBSTER
Subs: 4. Craig SMART; 7. James McGARRY; 12. Adam FADLJEVIC; 25. Declanm KEOGH; 31. Luke GAVALAS

SMFC Man of the Match: Carl Recchia
Venue: John Cain Memorial Park
Date: Sunday 6 March 2011


Edited by chris: 8/3/2011 10:48:24 PM

Rank Team P W D L F A GD Points
1 Dandenong Thunder 3 3 0 0 9 2 7 9
2 Bentleigh Greens 4 2 1 1 6 3 3 7
3 South Melbourne 4 2 1 1 11 9 2 7
4 Oakleigh Cannons 3 2 1 0 6 4 2 7
5 VTC Football 3 2 0 1 7 4 3 6
6 Hume City 3 1 2 0 5 4 1 5
7 Northcote City 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4
8 Melbourne Knights 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
9 Heidelberg Utd 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
10 Green Gully Cavaliers 3 0 1 2 2 4 -2 1
11 St Albans Saints 3 0 1 2 3 7 -4 1
12 Richmond 3 0 1 2 2 6 -4 1
13 Springvale White Eagles 4 0 1 3 7 15 -8 1