1977 South Melbourne FC season

South Melbourne

1977 season
Head Coach	Manny Poulakakis Con Xanthopoulos
Stadium	Middle Park Soccer Stadium
National Soccer League	11th
NSL Cup	First round
Top goalscorer	League: Peter Ollerton (6) All: Peter Ollerton (6)
Highest home attendance	15,000 vs. St George-Budapest (13 June 1977) National Soccer League
Lowest home attendance	2,000 vs. Eastern Suburbs (14 August 1977) National Soccer League
Average home league attendance	4,823
Biggest win	2–0 (4 times) 4–2 (once)
Biggest defeat	0–3 vs. Marconi Fairfield (A) (30 April 1977) National Soccer League 2–5 vs. Fitzroy United (A) (3 July 1977) National Soccer League
Home colours

The 1977 season was the first in the National Soccer League for South Melbourne Football Club. In addition to the domestic league, they also participated in the NSL Cup. South Melbourne finished 11th in their National Soccer League season, and were eliminated in the first round of the NSL Cup. 191f51

Players

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	AUS	Jim Alexiou
—		AUS	George Bozikis
—	FW	AUS	Duncan Cummings
—	MF	AUS	John Daperis
—	DF	YUG	Anton Dosen
—	FW	AUS	Graham French
—	MF	AUS	John Gardiner
—	MF	AUS	Ian Gibson
—		GRE	Margaritis Hagegmanouil
—	DF	AUS	Kris Kalifatidis
—	MF	AUS	Chris Kent

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—		AUS	Reno Lia
—	FW	ENG	Malcolm Macdonald
—	MF	AUS	Jimmy Mackay
—	DF	SCO	Malcolm Manley
—	MF	IRL	Noel Mitten
—	FW	AUS	Peter Ollerton
—	DF	ENG	Mike Pye
—	GK	AUS	Jack Reilly
—	MF	AUS	Billy Rogers
—	GK	GRE	Lou Tsigaris
—	DF	AUS	Arthur Xanthopoulos

Transfers

Transfers in

Date from	Position	Name	From	Fee	Ref.
22–23 January 1977	GK	Jack Reilly	Fitzroy United	$3,500
	MF	Ian Gibson	Fitzroy United	$3,500

Competitions

Overall record

Competition	First match	Last match	Starting round	Final position	Record
					Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
National Soccer League	2 April 1977	25 September 1977	Matchday 1	11th	26	7	8	11	27	35	−8	026.92
NSL Cup	22 September 1977		First round	First round	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	000.00
Total					27	7	8	12	27	36	−9	025.93

Source: Competitions

National Soccer League

Main article: 1977 National Soccer League

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
9	Brisbane Lions	26	9	5	12	27	41	−14	23
10	Brisbane City	26	8	6	12	30	35	−5	22
11	South Melbourne	26	7	8	11	27	35	−8	22
12	Sydney Olympic	26	7	7	12	25	38	−13	21
13	Canberra City	26	5	7	14	22	39	−17	17

Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
26	7	8	11	27	35	−8	29	3	5	5	12	13	−1	4	3	6	15	22	−7

Source: worldfootball.net

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	7	8	9	10	11	6	13	14	15	12	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26
Ground	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A
Result	W	D	D	L	L	W	D	W	D	W	L	W	L	D	W	L	L	L	D	D	L	W	L	L	D	L
Position	4	4	5	6	8	9	10	8	9	8	10	5	5	5	5	7	8	8	8	9	9	9	9	9	10	11
Points	2	3	4	4	4	6	7	9	10	12	12	14	14	15	17	17	17	17	18	19	19	21	21	21	22	22

Source: worldfootball.net
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

  Win   Draw   Loss

Sydney Olympic v South Melbourne

2 April 1977 1	Sydney Olympic	0–2	South Melbourne	Sydney
		Report	Ollerton 72', 85'	Stadium: Sydney Sports Ground Attendance: 5,872 Referee: Tony Boskovic

South Melbourne v Fitzroy United

11 April 1977 2	South Melbourne	1–1	Fitzroy United	Melbourne
	Cummings 57'	Report	Provan 88'	Stadium: Middle Park Soccer Stadium Attendance: 9,000 Referee: Chris Bambridge

Footscray JUST v South Melbourne

17 April 1977 3	Footscray JUST	2–2	South Melbourne	Melbourne
	Palinkas 16' Kazi 69'	Report	Gibson 54' French 87'	Stadium: Olympic Park Attendance: 8,750 Referee: David Yelland

