Massive, just massive loss at home last night. With a couple to go, looks like they've choked it 

Ouch 

Mentioned on another forum by a Clarendon Corner boy.

Quite happy to write a match report for you pissoffski, seeing as your too cheap to go to the match or even buy a copy of goal weekly and read about it there.

The game was generally a disgrace to football, long balls all night, rugby style tackling, no playing out from the back, surprised no-one had a leg broken, though plenty of head injuries, referee let too much go, the ground surface is a disgrace, spectator comfort was 3/10 ground too small for 3,000 plus crowd and SMFC played shit.

Having said that how Arthur Pappas won coach of the year I don't know and Eddie Krncevic has down hill as coach since his Carlton days.

I also will mention the Hume City, Oakliegh game was an insult to the game where one keeper kicked it to the other or the centre back kicked it to the other centre back or the full backs kicked it to the other. Oakliegh won on penalties.

Next time I expect either a full refund on my ticket or at least the players could pay me to watch some of this stuff.

If the rumour has emerged down our way, how come you've heard it over your way but I haven't heard it over my way?

A dirty rumour has emerged down your way that South Melb wanna play Olympic in December,

no approach has been made so far to SOFC.

obvious troll is obvious.

Actually they registered in 2010 so I would guess it is a multi of someone.

You registered an account and logged on for the specific purpose of commenting on the fact that we didn't feel like celebrating the end of our season. Well done.

I'm so sorry malaka, yeh forgot to mention that Oakleigh def South last week 1-0, was too busy catching up on Preston's relegation into Div 2 N/W next season hahahaha.

Hey. You gone to ground dickheads. When you lose a fucking game you dig a hole and bury yourselfs. wtf. Where is the report from the game with Oakleigh Cannons? lol. You only write reports when you win you dickheads lol.

[size=7][/size]



PETER Laumets’ ties to the South Melbourne Football Club run deep.

After nine years as South’s goalkeeper and representing Australia against Greece in 1978, there isn’t much about soccer this Brighton resident doesn’t know.

It makes him the best-placed person to coach his 12-year-old son Max’s team as new talent starts to emerge through the club’s ranks. Laumets notched up an impressive 213 league games at SMFC.

Laumets is coaching the under-12s team at Princes Park Oval, Caulfield South, with his charges, learning technique and structure from South’s “Team of the Century” goalkeeper.

Laumets started coaching two years ago when his son began showing an interest in the game.

“He played for a few years and I used to watch and then I thought I would like to be more involved and Max also wanted to take it to a new level,” Laumets said.

Laumets had the team running on Brighton Beach soft sand over the summer.

Peter Laumets is this week’s Leader Sports Star in the Services to Sport category. To nominate someone who has made a significant contribution to a club as an administrator or coach, or a junior or senior star who competed at state level or above, call 9584 8400.

http://bayside-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/football-ties-passed-down-generations/

double

Edited by chris: 18/8/2011 10:02:52 PM

18 August 2011 9:32 AM

South Melbourne FC travel to Jack Edwards Reserve to face Oakleigh Cannons in the Minor Semi Final on Sunday evening in what is shaping up to being a fantastic encounter.

Oakleigh will go into the match with their pride wounded after giving up a 3-2 lead to lose 3-4 against Hume City in the dying minutes last Sunday night. That loss cost Oakleigh the opportunity to play Green Gully in the Major Semi Final and potentially move straight into the Grand Final, with Hume now given that opportunity. Instead Oakleigh will play a cut-throat knockout game against South, who come into the game with three wins and a draw from their last four matches, This includes a 1-0 Elimination Final victory against old rivals Heidelberg United last Sunday afternoon, where Jesse Krncevic converted his penalty and Zaim Zeneli turned from zero to hero instantly when he gave away a penalty before making a double-save to help win the game.

South nearly has a full-strength squad to choose from, with the exceptions being defender Steven Topalovic who was badly injured against the Bergers and Sebastian Petrovic who was sent off and will miss at least one match. Coach Eddie Krncevic has in recent weeks finally had the luxurious headache of having most of his players available for selection and it comes as no surprise that the team has produced excellent results over the last month. Krncevic had so many options available that fan favourite Fernando De Moraes did not even feature off the bench against the Bergers and Marinos Gasparis did not even make the squad.

