Some more snaps

Stadium is turning into pure gold.

look i dont think we should overdo it with the stadium, the viewing areas behind the goals appear to be as bad as OP.

Granted the view from the main 2 stands will be great...obviously looking brand new the stadium is gonna look top notch for the first decade or so.

Be happy that theres an upgrade atleast. Definately not ideal with a running track, but its likely no upgrade was going to happen without it. A refresh every decade or so is actually a decent result.

Thanks for the updates Chris.

Great progress.

Are the ends just going to be tiered standing/sitting area, or is there provision for those to become seating areas also?

My understanding is supply on demand......worth noting the original plans were for lawn - interesting how they are now tiered - if need be seats will be added

True that. I just remembered the lawn was going to be there. If they had lawn at the top, to make a hill, that might be good, but not sure that looks like happening.

Are they using the same type of turf as AAMI Park?

Edited by heart_fan: 9/3/2011 04:40:10 PM

Don't know

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Last Gasp-aris Goal in Derby Drama

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Tuesday, 15 March 2011 3:09 PM
By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC has won its first point at the Olympic Village since 2006 following a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Heidelberg United on Sunday evening. Marinos Gasparis' late headed goal salvaged a point for South in a match that could have been three gifted points for the Bergers.

The Olympic Village presented an adequate playing surface that suited South's passing game. However the away side started the match off slowly and were subsequenty punished by the Bergers through Osagie Ederaro, who cut in from the left side before laying the ball off for Saso Alexovski to score. This sparked South into life, with the away side creating several half chances before equalising on the half hour through Jesse Krncevic. The big forward received the ball from Fernando De Moraes before he got around his marker and toe-poked the ball past the oncoming Griffin McMaster and into the back of the net.

South were clearly the better side in the contest but Ederaro was always presenting problems with the South defence. The away side's defensive problems were exposed yet again by Ederaro early in the second half, when a Stefaan Sardelic save fell in between three South defenders. Each stopped momentarily, expecting someone else to clear the ball, and Ederaro took advantage by shooting past Sardelic to restore the Bergers' lead. Once more, South were on the back foot and were chasing one point instead of three.

Substitute goalkeeper Zaim Zenelli made his League debut for South, replacing Sardelic after the big custodian suffered a head injury. Zenelli was kept reasonably quiet as South did most of the attacking, with Heidelberg determined to hold onto their lead and defending strongly for the rest of the game. South were constantly denied, firstly with a clearance off the line from a Steven Topalovic shot fom outside the box, then from an excellent save by McMaster with his left leg from a Krncevic shot following excellent build-up play by substitute Kamal Ibrahim.

With the match approaching injury time, Gasparis snuck in at the back post to head De Moraes' cross from the right into the back of the net to salvage a draw for the away side. It was South's first point at the Village since late goals from Jonas Salley and Tansel Baser won the derby for South in the opening round of the 2006 Victorian Premier League season.

South Melbourne FC next travels to Jack Edwards Reserve to play leaders Oakleigh on Friday night, with kick-off scheduled for 20:30.

FINAL SCORE: HEIDELBERG UNITED 2-2 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 1-1)
Goals:
1-0: Saso Alexovski (10')
1-1: Jesse Krncevic (29')
2-1: Osagie Ederaro (50')
2-2: Marinos Gasparis (90')

Heidelberg United
1. Griffin McMASTER, 2. Yared HAILEMELKOT, 7. Hamlet ARMENIAN (8. Andrew NABBOUT 59'), 10. Adrian CACERES (4. John LAZARIDIS 66'), 11. Evan CHRISTODOULOU, 14. Craig ELVIN, 16. Steve MARTIN, 18. Osagie EDERARO, 20. Saso ALEXOVSKI (23. Takanori NISHIMOTO 71'), 21. Richard GREER, 22. Ben WARING

South Melbourne FC
1. Stefaan SARDELIC (Zaim ZENELLI 70'), 3. Rhodri PAYNE, 4. Steven O'DOR, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI, 6. Steven TOPALOVIC, 8. Carl RECCHIA, 11. JESSE KRNCEVIC, 15. Fernando DE MORAES, 18. Marinos GASPARIS, 23, Sebastian PETROVIC (33. Bobby RUSSELL 75'), 25. Kyle JORYEFF (14. Kamal IBRAHIM 65')

SMFC Player of the Match: Marinos Gasparis
Venue: Olympic Village
Date: Sunday 13 March 2011

Oakleigh 1-2 South Melbourne

First defeat of the season for the Cannons, very good performance from South, Ljubo made his debut as well.