South Melbourne v Brisbane City

23 April 1977 4	South Melbourne	0–1	Brisbane City	Melbourne
		Report	Pimblett 73'	Stadium: Middle Park Soccer Stadium Attendance: 2,300 Referee: Bob Henderson

Marconi Fairfield v South Melbourne

30 April 1977 5	Marconi Fairfield	3–0	South Melbourne	Sydney
	Sharne 7' (49) Mariani 40'	Report		Stadium: Sydney Sports Ground Attendance: 1,800 Referee: Tim Davies

Eastern Suburbs v South Melbourne

15 May 1977 7	Eastern Suburbs	0–1	South Melbourne	Sydney
		Report	Gibson 53'	Stadium: Wentworth Park Attendance: 750 Referee: Brian Fowler

South Melbourne v Adelaide City

21 May 1977 8	South Melbourne	0–0	Adelaide City	Melbourne
		Report		Stadium: Middle Park Attendance: 5,200 Referee: Chris Bambridge

South Melbourne v Mooroolbark

28 May 1977 9	South Melbourne	2–0	Mooroolbark	Melbourne
	Gibson 17' Rogers 50'	Report		Stadium: Middle Park Soccer Stadium Attendance: 4,000 Referee: David Yelland

West Adelaide v South Melbourne

5 June 1977 10	West Adelaide	1–1	South Melbourne	Adelaide
	Boyle 47'	Report	Macdonald 57' (pen.)	Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium Attendance: 7,500 Referee: Barry Wilkinson

South Melbourne v Brisbane Lions

11 June 1977 11	South Melbourne	1–0	Brisbane Lions	Melbourne
	Hagegmanouil 80'	Report		Stadium: Middle Park Attendance: 4,800 Referee: Stewart Mellings

South Melbourne v St George-Budapest

13 June 1977 6	South Melbourne	2–3	St George-Budapest	Melbourne
	Macdonald 45', 84'	Report	Gnavi 2' George 22' Jankovics 56'	Stadium: Middle Park Soccer Stadium Attendance: 15,000 Referee: Stewart Mellings

South Melbourne v Western Suburbs

26 June 1977 13	South Melbourne	2–0	Western Suburbs	Melbourne
	Gibson 58' Rogers 87'	Report		Stadium: Middle Park Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Bob Henderson

Fitzroy United v South Melbourne

3 July 1977 14	Fitzroy United	5–2	South Melbourne	Melbourne
		Report		Stadium: Olympic Park Attendance: 13,000 Referee: David Yelland

South Melbourne v Sydney Olympic

10 July 1977 15	South Melbourne	1–1	Sydney Olympic	Melbourne
	Mitten 46'	Report	Pirie 75'	Stadium: Middle Park Attendance: 5,200 Referee: Jim Dixon

Canberra City v South Melbourne

15 July 1977 12	Canberra City	0–2	South Melbourne	Queanbeyan
		Report	Pye 42' Kalifatidis 86'	Stadium: Seiffert Oval Attendance: 1,500

Brisbane City v South Melbourne

17 July 1977 16	Brisbane City	2–0	South Melbourne	Brisbane
	Conner 46' Coyne 87'	Report		Stadium: Perry Park Attendance: 5,187 Referee: Des Miles

South Melbourne v Footscray JUST

24 July 1977 17	South Melbourne	0–2	Footscray JUST	Melbourne
		Report	Borovnica 38', 53'	Stadium: Middle Park Attendance: 3,000 Referee: Chris Bambridge

South Melbourne v Marconi Fairfield

30 July 1977 18	South Melbourne	1–2	Marconi Fairfield	Melbourne
	Mitten 42'	Report	Richards 20' Rooney 29'	Stadium: Middle Park Attendance: 3,000 Referee: David Yelland

St George-Budapest v South Melbourne

7 August 1977 19	St George-Budapest	1–1	South Melbourne	Sydney
	Morgan 8'	Report	Ollerton 51'	Stadium: Marconi Oval Attendance: 3,456 Referee: Barry Wilkinson

South Melbourne v Eastern Suburbs

14 August 1977 20	South Melbourne	0–0	Eastern Suburbs	Melbourne
		Report		Stadium: Middle Park Attendance: 2,000 Referee: David Yelland

