Northcote City FC

Northcote City
Full name Northcote City Football Club
Nickname(s) City, Hraklis
Founded 1960
Ground John Cain Memorial Reserve
Ground Capacity 9,000
Chairman Peter Kotsiris
Manager Goran Lozanovski
League NPL Victoria
2015 10th
Website Club home page

Northcote City Football Club is a soccer club based in the suburb of Thornbury, Victoria, Australia. Formed in 1960 by local Greek Australians, the club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria. This club was known as Princes Park Hercules during the 1960s and 1970s.

In 2011, Northcote won the inaugural Mirabella Cup, their first Victorian top-level silverware. In season 2013, Northcote City won their first Victorian Premier League Championship, defeating Bentleigh Greens 3-2 after extra time at AAMI Park.[1]

History

Foundation & Early Years

Northcote City FC was formed in 1960 by a group of Greek migrants new to Australia with a passion for sport and a need to form friendships in a new country, with soccer being the major connection. Northcote City FC is the third oldest Greek club in Victoria behind South Melbourne FC and Heidelberg United FC and in its formative years the club fielded teams not only in soccer but also in Volleyball, Basketball and Table Tennis. The club has enjoyed varied success since its formation and has the Dockerty Cup and Hellenic Cup to its list of achievements as well as reaching the Victorian Premier League (the highest League in Victorian soccer). A milestone in the club’s history was moving to John Cain Memorial Park in 1979, which even today is considered one of the state’s best soccer venues. In its formative years, the club was known as Hercules before adopting the Princes Park Hercules name given that it was playing at Princes Park, before changing venues to Fairfield Park in 1977 and adopting Collingwood City as the club’s new name. The new name was to only last a short time however and in 1980 the club clinched a significant breakthrough by negotiating with the Northcote City Council a move to John Cain Memorial park and another name change for the club with Northcote City SC the new identity. To this very day it is still the club’s home and name. The club first gained promotion into the Victorian Soccer Federation leagues in 1964 after competing in the amateur competitions in its formative years. In 1965 it achieved its first ever championship winning the Metropolitan League Division 4, suffering only one loss for the year. In a somewhat golden era for the club, consistent finishes in the upper reaches of the ladder, saw the club achieve a second championship in the 60’s with the Metropolitan League Division 3 title won in 1969. The early to mid 70’s saw the club struggling to make an impression on Metropolitan League Division 2 until a wonderful 1977 campaign saw the club finish second to Doveton and thus gain promotion to Metropolitan League Division 1 for the first time in its history. Another top 4 finish in 1980 saw the club achieve the ultimate and win promotion to the Victorian State League, which would later become the Victorian Premier League. The 1980s were not kind to the club and many bottom half of the table finishes ultimately saw the club relegated in 1991 back to the State League Division 1 competition.

Recent Years

The 1990s were not much kinder when a Victorian Soccer Federation restructure in 1999 saw the club relegated to State League Division 2 despite finishing 5 places form the bottom of the ladder. If the 1980 and 90’s were not kind to the club, then the first decade of the new millennium is arguably the greatest in the club’s rich history. An undefeated Championship success in 2002 in State League 2 North West saw it regain its standing in State League Division 1, a feat that lasted only until 2006. However the undoubted turning point came in 2007 when Peter Tsolakis was appointed coach of the club and after a mediocre first year at the helm, back-to-back championships in State League Division 2 South-East in 2008 and State League Division 1 in 2009 saw the club regain its status to the Victorian Premier league in 2010, coinciding with its 50-year anniversary. In their first year back in the Victorian Premier League Northcote City finished 5th on 31 points, qualifying for the Elimination Final which they lost 3-1 to Heidelberg United. In 2011 Northcote finished 6th on 39 points, which meant they missed out on the finals by 1 point, finishing behind Heidelberg who ended the season on 40 points. Despite failing to reach the Victorian Premier league finals, they did manage to end the season with some silverware, defeating Melbourne Knights 2-0 at AAMI Park to lift the Mirabella Cup. Despite losing key players such as Trent Rixon and the Trifiro brothers, Northcote enjoyed one its most successful seasons in its history, finishing 5th and making it all the way to the semi final of the Victorian Premier League, losing to Green Gully 3-1.