Happy with the win, though a cleansheet would be nice. Voice a bit shot, but all part of the adventure.

Ljubo's first game for south
[youtube]r9gDzsU9pSk[/youtube]

Edited by slade33: 24/3/2011 04:51:14 PM

Sout Melbourne takes on the Melbourne Knights this week and I have to admit I haven't been this excited about a VPL match in a long time.

Wow, what an entertaining match!! Shitloads of chances for both teams.. Some of South's attacking moves were very slick indeed.

By John Kyrou (Photo by Anita Milas, courtesy of Goal Weekly)

South Melbourne FC has won for the second straight season at Jack Edwards Reserve following a deserved 2-1 victory against Oakleigh on Friday night. A volley from Marinos Gasparis and a header from captain Steven O'Dor was enough to give South the victory.

South went into the match bolstered by the fact that new signing Ljubo Miličević had finally been cleared to play for the Club. Miličević went straight into the starting eleven and slotted in next to O'Dor at centre-half, with Steven Topalovic shifted to right back. Goalkeeper Zaim Zenelli, who had been substituted onto the field last Sunday against Heidelberg after 70 minutes following a head injury to Stefaan Sardelic, started his first Victorian Premier League match for South. Immediately the defence looked much steadier and stable, with Miličević and O'Dor winning practically every aerial ball and Zenelli hardly tested during the game.



The away side opened the scoring after four minutes with a wonderful volley by Gasparis, who scored his second goal in successive weeks following his injury-time equalising goal away at Heidelberg last Sunday. However, the lead only lasted ten minutes, when former South forward Ricky Diaco beat Zenelli with a low shot from a free kick that managed to sneak through the defensive wall. Shortly before the halftime break, Gasparis hit another stinging shot from outside the box just wide of Peter Zois' goal, whilst at the other end Oakleigh nearly took the lead after a shot took a wicked deflection before hitting Zenelli's crossbar and going out to safety.



South regained the lead shortly after the halftime break. A free kick taken on the left side of the box by Fernando De Moraes found an unmarked O'Dor, who easily beat Zois with his free header. The away side should have wrapped the game up shortly after when Jesse Krncevic rounded Zois and cut the ball back for Gasparis, however with an open goal the midfielder blasted the ball over the crossbar. Krncevic had presented real problems for the Cannons defence by being a huge presence up forward for South.



Defensively, Miličević and O'Dor easily dealt with aerial balls played into the area by Oakleigh. Zenelli was kept quiet for most of the game but when called upon, was able to comfortably deal with high balls into the box. Despite this, Oakleigh still should have equalised deep into injury time with a header that went wide of Zenelli's near post. The referee's final whistle moments later condemned the Cannons to their first Victorian Premier League loss for the season and stretched South's unbeaten run to three Victorian Premier League matches in a row.



South Melbourne's next match is a derby at home against the Melbourne Knights. The match kicks off next Sunday 27 March at 5:00pm at John Cain Memorial Park.

FULL TIME: OAKLEIGH CANNONS 1-2 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 1-1)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Marinos Gasparis (3’)
1-1: Ricky Diaco (14’)
1-2: Steven O’Dor (57’)

Oakleigh Cannons

1. Peter ZOIS, 2. James CUMMING, 6. Rama TAVSANCIOGLU, 7. Bonel ABRADOVIC (25. Craig GOODWIN 88'), 8. James ROBINSON, 10. Ricky DIACO (14. Melvin BECKET 82'), 12. Luke WALKER (13. Bill DAMIANOS 72'), 16. Frank LAGANA, 18. Stephen HATZIKIRIAZIS, 19. Dane MILOVANOVIC, 23. Anthony BRAN



South Melbourne FC 

21. Zaim ZENELLI, 17. Ljubo MILICEVIC, 3. Rhodri PAYNE, 4. Steven O'DOR, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI (33. Bobby RUSSELL 77'), 6. Steven TOPALOVIC, 8. Carl RECCHIA, 11. Jesse KRNCEVIC, 15. Fernando DE MORAES (14. Kamal IBRAHIM 82'), 18. Marinos GASPARIS (19. Leigh MINOPOULOS 90'), 23. Sebastian PETROVIC



SMFC Man of the Match: Steven O'Dor

Venue: Jack Edwards Reserve

Date: Friday 18 March 2011


Edited by chris: 26/3/2011 11:49:02 PM

South Melbourne FC hosts the Melbourne Knights on Sunday afternoon in what is the first derby between the two sides in 2011. The match has some added significance as it is almost 20 years since a match between the two sides that many regard as the one that defines the strong footballing rivalry between the two clubs.

