Coach: Chris Taylor
Home Ground: Lakeside Stadium
2015 Season:
League: 1st place (3-1 loss to Bentleigh Greens)
Dockerty Cup: Winners (3-0 win over Oakleigh Cannons)
FFA Cup: Round of 32 (1-1 [8]-[7] loss to Palm Beach Sharks)
Club Overview/History: Their history is a rich tapestry of multi-faceted success, from the State Leagues, to the National League and even continental football. The Oceania Club of the Century was formed in 1959 as the result of a three-team merger to form South Melbourne Hellas. They were a part of the inaugural National Soccer League competition formed in 1977 and were one of only two sides to play every season in the competition’s lifespan (the other being Marconi Stallions). In that time, they won three premierships and four championships, won the NSL Cup twice and of course famously played in a Club World Cup after securing the Oceania Club Championship in 1999. While their history at the top level is steeped with honours and achievements, their success is just as comparable on the Victorian stage, with eight Dockerty Cup triumphs, eight VPL titles and an NPL one to boot in 2014.
Pre-season: three wins, three draws, four losses (16 goals for, 13 goals against)
– South Melbourne 0 defeated by Bentleigh Greens 3
– South Melbourne 0 defeated by Sydney Olympic 0 [4-3 penalties]
– South Melbourne 0 defeated by Sutherland Sharks 2
– South Melbourne 1 (Lujic) drew with Adelaide Comets 1
– South Melbourne 3 (Mitrovic, Lujic x2) drew with Port Melbourne Sharks 3
– South Melbourne 1 (Mitrovic) defeated by Bulleen Lions 2
– South Melbourne 6 (Schroen, Hicks, Lujic, Jawadi, Minopoulos, Mitrovic) defeated Box Hill United 0
– South Melbourne 2 (Koroma, Tosic) defeated Knox City 1
– South Melbourne 2 (Ofli x 2) defeated Eastern Lions 0
– South Melbourne 1 (Mitrovic) drew with Bulleen Lions 1
League/FFA Cup finish in 2015: The major disappointment for South Melbourne in many peoples eyes wasn’t their late collapse in the NPL Grand Final, rather it was the heartbreak of losing in the first round of the FFA Cup to Gold Coast-based Palm Beach. With expectations high, they fell to a penalty-shootout loss to their less fancied opponents, but with that experience behind them, they’ll be hungry for another crack on the national stage in 2016. Their league form was consistent throughout, going 13 games unbeaten (10 wins, three draws) before losing to Oakleigh Cannons and then more hurtfully, to Bentleigh Greens and Heidelberg United in successive weeks. Those two losses tightened the title race up once more, with South suddenly finding themselves third place and four points adrift of league leaders Bentleigh Greens, with an inferior goal difference. With the title race out of their hands, South did what they had to, barnstorming home with four wins and a draw, and 19 goals in their last five games, while Bentleigh and Heidelberg faltered around them.
Transfer Movement:
In:
Luke Eyles, Olympia FC Warriors
Marcus Schroen, Hume City
Zaim Zenelli, Dandenong Thunder
Jason Hicks, Wellington Phoenix
Matthew Foschini, Oakleigh Cannons
Amadu Koroma, Green Gully
Matt Millar, Melbourne City
Philzgerald Mbaka, Getafe
Out:
Thomas Lakic, Oakleigh Cannons
Fraser Maclaren, Dandenong Thunder
Dane Milovanovic, Hong Kong Pegasus FC [Hong Kong First Division]
Andy Bevin, Team Wellington [New Zealand First Division]
David Stirton, Port Melbourne
Nick Morton, South Hobart [Tasmanian T-League]
Jason Hicks, Melbourne Knights
Squad: Iqi Jawadi, Milos Lujic, Michael Eagar, Leigh Minopoulos, Tim Mala, Chris Irwin, Stephen Hatzikostas, Brad Norton, Nick Epifano, Kristian Konstantinidis, Nikola Roganovic, Matthew Theodore, Matthew Millar, Andy Kecojevic, Marcus Schroen, Zaim Zenelli, Matthew Foschini, Philzgerald M’Baka, Amadu Koroma, Luke Adams, Rory Brian
Players to watch: It was another season of strong recruiting from South Melbourne, who have brought in plenty of first team players but also a strong contingent of players who add strength in depth, to help the club survive the long slog of a potentially 30 plus game season. On top of that, the club are offered the luxury of returning duo Kristian Konstantinidis and Michael Eagar. The pair add versatility across the backline and midfield after a 2015 which saw them both miss a large chunk of game time. Konstantinidis looks to have retained his legs well despite coming off an ACL injury, and was bright in his return off the subs bench in the 3-0 loss to Bentleigh Greens. An ankle injury ruled out Eagar for the back half of 2015 and the captain’s influence both on and off the pitch will be crucial for South’s chances at competing on all fronts in 2016.
Nikola Roganovic has proven himself as one of the safest keepers in the NPL, while Iqi Jawadi and Milos Lujic are both bona fide stars at this level. Andy Kecojevic could see more game time in 2016, offered a start in the Community Shield clash against Bentleigh Greens. As for the new names, Matthew Foschini was one of his sides best performers in that 3-0 loss, while Frenchman Philzgerald M’Baka – a graduate of the PSG youth system – brings with him a lot of intrigue having trialled with the club throughout pre-season.
What to expect in 2016: They’ll be looking to get off to a blistering start this weekend, and a win against Heidelberg effectively leave one of their main title contenders two games behind the pace. Their squad looks much healthier this year in terms of depth, but they failed to get the support striker they wanted on Deadline Day. If they can keep their forward three fit, expect another strong tilt at the title and high expectations placed on the FFA Cup.