Northcote City enjoyed the most successful season in its history in 2013, winning the minor premiership in the Victorian Premier League, followed by winning the VPL Grand Final against Bentligh Greens 3-2. Senior Coach Goran Lozanovski was awarded Victorian Premier League Coach of year and striker Milos Lujic won Top Goal scorer. The Under 21 team coached by Alex Gymnopolos won the Under 21 VPL, capping off a fantastic year for the Club.

The following season, Northcote finished 7th in the new National Premier Leagues Victoria competition, which replaced the old VPL. Northcote then finished 10th in 2015 and championship winning head coach Goran Lozanovski departed the club.[2] Lozanovski had been at the club since 2011, starting as an assistant and assuming the head role at the beginning of 2012. Northcote were dealt another blow, as first choice 'keeper, captain and longest standing member of the first-team Chris Theodoridis departed for NPL rivals Heidelberg United FC.[3]

Alex Gymnopoulos was announced as the new manager of Northcote City FC in September 2015.[4] Gymnopoulos had previously held the position of u20 head coach at the club. The club made two major signings in the off-season, using their two Visa places on rather exotic signings, bringing in central defender Michalis Karvouniaris from Panachaiki in the Greek Second Division[5] and English striker Michael Cunningham from American side Rochester Rhinos.[6] After a disastrous start to season 2016, which saw Northcote manage just one point from seven NPL Victoria games and exit the 2016 FFA Cup to National Premier Leagues Victoria 2 side St Albans Saints SC, manager Alex Gymnopoulos was sacked as head coach of the club.[7] On 18 April 2016, Northcote announced the return of former senior head coach, and VPL winner with Northcote City, Goran Lozanovski as Gymnopoulos' replacement.[8] Soon after, Northcote confirmed the signings of former Newcastle Jets FC striker Braedyn Crowley and attacking midfielder Keenan Gibson, who arrived from Brisbane Roar FC Youth.[9] City made another acquisition on 28 April 2016, and once more it was a player arriving directly from an A-League youth side: centre-back Marcus Duncan from Central Coast Mariners.[10]

Current squads

Senior Team

Below is the 2016 Northcote City Senior playing squad who currently play in the National Premier Leagues Victoria:

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

No. Position Player
1 Australia GK Phillip Petrovski
2 Australia DF Jordan Wilkes
3 Australia DF Nicholas Bavcar
4 Australia DF Greg Lombardo
6 Australia MF Aaron Ward
7 United States FW Michael Cunningham
10 Australia FW Braedyn Crowley
11 Australia FW Anthony Rizk
12 Australia DF Nasr Said
14 Australia MF Anthony Ramzy
15 Australia FW Todd Dekker
17 Australia FW Aron Handakas
18 Australia MF Keenan Gibson
19 Australia DF Ryan Go
20 Australia MF Nick Tzoulis
21 Greece DF Michael Karvouniaris
22 Australia MF Zois Galanopoulos
23 Australia MF Jonathan Bounas
25 Australia GK Luke Gavalas
Australia MF Phil Vaiopoulos
Australia Phillip Vaiopoulos
Australia FW Calvin Mbarga
Australia MF Joshua Berrios
Australia Steven Sifinos

Head Coach: AustraliaGoran Lozanovski

Honours

Senior Team

Under-21/Reserve team

References

  1. ↑ http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/news/northcote-defeat-bentleigh-win-vpl-crown, p. 1.
  2. ↑ http://www.cornerflag.com.au/goran-lozanovski-quits-northcote/
  3. ↑ http://www.cornerflag.com.au/skipper-departs-northcote-with-heavy-heart/
  4. ↑ http://www.mfootball.com.au/northcote-announce-gymnopoulos-as-new-coach/
  5. ↑ "Northcote signs Greek defender". MFootball. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  6. ↑ Kounelis, Jordan. "Northcote City sign English sharp-shooter". MFootball. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "ANNOUNCEMENT: NORTHCOTE AND GYMNOPOULOS PART WAYS". Northcote City FC. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  8. ↑ "ANNOUNCEMENT: LOZANOVSKI COMES HOME TO FULFIL HEAD COACH VACANCY". Northcote City FC. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  9. ↑ "Northcote turn hopes to former A-League youth trio". The Corner Flag. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  10. ↑ "CITY SHORE UP DEFENCE WITH DUNCAN SIGNING". Northcote City Football Club. Retrieved 28 April 2016.

External links

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