Last Friday night, South enjoyed a win at Jack Edwards Reserve for the second consecutive season following a 2-1 win over the Oakleigh Cannons. Marinos Gasparis and captain Steven O'Dor were the goal scorers for the away side, with Gasparis scoring a wonderful volley and O'Dor heading home the winning goal early in the second half. The win consolidated South's position in the top five and continued a solid run of three consecutive matches unbeaten.

Last Sunday evening, the Melbourne Knights crushed Bentleigh Greens 4-0 at Knights Stadium in a result that could have seen the Knights win by an even bigger margin. Three of the Knights' four goals came in the last 12 minutes of the match, including two injury-time goals to former South player Yusuf Yusuf. That victory lifted the Knights to just a point outside the top five on the Victorian Premier League table, however three points against South on Sunday afternoon will surely lift the Knights into the top five.

Sunday's derby falls just short of the 20 year anniversary of the famous 1990/91 National Soccer League Grand Final, played on 5 May 1991 at Olympic Park in Melbourne. A crowd of 23,318 saw Andrew Marth's opening goal for Minor Premiers Melbourne Croatia cancelled out by Joe Palatsides' 88th minute equalising goal. South nearly won the match in extra time with a Kimon Taliadoros header but the game was decided by penalties. Misses by Paul Trimboli, Mike Petersen and Palatsides gave Melbourne Croatia opportunities to win the match; however Alan Davidson and Mark Silic sensationally hit the post with their penalties. Both sides kept converting their penalties after that until Ivan Kelic skied his shot over the bar for Melbourne Croatia to amazingly hand South its second National League Championship. One of the great moments in South's proud and distinguised history is the footage of world footballing legend (and South coach) Ferenc Puskas holding aloft the National Soccer League Championship with captain Ange Postecoglou.

Of concern for South in this weekend's derby is the fact that the Club has not kept a clean sheet in the 2011 campaign. However in more promising news, the inclusions of Zaim Zeneli as goalkeeper and centre-half Ljubo Miličević gave the defence stability and composure. Steven Topalovic was moved to right-back in a tactical switch and Rhodri Payne maintained his position as left fullback as Miličević slotted into centre-half with O'Dor. The coaching staff will be hoping that as he regains full match fitness, Miličević's experience and leadership will help ease the defensive problems which have been bugging South so far in 2011.

Sunday's derby kicks off at 17:00 at John Cain Memorial Park.

full episdoe up on c31 webiste with special feature on the redevelopment of the stadium

http://www.c31.org.au/schedule/view/episode/16572

3:1 win
Great result and a solid crowd
Mel Knights played really well and should make finals judging by their game.

Good game, good day out. Knights 1-0 up with 15 minutes to go, then South scored 2 in 2 minutes (one spectacular free kick into the top corner), then again on the break with second to go. 3-1. Great fun.

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By John Kyrou (Photo by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC has defeated the Melbourne Knights 3-1 after coming from a goal down to claim honours in the first derby between the two sides in 2011. Late goals by Jesse Krncevic and substitutes Daniel Vasilevski and Kyle Joryeff settled the match, which was played approximately six weeks shy of the 20 year anniversary of the famous 1990/91 National Soccer League Grand Final between the two teams.



After an end-to-end first half in which both sides failed to take advantage of their chances, the match exploded into life after halftime. The Knights were awarded a penalty shortly after the break following a handball in the penalty area by captain Steven O'Dor. Zaim Zeneli went the right way but was unable to prevent the penalty being converted by Josip Kozic. The goal continued South's lack of clean sheets in the 2011 Victorian Premier League season.



The home side stepped up the pressure in the final 20 minutes and the coaching staff rang the necessary changes, bringing on Vasilevski, Kamal Ibrahim and Joryeff in order to try and force a result. The moves paid off when Joryeff drew a foul outside the area and Vasilevski beat Martin John with a brilliant free kick into the top corner of the goal to level the scores at 1-1. Vasilevski had been very unfortunate not to be in the starting eleven for the match and his goal will give him every possible chance for a starting berth next weekend.