Adelaide City v South Melbourne

21 August 1977 21	Adelaide City	2–0	South Melbourne	Adelaide
	Leane 75' Northcote 90'	Report		Stadium: Olympic Sports Field Attendance: 4,600 Referee: Richard Lorenc

Mooroolbark v South Melbourne

28 August 1977 22	Mooroolbark	2–4	South Melbourne	Melbourne
	McGregor 30', 39' (pen.)	Report	Ollerton 24', 65', 73' French 85'	Stadium: Esther Park Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Tony Beazleigh

South Melbourne v West Adelaide

3 September 1977 23	South Melbourne	1–2	West Adelaide	Melbourne
	Cummings 66'	Report	Kosmina 19' Boyle 70'	Stadium: Middle Park Attendance: 2,200 Referee: Jim Dixon

Brisbane Lions v South Melbourne

11 September 1977 24	Brisbane Lions	2–0	South Melbourne	Brisbane
	Murray 21' Laszlo 30'	Report		Stadium: Perry Park Attendance: 3,528 Referee: Bill Jones

South Melbourne v Canberra City

18 September 1977 25	South Melbourne	1–1	Canberra City	Melbourne
	Cummings 30'	Report	Alston 78'	Stadium: Middle Park Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Jim Dixon

Western Suburbs v South Melbourne

25 September 1977 26	Western Suburbs	2–0	South Melbourne	Sydney
	Wilson 53' Manley 76' (o.g.)	Report		Stadium: Englefield Stadium Attendance: 526 Referee: Henry Witschge

NSL Cup

Main article: 1977 NSL Cup

  Win   Draw   Loss

Mooroolbark v South Melbourne

22 September 1977 First round	Mooroolbark	1–0	South Melbourne	Melbourne
	Lowrey 44'	Report		Stadium: Olympic Park Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Tony Boskovic

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Includes all competitions. Players with no appearances not included in the list.

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Player	National Soccer League		NSL Cup		Total
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
—	MF		Jim Alexiou	5+7	0	0	0	12	0
—	—		George Bozikis	2+2	0	0	0	4	0
—	FW		Duncan Cummings	6+1	3	1	0	8	3
—	MF		John Daperis	21	0	1	0	22	0
—	DF		Anton Dosen	10+3	0	0	0	13	0
—	FW		Graham French	18+5	2	0	0	23	2
—	FW		John Gardiner	14	0	0	0	14	0
—	MF		Ian Gibson	22+1	5	1	0	24	5
—	—		Margaritis Hagegmanouil	20+3	1	0	0	23	1
—	DF		Kris Kalifatidis	24	1	1	0	25	1
—	MF		Chris Kent	15+2	0	1	0	18	0
—	—		Reno Lia	0	0	0+1	0	1	0
—	FW		Malcolm Macdonald	3	3	0	0	3	3
—	MF		Jimmy Mackay	1	0	0	0	1	0
—	DF		Malcolm Manley	2	0	1	0	3	0
—	MF		Noel Mitten	9	1	0	0	9	1
—	FW		Peter Ollerton	21	6	1	0	22	6
—	DF		Mike Pye	26	1	1	0	27	1
—	GK		Jack Reilly	24	0	1	0	25	0
—	MF		Billy Rogers	16	4	1	0	17	4
—	GK		Lou Tsigaris	2	0	0	0	2	0
—	DF		Arthur Xanthopoulos	25	0	1	0	26	0

Disciplinary record

Includes all competitions. The list is sorted by squad number when total cards are equal. Players with no cards not included in the list.

Rank	No.	Pos.	Nat.	Player	National Soccer League			NSL Cup			Total
1	—	FW		Peter Ollerton	1	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	1
2	—	DF		Kris Kalifatidis	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0
3	—	MF		John Daperis	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
	—	MF		Ian Gibson	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
	—	FW		Graham French	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
	—	—		Margaritis Hagegmanouil	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
7	—	FW		Duncan Cummings	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
	—	DF		Arthur Xanthopoulos	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Total					15	0	1	0	0	0	15	0	1

Clean sheets

Includes all competitions. The list is sorted by squad number when total clean sheets are equal. Numbers in parentheses represent games where both goalkeepers participated and both kept a clean sheet; the number in parentheses is awarded to the goalkeeper who was substituted on, whilst a full clean sheet is awarded to the goalkeeper who was on the field at the start of play. Goalkeepers with no clean sheets not included in the list.

Rank	No.	Nat.	Goalkeeper	NSL	NSL Cup	Total
1	—		Jack Reilly	8	0	8
Total				8	0	8