In effect, South has already played four Elimination Finals to get to Sunday's match, so another elimination game against Oakleigh should not faze the team. South should be even further boosted about the fact that it has already done the double over the Cannons in 2011, with a 2-1 victory at Jack Edwards Reserve on Friday 18 March before Carl Recchia's overhead goal won the return game at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday 19 June. More importantly, South has played quite well at Jack Edwards Reserve since entering the VPL in 2005, registering three wins and two draws from 7 matches.

Despite South's good record against Oakleigh, the home team should not be taken lightly. The Cannons are currently still alive in the Mirabella Cup and also enjoyed a solid 2011 Premier League season under Arthur Pappas where it finished in second spot with a double-chance, which came in handy following the loss against Hume last week. Oakleigh boasts a wealth of experienced players both at State and National level, with Ricky Diaco, James Robinson, Ari Drakos, Rama Tavsancioglu and Peter Zois to name a few. Diaco has been rumoured to have picked up an injury against Hume and may miss Sunday's match against his former club, but there is no doubt that former players Tavsancioglu and Zois will feature.

The match kicks off at 18:00 on Sunday evening at Jack Edwards Reserve. The loser will be eliminated from the 2011 finals series whilst the winner will go on to face the loser of the Major Semi Final between Green Gully and Hume City next weekend.



Edited by chris: 18/8/2011 09:54:41 PM

Five years of hurt was almost worth it yesterday. After five years of losing games we dominated, of needing late scrambling efforts to snare a draw from the jaws of defeat, of finding ever more ludicrous ways of not taking all three points against these chumps, to win with a semi or three quarters dodgy penalty, and see them miss their chance at the other end, was all too bloody sweet.

[size=4][/size]

Stephen Weir played his best game for the club - is that what I said last week as well? Quite simply, he was in just about everything. Next to him, Jesse Krncevic's absence has been incredibly evident, with five goals from his four games after returning from suspension. He challenges for the ball, chases well, and seems to have a decent rapport with Weir. Carl Recchia was also a rock in defense, and there seems to be a good vibe amongst the squad. Winning can do strange and unpredictable things.

So after all the unsubstantiated rumours (which we at South of the Border didn't start, but happily passed along) and innuendo (he's in Malaysia!) about Osagie Ederaro's visa ending, he of course did end up playing, allegedly at a cost of $5,000 per week to extend his stay. But George Katsakis, being the master tactician that he is - and seriously, how has this moron had the better of us for so long? - played his best player at his most optimum position of right back. Not forward, where he scores bucketloads of goals. Not perhaps on the wing, where he can dribble and run past defenders. But at right back where he was in a great position to hear the 'where's your visa' chant.

There was bad news from the game for us as well though. Steven Topalovic reportedly has a broken tibia - he came off just before halftime, with Trent Waterson replacing him. Topa's not everyone's favourite player, but you still don't want to see that kind of thing happen - mind you, the joke's have already begun that he still has one good leg, so Eddie may yet start him next week. Also missing next week will be Seb Petrovich, who was sent off about five minutes from the end of regulation after copping a second, and some say unnecessary yellow card.

A midfield and defensive reshuffle of sorts may be in order, but the main reason we'll even need one is because we're still in the finals. And apart from some desperate defending and Jesse's well taken penalty, we have Zaim Zeneli to thank for that. He gave away the penalty - I'd pass judgment but I couldn't see anything through the mass of bodies and all the way from the other side of the ground - but he also saved it, and it was a double save to boot, after he manged to collect the follow up shot.

The penalty was won about 20 seconds after Petrovich was sent off. A sense of doom spread around the ground, except amongst the small pocket of Heidelberg support on the hill who were celebrating as if it had already gone in. Surprisingly, it was Hamlet Armenian who stepped up to take the spot kick. To his credit, Hamlet works hard, but as first choice for a steely nerves moment of life and death, he wouldn't be my first choice. And yes, that is based a lot on the poor season that he had with us a few years back. But with Osagie and Saso Alexovski, two of the better strikers in the league at your disposal, or Craig Elvin, the experienced defender, why Hamlet?


[size=4][size=3]

Jesse's stoked after scoring from the spot. Photo: Cindy Nitsos.