South had tied up the scores but were not finished yet and when Ibrahim beat the offside trap to lay off for Krncevic to score, suddenly the home side were ahead with only minutes left to play. Krncevic nearly buried the Knights in injury time with a chip that just went wide of John's goal. However it was Joryeff that finished the match as a contest when he was put through on goal by De Moraes and cooly placed a shot into the back of the net to seal three hard-fought points against a very spirited Melbourne Knights team.



In the Under-21s match played earlier in the day, South and the Knights drew 2-2 after South spent the second half playing with only 10 men following a red card to Gianni De Nittis before halftime. De Nittis and James Riccobene were the goal scorers for the home team.



South Melbourne FC next travels to Fox Street to play promoted St Albans for the first time since an injury-time goal by Vaughan Coveny gave South a 2-2 away draw at Churchill Reserve on Sunday 29 May 2005, the last time the Saints were in Victoria's top football division.

FINAL SCORE: SOUTH MELBOURNE 3-1 MELBOURNE KNIGHTS (HT: 0-0)



Goal Scorers:
0-1: Josip Kozic (60'pk)
1-1: Daniel Vasilevski (79')
2-1: Jesse Krncevic (83')
3-1: Kyle Joryeff (94')

South Melbourne FC
3. Rhodri PAYNE, 4. Steven O'DOR, 6. Steven TOPALOVIC, 8. Carl RECCHIA, 10. Kliment TASESKI (25. Kyle JORYEFF 74'), 11. Jesse KRNCEVIC, 13. Ljubo MILICEVIC, 15. Fernando DE MORAES, 18. Marinos GASPARIS (14. Kamal IBRAHIM 55'), 21. Zaim ZENELLI, 23. Sebastian PETROVIC (5. Daniel VASILEVSKI 65')

Melbourne Knights
1. Martin JOHN, 2. Shaun ROMEIN (20. Jacob COLOSIMO 86'), 3. Ryan FILIPOVIC, 4. Ben SUREY, 5. Leo SHIN (7. Ridvan SAGLAM 59'), 10. Josip KOZIC, 11. Anthony COLOSIMO, 14. Jean-Charles DUBOIS (13. Amadu KOROMA 78'), 18. Daniel DRAGICEVIC, 19. Adam ZILIC, 22. Craig SWEENEY

SMFC Man of the Match: Carl Recchia
Venue: John Cain Memorial Park
Date: Sunday 27 March 2011


Edited by chris: 28/3/2011 08:58:05 PM

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By John Kyrou

South Melbourne FC faces a tricky assignment on Sunday when it travels to Churchill Reserve for the first time since 2005 to play a St Albans Saints side in desperate need for three points.

The away team will be going into the match confident of continuing a four match unbeaten run in the Victorian Premier League that began against Bentleigh on 6 March and has included notable victories against Oakleigh and the Melbourne Knights along the way. However in South's way will be a St Albans side playing on its home ground and treating Sunday's contest as 'do-or-die' in terms of changing its form around to ensure survival in the VPL. The Saints were promoted back into the Premier League as State League One Champions at the end of 2010 and despite managing a positive opening-round draw against Hume City on 20 February, St Albans has only managed one point since.

South goes into Sunday's game full of confidence after coming from a goal down with 11 minutes to play to seal a stunning 3-1 victory against a strong Melbourne Knights side in last weekend's derby. All three of South's substitutes had immediate impact, with Daniel Vasilevski and Kyle Joryeff both scoring and Kamal Ibrahim setting up Jesse Krncevic for South's go-ahead goal. Joryeff also drew the foul that led to Vasilevski's fantastic free kick to level the match. Despite some minor scares, the defence continues to improve. At the other end of the field, South continues to score goals freely and is slowly consolidating itself in the top five on the ladder.

In contrast, St Albans go into Sunday's game on the back of a 2-0 defeat against Bentleigh last Friday night. Despite only managing two points from its first six matches of 2011, the Saints have shown at times to be a team more than capable of scoring goals and causing other sides major problems. The home side's players will also be on notice this weekend following the departure of coach Kruni Razov after the defeat at Bentleigh. Although a replacement is not yet known, South's players need to be switched on for Sunday's game as teams always seem to lift in the next match following a change in management. There is also the unknown factor as many of South's players have not played at Churchill Reserve since St Albans has not been in Victoria's top football division for five seasons.

