Soccer TOMMY Wood has been involved in a tug of war between former club Mornington and current club Peninsula Strikers. And it looks like Mornington has won the battle to clinch the young forward’s signature. Wood texted Strikers’ gaffer Scott Morrison last week to let him know he was going to return to Dallas Brooks Park. “The message was along the lines of thanks for everything but I want to go try this,” Morrison said. It’s understood that the Seagulls have offered the 21-year-old an attractive match fee and goal bonus and Strikers were not given the opportunity to match…
Author: Craig MacKenzie
SOCCER STATE 4 club Mentone has the youngest senior coach in local soccer circles after the recent appointment of 32-year-old Matias Cantavenera. He has been part of the Panthers’ senior squad since leaving Chelsea at the end of the 2019 season but the midfielder is unlikely to be playing coach next season. “I might play in the thirds but I can’t see myself playing in the seniors or reserves,” Cantavenera said.But that’s furthest from his mind right now as he embraces the excitement at tackling his first senior coaching post.“When Jason (Grieve) said he was leaving I felt this was…
SOCCER ADAM Jamieson (Mornington), Gus Macleod (Chelsea), Mark Larner (Somerville) and Gerry McDonagh (Mount Eliza) are among a host of local coaches expected to stay put for season 2025. As we went to press Langwarrin (Jamie Skelly), Peninsula Strikers (Scott Morrison) and Mount Martha (Charlie Platt) are the only local clubs to have officially announced their head coaching appointments.Mount Martha and Mentone are certain to line up next season with new head coaches with Platt already filling the vacancy left at Civic Reserve by Andrew Hall. Mentone is yet to announce a replacement for Jason Grieve who left at the…
SOCCER WHEN Wayne “Buzzer” Gordon runs out in the colours of Peninsula Strikers next year he’ll be playing his 26th straight season of first team football. He’s won championships, promotions and individual honours and earned the respect of teammates and opponents alike at both professional and semi-professional levels.“Buzzer” is an iconic figure in peninsula sport and the 40-year-old now has teammates who used to line the fence and cheer him on during their childhood years. His story starts in western Germany. His father was in the British army and was based in the city of Münster when Wayne Malcolm Gordon…
SOCCER THERE is nothing daunting about Charlie Platt’s first senior coaching assignment. Self-belief is the buffer for any possible doubts about his ability to cope with the role Mount Martha announced last weekend when he was officially unveiled as the local club’s new gaffer. “I’ll be honest with you, I am always confident in my ability,” he said.“I don’t mean to come across as big-headed or anything like that but I’m confident in getting players to play the way I want them to.”Platt aims to produce a senior squad that isn’t just capable of being ultra competitive but capable of…