[/size][/size]

Was our penalty legit? The talk after the game was apparently about whether or not the foul was committed in or out of the box. My thoughts at the time were about whether there was really enough contact, whether it was more of a 50/50 ball that Weir merely lost a battle of strength for. Normally I'd be more diplomatic, but after the last five years of crap, the dodgier the calls in our favour the better. Who could forget Osagie winning that penalty with the most blatant dive this side of Serie A? Or Vassiliadis getting Coveny sent off by rolling around like he'd been shot? Or fast forward to just a few months ago when Krncevic was sent off for calling Griffin McMaster a fucking cheat. No, I'll take a dodgy win. Screw Heidelberg.

It was a tight and niggly affair, without much flow to the game. Some have blamed the ref for that, but if there's dodgy tackles being thrown in what else can a ref do? Both sides hit the woodwork in the second half with the game still at 0-0, Heidelberg hitting the crossbar from a corner, and South hitting the back post when a Heidelberg defender almost flicked his header into his own net off another dangerous cross. Weir also his the sude netting from close range and should have cut a ball across for Krncevic in the middle. At the other end, there were times where we struggled to clear the ball from defense and Zeneli could be seen flying all over the place.

It just happened to fall our way this once.

The Other Game
So who are we playing next week? In retrospect, it was always going to be Oakleigh. Sure they were 2-0 up at home against Hume City, and then 3-2 up with 89 minutes having being played, but that just made the cosmically ordained choke all the more priceless, copping two goals in the space of about a minute. The rumours of Hume's demise have been greatly exaggerated - they might have some problems in defense, but going forward they are still incredibly potent - Richie Cardozo and Andy Vlahos are in awesome form, the latter in particular belying his age and his apparent two pack a day cigarette habit to run rings around his opponents.

So Oakleigh it is then, no time or day or place was available at time of print, though you'd imagine it'd be at Jack Edwards Reserve with a pretty decent crowd. Oakleigh have good players, but they, like everyone else in this league except probably Green Gully, are prone to making heinous and costly errors. We've beaten them twice this year already, and have a decent record against them overall - you've just got to wonder though how much longer we can keep this run going, and when finishing outside the double chance spots will cost us.

Will Fernando De Moreas and Marinos Gasparis get a look in this time? Gasparis wasn't in the squad list, Fernando wasn't used either. Is Fernando fit and injury free? Was there concern about either of those players ability to be effective in what ended up being a torrid and rough affair? Will Yanni Galanos get more game time? He's been back two weeks and could be an x-factor type of player. So many questions, so little insight.

The Perils of Taking Public Transport
I only took public transport to the pub yesterday, and got a lift to the ground. And then another lift to Oakleigh and home. Which meant that I got to avoid to the torture that is dealing with Heidelberg Harismidis. Poor Gains though didn't. Here's his text message to me relating his bus trip.


So yeah harismidis likens us to man u compared to berger's city. their limited resources that is.

My brain hurts just trying to think about that.

I'm Only Happy When It Rains Department
Apparently one of our own fans left the game early in disgust - and vowed never to come back - either because we were winning or because of the cynical attempts by the club to control information on Facebook. Makes sense to me. Each to their own and all that.

Final Thought
Took too long to happen, but when it came, how sweet it was. I was hugging randoms including Jesus, my hands were numb, I must've had the stupidest grin on my face for hours afterwards. I'd really love for us to win the title, and that's about the most obvious and dumb thing I could say about this season.


http://southmelbournefc.blogspot.com/

Edited by chris: 15/8/2011 09:38:37 PM

Edited by chris: 15/8/2011 09:43:07 PM

South Melbourne FC has advanced through to a Minor Semi Final date with Oakleigh after defeating Heidelberg United 1-0 in the Elimination Final at SS Anderson Reserve on Sunday afternoon. A Jesse Krncevic penalty shortly after the hour mark was the difference in what was a tight derby match that ended dramatically with Sebastian Petrovic being sent off before Zaim Zeneli made a double save from a Heidelberg penalty late in the match.

South had the first chance of the match fifteen minutes in when Steven Weir found the side netting from a difficult angle following a ball from Tom Matthews. A minute later, former South player Hamlet Armenian was lucky not to be sent off after a late challenge on Zeneli as the goalkeeper gathered possession of the ball. Steve Martin then produced the Bergers' first chance of the afternoon when he let fly with a stinging shot that flew just wide of Zeneli's goal. There was a bit of drama just before the halftime break, when defender Steven Topalovic went off with a suspected broken leg and then Heidelberg had an appeal for a penalty turned down after Yared Hailemelekot went down in the area.