Many people may look at ladder positions and see a huge difference between the two sides, however form does not mean anything, especially as the last meeting between these two sides showed. St Albans' last season in the Premier League was in 2005 and in that year on Sunday 29 May the high-flying South Melbourne travelled to Churchill Reserve to play the lowly Saints, whom South had beaten 1-0 at Lakeside Stadium on 6 February. George Tzirtis' opening goal for the away team had many thinking the result would be a foregone conclusion, however two goals in the space of a couple of minutes midway through the first half by Ivan Filipovic and Ivan Razov had the Saints dreaming of a shock win. St Albans held the lead for an hour before Vaughan Coveny's header in injury time at the end of the second half rescued a point for South.

Sunday's match kicks off at 15:00 at Churchill Reserve (Melways reference 14 D10).



Edited by chris: 1/4/2011 04:39:25 PM

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By John Kyrou (Photos by Cindy Nitsos)

South Melbourne FC is on top of the Victorian Premier League ladder after defeating St Albans 0-2 at Churchill Reserve on Sunday afternoon. Goals from Fernando De Moraes and Kyle Joryeff gave South the three points against a spirited Saints side that were clapped off the field by the home supporters following a difficult week for their club.



Eddie Krncevic's side travelled to Churchill Reserve for the first time since drawing 2-2 against St Albans on 29 May 2005, the last time St Albans were in the Premier League. The Saints had experienced a disastrous start to 2011, with only two points from their opening six matches. In contrast, South was sitting in second position on the League table following consecutive wins against Oakleigh and the Melbourne Knights. However South went to St Albans missing key players Jesse Krncevic, Steven Topalovic and captain Steven O'Dor. Carl Recchia moved into centre-half next to Ljubo Milicevic to replace O'Dor, whilst Kliment Taseski replaced Topalovic and Joryeff replaced Krncevic.



Fernando De Moraes had been chasing his 50th Premier League goal for South for several weeks and despite having many assists in goals recently, he had been unable to score his half century of League goals for the Club. That was until the 18th minute of Sunday's match. South won a corner following a curling strike from Joryeff that was tipped over the bar magnificently by Saints goalkeeper Steven Pavlovic. Taseski's corner could only be cleared by the St Albans defence to De Moraes standing just outside the area. De Moraes cooly chested the ball down before hitting a half-volley that crept into the bottom left corner of Pavlovic's goal, with the big keeper rooted to the spot. The goal finally gave De Moraes his 50th Premier League goal for South Melbourne FC but more importantly gave the away side the lead.



South's defence had been under pressure all season and was under even more strain without O'Dor and Topalovic. However, Milicevic and Recchia put in outstanding performances to keep the away side's one goal lead intact. St Albans nearly scored right on halftime when a free kick played into the area led to an almighty scramble, resulting in Recchia using his face to clear a point-blank volley from the six-yard box out for a corner. Post-match, Recchia claimed that the flag had been raised for offside prior to the shot that hit his face, regardless it was an outstanding save by South's acting captain.



In the second half, the home side pressed early and put South under pressure, however Milicevic and Recchia stood firm and soaked up the pressure before South killed off the game with a sucker-punch second goal on 73 minutes. Milicevic won the ball in midfield and went on a mazy run that dragged four St Albans defenders out of the contest before he laid the ball off for Joryeff to slot into the far corner for his fourth goal in seven League appearances this season. Despite a few testing moments including a free kick shortly after the 0-2 that narrowly sailed over the crossbar, South was largely untroubled for the remainder of the match and as a result recorded its first clean sheet of 2011. For St Albans the result spelt an end to a difficult week, however the home side can be encouraged with a positive performance against the current League leaders.



In the Under 21s match played prior to the Seniors, South defeated St Albans 2-1.

South Melbourne FC's next match is at home against the Richmond Eagles next Sunday, with kick-off at 15:00 at John Cain Memorial Park.

