Following from the 2006 Grand Final win, South Melbourne lined up for the 2007 season with a few notable names. John Anastasiadis was the coach of the team and the captain of the squad was his brother, Dean Anastasiadis.

Early Season Success

The pre-season saw South play in the Hellenic Cup, where they went undefeated in the group stages before defeating Oakleigh Cannons in the final. The successful preseason however didn’t translate into a successful VPL season.

Although South started the season well, the team soon coughed up its first loss to Green Gully at Bob Jane Stadium in round four. The team then went onto experience a form dip for the next couple of months – including an infamous forfeit to the Melbourne Knights.

The Forfeit

The forfeit was due to a dispute over security arrangements. South was asked to provide up to 30 police, 25 security guards and 6 ground marshals for the game, as reported by the club’s official website. A failure to come to an agreement with Football Federation Victoria saw the game forfeited and the points go to the Knights.

A Disappointing Season

Although South finally got back onto the winner’s list in round 9 (with a win against the AIS) its midseason improvement in form, was not enough to get South’s season back on track.  

South would end up finishing the season in 7^th place and miss out on finals. Ricky Diaco finished with the club’s golden boot after scoring 10 goals for the season, followed by Nathan Caldwell who scored 7.

The Biggest ‘Friendly’ of the Year

The most memorable part of the season though was in fact a mid-season friendly, where South played against Melbourne Victory in an infamous match at Lakeside.

Although Victory won the game 5-1 the match will instead be remembered for the thousands of fans who came to watch the first and only match between the senior squads of these two clubs.

Will we ever again see South and Victory face off at Senior Level?