The game lifted in the second half and it was the Bergers who almost went ahead when Evan Christodoulou's header hit the crossbar. Five minutes later, Heidelberg almost conceded an own goal when Les Doumbalis flicked Daniel Vasilevski's cross past goalkeeper Rhyss Keane and onto the back post. South was creeping closer and eventually went one better ten minutes later when Weir was pulled down in the box, with Heidelberg's defenders claiming the South forward was fouled just outside the area. However the referee had already pointed to the penalty spot, where Jesse Krncevic stepped up and sent Keane the wrong way to open the scoring for the home side.

South pressed forward for a second goal to kill the game off, but a combination of poor decision making and desperate defending kept the scoreline at 1-0. Time was running out for the Bergers, who again went close when Saso Alexovski fired a left-footed strike over Zeneli's bar. With five minutes left, Sebastian Petrovic was given his marching orders by the referee after a strong tackle on Hailemelekot, resulting in his second yellow card of the afternoon. The resultant free kick was played into the box where the referee awarded a penalty to the Bergers for a foul on Osagie Ederaro, which was surprisingly taken by Armenian instead of Ederaro or Alexovski. Zeneli made up for his error by making a double save from Armenian's spot kick to deny the Bergers and keep South's 1-0 lead intact until the final whistle.

Heidelberg are now out of the finals series, while South lives to fight another day as they now face the Oakleigh Cannons in the Minor Semi Final at Jack Edwards Reserve next weekend. At the time of writing, the FFV had not yet confirmed a date and time for the match.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 1-0 HEIDELBERG UNITED (HT: 0-0)

Goal Scorer

1-0: Jesse Krncevic (66' pk)

South Melbourne FC:

2. Tom MATTHEWS, 3. Rhodri PAYNE, 4. Steven O'DOR, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI, 6. Steven TOPALOVIC (16. Trent WATERSON 44'), 8. Carl RECCHIA, 11. Jesse KRNCEVIC, 17. Steven WEIR (25. Kyle JORYEFF 90+1'), 20. Daniel DRAGICEVIC (33. Yanni GALANOS 74'), 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK), 23. Sebastian PETROVIC (sent off 84')

Heidelberg United:
1. Rhyss KEANE (GK), 2. Yarod HAILEMELKOT, 3. Les DOUMBALIS, 7. Hamlet ARMENIAN, 9. Shaun MCILROY (8. Andrew NABBOUT 72'), 11. Evan CHRISTODOLOU, 13. Luke BYLES, 14. Craig ELVIN, 16. Steve MARTIN, 18. Osagie EDERADO, 20. Saso ALEKSOVSKI

SMFC Man of the Match: Zaim Zeneli

Venue: SS Anderson Reserve

Date: Sunday 14 August 2011

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[size=3]
By Liam Coventry-Poole.[/size]

A late Zaim Zeneli penalty save has knocked Heidelberg out of the championship race and kept South’s season alive, guiding them to a 1-0 win at SS Anderson Reserve.

The win means that they will face the Oakleigh Cannons at George Andrews Reserve next weekend after their 4-3 loss at the hands of Hume City.
Jesse Krncevic was prolific in the win, scoring a penalty in the 66th minute.

Zeneli was the hero, but Hamlet Armenian would be ruing his opportunity to equalise against a ten man South Melbourne just before a potential extra time period, missing a penalty in the 85th minute.

Surprisingly, the match was uneventful for the majority, as both teams were locked in a midfield battle, a fairly foreign situation for two very attacking teams.

Hamlet Armenian came close to opening the scoring in the 3rd minute, when he was played in behind South’s final four, before sliding in and playing a weak shot straight to Zaim Zeneli.

South came close to an opener in the 15th minute, when Tom Matthews found Steven Weir in the box, who could only manage to hit the side netting from a difficult angle.

Hamlet Armenian was lucky to only receive a yellow card for a late challenge on Zaim Zeneli, causing a scuffle in the penalty area.

Steve Martin came agonisingly close in the 25th minute, firing a vicious long range strike inches wide of the left post.

South Melbourne suffered a blow on the brink of half time when Steven Topalovic was forced from the pitch and taken to hospital after a heavy challenge on the wing, Trent Waterson was his replacement.

Heidelberg started the second half well and Evan Christodolou hit the crossbar in the 51st minute with a dangerous header, after receiving an Osagie Ederaro in swinging corner.