FINAL SCORE: ST ALBANS 0-2 SOUTH MELBOURNE (HT: 0-1)

Goal Scorers:
0-1: Fernando De Moraes (18')
0-2: Kyle Joryeff (73')

St Albans
1. Steven PAVLOVIC, 4. Tomislav USKOK, 6. Alan PALEKA, 7. Goran JOZELJIC (21. Martin HANA 78'), 9. Josip LONCARIC, 14. Maks CUZE (22. Mustafa ALIBEYI 83'), 16. Mark PALEKA, 17. Daniel VISEVIC, 18. Stefan PIORKOWSKI, 19. Michael GRGIC, 23. Tomislav MILARDOVIC

South Melbourne FC
3. Rhodri PAYNE, 5. Daniel VASILEVSKI, 8. Carl RECCHIA, 10. Kliment TASESKI, 13. Ljubo MILICEVIC, 14. Kamal IBRAHIM (24. Nick JACOBS 77'), 15. Fernando DE MORAES, 21. Zaim ZENELI, 23. Sebastian PETROVIC (16. Trent WATERSON 70'), 25. Kyle JORYEFF, 33. Bobby RUSSELL (18. Marinos GASPARIS 25')

SMFC Man of the Match: Ljubo Milicevic
Venue: Churchill Reserve
Date: Sunday 3 April 2011



Edited by chris: 4/4/2011 12:30:15 PM

[youtube][/youtube]

FULL Episode below

http://www.c31.org.au/schedule/view/episode/17747

Edited by chris: 8/4/2011 03:18:06 PM

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ShareThisThursday, 7 April 2011 8:51 AM

South Melbourne FC hosts the Richmond Eagles at John Cain Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon in a match that could see the home side maintain their position on top of the Victorian Premier League. South currently sits in first place on the Victorian Premier League ladder and could stretch its lead to four points depending on other results.

South goes into Sunday's match in excellent form, having gone five games unbeaten in League competition including winning the last three matches in succession. The most recent victory was a 0-2 triumph over St Albans at Churchill Reserve last Sunday afternoon, thanks to goals from Fernando De Moraes and Kyle Joryeff. De Moraes' goal marked the midfielder's 50th League goal for South, making him only the eighth player in the Club's history to reach that milestone. Joryeff's goal was his fourth goal in seven League appearances in 2011, an excellent return for a player who has come off the bench in three of those matches. The victory over St Albans was also South's first clean sheet in the Victorian Premier League in 2011, largely thanks to the magnificent performances by acting captain Carl Recchia and Ljubo Milicevic, who were both outstanding in the centre of defence. In further good news, it is expected that captain Steven O'Dor, Steven Topalovic and Jesse Krncevic will all be available for Sunday's match, after the three missed the win at St Albans.

Richmond will no doubt provide difficult opponents on Sunday, with the Eagles enjoying two victories in succession thanks to a 1-0 win over the VTC last Wednesday night before a 3-1 victory over Bentleigh last Sunday afternoon. This has moved Richmond from out of the relegation zone to being level on points with fifth-placed Northcote City. One key player that has played a huge role Richmond's turnaround in form has been Michael Ferrante, who scored twice against Bentleigh and will be a real danger for South this Sunday. South's players will no doubt be aware of Ferrante's abilities, as in the corresponding fixture last season at John Cain Memorial Park he led Richmond to an inspired comeback to draw 2-2 with a devastated South side that had been cruising with a 2-0 lead.

Sunday's match kicks off at 3:00pm at John Cain Memorial Park.

Written by Roy Hay

When Melbourne gained the rights to hold the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park in 1996 one of consequences was that South Melbourne Hellas and football lost its historic ground at Middle Park and gained the Lakeside (later the Bob Jane) Stadium on Lake Oval, the old South Melbourne cricket ground.

So ended a tradition stretching back to the 1880s when the game was known as British Association football to distinguish it from the home-grown variety. The South Melbourne cricket ground was the venue for one of the two interstate matches with New South Wales played in 1883, but the round ball game quickly established itself at Middle Park during that decade. The Middle Park hotel was the meeting place for players and sometimes several matches would be played opposite the hotel on an afternoon.



When the game revived in the years before the First World War, Middle Park was the central venue for league games. On 26 September 1908, for example, three games kicked off at 3 pm, St Kilda v Albert Park, Carlton United v Fitzroy and Prahran v South Melbourne. Middle Park was also the venue for the well-attended ‘international’ matches between Scotland and England. These were games between Australian players of the relevant heritage not games between touring teams from the United Kingdom. While club football seems to have been hard hit by the depression of the 1890s, Scotland and England met at Middle Park on 1 September 1894. In September 1908 Scotland beat England three-nil, but the following year the English got their revenge by three goals to two. There were matches against visiting teams, too, as when the steam ship Persic and the navy’s HMS Powerful arrived in 1908. Powerful was the flagship of the Royal Navy squadron on the Australian station from 1905. Dockerty Cup matches were also played at the ground.

