Author: Craig MacKenzie

SOCCER PENINSULA Strikers announced on Friday that they had signed Steve Elliott and Campbell Steedman from Mornington. There’s a sense of unfinished business at Centenary Park after just missing out on promotion from State 2 this year and both new signings are expected to play pivotal roles in the club’s title tilt in 2023. Strikers now have joint senior coaches in Donn Delaney and Scott Morrison with the latter switching from Mornington so he’s well positioned to assess the newcomers. “There’d been initial contact with Campbell before I got involved (with Strikers) but obviously when I got involved it was…

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SOCCER SAMMY Orritt has been released by Langwarrin to free up a visa spot for Scottish striker Archie McPhee. And the Lawton Park club has also agreed terms with goalkeeper James Burgess from Northcote City and defender Charlie Fry from Kingston City. While the decision to release Orritt may surprise some after his consistent displays last season it didn’t surprise the talented Englishman. “I don’t think it’s a secret they need to score more goals and they wanted to use the visa on a number nine which is fair enough. “There’s no hard feelings. You’re not going to keep a…

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SOCCER BAXTER shot-stopper James Foster last week re-signed for a sixth straight season and will be officially joined this week by Frankston Pines goalkeeper Jarrod Nardino. The pair will go head-to-head for the prized No 1 spot in a senior squad reshaped by first-time senior coach Stephen Fisher. Foster’s junior career involved stints at Langwarrin, Caulfield Cobras, Peninsula Strikers and South Eastern Piranhas and his senior clubs have been Langy and Baxter. His full senior debut for Langwarrin was in the derby cauldron at Dallas Brooks Park against Mornington and the then teenager acquitted himself well. Now 24 years old…

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SOCCER MARK Larner is the new senior coach of State 5 South outfit Mount Martha. He fills the vacancy left by Chris Sanderson who succumbed to work commitments and stepped aside to concentrate on his duties as technical director and team manager of the senior and reserves teams. Sanderson also liaises with the shire council so he’s been Mount Martha’s jack-of-all-trades as the club tries to come to terms with the demands of State League competition. “Thursdays is a big day for me workwise and it’s also the club’s main training night,” Sanderson said. “I missed the last two Thursdays…

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SOCCER LIAM Baxter and Tom Hawkins have left Frankston Pines and have joined Baxter. They are the first signings that new Baxter coach Stephen Fisher hopes will bring the State 4 outfit success next season. Scottish striker Baxter was on the books of Inverness Caledonian Thistle and a number of Highland League clubs before arriving here early in 2017 to play for Shepparton-based Goulburn Valley Suns. He switched to Langwarrin that same year and has also been on the books of Mornington, Casey Comets, Box Hill United, Doveton and Kingston City. Hawkins has previously played with Mornington and Peninsula Strikers.…

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