Les Doumbalis almost put one into his own net in the 56th minute, heading a Daniel Vasilevski cross onto the far post, leaving Rhyss Kepne flat footed and beaten if it had been on target.

The match began to open up in the 64th minute, as South pressed forward, but began to look vulnerable to a Heidelberg counter attack.

Jesse Krncevic broke through in the 66th minute, converting a penalty. Rhyss Kepne went the wrong way, and Krncevic capitalised on his hard work.

The penalty came after Steven Weir was controversially judged to have been pulled down just inside the area. The Heidelberg players and coaching staff claimed it was outside the area.

South continued to press for a second and to close out the match and Heidelberg struggled to apply any attacking pressure on South's back four.
Saso Alexovski tried his luck in the 83rd minute, firing a shot over the bar, unable to bring Zaim Zeneli into action.

There was drama in the 84th minute when Sebastian Petrovic received a second yellow card and was sent from the park for a heavy tackle on substitute Andrew Nabbout.

Heidelberg immediately cashed in their one man advantage, awarded a penalty when Zaim Zeneli was judged to have brought down Osagie Ederado in the box with a clumsy attack on a ball into the box.

Armenian stepped up for the spot kick, and had his two attempts saved by South Melbourne’s new hero, Zaim Zeneli. Armenian’s first shot was poor and had nothing on it, but Zeneli could only manage to parry the ball back into the path of Armenian. Armenian made a meal of his follow up volley as well, and Zeneli comfortably saved the match for South Melbourne.

Jesse Krncevic was ecstatic following the final whistle, “It was a great effort by the boys, and hopefully we can keep the ball rolling into next week”.

“I think both Hume and Oakleigh’s grounds suit us, with a shorter park, but either way, it will be a tough game. Both teams have quality, and we have a couple of players out, but I’m pretty sure the boys will be able to step up next week”.

Next week South Melbourne face the Oakleigh Cannons, after their 4-3loss at George Andrews Reserve against Hume City.

They will be without the suspended Sebastian Petrovic, and a hospitalised Steven Topalovic is almost certain to miss the rest of the season after sustaining a leg injury just before half time.

South Melbourne: 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK), 2. Tom MATTHEWS, 3. Rhodri PAYNE, 4. Steven O’DOR, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI, 6. Steven TOPALOVIC (16. Trent WATERSON 45’), 8. Carl RECHHIA, 11. Jesse KRNCEVIC, 17. Steven WEIR (25. Kyle JORYEFF 90+1’), 20. Daniel DRAGICEVIC (33. Yannis GALANOS 74’), 23. Sebastian PETROVIC

Unused subs: 1. Abdelhadi DEROUNE (GK), 15. Fernando DE MORAES
Goal scorer: Jesse KRNCEVIC 66’

Red card: Sebastian PETROVIC 84’

Yellow cards: Sebastian PETROVIC 39’, 84’,

Heidelberg United: 1. Rhyss KEPNE (GK), 3. Les DOUMBALIS, 14. Craig ELVIN, 13. Luke BYLES, 16. Steve MARTIN, 18. Osagie EDERADO, 9. Shaun MCILROY (8. Andrew NABBOUT 72’), 11. Evan CHRISTODOLOU, 2. Yarod HAILEMELKOT, 20. Saso ALEKSOVSKI, 7. Hamlet ARMENIAN

Unused subs: 32. Jason KOUTSODONTIS (GK), 5. George PAPADOPOULOS, 17. Anthony IOSIFIDES, 19. David CORDEMORE

Yellow cards: Hamlet ARMENIAN 16’

Good win by South, 1-0 with Jesse Krncevic scoring from a pen half way through the 2nd half.
Heidelberg had a chance to equalise with around 10mins to go but had their penalty saved by Souths goalie Zanelli who made amends for giving it away. IMO both pens were rather soft but probably there.
Very scrappy game full of cheap fouls which killed the spectacle but given its an elimination finals game played b/w old rivals it was to be expected. Crowd around the 2,000 mark. Krncevic, Matthews, Dragicevic were excellent. Galanos who just started playing last week after a season long injury is making a huge impact coming off the bench. Could be the X factor in the next few weeks. Even Fernando DeMoraes couldn't get a game today (bench) although the goss is that he's carrying an injury.
We're looking ok and are gathering a bit of momentum..............playing Oakleigh next week after they lost 4-3 at home to Hume!!!

http://vpltv.footballfedvic.com.au/

This week’s VPL Live TV match of the Round is the Elimination Final between South Melbourne and Heidelberg.

Both teams had the opportunity in Round 22 to finish in the top three and have a double chance in the finals, but both were unable to do so.

South Melbourne drew 3-3 with Northcote, and many would consider them lucky to be in the finals after trailing 3-1 in the first half.

If Heidelberg had beaten Springvale, then they would have clinched the minor premiership, but the White Eagles caused an upset, winning 3-1 and condemning Heidelberg to fifth position.

You can watch the entire match on VPL Live TV with streaming starting from 3pm on Sunday.


http://vpltv.footballfedvic.com.au/

Edited by chris: 13/8/2011 11:20:24 PM

Just found this image on another forum of the stadium development. Looks brilliant!

was a great game, gave me a heart attack
would have been nice to get the double chance with jesse's header, but i dont think we should complain

Incredible finish to the season. All top 5 spots up for grabs with half an hour to go in the final round. FFV did an amazing job keeping this a massive secret so well done to them. Their media unit is in overdrive with the publicity they generate for the VPL.

I suppose I'll have to take 4th spot given we were 3-1 down at one stage and fought back well to grab a 3-3 draw. That agonising Jesse Krncevic miss in the end cost us the double chance but given the eveness of the top 5 and our ok form at the moment you just never know in finals. Realistically though I can't see South winning 4 cut throat matches in a row, we're too soft I reckon.

[size=6]

South Win with Draw on Super Soccer Sunday!

[/size]


[size=4]By John Kyrou[/size]

In an incredible final round of Victorian Premier League matches, South Melbourne FC crawled back from a 1-3 deficit to secure a finals place with a 3-3 draw against Northcote City at Anderson Reserve on Sunday afternoon. All six goals were scored in what was an unbelievable end-to-end first half in what was essentially an Elimination FInal before the finals series actually began. South arrived at Anderson Reserve knowing that all it needed was a point to confirm its place in the 2011 finals series. A win against Northcote, coupled with a few other results going its way, could have seen the Club finish as high as first. On the other hand, a Northcote win would have seen them overtake South and claim South's spot in the finals. With so much at stake, there was always going to be high drama throughout the course of the afternoon.



South could not have gotten off to a better start when Jesse Krncevic opened the scoring after only three minutes. Steven Weir played the big forward through on goal and Krncevic did well to slot the ball across Northcote goalkeeper Charles Treacey and into the goal. However the lead lasted less than a minute, after Dean Piermonte skipped around Trent Waterson on the left wing before cutting the ball back for Glen Trifiro to score past Zaim Zeneli. All of a sudden South had gone from an extremely strong position into one of vulnerability. Northcote could sense this and almost made South pay again when Piermonte was put through by Rixon, however he could only fire his final shot wide of Zeneli's goal. Northcote kept pressing and were rewarded when Jonathan Voulgaris dispossessed Steven Topalovic before hitting a low shot that beat Zeneli at his near post.



The away side now had all the momentum as South looked shell-shocked. South coach Eddie Krncevic switched Topalovic and Waterson to opposite wings in an attempt to control Rixon, however this did not faze the Northcote forward who scored his first goal for the afternoon when he brilliantly controlled Treacey's long goal kick before smashing a shot past Zeneli to make the score 1-3. In half an hour, South had capitulated from being in a strong position of making the top three to suddenly missing the finals altogether. The home side desperately needed something to change and to score at least one goal before the halftime break. South nearly pulled a goal back when Steven Weir found space in the six yard box but his first touch was too heavy and Treacey came out to make a brave stop.



South continued pushing forward and their risk paid off. Treacey raced out of his area to collect a long ball played forward from South's defence but Krncevic got there first and expertly lobbed the Northcote custodian to pull the score back to 2-3. Three minutes later South won a free kick on the right side of the box, where Weir stepped up and fired an unstoppable left-footed free kick past Treacey and into the net. All of a sudden, South were back in the finals at Northcote's expense, provided they could hang on. The halftime whistle was met with loud applause by all spectators in what had been an incredible end-to-end first half.



Northcote came out desperate in the second half but could not find a way to get past South's defence. Glen Trifiro's free kick went wide of Zeneli's goal as South looked to slow the game down and grind out the draw. However with results filtering through that Hume City and Heidelberg were both losing, South also knew that a win would propel them up to at least third and with it a double chance in the finals. South nearly gifted Northcote a goal when captain Steven O'Dor's backpass to Zeneli was hit too softly but Zeneli bravely came out and blocked the resultant shot, sustaining a minor injury at the same time. At the other end, Daniel Dragicevic had a couple of half-chances to score from long range but his shots were either wide of goal or comfortably saved by Treacey.



With time running out, Northcote needed to throw caution to the wind and commit more bodies forward. This left gaps in the back as Fernando De Moraes and Krncevic came close to adding a fourth goal for the home side. With news filtering through that both Hume and Heidelberg had lost, South now knew that a draw would propel them over the Bergers and into fourth spot, whilst a win would put them in the top three. Krncevic had been outstanding all afternoon but missed a golden chance to put South into third spot after heading wide of Treacey's goal after being found unmarked at the back post. After four long and tense minutes of injury time, the referee's final whistle was met with enormous cheers by the home supporters, as it confirmed a fourth place finish and an Elimination Final against Heidelberg next week.



In even better news for the Club, the Under-21s defeated Northcote 2-1 earlier in the day, which meant they won the Championship for the second year in a row. Nick Naigoran scored the winning goal on 76 minutes when he fired home an unstoppable shot from just inside the area.


[size=4]smfc Youth team back to back champions 2010/2011[/size]


[size=4]Northcote youth team hold a guard of honor as smfc youth exit the arena at the completion of the game as 2011 champions[/size]

South Melbourne FC plays Heidelberg United next Sunday 14 August at Port Melbourne's SS Anderson Reserve in the 2011 Elimination Final. Kick-off is at 15:00.


FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 3-3 NORTHCOTE CITY (HT: 3-3)
Goal Scorers
1-0: Jesse Krncevic (3')
1-1: Glen Trifiro (4')
1-2: Jonathan Voulgaris (24')
1-3: Trent Rixon (33')
2-3: Jesse Krncevic (38')
3-3: Steven Weir (41')

South Melbourne FC:
4. Steven O'DOR, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI (33. Yanni GALANOS 89'), 6. Steven TOPALOVIC, 8. Carl RECCHIA, 11. Jesse KRNCEVIC, 15. Fernando DE MORAES (25. Kyle JORYEFF 80'), 16. Trent WATERSON, 17. Steven WEIR, 20. Daniel DRAGICEVIC (2. Tom MATTHEWS 69'), 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK), 23. Sebastian PETROVIC

Northcote City:
1. Charles TREACEY (GK), 2. Adrian CHIAPPETTA, 3. Kristian KONSTANTINIDIS, 7. Jonathan VOULGARIS (8. Nick CURTIS 69'), 9. Trent RIXON, 10. Glen TRIFIRO, 11. Harry KINIGOPOULOS (16. Paul SAVIO 69'), 12. Hayden D'AGOSTINO (17. Gianni DE NITTIS 81'), 18. James KALAFATIDIS, 19. Dean PIERMONTE, 23. Jason TRIFIRO

SMFC Man of the Match: Jesse Krncevic
Venue: SS Anderson Reserve
Date: Sunday 7 August 2011



Edited by chris: 8/8/2011 10:53:22 AM

Match of the season so far, everyone online should be streaming it and watching it. 3-3 at half time.

http://vpltv.footballfedvic.com.au/

tough win over dandenong, good effort by the boys to hold them out

[youtube]dwYJw8YcEx4[/youtube]

next season

but plan is to play an opener in December this year

What a day that was in '91. To do that to your most bitter bitter rival was awesome. Melb Croatia/Knights still bleed about it 20 yrs on. They should have been 4-0 up at h/t ffs!!!!
Ferenc Puskas just sat there on the bench, chewing gum, oh so Mr Cool whilst there was complete mayhem on the pitch. He'd probably seen it all before anyway at Real Madrid, Hungary etc and found it just slightly amusing. He was an absolute class act.
When Palatsides scored the South end just erupted, everyone young and old went beserk. i knew we'd win after that.

cool pics. When do you guys move in?

Edited by Benchwarmer: 2/8/2011 02:33:11 PM

Latest Lakeside Snaps

http://www.troovi.com/TlgozPp5hbDX

Edited by chris: 2/8/2011 11:35:02 AM

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1991 NSL Grand final- 20 years on

Peter Kokotis

As the Melbourne winter chill kicks in and we all brace ourselves for another Melbourne winter slog it would be easy to go through this week forgetting it is the 20th anniversary of South Melbourne's second NSL Championship.
Who can forget one of the most amazing days in South Melbourne Hellas history with the supporters taken on an intense emotional journey of highs and lows finishing with the ultimate climax of victory?

History remembers when South Melbourne won its second national championship, beating Melbourne Croatia on penalties after a tense 1-1 score line in normal time. The team boasted some of the finest Australian football talent - Ange Postecoglou, Michael Petersen, Paul Wade, Mehmet Durakovic, Paul Trimboli, Peter Tsolakis and Con Boutsianis.

A massive crowd of 23,318 gathered to watch probably the most enthralling national league grand final ever in May 1991. Here South Melbourne defeated Melbourne Knights - albeit on penalties - after two hours of intensive on-field action resulted in a quite pulsating national league season climax.

Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas kept the nucleus of the squad from the previous season and the move paid off as the team again finished second (this time behind Melbourne Croatia by three points) at the conclusion of the regular season.

Determined to erase the disappointment of previous finals campaigns, South began brightly by defeating Adelaide City 4-2 in the Qualifying Final at Olympic Park. A Grand Final spot beckoned with a win against Melbourne Croatia in the Major Semi Final, however Croatia was too strong and held out to win 1-0. South managed to defeat Adelaide City at Hindmarsh Stadium in the Preliminary Final to set up an all-Victorian Grand Final showdown.

In what is one of the most incredible Grand Finals in domestic history, Croatia dominated the game but could only score once. Many South supporters were heading for the exit door to avoid seeing their arch enemy celebrate victory when a moment of magic from club great Paul Trimboli turned the match on its head with a sublime through ball to Joe Palatsides on the 88th minute who calmly slotted the ball past David Miller to equalise and take the game to extra time and penalties.

Palatsides now resides in Greece and is currently coaching and had this to say about that amazing day: "It was without doubt the highlight of my life. When I scored it was an out of body experience. People were commenting on my goal celebration at the club that night but I did not remember a thing for a good minute after the goal.

That moment, and when the South supporters sung the Greek National Anthem are probably the most amazing two moments of my life. I will never forget it and its impossible to try and replicate that feeling in any other part of life.

I remember when the pass came in my first touch had to be spot on because Miller came out and closed the space down quickly to try and block my shot and thank God it was and I slotted the ball in the back of the net."

Peter Tsolakis, who played left wing that day and childhood best friend of Joe Palatsides has distinct memories of the whole week and the game: "It was a huge build up through the week. The game was really tough because a few of us were down and we were not in the game.

Saying that we should have won it in extra time. Pala (Joe Palatsides) hit the bar with a header and we had two good chances to score. People don't know this but Pala was going to be taken off midway through the second half and he pointed to Puskas and yelled, "Don't take me off!! Don't you dare take me off!!" He was having a lean spell at the time as well.

Thankfully Puskas listened and he has now etched himself into South Melbourne history with that famous goal.

With the penalties they had three penalty opportunities to win it and they missed them all. When Ivan Kelic stepped up to try and save the game on the last penalty I knew we had won it as he was cramping and was reluctant to take it.

They thought they had it won in the last 10 minutes, Andrew Marth was taking shots from 30 metres out and nearly putting the ball in the Yarra river and was laughing but we managed to steal it.

"I feel very fortunate to have played in a great era and to fulfil the dreams of every Greek boy and win a championship and to win it with so many mates that I grew up with in the same junior team makes it extra special."

Most supporters you talk to about that amazing day will always place this Grand Final as extra special. The enormous crowd, the great rival in Melbourne Knights and the nail biting finish makes this a very special day in the history of South Melbourne FC.

We look back fondly of another era, halcyon times that meant so much to so many people.

George Koukoulas, current Club Secretary who played a huge role in saving the club through its dark era post NSL, had this to say: "That day was the day that tipped me over the edge from being a passionate supporter to a fanatical supporter.

"It was one of the most memorable days of my life to date. It was the embodiment of everything that is great about this club.

"Everything I do today is influenced by the emotions experienced that day and it is one of the club's greatest highs and we are all working towards providing an opportunity for future generations to experience similar moments."

We celebrate this great memory and the brave players that played that day and represented the famous blue and white.

yea its terrible, worst i have seen it
cant wait to get to our new stadium