So Middle Park was firmly established as the main football venue in Victoria when the First World War brought about an interruption that lasted till 1919.

On 2 August 1919, Windsor beat Albert Park two-one, Northumberland and Durhams (N and D) accounted for Spotswood by the same score, Footscray Thistle outclassed St David’s by five-nil and Melbourne Thistle drew with Preston in league games. Estimates of attendances at games are notoriously rubbery, but it is reported that some thousands attended Dockerty Cup games, and, according to the Argus, an unspecified record crowd watched the matches on 3 July 1920 with the highlight being that between N and D and Melbourne Thistle, effectively another ‘England v Scotland’ game.



For many years the pitches were not enclosed and Ted Smith remembers playing on one that ran parallel to the Albert Park lake into which one of the players had to wade to retrieve the ball. A bicycle track was built with a pitch in the centre in the 1950s, then came change rooms and perimeter fencing. A new stadium was constructed in 1959 with a capacity of 18,000 including the grandstand, which held 2,000, close to the railway station. There were later extensions to include offices, a café and terracing. The stadium was demolished in 1994.

Competition from other venues became greater as time passed, with the Melbourne Showgrounds, Olympic Park and even the Melbourne Cricket Ground accommodating major games, but Middle Park continued to be significant for the Victorian Amateur Soccer Football Association and its successor, the Victorian Soccer Federation, in the post-Second World War years. Park Rangers and South Melbourne United had their home at Middle Park in the 1940s. Both clubs later merged, Park Rangers with Moreland in 1985, while South Melbourne United joined another combined club—South Melbourne Hellas. Hellas began as the product of a merger between Hellenic and Yarra Park in 1959. The Hakoah club, founded in 1924, became a tenant at Middle Park. Later it played at Olympic Park. By 1956 Hakoah was back at Middle Park and merged with St Kilda in 1972 and then in 1982 joined with South Melbourne United as the Victorian arm of South Melbourne Hellas which was playing in the National Soccer League in 1982. Other clubs used the stadium for brief periods. In 1960 Waterside Workers Federation shared the Park Rangers ground at Middle Park.



Victorian Premier League finals were played at Middle Park until 11 September 1994, when Preston Lions beat Port Melbourne Sharks by three goals to one. Gerry McAleer and Chris Sterjovski with two goals gave Preston a winning lead and Peter Tsolakis converted a late penalty for the Sharks. Nineteen-year-old Sterjovski won the Jimmy Rooney medal for the player of the grand final. At half-time another teenager, Josip Skoko, was presented with the ABSW player of the year award, completing an excellent day for youth.



National League football matches were also played at Middle Park until its demise and many of the local derbies involving Hellas, Melbourne Croatia (later the Knights), Heidelberg Alexander, JUST and Juventus drew five-figure crowds over the years. On 15 June 1977, there were between 12,500 and 15,000 when Hellas with Malcolm MacDonald, superstar with Newcastle United and Arsenal, took on St George Budapest from Sydney which had Derby County’s Charlie George, who also played with Arsenal. On 23 October 1994 Hellas played the last game at Middle Park, thrashing Heidelberg United Alexander by four goals to one. There were 11,926 fans there to see them do so, with two goals by Ivan Kelic, and one each to Con Boutsianis and Francis Awaratife. Peter Tsolakis’s penalty was once again the consolation goal for his team.

Squads for the final game at Middle Park

South Melbourne: Steve Mautone, Mehmet Durakovic, Kevin Muscat, Paul Wade, Michael Valkanis, Gary Hasler, Jason Polak, Micky Petersen, George Goutzioulis, Con Boutsianis, Francis Awaritefe, Ivan Kelic, Paul Trimboli.

Heideleberg United : David Miller, Angelo Koutsos, Alan Scott, Richard Watson, George Georgiadis, Eric Vasiliadis Tom Karapatsos, Peter Tsolakis, Walter Ardone, Alex Kiratzoglou, Damir Gnjidic, Andy Vlahos, Michael Michalakopoulos.

quality assist from ljubo
also little puskas tribute was a nice touch

does South Melb have any Greeks in 1st grade?

:-k :-k :-k :-k :-k :-k :-k

Four :lol: